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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COVID-19 testing: four breakthrough solutions in the RADx initiative

Venture Well

In celebration of National Inventors’ Day, we are highlighting four teams developing COVID-19 testing innovations through the National Health Institute's Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative. The post COVID-19 testing: four breakthrough solutions in the RADx initiative appeared first on VentureWell.

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SourceLink Commits to Innovation In Key Partnership with NLC

Source Link

Innovation is never born in a silo, and solutions are always meant to be shared. That’s precisely the philosophy behind the City Innovation Ecosystems program from the National League of Cities. At SourceLink, we are proud to continue to support the NLC's NIE program and have gained commitments from three new cities to become actively engaged in the program to right resource inequality and drive innovation across the country.

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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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AppHarvest is now APPH: Rise of the Rest’s First Publicly Traded Company

Revolution

On February 1st, the AppHarvest team?—?led by Founder & CEO Jonathan Webb ?—?rang the opening bell on the NASDAQ stock exchange, signifying the start of their new chapter in life as a public traded company after successfully completing a merger with Novus Capital Corporation. In that moment, it became the ~20th publicly traded company in Kentucky, the third in its corporate-office HQ of Lexington, and the first in our Rise of the Rest Seed Fund portfolio.

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Meet the man empowering young leaders by starting with their computer repairs

Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative

By Jewelle Saunders. Driven by a desire to help people from a young age, YLAI 2018 Fellow Janeel Boon aims to empower others to see their leadership ability within themselves. Before starting his own company, Boon’s Computer Repairs , in 2014 in St. Kitts and Nevis, Janeel came from humble beginnings. He studied computer science at a local college and worked for three years across the Caribbean region.

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protecting our oceans with AI technology: q&a with Saakib Akbany of Remora

Venture Well

Saakib Akbany of E-Team, Remora, developed an autonomous marine drone that uses AI technology to collect floating garbage from ports to address ocean pollution. The post protecting our oceans with AI technology: q&a with Saakib Akbany of Remora appeared first on VentureWell.

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The Startup Coaching Playbook: Do You Need a Business Coach?

StartupNation

The biggest challenge for a startup founder is knowing where to focus. You’ve got to pitch investors, target the right customer, hone your business model and raise critical funding just in time. Your team is lean, the margin of error narrow. Yes, you can screw up some things, but there’s one task you can’t get wrong: you’ve got to pick the right, critical advisors or coaches, the ones who will keep you on track to accelerate toward your dream.

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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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Secondary Markets

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

Buying something from the creator or issuer is often called the “primary market.” Reselling it to someone else is often called the “secondary market.” I have spent my career in the primary market, buying equity from very young companies and holding it for many years usually until a sale or IPO. That has worked well for me over the years but recently, I have watched a vibrant secondary market develop for private company shares and I think that is a good thing as I believe

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The Great Acceleration of the Rise of the Rest (Part II): Does your City have a Moat?

Revolution

2021: The Great Acceleration of the Rise of the Rest (Part II): Does your City have a Moat? What’s the secret sauce for emerging tech hubs who want to seize this shake-the-snow-globe moment of tech talent redistributing across the country? I’ll frame my response in the same context that I used for Part I of this series: first, we must appreciate that cities are just like startups.

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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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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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how Fluid-Screen replaced the petri dish with a microchip

Venture Well

Monika Weber of Fluid-Screen credits early-stage entrepreneurial support for the success of her team’s bacterial contamination diagnostic technology, which has secured over $7 million in funding, and generated over $3 million in revenue. The post how Fluid-Screen replaced the petri dish with a microchip appeared first on VentureWell.

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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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4 Immutable truths of modern leadership

Entrepreneurs' Organization

Contributed by Erik Kruger , founder of Modern Breed , an international learning and development firm cultivating a new breed of leaders and teams. As a speaker, writer and thinking partner for entrepreneurs and business leaders, Erik shared his expertise with Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) members during learning events about the future of leadership. .

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Ten Years And Just Getting Started

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

I remember meeting Zach Sims and his co-founder Ryan Bubinski back in 2011 when they started Codecademy. Zach was still in college and thinking of dropping out to focus on the Company. I just realized this morning that it has been ten years since then. Wow. Time does fly. Like many great companies their idea was simple, but powerful. build the easiest way to learn to code.

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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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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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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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providing an entrepreneurial pathway to student innovators: a q&a with Rucha Joshi of University of California Davis

Venture Well

Faculty grants recipient Rucha Joshi from University of California, Davis helps students identify an entrepreneurial pathway through scientific innovation. The post providing an entrepreneurial pathway to student innovators: a q&a with Rucha Joshi of University of California Davis appeared first on VentureWell.

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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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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