August, 2019

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The Fundamentals of Talking "Exit Strategy" with Investors

Dream It

At the seed stage, talking about exit strategy always seems a bit premature, even presumptuous. But this topic is always in the back of mind for VCs and other investors, so it’s important to formulate a plan around the topic, even if those exit strategies might change as you grow your startup. Investors are giving you capital to make 10x, 20x, or 100x their investment.

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Should Entpreneurs Trust Their Gut?

Entrepreneurs' Organization

Written for EO by Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, disaster avoidance expert, speaker and author. . Decision-making research shows that many entrepreneurs don’t know when to rely on their gut instincts and when to follow reason. Here’s a pop quiz for you: Let’s say you’re interviewing a new applicant for a job and the interview feels a little off. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but you’re uncomfortable talking with this person.

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Active Learning Classroom Activities for Student Innovators

Venture Well

We’ve asked some of our faculty grantees to share their active learning exercises that you can use to help refine your own coursework for maximum impact. The post Active Learning Classroom Activities for Student Innovators appeared first on VentureWell.

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Open Finance First, Open Data Second

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

My partner Nick put together a deck outlining USV’s approach to crypto investing earlier this year and we have been using it with founders and investors since then. One slide I particularly like from that deck is this one which describes how we think the crypto market will develop over time. We have already seen an explosion of assets issued on blockchains and a number of very large and profitable custody/brokerage/exchange businesses built.

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15 Modern Use Cases for Enterprise Business Intelligence

Large enterprises face unique challenges in optimizing their Business Intelligence (BI) output due to the sheer scale and complexity of their operations. Unlike smaller organizations, where basic BI features and simple dashboards might suffice, enterprises must manage vast amounts of data from diverse sources. What are the top modern BI use cases for enterprise businesses to help you get a leg up on the competition?

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Latest AI Applications from 500’s Batch 25

500

AI is one of those buzzwords that feels like it has endless applications. That’s why it is hugely important for us to understand where the needs are now, and how AI can solve the problems better than any other technology. Batch 25 came to 500 with an incredible number of AI-based startups. Here are just some of the many industries our latest San Francisco batch is hoping to innovate through AI. 1.

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Boost Your Corporate Innovation: Activate Business Intelligence

UBI Global

Understanding the Innovation Landscape Innovation is a key focus for businesses looking to stay competitive. Many corporations hunt for new ways to gain an edge and have noticed that there are lots of exciting actors in their local (and even wider) innovation ecosystem. But how does one begin to understand this far-reaching and dynamic innovation […].

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How to Build Authentic Customer Relationships That Spark Innovation

Entrepreneurs' Organization

Written for EO by Jason McCann , a lifelong entrepreneur and experienced founder. You wouldn’t be surprised if I said that customer feedback is essential for a startup. And nobody doubts the connection between long-term customer relationships and success. However, some companies never find a way to fit it all together. Seeking out feedback is one thing.

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Practical Ways to Integrate Principles of Environmental Responsibility into STEM Courses

Venture Well

Many faculty struggle to incorporate environmental responsibility into existing STEM courses. Jeremy Faludi explains how he did it—and how you can, too. The post Practical Ways to Integrate Principles of Environmental Responsibility into STEM Courses appeared first on VentureWell.

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Hypothetical Value To Real Value

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

I remember when my son came home one day in high school and told me he wanted to “day trade” along with some friends who were doing it. We opened a TD Ameritrade account and staked him with a small amount of money, enough to trade but not enough that if he lost it all it would be an issue. And off he went. A few weeks later he asked me “Dad, what is a PE ratio?

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How Top Tech CFOs Solve Annual Planning’s Biggest Challenges

Gearing up for 2025 annual planning? Our latest eBook from the Operators Guild is your ultimate guide. Discover real-world solutions and best practices shared by top CFOs, drawn directly from discussions within OG’s vibrant online community. Learn from senior executives at high-growth tech startups as they outline financial planning strategies, align CEO and board goals, and coordinate budgets across departments.

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The Summer Solstice And Seed Stage Squeeze

Haystack

If you’ve been following my tweets lately, you’ve read some of my quick musings on the state of the seed market this summer. In short, in my 6.5 years of investing in the seed stage, I have never seen activity levels like I’m seeing today. Granted, 6.5 years is not a long arc – I have not experienced a prolonged down market as a private investor.

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Spade Work: How Early Stage Board Directors Add Value

The Seraf Compass

Over the past few years, there has been much talk about the importance of investing both financial and human capital into the rapidly expanding entrepreneurial ecosystem. From our perspective, human capital is as important as financial capital in driving the long term success of startup companies. So how do we go about the job of applying human capital to foster this success?

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Boost Your Corporate Innovation: Activate Business Intelligence

UBI Global

Understanding the Innovation Landscape Innovation is a key focus for businesses looking to stay competitive. Many corporations hunt for new ways to gain an edge and have noticed that there are lots of exciting actors in their local (and even wider) innovation ecosystem. But how does one begin to understand this far-reaching and dynamic innovation […].

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How to Use a Ghostwriter to Build Your Authority and Generate Sales

Entrepreneurs' Organization

Written for EO by Nico Prins, a communications consultant who specializes in internet marketing. . When you read articles by busy CEOs on sites like Forbes or Entrepreneur, you might wonder how they managed to find the time to write the content. After all, if their daily workload is half what you are managing, they’d be struggling to fit in the hours needed to draft a 1,500-word, SEO-optimized article.

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Your Fractional Finance and Accounting Team

Mighty Financial specializes in supporting the financial aspirations of small businesses and entrepreneurs. With our comprehensive bookkeeping and precise accounting expertise with decades of experience across diverse financial roles, our team offers tailor-made services ranging from essential bookkeeping to strategic fractional CFO support, catered specifically to the unique challenges of technology companies, startups, and SMEs.

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Entrepreneurship Activities on Campus: Helping Students Leverage the Power of an Ecosystem

Venture Well

Faculty play a key role in helping students identify campus entrepreneurship activities that most align with their personal and professional interests. The post Entrepreneurship Activities on Campus: Helping Students Leverage the Power of an Ecosystem appeared first on VentureWell.

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Tumblr

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

The news hit yesterday that WordPress has purchased Tumblr from Verizon (which owns it by virtue of its acquisition of Yahoo! and AOL). USV seeded Tumblr along with our friends at Spark in the summer of 2007 and were actively involved in the development of the company until its sale to Yahoo! in 2013. I maintained an active Tumblog from before we invested in 2007 until October 2016, when I stopped posting there.

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Revenue-Based Investing: A New Option for Founders who Care About Control

David Teten VC

Does the traditional VC financing model make sense for all companies? Absolutely not. VC Josh Kopelman makes the analogy of jet fuel vs. motorcycle fuel. VCs sell jet fuel which works well for jets; motorcycles are more common but need a different type of fuel. . A new wave of Revenue-Based Investors are emerging who are using creative investing structures with some of the upside of traditional VC, but some of the downside protection of debt.

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Seismic Forces Driving The Growth of Angel Investing

The Seraf Compass

It feels like there is more written about angel investing lately than ever before. This form of early-stage investing seems to be having its 15 minutes of fame. Is it a passing fad? I don’t think so. As someone who worked with venture capital in the run-up to the first dot.com boom and is presently an active angel and co-head of one of the largest and busiest U.S. angel groups, I've watched and charted these market changes since the early 1990s.

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Digitalization: 5 Tech Updates That Will Help You Survive The Recession & Thrive

Lack of digitalization decreases business competitiveness. To thrive, embracing modern solutions becomes essential. The approach to digitalization often aligns with a company's business model. This shift not only boosts productivity but also automates processes and improves security. The tech market offers a wealth of technologies tailored for management, planning, and forecasting, replacing outdated pen-and-paper methods.

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Boost Your Corporate Innovation: Activate Business Intelligence

UBI Global

Understanding the Innovation Landscape Innovation is a key focus for businesses looking to stay competitive. Many corporations hunt for new ways to gain an edge and have noticed that there are lots of exciting actors in their local (and even wider) innovation ecosystem. But how does one begin to understand this far-reaching and dynamic innovation […].

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Next Level Entrepreneurship: Investing in a New Generation of Startups

Entrepreneurs' Organization

For many established entrepreneurs, establishing a purpose and passion beyond business is a fulfilling way to truly make a mark. Ravi Machani , an EO member in Bangalore, India, is one entrepreneur who has done so admirably. In fact, the work he does outside of his original business helped him earn the 2019 EO Global Citizen of the Year. In 2010, Ravi founded IndiVillage , the first information technology (IT) and information technology enabled services (ITeS) company in India to become certifie

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Practical Fundraising Tips from Repeat Entrepreneur Ann Deters

HPA

Get to know Ann. Ann Deters is CEO & Founder of Vantage Technology, which has provided cataract services to hospitals and surgery centers throughout the United States for the past 28 years. In addition, she has started several healthcare ventures, such as surgery centers, medical billing services, and software technology. Currently, she sits on four corporate boards, including a New York City technology startup called Xformative, Vantage Technology, Illinois Liquor Control Commission, and La

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Striking The Right Balance

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

I was talking recently to a friend who advises a lot of boards. I asked him his view on boards overall. He said that he saw two styles, both of which he found problematic. The first style is the “rubber stamp board” that does whatever the CEO asks of them. The second style is the “meddling board” that acts like it is running the business.

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PE Mastery: CAPTARGET's Playbook for Quality Lead Flow

CAPTARGET presents a masterclass in M&A deal sourcing. Learn to cast a wide net, embracing seller self-identification. Consistency is the linchpin: keep the origination process steady for a reliable flow of opportunities. Diversify your tactics, employing various tools and vendors. Tech matters! Understand DNS settings, domain authority, and brand presence for optimal outreach.

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Growth Is Great. But Don't Take On More Than You Can Handle. Scaling Your Company.

Smart Hustle Magazine

Suhaib Zaheer built a thriving business brokerage business and grew it from 3 offices to many more multiple offices with a staff of 75 people. This was GREAT, until it wasn't. From a young age Suhaib, who is now the SVP and GM at website host Bluehost , learned about entrepreneurship and business from his father who was a banker. Having built 5 business and served in various executive roles, Suhaib has some powerful insights on build a great company.

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Apples, Oranges and Rotten Tomatoes: Owning A Diverse Portfolio

The Seraf Compass

I believe building a diverse portfolio is critical to success as an angel investor. But when I first sat down to write an article on diversification of angel investments, I knew right away I was facing a serious challenge.

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Boost Your Corporate Innovation: Activate Business Intelligence

UBI Global

Understanding the Innovation Landscape Innovation is a key focus for businesses looking to stay competitive. Many corporations hunt for new ways to gain an edge and have noticed that there are lots of exciting actors in their local (and even wider) innovation ecosystem. But how does one begin to understand this far-reaching and dynamic innovation […].

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On the Rise on the Fort Worth Food Scene

Entrepreneurs' Organization

In a July 2019 episode of the Food Network’s show “ Chopped ,” EO Fort Worth member Juan Rodriguez competed against other chefs in hopes of landing the top stop. (Spoiler alert.). Juan Rodriguez was chopped. But he’s OK with it because he landed a table at Red Rooster, the acclaimed restaurant by James Beard Foundation Award winner Marcus Samuelsson, one of the judges on “Chopped.”.

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How to Stay Competitive in the Evolving State of Martech

Marketing technology is essential for B2B marketers to stay competitive in a rapidly changing digital landscape — and with 53% of marketers experiencing legacy technology issues and limitations, they’re researching innovations to expand and refine their technology stacks. To help practitioners keep up with the rapidly evolving martech landscape, this special report will discuss: How practitioners are integrating technologies and systems to encourage information-sharing between departments and pr