entrepreneurship
Plural, the VC led by founders, pulls together a new $432M fund to back European startups
European VC Plural has carved out a reputation for itself as being one of the few VCs in the region started and led by entrepreneurs who grew their own startups.…
Entrepreneurship is all about taking risks. It means innovating without fear of failure, stepping into the unknown, and pursuing ambitious ideas.
Veteran to visionary: What I learned in the Marines about being a fintech founder
According to the SBA, veterans are roughly 45% more likely to form their own business compared to people who haven’t served in the military.
How to leverage military experience to become a successful entrepreneur
Veterans already possess many of the skills and attributes needed to be a successful entrepreneur — including having courage.
How to pitch me: 7 investors discuss what they’re looking for in September 2023
If you’d like to know what investors are looking for, how they want to be approached and what they’re most likely to ask, keep reading.
The impact of AI-first companies will be greater, financial returns superior, and moats more enduring than their AI-enabled counterparts.
Here’s how we raised a Series B for our AI startup during a downturn
If AI is essential to your solution, you should be prepared to explain the measurable impact it has on your product offering.
How to buy an AI solution the right way: 7 questions new customers should consider
Here’s a high-level guide for evaluating an AI-based solution as a potential customer — an enterprise buyer scorecard, if you will.
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How to pitch me: 15 investors talk about what they’re looking for in August 2023
“I suggest reaching out right before Labor Day to set up a meeting in September or wait and start your outreach altogether next month.”
4 steps founders can take today to improve team recognition tomorrow
Appreciation isn’t just about gifts or praise. It’s about taking the employee — their experiences and interests — into consideration.
5 growth lessons we learned while scaling from $2M to $3M ARR
Hire experienced talent early, allocate 10% of revenue to marketing, and continue dividing team responsibilities as you scale.
Beat the clock: 6 smart ways startups can use lawyers effectively
As a founder, you can get the most out of legal help by deploying a few smart strategies that won’t break the bank or blow your budget.
Early-stage board decks are dead: How to run a meeting in 60 minutes
With concise materials, you can make board meetings more effective and leave room for useful conversations.
Even the most experienced angel investors and VCs can overlook red flags that are not immediately apparent.
NFX’s James Currier: Where unicorn ideas come from and why founders ‘have to keep pivoting’
“This is really only talking about world-changing, big-ass businesses with a lot of impact that could be a billion dollars or more in value.”
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How to run efficient and effective early-stage board meetings
These slides are from seed and Series A stage companies that did a great job of informing their boards and driving constructive discussions.
How to pitch me: 5 investors discuss what they’re looking for in April 2023
I’m going to save you some time: many, if not most, of you are probably not yet ready to pitch an investor.
A 10-step playbook for founders with Silicon Valley Bank accounts
While I hope for the best for companies banking with SVB, it’s important for founders and CEOs to plan for the worst. This will be the weekend that differentiates a…
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Tech layoffs are creating a new era of scrappy (and humbled) founders
An emerging class of founders is reminding the ecosystem how collapse can be an activator.
TechCrunch+ roundup: Advice for laid-off techies, fintech flops, how to build a growth team
Depending on where you worked and what you did, you may already have the experience investors are looking for.
6 VCs share advice for laid-off tech workers planning to launch startups
You may already have the experience investors are looking for when it comes to reaching product-market fit and solving engineering problems.
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What can the 2000 dot-com crash teach us about the 2022 tech downturn?
“When you no longer believe, if you’re not buying what you’re selling anymore, then it is time to stop,” said M13 Partner Anna Barber.
TechCrunch+ roundup: Due diligence roadmap, employment law basics, YC’s Michael Seibel
There’s no nice way to say this: when it comes to onboarding new employees, most early-stage startups are either inept or uninterested.
Sardine raises $51.5M led by a16z to sniff out fishy fintech transactions
As fintechs become more efficient, so too do fraudsters. “Faster instant payments mean faster fraud,” Sardine CEO and co-founder Soups Ranjan told TechCrunch. That’s the thesis behind his startup, which…
Sources say Web Summit Ventures will be a new $40M follow-on fund
Web Summit, one of the world’s largest events centered around technology startups, is to launch a brand-new venture capital vehicle consisting of two new funds, TechCrunch understands. The move follows…
OurCrowd announces its new $200M Global Health Equity Fund
OurCrowd, the global crowdfunding venture firm, today announced its newest fund. As the organization announced at today’s Clinton Global Initiative event in New York, it is partnering with the WHO…
‘Just break even’ may be the worst possible advice for startups in turbulent times
A significant number of companies are following popular advice to try and break even, but the sad truth is that this is probably the worst possible advice for most startups…
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Stop spending so much time on your product when pitching to investors
It’s natural for founders to live and breathe for their customers and product, but the dirty little secret of fundraising is that your investors are extraordinarily unlikely to care about your product
TechCrunch+ roundup: Growth activation metrics, 3 keys to Series B, pitch deck teardown
The investors I’ve spoken to recently are still open to good ideas, but when they come from founders who are already working toward product-market fit, it boosts their confidence.
Goldsky raises $20M to bring real-time, on-chain data to crypto companies
Despite well-known volatility in the crypto market, crypto startups building infrastructure to support the industry’s long-term growth have seemed to fare better than their peers. This is especially true for…