February, 2021

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Both Things Can Be True: Bias and Bad Fundraising Advice

This is going to be BIG.

Fundraising takes a long time. I’m a female founder. I don’t have a technical co-founder. I don’t have enough traction. These are all of the things I heard from a founder that I recently backed. She was pitching for a pre-seed round of $400k. I committed to the round, but I wanted to see her raise a bit more—at least $750k, but perhaps up to $1.5mm.

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5 More Things VCs Wish Startup Founders Knew

Dream It

We did a previous dose on 5 things investors wish startups knew. Go here if you missed it. Well, that didn’t cover everything. Managing Partner, Steve Barsh , sat down to give us 5 MORE things investors wish startups knew. Keep reading for some more of the most common mistakes startups make when pitching and for Steve’s tips on how to fix them. 1. Share your unique insight What did you discover that sets you apart from other startups?

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How my business was saved by the stage—and how it can save yours

Entrepreneurs' Organization

Contributed by Rich Mulholland, an EO member in Cape Town and founder of Missing Link. On 15 March 2020, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa–like many other world leaders–declared a national State of Disaster. This meant that there would be no public gatherings and that a lockdown was imminent. That’s bad news if you make your living from live conferences, like we did.

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Rooftop Solar

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

I’ve been thinking a lot about the economics of rooftop solar. Our family has invested in rooftop solar over the last five years in an attempt to reduce our carbon footprint and reduce our electric bills. When you do that in combination with electrification of your heating and cooling (using electric heat pumps vs gas or oil), you can save money and live a more sustainable life.

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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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Seraf Toolbox: Exit Planning for CEOs and the Board of Directors

The Seraf Compass

As a director on an early stage company board, how do you deliver on your main responsibility as a board member - maximizing shareholder value? And, what do you do to make sure the CEO is doing her job in increasing the value of your investment in the company? And what good is the increase in value if it is not accompanied by sufficient liquidity to realize it?

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There is infinite money for stock-trading startups

TechCrunch

Welcome back to The TechCrunch Exchange, a weekly startups-and-markets newsletter. It’s broadly based on the daily column that appears on Extra Crunch , but free, and made for your weekend reading. Want it in your inbox every Saturday morning? Sign up here. . Ready? Let’s talk money, startups and spicy IPO rumors. Earlier this week TechCrunch broke the news that Public, a consumer stock trading service, was in the process of raising more money.

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Take A Seat In Our No-Cost Startup Boot Camp And You Might Take Home Up To $10,000!

Ben Franklin Technology Partners

STATE COLLEGE, PA –Ben Franklin’s Tech Celerator @StateCollege; a partnership with the Invent Penn State initiative, is again offering local entrepreneurs, grad-students, professors, and university researchers its VIRTUAL 10-Week Business Startup Boot Camp. You’ll expand your network, engage with other successful entrepreneurs, discuss your business model with experts and develop a pitch that could win you up to $10,000!

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EO’s framework for sustainability: How EO will become net positive by 2030

Entrepreneurs' Organization

Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO)’s purpose is to help entrepreneurs achieve their full potential by enabling life-enhancing connections, designing shared experiences and providing collaborative learning. EO’s quarterly Impact Day events, as part of the sustainability plan, including “Reimagine Success” and “Designing Your Future,” focus on our planet and the vital role businesses play in building a sustainable future.

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Computer Science Is For Everyone

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

Many/most of you know that a lot of my philanthropic time and energy is dedicated to making sure that all K12 students, but particularly young women and students of color, have access to a high quality computer science education. When I started this work a decade or more ago, I would regularly run into well-meaning people in the education system who would say something like “oh, that’s not for my students” and it would p**s me off and I would try to explain that anyone can lear

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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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How to Make the Most of a Hybrid Business Model with or without PPP Relief

Smart Hustle Magazine

Small businesses are vital to our global economy, yet they are disproportionately vulnerable to the economic fallout from COVID-19. In fact, more than 70 percent of small business leaders felt a moderate-to-large negative effect from the pandemic, according to an October 2020 U.S. Census Bureau Small Business Pulse Survey. While 4.9 million PPP loans were issued this summer to provide relief for small businesses, it is uncertain how many businesses will benefit from this next wave of governme

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The Perfect Side Hustle: Amplify Your Strengths and Sharpen Your Skills

StartupNation

The perfect side hustle fuses passion, expertise and a prototyping mindset. Hustling comes naturally to entrepreneurs, and during the pandemic, it has become even more essential to get out there and make a buck. To naysayers who fear a side venture might divert them from an amazing startup or great job down the line, listen close: side hustling is cross-training for your best business performance.

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Multiplayer fintech, and the muddled world of startup data

TechCrunch

There’s always a fintech angle , even on Valentine’s Day. This week, I covered Zeta, a new startup working on joint finances for modern couples. It aims to take away the money chores of a relationship, from splitting the bill at dinner to requesting rent through a payment app every month. Aditi Shekar, the co-founder, gave me some notes about why the ongoing popularity of Venmo is validation for the company, instead of competition.

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Eliminating Data Downtime with Data Observability - Why We Partnered with Monte Carlo Data

Tomasz Tunguz

At Redpoint, we believe 2020 is the decade of data. We’ve partnered in the leaders of the next generation of data from the earliest stages; companies like Snowflake, Looker, and Dremio. Leaders rely more on data every day to inform our decisions, to power our products, and to communicate. In short, the data pipelines that move data from one place to another have become the nervous system of the modern organization.

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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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Summiting Mount Kilimanjaro: A Lesson in Self-Leadership

Entrepreneurs' Organization

Contributed by Miranda Naiman, founder and managing partner of Empower, a Tanzanian consulting firm and a member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. . It’s 2:17am on December 17 2020 and my tightly booted feet trudge gradually forward in zig-zag formation up a 70 percent incline in the eerie darkness. An artic breeze bites my exposed face—the balaclava pulled down to allow extra oxygen deep into my lungs.

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How My Partner Turned Clubhouse Into a $150/Hour Side Hustle

Entrepreneur's Handbook

And what his approach can teach you about how to deal with “The Next Big Thing” Continue reading on Entrepreneur's Handbook ».

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10 Pillars of a Successful Small Business [Upcoming Akimbo Course]

Smart Hustle Magazine

Do you want to start or grow your business? Let’s do a spot check and see if you have these 10 key pillars of a successful business: 10 Small Business Pillars. Target audience. Are you getting clients and serving your audience? Business solution. Does your business solve a specific problem? Pricing. Do you have pricing down? Capacity. Are you built to the right scale?

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5 Tips for Getting Your New Business Finances Set up for Success

StartupNation

Over 3.2 million Americans filed a business application in 2020, 500,000 more than in 2019. Are you a member of this group? If so, you’re proof that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in America despite present day challenges. As a new business owner, you’re likely struggling with where to spend your valuable resources (time, energy and money) to run the most successful business you can.

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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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Getaway, a startup building tiny cabins, raises $41.7M

TechCrunch

Getaway CEO Jon Staff said that while the startup’s offerings weren’t designed with a pandemic in mind, they turned out to be well-suited for a time when people were eager to find safe ways to get off Zoom and out of their homes. Founded in 2015, Getaway builds “Outposts” — collections of tiny cabins in rustic locations within a two-hour drive of major cities like Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles and New York.

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How to Be a Great COO: Lessons Learned Leading a Unicorn to Success

Tomasz Tunguz

On Wednesday, February 17th at 9:30 AM PT, Redpoint Office Hours will host Allison Pickens , the former COO of Gainsight and one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women. Throughout her time there, she scaled the SaaS company from $1M ARR to pre- IPO, along the way, creating the category of customer success software, and paving the way for Gainsight’s $1.1B sale.

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Edlyft Co-Founder and CEO Erika Hairston: How Community Can Elevate Tech

Y Combinator

Edlyft co-founder and CEO Erika Hairston never imagined herself as a “techie,” but was drawn to computer science while at Yale University—not that it was a cinch for her. “I actually really struggled through the major and almost dropped it,” she says. While she ultimately persevered and graduated with her computer science degree from Yale in 2018, she also built appreciation for what it’s like to be truly intimidated by a subject matter.

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3 Timeless Business Lessons From Austin Russell?—?The Youngest Self-Made Billionaire

Entrepreneur's Handbook

Here’s what you can learn from the 25-year-old prodigy Continue reading on Entrepreneur's Handbook ».

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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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Step-by-Step Guide to Develop a Strategy to Scale Your Business in 2021 

Smart Hustle Magazine

No matter what stage your business is at, it’s never too soon to have a scaling-up strategy in place. It can always be amended as you go, but being mindful of where your business can use an efficiency boost will always be a winning strategy. Keep in mind, however, that this is not a guide to grow your business. This is a guide to increase the efficiency of your business as you grow.

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Register for StartupNation’s Live Webinar with Dell Technologies, Be Entered to Win a Dell XPS 13 Laptop

StartupNation

Join StartupNation, Dell Technologies and Microsoft for a free LIVE webinar and Q&A on modern workplace solutions and collaboration technologies on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 4 p.m. ET! Register for the free webinar here! Leveraging technology to ensure business agility is important in any environment, but in today’s world of COVID-19 where it’s your main or only way to collaborate with employees and customers, it’s truly imperative.

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A Dallas-based founder looks to tackle the student loan crisis with his startup, College Cash

TechCrunch

Demetrius Curry has spent the last couple years chasing a dream. His startup, College Cash , allows brands to petition users to create photo and video marketing content highlighting their product or service, with the wrinkle being that content creators are paid by the brands in the form of credits that go directly toward paying down their student loan debt.

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5 Essential Traits Of Startup Leaders

Feedough

You not only have to be an innovator but also a leader if you want to succeed in the startup ecosystem. For a startup to exist, you should have a disruptive idea, the right investor, and unique positioning. But more than that, you need to be an exceptional leader to lead the startup and make it stay in the market for long. Startup leadership is a unique art that not everyone possesses.

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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