Both Sides of the Table
JUNE 17, 2017
There are certain topics that even some of the smartest people I talk with who aren’t startup oriented can’t fully grok. One of them is whether profitability matters. It’s common cocktail party chatter to hear people confidently pronounce that some well known startup is sure to blow up because, “How could they succeed when they’re not even profitable!
Entrepreneurs' Organization
JUNE 27, 2017
Monique Maissan is an EO Shanghai member, CEO of Vision Textiles and founder of Waste2Weave. . “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” is the quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. During a trip to that great Indian leader’s homeland, EO Shanghai member Monique Maissan experienced a kairos moment, realizing her true purpose: To empower women in India’s handloom industry with a living wage for textiles produced from recycled plastic yarns.
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This is going to be BIG.
JUNE 4, 2017
One aspect of venture capital that rarely gets talked about is competition to get into a deal. What happens when a founder has that rare wealth of riches when they're choosing who they're going to allow onto their cap table? The tables turn and the one being pitched to becomes the one pitching. The moment when you find out that you're not guaranteed a slot is my least favorite as a VC.
FundersClub
JUNE 8, 2017
Christopher Steiner is the founder of ZRankings , and Aisle50, YCS11, which was acquired by Groupon in 2015. In the history of the U.S. economy, particular classes of workers rarely have had a run so prodigious and extended as the current ride that engineers and developers find themselves on. The nature of capitalism means that lucrative job categories that experience shortages are typically fed with hordes of newly-trained workers who even out the imbalance.
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Generative AI is upending the way product developers & end-users alike are interacting with data. Despite the potential of AI, many are left with questions about the future of product development: How will AI impact my business and contribute to its success? What can product managers and developers expect in the future with the widespread adoption of AI?
Berkonomics
JUNE 22, 2017
Close. Stop me if you’ve heard this story before. “My job as a (newspaper publisher telephone installer, stockbroker, travel agent, retail store manager) is safe as this economy continues to grow.” Yup. Thought so. We are in a decade of creative destruction that will affect most everybody. And the prime motivators of this massive destruction are the same class of entrepreneurs and innovators that have done it before.
Startup Catalyst Brief brings together the best content for the entrepreneurial ecosystem from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Both Sides of the Table
JUNE 29, 2017
I am so proud and humbled to be able to formally announce that Upfront Ventures has raised its 6th venture capital fund in the past 21 years. Upfront VI is our latest core fund and is $400 million to invest in early stage entrepreneurs. This brings our combined funds under management to nearly $2 billion. A huge thank you to all of the Limited Partners who have entrusted us with your capital, time and reputations.
Entrepreneurs' Organization
JUNE 16, 2017
Cameron Madill is an EO member in Portland, EO’s 2017 Global Citizen of the Year winner, founder of B Local PDX, and founder and CEO of PixelSpoke , a web design and marketing agency. Each year since 2013, EO recognizes one outstanding member who embodies the heart and soul of volunteerism, and who paves the way for others to follow, through its EO Global Citizen of the Year Award.
This is going to be BIG.
JUNE 15, 2017
I didn't grow up in a neighborhood where gunshots were a thing--and I know I am incredibly lucky for that. That's why when I pulled up to the corner of Atlantic and Fourth by the Barclay's Center yesterday at a couple of minutes after 2pm, the sound of gunfire was pretty startling, and it's not something I can easily shake. Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop-pop-pop!
FundersClub
JUNE 12, 2017
Being an effective founder means questioning current paradigms, asking ‘Is there a better way to do this—and am I the person to do it?’ It’s that line of thinking that leads people to create disruptive companies, to solve problems that were thought to be intractable. Venture capital investing offers different challenges than those associated with tech entrepreneurship, but Alex Mittal, co-founder and CEO of FundersClub, approached the sphere of venture capital the same wa
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Berkonomics
JUNE 8, 2017
The subject of raising money is critical to many businesses and a passing option to others, depending upon the capital efficiency of the enterprise. Some businesses require very little capital and the founder can self-finance the enterprise and retain 100% of its ownership and control from ignition through liquidity event (startup through sale). For you who fit that description, nice work.
Tomasz Tunguz
JUNE 28, 2017
One typical Friday morning in 2004, I walked into a government building and headed to work. I was a junior Java engineer and part of a hired team building an internal system for a government agency. We were a few days behind on schedule, and a technical issue arose. During the morning team meeting, we made a plan to refactor a small key part of the codebase - an effort that should have taken just the morning.
Both Sides of the Table
JUNE 19, 2017
One of the hardest decisions entrepreneurs make when they start a company and raise outside capital is figuring out what an acceptable “burn rate” is. That is, how much should your company be willing to lose in cash every month as you make investments in staff and equipment that funds technology, sales, marketing and management. Of course there is no right answer but it’s a function of how much capital you have raised, your prospects for raising more capital in the future, your growth rate and y
Entrepreneurs' Organization
JUNE 19, 2017
Jessica Moseley is an EO member in Washington, D.C., and CEO of TCS Interpreting , providing world-class language access to the deaf community. The agency has developed a robust internship and mentorship program. Jessica shared best practices for developing such a program. Internships provide practical business experience as a student or other novice narrows the scope of their chosen profession.
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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.
Unvalidated Learnings
JUNE 8, 2017
How An Algorithm Transformed The Music Industry And Created The Mobile & Social Web As the music industry recently announced its first annual revenue growth after 15 years of uninterrupted contraction, I thought it was a good time to share some of the things I learnt from reading Stephen Witt’s book How Music Got Free. It provides a fascinating account of how a relatively obscure scientific breakthrough?
FundersClub
JUNE 22, 2017
FundersClub Portfolio News. Flexport plans to open a 100,000-square-foot warehouse in Atlanta and is scouting for about 25,000 square feet of office space in Midtown, which will add more than 200 jobs in " Freight industry disruptor Flexport plans $100 million Atlanta hub. " Instacart will now handle orders for Wegmans grocery store, with deliveries initially available in suburbs near Washington, D.C., and a few dozen more cities within the coming months in " Instacart Will Delive
Berkonomics
JUNE 29, 2017
If you have been following our recent insights, you’ll be up to speed knowing that professional investors negotiate tough terms, from provisions of control over asset acquisition, eventual sale of the company, future investments, forced co-sale when others attempt to sell their shares and more. And yet, in an earlier post, we spoke of the problems that come when taking unstructured investments from friends and family.
Tomasz Tunguz
JUNE 6, 2017
I am most grateful for my work experiences that were apprenticeships. Whether it was Philip who taught me how to write a proper Java function (10 lines or less), or Kim and Scott who are great managers, or the partners at Redpoint who invested a huge amount of time to educate me, those collections of experiences have taught me far more than I could’ve expected.
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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.
Both Sides of the Table
JUNE 25, 2017
Fresno State students receive supplies for school with help from Renaissance Scholars staff John Hunt, Jr. (left) and Kizzy Lopez (right). We’re all bombarded with social media campaigns asking for us to Tweet, share, like, change our badge, use a hashtag or generally show outrage at a topic du jour. We jump in when we feel compelled or want to support the person who enlisted us.
Entrepreneurs' Organization
JUNE 14, 2017
By Larry Alton, business consultant. At some point, every entrepreneur needs to write copy for his or her company’s website, sales pitches, blogs, and other marketing materials. It’s at this moment when you have a decision to make. Do you choose to write your own copy or hire a professional writer to do the heavy lifting? While there’s a case to be made for both sides, most successful entrepreneurs have found that it’s far better to hire a copywriter. 4 Reasons to Hire a Writer.
Thomas Grota
JUNE 25, 2017
I always get asked as many other investors: “what’s the next big thing to invest in…?” The standard.
FundersClub
JUNE 15, 2017
FundersClub Portfolio News. Jerrod Engelberg of FundersClub hosted a Q&A on FC Live with Brayton Williams of Boost VC , and the full video can now be watched here: Q&A with Brayton Williams of Boost VC — FundersClub Live Series. ShipBob , a Chicago based company that gives the power of Amazon logistics to every small business, raises $17.5 million with plans to open e-commerce distribution centers in more cities in " Warehouse Startup ShipBob Raises $17.5 Million Amid Expansio
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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
Berkonomics
JUNE 15, 2017
Taking in angel or venture money requires a setting of an entrepreneur’s expectations that may come as a shock at least at first. From the moment such an investor looks seriously at your company, the investor or VC partner is thinking of the end game, the ultimate sale of the company or even of an eventual initial public offering. There is no middle ground.
Tomasz Tunguz
JUNE 25, 2017
In the Wide Lens , Dartmouth Entrepreneurship professor Ron Adner explores the risks associated with innovation. Execution risk is the obvious one. Then there’s co-innovation risk, what might be called chained technology risk. For example, to build a new ML focused microchip, a startup relies on the chip fabrication plant to develop 7nm equipment.
For Entrepreneurs
JUNE 28, 2017
I have the great pleasure in introducing you to a new writer, Jared Sleeper, who will make regular contributions to this blog. We were very excited to have Jared to join Matrix Partners recently as he is a truly exceptional individual. Jared grew up in Maine working in his family’s grocery store. He had a.
Entrepreneurs' Organization
JUNE 5, 2017
By Frank Cowell, EO San Diego member and Founder and CEO of Elevator Agency. Bad content is a plague that makes customers cringe. Don’t let it anywhere near your website. B2B audiences are savvier than B2C audiences. They want to be educated and informed by fresh perspectives that are authentic. If you dive deep to bring ingenious solutions that enhance value, your reward will be loyal followers who visit your site—and your business—first.
Speaker: Wayne Spivak - President and Chief Financial Officer of SBA * Consulting LTD, Industry Writer, and Public Speaker
The old adages that "cash is king" and "you can’t spend profits" still hold true today. But however well-known these sayings might be, it requires a change in mindset to properly implement a cash flow management system that predicts your business's runaway as accurately as possible. Key to this new mindset is understanding the difference between the Statement of Cash Flows, a historical look at the source and uses of cash, and the Cash Flow Statement, which uses transaction history and forward-l
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