Both Sides of the Table
SEPTEMBER 15, 2022
At our mid-year offsite our partnership at Upfront Ventures was discussing what the future of venture capital and the startup ecosystem looked like. The market was down considerably with public valuations down 53–79% across the four sectors we were reviewing (it is since down even further). ==> Aside, we also have a NEW LA-based partner I’m thrilled to announce: Nick Kim.
A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC
SEPTEMBER 12, 2022
I’ve always been interested in tapping into the “crowd” to fund things that need to happen and that our current institutions can’t figure out how to support. Our investment in Kickstarter back in 2009 is an excellent example of that. In the last thirteen years, Kickstarter has helped direct $6.2bn towards creative work that would not have been funded by the legacy institutions that support creative work.
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The Seraf Compass
SEPTEMBER 8, 2022
As a deal lead, once you conclude that there is enough of an opportunity to merit potential investment, and around the time you start drafting the final report, you can push through the temporary euphoria and begin negotiating the termsheet. In some cases this will be driven entirely by the deal lead, while in investor networks with dedicated management, it might be led by a manager with the involvement of the deal lead.
Revolution
SEPTEMBER 28, 2022
A Glimpse Inside The Rise of the Rest: How Entrepreneurs in Surprising Places are Building the New American Dream Today, my second book, The Rise of the Rest: How Entrepreneurs in Surprising Places are Building the New American Dream , was released by Simon & Schuster?—?but its message has been more than a decade in the making. If you’ve followed my journey as an investor and advocate, it’s likely one you know well: Great companies can start and scale anywhere.
Entrepreneurs' Organization
SEPTEMBER 14, 2022
Contributed by Shawn Johal , an EO member and former president of EO Montreal, who is a leadership speaker, bestselling author of The Happy Leader , and founder of Elevation Leaders , a business growth practice helping companies 10X their business valuation. A whopping 77 percent of business owners wished they better understood the numbers within their business, and 82 percent of businesses fail due to cash management problems.
Startup Catalyst Brief brings together the best content for the entrepreneurial ecosystem from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Paul G. Silva
SEPTEMBER 15, 2022
The angel groups of New England and New York joined forces to help startups get funded. Initial results: 2x as many startups are being seen by 2x as many investors, in 1/10th the time. Entrepreneur Pain Points. You would think that the marginal effort to raise money from a second angel group is much lower. Won’t the second group take all the hard work you did from the first group and only need to ask a few more questions?
A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC
SEPTEMBER 6, 2022
As we all prepare for the fall back to school/back to work season, I thought I’d touch on a topic that has been top of mind for me for the last six months. The covid pandemic taught many of us that we can be productive and our companies can succeed in a fully remote work environment. But just because you can does not mean you should. In the venture capital business, this has meant making investments in teams we don’t meet face to face.
The Seraf Compass
SEPTEMBER 22, 2022
Travel to almost any part of the world these days and you are likely to run into clusters of entrepreneurship. Whether you are located in a hotbed of technology like Silicon Valley, a huge emerging market such as China, or in the ancient city of Byblos, chances are you will stumble upon a collection of entrepreneurs working to create new, vibrant companies.
Hunter Walk
SEPTEMBER 19, 2022
Hint: The Answer Doesn’t Involve a Spreadsheet. I’m not an investor in Figma. I don’t know Figma CEO Dylan Field. And I’m not a designer. So this means I’m either perfectly positioned to give you my objective comments on Adobe’s $20 billion purchase of the startup, or totally unqualified to ask for your time on this matter. With that out of the way, here are three statements about this acquisition.
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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?
Entrepreneurs' Organization
SEPTEMBER 9, 2022
For decades, businesses faced a genuine challenge with office space. Growing companies needed enough office space to expand into as they added headcount to support growth. Office prices were constantly rising, and companies faced challenges in finding the kind of space that was suitable for them. However, the pandemic changed all of that. Suddenly, entrepreneurs found staff working from home and focused on virtual, rather than in-person, collaboration.
Venture Well
SEPTEMBER 21, 2022
Learn how community colleges welcome and encourage entrepreneurs from non-traditional backgrounds—and how you can, too. The post Cultivating Inclusivity: Engagement at Community Colleges and Beyond appeared first on VentureWell.
Paul G. Silva
SEPTEMBER 6, 2022
When data is scant, scientists can greatly disagree. This video does a wonderful job of explaining why, and how the situation changes as data comes in. For those of us in innovation & entrepreneurship – this is our life! We are always starting in places of low data and high uncertainty, yet need to move forward. Lots of lessons to borrow from scientists here.
A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC
SEPTEMBER 19, 2022
Nuclear power (both fission and fusion) has the potential to provide much of the energy the world needs without the damaging effects of carbon emissions which are warming our planet. And yet nuclear power is politically unpopular in many parts of the world and that has led to a massive underinvestment in nuclear power over the last fifty years. It will take a much different attitude about nuclear power among the public before nuclear power can remerge as a major source of energy for the world.
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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.
The Seraf Compass
SEPTEMBER 15, 2022
Seraf is thrilled to announce its new suite of Deal Flow tools for early stage funds, family offices and angel investment groups. A natural product extension to Seraf’s renowned portfolio management solution, our new deal flow product enables teams to collaborate and efficiently usher deals from sourcing to exit all in one place.
David Teten VC
SEPTEMBER 13, 2022
It’s hard enough to raise capital from VC, private equity fund, and family offices. How do you sell to them? I’m an investor in many companies which sell to these types of clients. I put together a cheat sheet with some of the sales best practices I’ve seen. I thought this would be helpful to two types of companies: Companies which sell directly to private equity/VC funds and family offices, e.g., some of my portfolio companies from my prior VC funds – Addepar , Drop Technologies ( Cardify
Entrepreneurs' Organization
SEPTEMBER 2, 2022
Over the years, I have consistently noticed that I get many new and different ideas when I travel away from home and get out of my regular routine. I used to believe that one of the reasons for this phenomenon was that a different venue or culture offered me a change in perspective. However, upon reflection, I think the real driver is that taking time away allows my brain to more easily access creative thinking mode, as it’s being asked to do less on an hour-to-hour basis. .
TechCrunch
SEPTEMBER 28, 2022
Adobe’s intention to acquire Figma for $20 billion , announced mid-September, sent shockwaves through the design industry, and not all of them positive. On a business level, it’s a no-brainer that Adobe has snapped up a rival whose design collaboration tools have picked up significantly more traction than Adobe’s home-grown XD platform.
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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.
Revolution
SEPTEMBER 29, 2022
This article originally appeared in Harvard Business Review on September 28, 2022. “ For Startups, a Bleak Year for IPOs and Acquisitions ” — Fast Company “ Venture capital investing plunged in 2009 ” — The Washington Business Journal “ Venture investments fall 61 percent in Q1 ” — Associated Press Though these alarming headlines seem all too familiar today, each originally ran from 2007–2010: The Great Recession dramatically slowed venture capital fundraising for many companies, just as rece
Entrepreneur's Handbook
SEPTEMBER 6, 2022
The lead investor does the hard work to make it easy for others to invest Continue reading on Entrepreneur's Handbook ».
NZ Entrepreneur
SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
Want to tap in to the best startup advice from entrepreneurs who are out there doing it? Welcome to ‘500 Founders’ where we ask innovators from around New Zealand for their top insights for first time startup founders. Luke Campbell – Cofounder. Vxt. “Startup founders should connect with other founders at similar stages to them, and ones who are a few steps ahead.”.
Paul G. Silva
SEPTEMBER 8, 2022
The great folks at Slidebean took the Lean Validation Board and gave it an update. Whereas the Business Model Canvas or the Lean Canvas map out your entire business model, this tool focuses only on the most critical things right now. It is a tool that helps you stay focused on the right priorities by putting them very clearly in your face.
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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.
Entrepreneurs' Organization
SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
Contributed by Dhiren Harchandani , an EO UAE member who is a transformation architect, speaker, author, and endurance athlete with over 2,500 hours of coaching experience. He’s the creator of several personal development programs designed to transform each area of life: Superhuman Journey, Master Your Inner Game, Guided Forgiveness, and Recode your Thoughts.
TechCrunch
SEPTEMBER 17, 2022
Last month, Varo Bank celebrated the two-year anniversary of obtaining its national bank charter. The move made Varo the first-ever all-digital nationally chartered U.S. consumer bank. The startup launched its banking services in 2017, aimed at making younger consumers comfortable doing all their banking online. It has raised nearly $1 billion since its 2015 inception and was valued at $2.5 billion at the time of its last raise in 2021.
Andreessen Horowitz
SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
Over the past several years, the field of fintech infrastructure has exploded with venture capital investment and entrepreneurial attention. Between the emergence of Stripe, Plaid, and other category-defining decacorns; the continued launches of financial services offerings from non-banks like Apple … The post Foundations for Successful Fintech Infrastructure (and Several Tradeoffs to Consider) appeared first on Andreessen Horowitz.
Tomasz Tunguz
SEPTEMBER 15, 2022
Today, Adobe announced its intention to acquire Figma for $20b , valuing the business at 50x current ARR, the highest multiple paid for any software company of scale. Congratulations to team Figma on building their impressive business. After the correction earlier this year, public valuation multiples had reset to those of 2017. That year, Cisco acquired AppDynamics for 17x trailing revenue.
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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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