Sat.Mar 07, 2020 - Fri.Mar 13, 2020

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The Due Diligence Hierarchy of Pain

View from Seed

When a founder is raising money, he/she should expect that any serious investor will conduct some level of due diligence before getting to yes. This could look somewhat different depending on the maturity of the business. Seed stage companies will mostly face questions around the team and market. More mature companies will have to answer more detailed questions around their tech, product, and business.

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5 Types Of Business Strategies To Consider Before Opening Up Shop

YoungUpstarts

When it comes to starting any business, the strategy and organization you choose to utilize can make a big difference. Different ways of working are better suited to different industries and business sizes, so it’s crucial to consider these sorts of things before you begin hiring or go to market. From different software systems to overall philosophies, there are many ways that business strategies can inform the way you run your company.

SCRUM 147
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AI Startups Need Data, and the Government Needs Help

ReadWriteStart

Due to their unique oversight, governments have a surplus of data at their fingertips. Used properly, this available data could enable them to create beneficial programs that tackle problems in economics, policy, transportation, and civic life. Unfortunately, the majority of that data is untapped. Here are the facts about AI startups needing data , and how that helps governments.

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28 Entrepreneurs Explain Why They Started Their Business

Hearpreneur

Each business has a story. No matter if the business is a Goliath like Wal-Mart, or a local business owned by a couple or family, the business has roots in an idea. For each business owner, the story of their journey can range from monetary needs or the passion for a unique project. Each story is different though the reasons may be the same. No matter the tale, the background behind each and every business is what fuels each and brand.

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Building Healthy Innovation Ecosystems for Your Projects

Speaker: Nick Noreña, Innovation Coach and Advisor, Kromatic

Every startup and innovation project exists within an ecosystem that either helps or hurts that project. As innovation managers, we need to keep a pulse of that ecosystem and make sure we're helping those innovation projects we're managing every step of the way. In this webinar, Nick Noreña will walk through an Innovation Ecosystem Model that he and his team at Kromatic have developed to help investors, heads of product, teachers, and executives understand how they can best support innovation in

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Joint Statement by Colorado High-Tech Companies on COVID-19

Feld Thoughts

I’ve been involved with a number of leaders in the Colorado tech community since Wednesday morning as we’ve aggressively mobilized to address the Covid-19 crisis. Following is a joint statement that a bunch of us have signed on to. A group of us are working quickly to create more mechanisms for a coordinated response, collective action, funding for critical resources, and ideas for things to do that will have a positive impact.

Colorado 168
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5 Ways Automation Is Reshaping The Vacation Rental Industry

YoungUpstarts

by Pamela Knudsen, Director of Compliance Services for Avalara MyLodgeTax. There are certain experiences that simply require businesses to provide a human touch, like a fitting for a new suit or a guided travel tour. But, that’s not the case for all businesses — or business functions. Automation is having a particularly powerful impact on the service industry, where technology is alleviating the workload for business owners, while enhancing experiences for customers.

More Trending

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Co-founder Engaging Florida’s Innovation Ecosystem

Hearpreneur

Brian Kornfeld is President and Co-Founder of Synapse , an innovation hub for entrepreneurs, investors, and governments in the state of Florida to share ideas, solve problems and ultimately provide an ecosystem that ensures everyone from pre-seed startups to exciting unicorns continue to flock to, grow within and re-invest in the Sunshine State. We had a chance to interview Brian and asked about his story, why he started his business and the future of Synapse.

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Easy Steps To Jumpstart Your Career In Insurance

The Startup Magazine

You might already have the talent and skills needed for embarking on a career in insurance without even knowing it. The insurance industry is -responsible for creating around 2.7 million jobs across the states. Strong people skills, a desire to help others, and an analytical mind can make you well-suited for an insurance career. 5 Common Entry Levels.

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Rental Spaces: How To Choose The Best Office Space For Your Business

YoungUpstarts

Since you and your employees will be spending most of your time in the office, it just makes sense that you put extra effort into choosing the best office space for your business. In addition to that, a conducive working environment could improve the efficiency of your employees in handling their respective tasks. So what makes the best office space for your business?

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Using Virtual Tools to Engage Your Clients

Duct Tape Marketing

Using Virtual Tools to Engage Your Clients written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing. Recently I sent out a simple message encouraging folks to stay positive and keep pulling for each other and suggesting that you get comfortable using an array of virtual tools to stay top of mind with clients and customers as they get to know virtual you.

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8 predictions that will affect the way we sell this decade

NZ Entrepreneur

Forget about a new financial year, we’re about to enter a new financial decade! What are your sales goals for the next ten years? How will you capitalise on the trends and opportunities that will affect everyone in sales? Mary Crampton shares 8 predictions that will affect the way you sell in the decade ahead. The new decade is bound to bring another 10 years of incredible change.

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Expert Tips To Reduce Your Company’s Expenses

The Startup Magazine

Granted, in the business world, every penny counts. The main goal of any business is to earn a profit. However, a myriad of business owners might think that they’re making profits when they actually aren’t. If you’re a business owner, you have to understand that money coming into your business isn’t “yours” until you pay the company expenses. Once these expenses are paid, the remaining amount of money is the profit your company earned.

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How To Hire And Train A New Employee During The Summer (When Most People Are On Vacation)

YoungUpstarts

by Leonard Callejo, Director of Online Marketing at Cisco Webex. Recruiting and hiring employees is challenging, if only because the stakes for making the right choice are so high. Say you had to replace a worker who had been hired only recently, since they turned out to be a poor cultural fit. Doing so could cost as much as one-third of their annual compensation , according to an Employee Benefits News report.

Hiring 165
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The longest shortest 2 years

Austin Startup

Q1 2020 marks Reset ’s two year anniversary, from when we had our first conversation about how we could help distributed teams find affordable space to meet and work. Since then, we’ve served 500+ unique customers, worked with 10+ space partners, pivoted our business model from B2C to B2B, signed on advisers, and have raised money from outside investors.

B2C 62
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Cultivating Compelling Communications for Your Business

Duct Tape Marketing

Cultivating Compelling Communications for Your Business written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing. Marketing Podcast with Justin Brady. Podcast Transcript. Today on the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, I sit down with PR expert, writer, and podcaster Justin Brady. Brady partners with companies in the emerging tech space, designing strategies and crafting stories that reach audiences of millions.

PR 97
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Do You Have An Agile Social Media Policy?

The Startup Magazine

Most companies have woken up to the fact that a strong presence on modern social media platforms is a necessary part of attaining commercial success these days. Despite the fact that more companies are tapping into the power of social media than ever before, however, countless brands keep making the same silly mistakes over and over. Chief amongst these mistakes is the belief that your company can maintain a sluggish, sordid presence on popular platforms instead of needing an agile, fresh-faced

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What Are the Business Benefits of Practicing Strong Cybersecurity?

Board Effect

Advanced technology has brought many solutions for businesses. At the same time, it’s created greater potential for criminals to engage in cyberattacks. Cyberattacks have become so commonplace that it’s becoming one of companies’ highest priorities. In fact, about 40% of companies claim that cybersecurity is and will continue to be the top priority in their budget allocation for technology reporting.

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8 Business Realities You Only Learn From Experience

Startup Professionals Musings

Every new entrepreneur who has not spent years in corporate life has the advantage of an unbiased look at business opportunities, but at the same time has the disadvantage of missing critical business experiences that can cost them dearly in their first startup venture. In my experience, building a successful business is more difficult than building an innovative solution.

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Transcript of How to Start Your Speaking Business

Duct Tape Marketing

Transcript of How to Start Your Speaking Business written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing. Back to Podcast. Transcript. John Jantsch: Want to quickly send amazing looking emails to your prospects and customers in just minutes? AWeber is the market leader in making email marketing powerfully simple for a small business. Visit aweber.com for a 30-day free trial.

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Do Your Registration Forms Create Conversions?

Women Entrepreneurs Can

How would you define registration forms? In a perfect world, the definition would be along these lines: “A basic and easy way to generate leads and increase conversions.” Yes, sign-up forms appear boring, but they are a necessary evil if you want to capture customer’s details. Unfortunately, too many companies don’t understand the subtle art of crafting top-quality templates that are engaging.

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Key Performance Indicators in Higher Education Boards

Board Effect

Before the recession of 2008, it was generally assumed that higher education institutions were performing well in most, if not every regard. Since then, the leadership of colleges and universities has been more heavily scrutinized to ensure that they’re operating effectively and efficiently and that students are getting the education they and their parents paid for.

Metrics 52
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8 Keys To Scaling The Business After Initial Traction

Startup Professionals Musings

A common pain of startups after an exhilarating first surge of early adopters is a long and frustrating plateau of slow growth, where it seems like nothing you do will get your business to profitability. Too many entrepreneurs don’t know what to do at this point, largely accounting for that disappointing 50 percent of startups that fail in the first five years, according to Gallup.

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Why Economically-Smart Entrepreneurs Get Better Results

YoungUpstarts

There are endless reasons why some entrepreneurs get better results than others. Some entrepreneurs are better marketers, salespeople, and others just know how to delegate responsibilities to experts. There’s another important factor that distinguishes successful entrepreneurs – a firm grasp on economics. Understanding economics isn’t just applicable to the stock market.

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Wise Words from C.S. Lewis in 1948

Feld Thoughts

The following from C. S. Lewis. was on my fraternity email list this morning. It was written in 1948 after the dawn of the atomic age. In one way we think a great deal too much of the atomic bomb. “How are we to live in an atomic age?” I am tempted to reply: “Why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night; or indeed, as you are

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Why the Google Pixelbook Go is the best laptop in the world (for me)

Jeff Hilimire

I’m not someone that needs a ‘desk’. Not really. Yes, I have a desk at the Dragon Army office (but no personal office, of course ). But I’m probably at that desk less than 10% of the time. I prefer to be out and about throughout the office, working where I find myself. All I need is a great laptop, a great phone, and I’m good to go. Maybe some headphones here and there.

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7 Ways To Maximize Team Motivation And Productivity

Startup Professionals Musings

I was shocked to read an old Gallup study that indicates only 13 percent of employees worldwide are actively engaged at work, and more recent data shows only a small change in the right direction. In my own experience as a startup advisor and mentor, I find that entrepreneurs who can’t attract and maintain a highly motivated team rarely even get off the ground.

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4 Essential Elements Of An Effective Video Marketing Strategy

YoungUpstarts

Images rule the world we live in. And this makes perfect sense, as 65% of the human population is said to be visual learners. Governments, studios, and marketers already understand this, and how important a role video plays in marketing. With all the resources we have today, pretty much any company can have a great video marketing strategy that will allow them to get more visibility and gain the valuable attention of their core audience.

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Exponential Growth and Covid-19

Feld Thoughts

Most people don’t understand exponential growth. It can be counterintuitive and is easily misinterpreted. Understanding it is particularly important right now around Covid-19. The following eight-minute video is extremely well done and uses the historical Covid-19 data to help understand exponential growth. There’s a magic number in this that we should be focusing on, but gets lost in the fog of hysteria.

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A tricky time for enterprise software

deal architect

I have spent a fair amount of time in the last few months talking to enterprise tech companies about verticalization and globalization. I recently talked to Mike Sicilia at Oracle and will be hearing more about their industry strategy later.

Software 191
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10 Personal Attributes That Indicate Real Potential

Startup Professionals Musings

As a startup advisor and investor, I’ve met many aspiring entrepreneurs, and I often get asked the question, “I have a great idea for a startup – do you agree that it real potential?” They don’t know that most experts agree the person is more important than the idea, yet I’ve never been asked, “I have a great idea for a startup – do you agree that I have real potential as an entrepreneur?

Salary 317
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The Branding Evolution: When To Invest In Developing Your Brand And When To Tackle A Rebrand

YoungUpstarts

by Meredith Blechman, Head of Marketing for ARTA. Branding is one of the most important investments you can make in your business, and developing your brand before going to market is an essential component to a successful launch. A brand is a company’s most valuable asset, as shaping external perceptions is the key to influencing audience behavior. A brand is so fundamental for a company that without cohesion across each element of your brand, it’s hard to grow, market, and build awareness.

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Announcing the Version One Opportunity Fund

Version One Ventures

It has been almost 10 years since Union Square Ventures launched the first Opportunity Fund , creating a strategy that has since been copied by many other VC’s. An opportunity fund is basically a separate pool of capital that allows a VC to continue to invest in its most promising portfolio companies once the core funds have exhausted their follow-on reserves.

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Covid-19: Senator Bill Frist, M.D. Second Opinion Podcast

Feld Thoughts

In the midst of a crisis like the Covid-19 one that is unfolding around the world, it’s very hard to separate the signal from the noise. In the US, we are now in the thick of the aggressive expansion of infection from the virus, and we can look to a number of other countries for what they’ve done, how things have played out, and what has been effective.

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10 Keys To Investor-Friendly New Venture Financials

Startup Professionals Musings

If you need to attract investors to your startup, your financial projections have to be as attractive as the idea. The problem is that these business financials are future projections, while the idea is “now,” so you believe the idea can do most of the selling. Your challenge is that investors recognize a good business, and they judge your idea by how you translate it into financials.

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SaaS Checklist : 6 Things To Consider Before Selecting A Vendor

YoungUpstarts

Over the last five years, the subscription fee paid for SaaS solutions has increased by 20 times, as more and more enterprises are turning towards SaaS owing to its flexibility and cost advantages. The love for SaaS is growing! But, is that simple and easy to sign up for SaaS solutions? One wrong decision and you can find yourself stuck with a SaaS product that you don’t even find useful!

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What Can Your Company Learn from Fast-Growing Startups?

ReadWriteStart

Startup businesses continue to find creative ways to evolve rapidly and adapt to market changes with limited resources. They spend a great deal of time and effort researching innovative techniques, finding and testing the best management methods, and implementing the right tools for their teams. 32 percent of executives claim that choosing the right technologies is crucial to achieving future success and growth.

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