GAN

JULY 14, 2020

Guest Blog by Lunar Startups. Black, Indigenous, people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ founders have always had to do more with less. It comes as no surprise that founders with these identities face unfair and significant obstacles when going to market, scaling, and competing in the marketplace. Yet, consumers with purchasing power are getting younger and more racially diverse every year, creating a huge market opportunity for startup founders who deeply understand this under-served group.

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GAN

JULY 29, 2020

It’s time for some inspiring stories! Over the past few months, the GAN Community came together to support startup founders who have been deeply impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

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GAN

AUGUST 19, 2020

Over the last three months, I’ve had more energy than I’ve had in the previous three years. . The reason is twofold: first, my work schedule is “under control.”

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GAN

OCTOBER 9, 2019

No matter where you run a company, you’re probably making trade-offs. There are pros and cons to operating anywhere, for sure. But, I know that operating your company in a smaller city can feel really, really hard. You face a lot of challenges—anything from your commute time, to finding great talent, to landing big investments, to connecting with your target customers (fashion and beauty companies come to mind, for instance).

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Every sales forecasting model has a different strength and predictability method. It’s recommended to test out which one is best for your team. This way, you’ll be able to further enhance – and optimize – your newly-developed pipeline. Your future sales forecast? Sunny skies (and success) are just ahead!

development

GAN

SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

You know exactly what’s going on in the world. Things are tough right now, and all of us are experiencing some kind of hardship.

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GAN

SEPTEMBER 8, 2019

Hamburg is Germany’s second-largest city with 1.8 million people and a metro region of about three million. The city is, of course, known for its seaport, the third-largest in Europe. It’s also among the top three locations for the aviation industry in the world. Hamburg prides itself as “The Gate to the World” and is home to all branches of the economy, ranging from aviation to maritime and logistics, as well as the creative and media industry.

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GAN

SEPTEMBER 17, 2019

We just finished the first leg of the GAN Momentum Tour in Pittsburgh. It was the first of five trips we’re making around the world where accelerators, corporate partners, and startups come together around one purpose: Helping startups who are operating in unique places around the world (“everywhere else” places—the cities that might not be considered major tech hubs) gain more momentum, wherever they call home. You can see a 90-second video of all that happened here.

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GAN

FEBRUARY 11, 2020

Every year, some 30,000+ startups vie for just 1,300 spots at GAN Accelerators. Success rates for startups after they graduate from a GAN Accelerator are pretty impressive, too—more than 80% continue to be in business today. But staying in business after graduating from a program is extremely difficult. Doing so means getting a lot of things right, and one of the most critical is that founders receive the correct support while they’re in-program.

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GAN

MAY 6, 2020

I’m excited to announce the Founder Support Fund. It’s an evergreen microgrant-making fund dedicated to supporting founders’ mental and emotional health and well-being. As we enter the first full week of Mental Health Awareness Month, the GAN team, like many others, has been thinking about the additional stress many people are facing in the midst of this global pandemic.

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enablement

GAN

MARCH 25, 2020

Now, more than ever, each of us needs to take a realistic look at what we need to do to remain relevant for our team members and customers. Not only will this help us keep our jobs, but it’s also the most helpful thing we can do to support others in this unusual time. And, this is especially important for startups in light of likely decreased funding from investments. .

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GAN

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

In just a few weeks, I’m going to see my mom for the holidays. While I’ve been in the startup world for over a decade now, I know my mom (and many of my friends) have no idea about all of the startup jargon we throw around, especially when it comes to the type of support startups can receive. Words like accelerator, incubator , venture studio, and others are terms that sound the same or are very confusing. And my mom and friends aren’t the only ones who are confused.

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GAN

NOVEMBER 5, 2019

I work for Chargebee, the recurring billing and subscription management product used by thousands of customers in more than 53 countries and a proud GAN Partner. In my role, I head up one of our strategic initiatives, called “ Chargebee for Entrepreneurs ,” where we work with 100 accelerators and incubators to identify high-potential startups globally.

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GAN

APRIL 22, 2020

The inherent role of a startup is to find a problem, create a solution, and do it in a way that is efficient, cost-effective, and impactful. . In COVID-19 times, we’re seeing story after story of startups doing exactly this: finding problems, creating solutions, and deploying those solutions in an efficient and effective way.

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enablement

GAN

AUGUST 5, 2020

Accelerators have been around for almost fifteen years now. Throughout that time, they’ve supported and funded thousands of startups, many of which have turned into powerful companies and positively impacted communities large and small. The reason for that success is, in many ways, due to what accelerators offer every startup that works with them: A Community of startup peers to grow your company alongside.

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GAN

APRIL 8, 2020

Raising money just got a lot harder. According to CB Insight’s latest analysis , startup financing is about to take a giant hit. As you can see below, CB Insights forecasted that Q1’20 funding would ultimately be $67B (down from a projected $77B), mainly due to the Coronavirus outbreak. This is a drastic 30% decrease from Q1’19 when the funding levels were $87B. . And, below, it looks like the number of funding rounds will decrease 20% between Q1’19 and Q1’20 from 9,284 to 7,337. .

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GAN

JUNE 10, 2020

A note of context: The blog that follows was originally written as an email to my colleagues on the GAN team. It was my response in a conversation we have been having regarding recent events and DE&I in our company, our community, and our work with startups around the world. The team asked if I would be willing to share my thoughts publicly.

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GAN

JULY 15, 2019

I work for Chargebee, a recurring billing and subscription management product used by thousands of customers in more than 53 countries and a proud GAN Partner. As part of the Chargebee team, I head up one of our strategic initiatives, called “Chargebee for Entrepreneurs,” where we work with accelerators and incubators to identify high-potential startups globally.

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Advertiser: ZoomInfo

Businesses are laying off workers, shutting their doors (some permanently), and struggling to react to the radical destruction that coronavirus (COVID-19) is doing to our society and communities. Most have already sustained massive damage, and we still have yet to see the scope of impact of the global pandemic that has upended the globe. Any return to normalcy may seem far-off, but sales and marketing are on the front lines of restarting the economy. When the dust settles, we have a responsibility to turn our shock and grief into fierce determination, and lead the charge of responsible, strategic, sustainable future growth. However, there’s no team better suited to lead that charge than the marketing department. Marketers are uniquely positioned to provide creative solutions to aid their organization in times of change and chart a course for navigating success.

sustainability

GAN

JUNE 3, 2020

This week has been heavy. Just as we’ve seen glimmers of hope in the US that there might be a light at the end of the tunnel of the coronavirus pandemic, we’re met with another tragedy—one that is, sadly, not new but born from a complex history. In this season, the brokenness of our world has surfaced louder than ever. I am profoundly saddened by the death of George Floyd, and so many others, at the hand of generations of systemic racism.

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GAN

MAY 27, 2020

Lately, I’ve been often asked how startups are handling COVID-19. Based on my conversations with GAN Accelerators, GAN Corporate Partners, GSSN Studios, and the startups GAN Ventures has invested in, here is how startups seem to be faring in this season. When It Comes To Raising Money. Startups who are fundraising fall into one of three categories—.

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GAN

MAY 8, 2019

There are 115 accelerators spread across 160 cities in the GAN Community. Their breadth, impact, and results are amazing. In 2018 alone, more than 35,000 startups applied for just 1,344 spots at those accelerators. So, this past week, I asked leaders at GAN programs one simple question: Before applying to your accelerator, what would you tell startups they need to do to prepare for your program? Here’s What They Said. Candice Matthews-Brackeen. Hillman Accelerator and NewMe Accelerator.

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GAN

JANUARY 21, 2020

When Reilly—my partner at GAN Ventures—and I are in the final stages of talks with a company we might invest in, we always ask a question to every CEO… How would you describe your company culture to someone who was thinking about joining your team? Somewhere around three-quarters of the time, their response is something to the effect of, “We have a ‘work hard, play hard’ culture.”

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Recent digital transformation has shifted the B2B landscape by ushering in the era of buyer empowerment. With more access to user reviews, analyst opinion, and industry research, decision-makers are more informed than ever while navigating what is now known as the “buyer’s journey.”

GAN

JULY 22, 2020

By: Tricia Reinken, Partner Marketing, HubSpot for Startups (a GAN Corporate Partner). A powerful pitch deck is critical for any startup, regardless of your goal.

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GAN

SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

Each week, I receive dozens of updates from startups—everything from founders I’ve just chatted with briefly, to founders I’ve mentored, to companies that have asked GAN Ventures for funding. The purpose of updates from founders is to get their community of investors, mentors, and friends excited about the work they’re doing and to create additional fans who are bought into the company’s vision and plans. Here’s the thing, though.

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GAN

APRIL 29, 2020

In early 2019, I wrote one of my most-read blog posts , Two Simple Questions To Ask Every Potential Investor. Those questions were: “What do you specifically look for when you’re investing in companies?”. And a followup question, “Now that I’ve heard everything you’re looking for, I think we’re a fit for your fund. But in your opinion, is that really the case?”. Now that we’re in COVID-19 times, those questions remain as relevant as ever. Here’s why.

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GAN

JANUARY 28, 2020

Every year, I like to ask the leaders of our GAN Accelerators to share their favorite productivity hacks–the tools and practices they use to increase their efficiency, be productive, and keep going–with one another. This year, I also extended the question to our GAN Team. And the answers are far too good to keep to myself. I loved what came my way, and want to share them with all of you. Some of them are tools we use on the GAN Team; others are new to me, but ones I look forward to trying out.

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As data continues to play a starring role in today’s B2B organizations, both marketing and sales operations professionals are poised to solidify their place as critical revenue drivers. In particular, the evolution of the Marketing Operations (Ops) role has created a new standard in marketing and has become a vital component of an organization’s success.

GAN

NOVEMBER 12, 2019

We just finished GAN’s first Momentum Tour, a four-stop global tour with events in Pittsburgh, Hamburg, Lima, and Manama. The entire purpose of this tour from the very beginning was to help startups operating in places like these—smaller markets that aren’t considered the world’s major tech hubs—to have additional connections, tools, and resources to build and grow their companies, wherever they are. Which, by the way, is GAN’s mission.

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startup mentorship economic development startup ecosystem 164

GAN

JULY 2, 2019

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” ” — Lewis Carroll. Last week, Exponential Impact’s latest cohort visited the GAN office. XI is a GAN Accelerator located in Colorado Springs and this cohort of founders is an amazing group, just starting the program. When thinking about what I should say to them, I remembered something that Steve Blank shared with a bunch of the Techstars founders we brought together in Las Vegas back in 2012.

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GAN

AUGUST 28, 2019

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself in a conversation about startup newsletters with some of GAN’s corporate partners during our yearly Partner Summit. We’d been chatting about newsletters we loved when I went a bit negative and opened up about a newsletter I had a lot of judgments around.

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GAN

DECEMBER 3, 2019

Over the next few weeks, you’ll be trying to hunt down the perfect gift for everyone you adore. And, while you could easily just shop online at the biggest company on the planet, wouldn’t it be even better if all of your purchases came from companies you could name—companies that will use the revenue they make from your purchase to buy from other startups or to funnel back into their local communities? Plus, don’t you want to buy something unique? I thought so.

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ZoomInfo has created the following eBook to help other B2B organizations gain insights on how to launch their own data-driven ABM strategy. In this eBook, we will reveal the good and the bad from our own campaign and highlight some key takeaways on how to improve your ABM strategies moving forward.

strategy

GAN

FEBRUARY 26, 2020

Last week, I shared this idea of being happy at work. Because when you ask the members of Generation Z (the next generation coming into the workforce) what they value most in life, most have a simple answer: Happiness. Happy people are “12% more productive” than those who aren’t, according to a comprehensive study from the University of Warwick. Over the next few weeks, I’m delving into the various ways I see us becoming happy again.

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