Paul G. Silva
APRIL 1, 2025
This post is part of my ongoing series exploring lessons from Jim Collins’s book, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0). Beyond the To-Do List In BE 2.0, Collins draws a critical distinction that transforms how we approach work: Tasks are things you do; responsibilities are outcomes you own. This ties in nicely with a concept I often teach my students about Features vs Benefits.
American Entrepreneurship
JANUARY 28, 2025
Learn what investors want to hear that triggers their investment decisions. Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, a leading venture capital firm, says, “The thing that gets me most excited is the founder whos obsessed with solving a problem that matters, and is determined to keep going no matter what.” Andreese n provides insight into how an entrepreneur pitching for funding should approach investors.
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StartupNation
JULY 5, 2025
Effectively communicating your startup’s impact metrics to investors can make or break your funding opportunities. This article presents key strategies, backed by expert insights, to help you showcase your startup’s value and growth potential. From telling compelling data-driven stories to aligning metrics with investor priorities, these approaches will equip you to present your startup’s impact in a clear and persuasive manner.
Tomasz Tunguz
JULY 27, 2025
Why is the sub-$5 million seed round shrinking? A decade ago, these smaller rounds formed the backbone of startup financing, comprising over 70% of all seed deals. Today, PitchBook data reveals that figure has plummeted to less than half. The numbers tell a stark story. Sub-$5M deals declined from 62.5% in 2015 to 37.5% in 2024. This 29.5 percentage point drop fundamentally reshaped how startups raise their first institutional capital.
Speaker: Lee Andrews, Founder at LJA New Media & Tony Karrer, Founder and CTO at Aggregage
This session will walk you through how one CEO used generative AI, workflow automation, and sales personalization to transform an entire security company—then built the Zero to Strategy framework that other mid-market leaders are now using to unlock 3.5x ROI. As a business executive, you’ll learn how to assess AI opportunities in your business, drive adoption across teams, and overcome internal resource constraints—without hiring a single data scientist.
Revolution
JUNE 26, 2025
Portfolio company leaders from across the country touched down in the Windy City to connect with fellow Rise of the Rest-backed founders on tactical tools for turbulent times. VP of Platform and Portfolio Success, Amira Ouji, and Head of Community, Liz Westhouse, recap the event below. If you’re building a company in 2025, the headlines are loud: market whiplash, trade realignments, AI acceleration, geopolitical shockwaves.
Startup Catalyst Brief brings together the best content for the entrepreneurial ecosystem from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Innovation 2 Enterprise
JUNE 25, 2025
Earlier this month, ten dynamic Oklahoma startups took the stage at Bridge2 Demo Day, marking the conclusion of the third cohort of i2E’s Bridge2 Pre-Accelerator. Held at Gradient, Tulsa’s Innovation Hub, the event spotlighted founders who have spent the past 16 weeks refining their ventures through tailored curriculum, expert mentorship, and strategic preparation for the next stage of investment and growth.
Jason Malki
JUNE 6, 2025
Keshia Theobald-van Gent I had the pleasure of interviewing Keshia Theobald-van Gent , an accomplished executive with deep experience in innovation, strategy, and stakeholder engagement. Proven ability to lead high-performing teams, drive operational excellence, and improve startup outcomes across sectors and regions. As VP of Investment at BDev Ventures , Keshia leads sourcing and portfolio operations, managing both strategic and operational aspects of the fund.
Hunter Walk
MARCH 10, 2025
I’m a believer in the ‘ software eats the world ‘ thesis, although I often change it to ‘software enables the world,’ which is not nearly as evocative but also not as consumptive. One byproduct of this movement, especially during the blitzscaling era , were new startups in areas such as finance, healthcare, housing, education, using venture capital to acquire customers at accelerated rates.
This is going to be BIG.
JANUARY 30, 2025
Gone are the days of the startup launch party. Remember those nights of trying to explain to a Techcrunch reporter why your app was going to change the world over thumping music and bad venue WiFi? RIP. Most startups know not to blow a bunch of money on a big party before they have their first users, but legitimate questions remain about what you do in its placeand how you open yourself up to the world that gets attention.
Advertiser: ZoomInfo
AI adoption is reshaping sales and marketing. But is it delivering real results? We surveyed 1,000+ GTM professionals to find out. The data is clear: AI users report 47% higher productivity and an average of 12 hours saved per week. But leaders say mainstream AI tools still fall short on accuracy and business impact. Download the full report today to see how AI is being used — and where go-to-market professionals think there are gaps and opportunities.
Y Combinator
APRIL 1, 2025
When Tyler applied to YC in 2012, his startup idea was an unusual one. An API for schools? But outliers always sound unusual at the outset. At Demo Day, he shocked the room when he announced that he’d already signed on 1,000 schools. Over the next 10 years, he and his cofounders grew Clever into an educational powerhouse, used every day by over half of K-12 students in the USA– my kids included.
Paul G. Silva
MARCH 25, 2025
This post is part of my ongoing series exploring lessons from Jim Collins’s book, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0). The Challenge of Seeing the Truth In BE 2.0, Jim Collins makes a powerful observation: the most successful organizations don’t stagnatethey continuously self-correct. But as leaders, we often find it remarkably difficult to recognize when correction is needed, especially when we’re busy, successful, or have a long track record.
American Entrepreneurship
JANUARY 15, 2025
The company’s AI agents streamline clients’ human resources workflows, enhance data-driven decision-making, and drive organizational impact. With major global companies like BNP Paribas, PwC, Deloitte, FIFA, Abercrombie, and Capgemini in its fold, Maki is accelerating the use of its AI agents throughout companies’ human resources. Its conversational AI agents are transforming how organizations recruit and manage talent. “Our mission is to give human resources more-than-hu
StartupNation
JULY 31, 2025
Cybersecurity threats are constantly evolving, posing significant challenges for startups. This article presents expert-backed strategies to help startups strengthen their defenses against these emerging risks. From implementing two-factor authentication to adopting AI-driven solutions, discover practical steps to protect your business in today’s complex security landscape.
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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?
Tomasz Tunguz
MARCH 4, 2025
As startups scale, effective management becomes the difference between chaotic growth and sustainable success. After analyzing hundreds of posts on startup management, I’ve distilled the key pieces of advice that founders and leaders should keep in mind. 1. Management Philosophy Management is a design pattern : Just like engineering has patterns, management has best practices that can be learned and applied systematically.
Revolution
MARCH 26, 2025
Steve Case Testifies at U.S. House Committee on Financial Services Hearing, Beyond Silicon Valley: Expanding Access to Capital AcrossAmerica On March 25, 2025, Revolutions Chairman and CEO, Steve Case, testified before the Committee during a session examining policy proposals to improve capital access. Watch the hearing and read his full testimony here andbelow.
NZ Entrepreneur
MARCH 16, 2025
Watch/listen to the Interview: In this interview Richard Liew talks with James Burnes , Chief Executive at Ministry of Awesome , a Christchurch New Zealand based startup hub helping high growth startups throughout New Zealand to start, grow and scale up. James covers the genesis of Ministry of Awesome following the Christchurch earthquakes in 2011, and provides updates on Ministry of Awesome approaches to startup founder support and programming.
A Smart Bear: Longform
JULY 26, 2025
A Smart Bear » Max MRR: Your growth ceiling All Articles Topics Author Moon Sun All Articles Topics Author Subscribe By Jason Cohen on July 27, 2025 Reading time: 11 min Simple eReader (Kindle) Rich eReader (Apple) Printable PDF Max MRR: Your growth ceiling by Jason Cohen on July 27, 2025 Your company will stop growing sooner than you think. The “Max MRR” metric predicts revenue plateaus based on churn and new revenue. source For years Iâve battled the same, tired misconceptio
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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.
Jason Malki
MARCH 26, 2025
Sanjit Singh I had the pleasure of interviewing Sanjit Singh, the Co-Founder and CEO/CTO of Julia Technologies , where he is pioneering the future of trauma care through the integration of augmented reality, robotics, and AI. A Rutgers University graduate with a concentration in Graphics & Vision, Sanjit brings a decade of experience in immersive technologies and human-computer interaction.
Berkonomics
FEBRUARY 6, 2025
Thoughts from BERKONOMICS – Dave Berkus After 50 years in entrepreneurship and 200+ startup investments, here’s what most first-time founders get dangerously wrong: They obsess over the wrong metrics. The five most important metrics I’ve watched brilliant ideas fail because founders tracked vanity numbers while ignoring the real drivers of sustainable growth.
Hunter Walk
FEBRUARY 22, 2025
First, a piece of literary history. The phrase needle in a haystack is commonly credited to the book Don Quixote from the early 1600s (“needle is a bottle of hay”) but there’s also a Fujian proverb “To dive into the sea, to feel for a needle” that is thought to be even older and gets to the same point. The idea that it’s nearly fruitless to blindly search for a single small object when it’s located in a vast container.
Ben Franklin Technology Partners
MAY 28, 2025
More than 50 innovators from across the region applied to the Age Tech Big Idea Pitch Contest a funding contest to promote businesses that improve the lives of older adults. After a rigorous review by industry experts, five founders earned their place in the spotlight to compete at the 2025 Age Tech Big Idea Contest Finale, and one was crowned the first-place winner.
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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.
Paul G. Silva
MARCH 11, 2025
This post is part of my ongoing series exploring lessons from Jim Collins’s book, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0). When Leaders Grow, Teams Follow In BE 2.0 , Jim Collins emphasizes a powerful truth: organizations can only grow as much as their leaders do. When leaders commit to self-improvement, they create a culture where growth becomes the standard.
American Entrepreneurship
JANUARY 8, 2025
Two entrepreneurs share their experiences building a strong team followed by an outline of key areas to know. Building a startup is an exhilarating journey, but the road to success is rarely a solo endeavor. While great ideas can be the catalyst for success, the team behind the idea truly drives a startup forward. A well-balanced founding team is critical for laying the business foundation and also navigating the challenges that arise in the early stages.
StartupNation
JUNE 4, 2025
Discover the secrets to transforming pitch decks into compelling investor magnets, courtesy of seasoned industry professionals. This article breaks down the essentials of innovative design techniques that have a proven track record for engaging investors. Learn from the best as expert insights illuminate the path to creating presentations that resonate and drive engagement.
The Seraf Compass
JULY 21, 2025
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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.
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