May, 2019

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My Commencement Speech?—?Life at Your Crossroads

Both Sides of the Table

My Commencement Speech?—?Life at Your Crossroads Photo by Justin Luebke on Unsplash Crossroads Cal Poly Pomona! What’s up!?! I’m so grateful to be up here addressing you today. Today you’re either here to graduate or support somebody graduating. A graduate is at his or her first major crossroad in life. You are faced with decisions about which road to take.

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The Uber that Never Was

This is going to be BIG.

Using the proliferation of newly GPS-enabled mobile devices to enable taxi hailing and beat out stagnant incumbent providers was always going to be a big win for consumers. It provided a better service than existing cabs were going to be able to do for at least several years—cutting out lots of unnecessary overhead in the system. Had it been built differently, it could have been a better company and honestly I’d like to believe maybe even a more valuable one in the long term.

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The Most Important Question to Ask Potential Investors After Your Pitch

Dream It

Startup pitch meetings are pretty predictable. You walk into a venture fund’s conference room or Zoom room (if they’re progressive), pitch the partners, offer to answer their questions, maybe ask them a bland question or two, and then leave the meeting to await a response. Here’s the thing: asking a VC a couple of easy questions at the end of a pitch doesn’t get you any closer to receiving a term sheet.

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Unsafe Notes

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

I was reminded yesterday how much of a s**t show raising seed capital via SAFE notes is. I can’t and won’t get into why I was reminded of that, but let’s just say nobody wants to go there. So I thought I’d repost the important parts of a post I wrote on this topic a couple years ago. I have never been a fan of convertible notes.

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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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Misk 500 MENA Accelerator Celebrates First Demo Day

500

Its been one week since the Misk 500 Batch 1 Demo Day and we’re still smiling. The energy in the room in Riyadh, on May 13th, was palpable. The 19 companies were on FIRE and rose to the occasion to give the best versions of their pitches. Due to the observance of Ramadan in the region, the event began at 10 PM and concluded at 3 AM. While originally planned to be an event for an audience of 200, the final attendance at the KAFD Conference Center included over 300 investors and guests.¹ Also in a

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How a Fashion Brand in Honduras Is Preserving the Country’s Traditional Culture

Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative

Growing up in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Rafael López enjoyed, among other pastimes, hiding his money in his grandmother’s closet. “She told me I would be successful because I took care of my money,” Rafael says. Rafael, a 2018 YLAI Fellow and an entrepreneur in Honduras, saw years later a need for his skills in the country’s cultural heritage sector. “My sister, who had been working at the United Nations, noticed that ethnic groups in Honduras were particularly disadvantaged, many with limited acce

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The Terribleness of On Demand: Why I Backed Journey Meditation

This is going to be BIG.

When I was growing up, I watched Seinfeld religiously—literally every single Thursday night from the premiere to the end without missing a single one. Not only did I really love the show, but I was that committed to it because of the reinforcement I experienced by being part of a community that also watched when I did. The next day, I couldn’t wait to see my classmates and repeat whatever the key line from the episode was.

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When Parenting and Entrepreneuring Meet: 5 Critical Lessons

Entrepreneurs' Organization

Sleepless nights, assessing (and reassessing), pivoting, negotiating, anticipating, spending … Are these keywords describing entrepreneurship or parenting? For all the parents who are entrepreneurs out there, you probably know these endeavors run in parallel. If parenting is akin to entrepreneurship, what entrepreneurial lessons have you learned from your kids ?

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DefendCrypto.org

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

Over the last year, the SEC has been investigating a significant number of token offerings that took place in 2017. While some of those offerings were scams or worse , many of the ones that are being investigated by the SEC are serious projects, started by some of the top cryptographers and computer scientists in the world, and backed by the leading token funds and venture capital firms in the US and around the world.

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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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In-House vs. Outsource: What’s the Best Accounting Strategy for Your Startup?

500

Guest Post: Justin McLoughlin is the Founder of airCFO. Under no circumstances should any of the below content be construed as legal, tax or investment advice from 500 Startups or any of its affiliates. The early days of any company are all about resource management. Life as a startup is perilous. The companies who survive and thrive are usually the ones who find ways to do more with less.

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Innovator Spotlight: Julie Bliss Mullen of Aclarity

Venture Well

Julie Bliss Mullen of ASPIRE team Aclarity has learned that it takes a team to make an impact through innovation and entrepreneurship. The post Innovator Spotlight: Julie Bliss Mullen of Aclarity appeared first on VentureWell.

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6 Ways to Sell Your Business on Social Media

Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative

How many times a day do you check your phone? If you’re anything like the average millennial, you might be checking your social media feeds as often as 150 times per day. If you are a small business owner or entrepreneur, this statistic works in your favor. With a little bit of social media savvy and your own smartphone, you can sell more products and reach a wider audience of potential customers.

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6 Ways to De-Risk Key Assumptions

Dream It

Under lean startup methodology , founders attempt to eliminate as much uncertainty as possible to create some order out of the chaos involved in starting a company. Failures are inevitable; but, great founders know how to fail quickly and cheaply, rather than trying to take on boatloads of venture capital funding to solve a problem with an approach that doesn’t scale or, even worse, to solve a problem that does not exist or is not that painful.

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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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Is American Entrepreneurship In Crisis?

Entrepreneurs' Organization

Craig Hall, the writer of Boom: Bridging the Opportunity Gap to Reignite Startups , shares his view on the current state of entrepreneurship in the U.S. . What prompted you to write Boom ? In 2011, I heard a speech by Mark Zandi [chief economist of Moody’s Analytics] revealing that entrepreneurship in the U.S. was in trouble. I couldn’t believe it at first, but after beginning my own research, I became very concerned.

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Outschooling

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

A few months ago I posted some data on this blog that showed the growth of homeschooling in the US with almost 5% of K12 students being schooled at home. I wrote at the end of that post: This is a trend to watch and, possibly, to invest in. Well, invest in it we did. Yesterday Rebecca posted our investment rationale for Outschool , a company that offers real time group classes taught largely by very experienced K12 teachers over live video.

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Announcing the 11 Startups in 500 LatAm’s Batch 10!

500

500 Startups is excited to announce the latest batch from our Seed Accelerator based in Mexico City. The Mexico City program focuses on providing a mentorship program for Spanish-speaking early-stage companies based in Latin America. Our latest batch consists of founders from all over Latin America including 6 companies from Mexico, 2 from Chile, 2 from Colombia, and 1 from Argentina.

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4 Ways to Support Early-Stage Innovators Beyond the Classroom

Venture Well

In this article, we explore the types of support early-stage innovators need most, and highlight tools to assess the impact of resources. The post 4 Ways to Support Early-Stage Innovators Beyond the Classroom appeared first on VentureWell.

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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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Startup Communities – Where to Find Them and How to Get Involved

Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative

An entrepreneur needs a network of supportive people and resources to maximize his or her chances of success, because there will always be fires to put out. While entrepreneurs can be found everywhere, some startup ecosystems are thriving more than others. Building a startup community, or startup ecosystem, is no easy task and requires a lot of intentional work.

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How Modern Companies Get Smart: Activate Startup Trendspotting

UBI Global

Why Focus on Innovation We know that corporations are increasingly hunting for new ideas to stay current and even gain an edge on the competition. We discuss this throughout our latest edition of our Insight Series: Lessons in Corporate Innovation – 7 Case Studies in Activation. The in-depth report is available cost-free for download. What […].

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The Truth About Mindfulness

Entrepreneurs' Organization

The concept of “practicing mindfulness” has grown in popularity in the last decade. Mindfulness for kids, mindfulness to quit smoking, mindful eating, mindfulness at the office—it’s become a catch-all buzzword. With claims that mindfulness can cure everything from addiction to anxiety, it’s no surprise that people from all walks of life are becoming students of mindfulness.

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The Rise of the Rest Class of 2019

Revolution

Meet the five winning founders from Rise of the Rest 8.0 Earlier this month, Steve Case and the Revolution team hit the road for the eighth Rise of the Rest Road Trip, bringing the bus to Orlando, Florida’s Space Coast, Tampa Bay, Miami, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. At the end of each tour day, we hosted a pitch competition where a local startup received a $100,000 investment from Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund.

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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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Western Mass Demo Day! Wha who!

Paul G. Silva

Western Mass Demo Day Connects Local Startups to Investors. This is an invite-only event for active & accredited investors to hear pitches from startups with a connection to Western Massachusetts. Startups get an optimized way to meet a room full of different investors, many with a strong interest in companies connected to the region. Investors get a first look at the startups, meet the founders, and network with other investors.

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Access to Low-Cost Tools for Scientific Discovery: A Conversation with Schmidt Futures’ Tom Kalil

Venture Well

What if everyone had access to low-cost, high-quality, and easy-to-use tools for scientific discovery? Tom Kalil from Schmidt Futures is trying to find out. The post Access to Low-Cost Tools for Scientific Discovery: A Conversation with Schmidt Futures’ Tom Kalil appeared first on VentureWell.

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Building Your Brand: Lessons from SXSW 2019

Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative

Establishing a brand identity is a critical element of your business success. In order to stand out to customers, business leaders should practice telling the story of their brands in a way that connects with their audiences. To help YLAI Network members strengthen their own brands, here are a few tips from the 2019 SXSW conference. Building emotional connections.

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8 Reasons Incubators and Accelerators Attend the World Incubation Summit

UBI Global

Activate Your Innovation with the World Incubation Summit 2019 (WIS19) Attending a conference, symposium, or industry event is exciting on a personal and professional level. The networking and experience are invaluable for your program, but you need to justify the time away from daily responsibilities and the cost, which is easy with a quality event […].

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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