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It’s that time of year again—the season of people quitting their jobs soon to start a company. I don’t know whether it’s New Years resolutions or end of year bonuses, but I feel like there’s a bit of a peak in people wrapping up previous things looking to start something new. If you’re going that route—here are a couple of things I would suggest: Have at least six months of personal expenses in the bank —and that’s only if you know you can at least get some angel capital based around your connec
It’s that time of year, time to look back and reflect on the most significant storylines in the tech, startup, and VC world. A comprehensive post on this topic could be 5,000+ words, but we do not do such things here. We kept detailed notes month by month and today, I tried to organize them by key sections, what you’ll see below. There’s a good chance I’ve missed something — if you feel that way, by all means, please share your point of view on Twitter (or email) an
Written for EO by Michael Neidert, a writer and consultant. . Entrepreneurship is difficult in any part of the world, but entrepreneurs in developing nations face an especially steep uphill climb. Add poor infrastructure, difficult-to-access capital and daunting challenges to the list of typical issues of starting a business, and entrepreneurship in a developing nation becomes an especially courageous act.
So much food goes to waste in our country every year. So many people are hungry. It is literally cheaper to throw food away than to give it away… until now. A few years ago I had the honor of mentoring Maria Rose Belding when she and her partners at Means Database were in the Valley Venture Mentors startup Accelerator. Her social venture is organized and dreams like a high tech silicon valley startup – but all of that energy is directed to doing good, at scale.
AI adoption is reshaping sales and marketing. But is it delivering real results? We surveyed 1,000+ GTM professionals to find out. The data is clear: AI users report 47% higher productivity and an average of 12 hours saved per week. But leaders say mainstream AI tools still fall short on accuracy and business impact. Download the full report today to see how AI is being used — and where go-to-market professionals think there are gaps and opportunities.
Customers will pay you to build your SaaS product. It’s one of the great advantages of a SaaS model. Annual prepay contracts - wherein customers pay for a year’s cost on day - is a free loan from customers. And every startup can benefit from this advance. There’s only one requirement: you must be able to sell your product while you’re building it.
Our team is always looking for ways to highlight the great work happening around the country. Every day, our communities face new challenges that are met head-on by leaders and entrepreneurs aiming to make a difference. Their work inspires ours! Here is a selection of articles to stimulate the conversation: Museums, Neighborhoods, and Gentrification: Lessons from the Nation’s Capital.
Our team is always looking for ways to highlight the great work happening around the country. Every day, our communities face new challenges that are met head-on by leaders and entrepreneurs aiming to make a difference. Their work inspires ours! Here is a selection of articles to stimulate the conversation: Museums, Neighborhoods, and Gentrification: Lessons from the Nation’s Capital.
Over the last five years ago, a disproportionate amount of venture capital funded paid acquisition on Facebook. Some very large consumer facing businesses were built, but that gravy train won’t last forever—and signs are that it is seriously slowing down. Companies are reporting that acquisition costs are trending up, and optimization is increasingly feeling like squeezing blood from a stone.
Alright, here we go. My predictions for 2019. I am not great at these “looking ahead” posts. We all know the unknown will happen. Looking at my post last year, it wasn’t that great — and my take on crypto was proven wrong. Ok, let’s move on…for 2019’s prediction, I tried to keep it simple and cook up big questions that are on most peoples’ minds, and offer my two cents on them.
The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) ’s Accelerator program empowers early-stage entrepreneurs with the tools, community and accountability necessary to aggressively grow and master their businesses. Peter Gabauer, an EO Accelerator participant in Brisbane, Australia, is founder and CEO of Table and Desk , which provides custom furniture in 14 days.
Ran across these great blog posts ( The Illusion of Product/Market Fit for SaaS Companies , The SaaS Adventure ) by Brad Feld & Neeraj Agrawal respectively. Product/Market Fit is now, appropriately, a central concept in startups. But when do you have it? If you think you have it, odds are darn good you don’t. Is your data really robust enough for you to know you have it?
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?
Reading the news in the past week made me wonder. Just where are we pricing SaaS companies today? The Nasdaq and the S&P have toyed with a bear market. Many stocks are down 10 to 50%. Absolute valuations are one consideration, but let’s understand it at a deeper level. Have multiples compressed? The answer is yes, they have, but enterprise value to forward revenue multiples are still at some of the highest levels for SaaS companies in the past eight years.
This week we contacted royalty licensing expert, the well-respected Arthur Lipper, asking the magic question. Why are you so strongly sold on royalty licensing as the most effective way to finance a tech-based early stage company? I asked him five important questions, which he answered, and I’ve summarized below. Since I am a proponent of using equity as a tool and he is so much opposed, this week it is his turn to make the case.
You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. You are what you eat. About a year ago, I tracked down a VC who gave a talk I heard about where he referenced the phrase “Your portfolio is your path,” it stuck out in my mind because amid all the noise, it was simple, brief, and yet still open to interpretation. We hung out and I asked him about the entire talk he gives (a subject for another post, if he agrees to it), but this one a small portion of it and I think
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.
At Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) , our vision is to build the world’s most influential community of entrepreneurs. One way we encourage young entrepreneurs is through the EO Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) , EO’s premier competition for students who own and operate a business while attending college or university. The intense, international competition culminates with the Global Finals, where “studentpreneurs” from 50+ countries compete and make connect
My thanks to the many people who put their faith in Rick Plaut and my new venture, Launch413. A special thanks to the many members of River Valley Investors who provided the pre-seed funding to get us started and then played a big part in finishing our seed round. For those that don’t know Launch413, we are an alternative venture fund that takes startups from Launch to their first $10 million in revenue.
These are my ten favorite books from 2018. The (Mis)Behavior of Markets - Written by Benoit Mandelbrot, the Belgian mathematician who pioneered fractals, this book and theory inspired Naseem Taleb. It’s a powerful book on the uncertain nature of financial turbulence. Creative Selection - Ken Kocienda, a former Apple engineer who co-authored Safari and the iPhone keyboard, writes about culture at Apple.
We’re growing our team with 2 new positions! Forward Cities , the largest national network of cities committed to advancing inclusive innovation and economic development, is seeking two dynamic new team members: Fellows Manager. ESHIP Ops Coordinator (Kansas City ONLY, Temp – Perm). Information on how to apply can be found on the respective pages.
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.
This week we contacted royalty licensing expert, the well-respected Arthur Lipper, asking the magic question. Why are you so strongly sold on royalty licensing as the most effective way to finance a tech-based early stage company? I asked him five important questions, which he answered, and I’ve summarized below. Since I am a proponent of using equity as a tool and he is so much opposed, this week it is his turn to make the case.
It’s an unusual time in the markets. With high levels of public market volatility — the first we’ve seen in the age of social media and true real-time information — it feels like everyone and their grandmom is expecting a downturn. “We’re in the nth year of an unbelievable bull market!” “Most of the country doesn’t have any savings!
Written for EO by Gareth Williams, founder of YellowDog. When you launch a business on your own, you don’t need to worry about anyone’s performance apart from your own. As your business grows, you recruit talent to work with you. You make key hires and start building your team. But that’s just the beginning. How do you assess how your new team members are performing without relying solely on KPIs?
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I’ve wondered what it’s like to work at Apple. I’ve read books and articles about Steve Jobs and the turbulence the company experienced. Ken Kocienda co-wrote the Safari browser and developed the first iPhone keyboard. His book, Creative Selection, is the first book that provides a view of the day to day environment at Apple. It’s full of wisdom. These are my learnings from the book.
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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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