The Zapier Blog

JUNE 19, 2025

Facebook ad examples: Testimonials and social proof These ads feature real people—for example, customers, founders, or experts—sharing their experience with a product. Navan This Navan ad uses a startup-specific message, along with a strong G2 rating, to position itself as the go-to travel platform for high-growth teams.

culture

Jason Malki

JUNE 18, 2025

Josh Canale I had the pleasure of interviewing Josh Canale, the founder of Josh Canale Design  — a solo UX consultancy that helps early-stage AI startups turn complex tech into adoption-ready product experiences. What motivated you to launch your startup? What has been your biggest challenge when growing your startup?

startup

Founder Bounty

JANUARY 21, 2025

If its a top tier accelerator like Ycombinator you should definitely do it. I have worked in finance and well as been though Techstars and have seen it all in the world of startups. But not ALL are equity, however if its YC definitely take it or apply if you have not done so. The answer is YES.

accelerator

Hunter Walk

APRIL 17, 2025

Since I’m always interested in startup outcomes – especially those where there’s a private equity-like exit , Joe was kind enough to share the backstory with me, and here with you! While every CEO and founder wants to create the next impactful IPO oriented company, IPOs are rare, even in the best of times.

mix-use

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 14, 2014

The funny thing about stats is that you can basically come up with a stat to justify any argument or position--and the whole female founders in tech conversation has a ton of numbers that people put out there as various types of proof and justification, or blame. First time founder friendly. Well, it''s gotta mean something, right?

founder

Revolution

NOVEMBER 28, 2023

At Rise of the Rest, we’ve spent years traversing the country, spotlighting emerging startup hubs, and building a network of entrepreneurial champions and ecosystem builders beyond Silicon Valley, New York City, and Boston. We dive deeper into the definition in our 2022 Annual Report. What is Founder-Market-Geography Fit?

founder

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2014

I have never been more optimistic about the impact that the tech startup community is having on cities in America or about the role that cities outside of San Francisco / Silicon Valley can play in our future. Changes in the Startup Ecosystem. So the startup work moves to where the startup founders live and not vice versa.

startup

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Recently I wrote a post arguing to make the definition of a Startup more inclusive than that to which Silicon Valley, fueled by Venture Capital return profiles, would sometimes like to attach to the word. Most of what I think about startup communities came from mentorship by Brad Feld through hours of private discussion and debate.

communities

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Nearly every successful tech startup I’ve observed over the past 20 years has gone through a similar growth pattern: Innovate, systematize then scale operations. Innovate In the early years of a startup there is a lot of kinetic energy of enthusiastic innovators looking to launch a product that changes how an industry works.

innovation

Entrepreneur's Handbook

NOVEMBER 17, 2020

It’s not about being rich, it’s about repeatedly building value What some people think will happen when you become a founder | source I love the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Let’s tastefully call this phenomenon: Rich Founder, Poor Founder. Path 1: Venture-backed startup 90% chance of $0. Most founders end up owning 5%-20%.

founder

Dream It

JANUARY 13, 2021

In this Dreamit Dose, associates Alana Hill and I, Elliot Levy , offer five things we wish founders knew after screening over 1,000 startups in the last year. That’s something I didn’t realize when I was a founder sitting on the other side of the table. Startup databases include Crunchbase, AngelList, Pitchbook, and more.

VC

Startup Grind

SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

Many founders, unfortunately, skip this stage altogether and go directly to the next one. Challenges facing EdTech founders: Small Network: A small number of hugely successful EdTech startups (compared to other markets like FinTech, AdTech, etc) so a very small network to learn from and everyone is still exploring and finding his own way.

education

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 6, 2015

Turns out that not only is he real, but he''s one of the most genuine, thoughtful, and egoless people I''ve met in the startup world--a real breath of fresh air. BBV has talked proudly about its large number of female founders. I think other people have talked more about the fact that I''ve funded female founders than I have.

VC

David Teten VC

AUGUST 30, 2021

Our proposal: governments systematically support funding for their diaspora founders, not just the local founders. Founders who want to build companies and need funding. In many ecosystems outside of the major tech hubs, founders face cultural, legal, reputational and other hurdles to building a successful tech company.

investing

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

Today Upfront Ventures is announcing that we’ve backed Rebecca Kantar ’s startup Imbellus , a company designed to assess human potential and ultimately change the way we teach children. Mission Driven I also am looking for founders that are on a personal mission to solve a big problem. But really it’s something I look for.

incumbents

Founders Coop

APRIL 29, 2024

This post is an effort to unpack what’s required of a startup accelerator to truly serve the needs of high-performing founders. Every time I talk to someone about the work we do at Founders’ Co-op , I have to first explain that we don’t really care about technology or business ideas per se. Aviel and I know something about this.

startup accelerator

This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

In 2010, Antonio Garcia Martinez, the founder of AdGrok, wrote, “New York will always be a tech backwater, I don’t care what Chris Dixon or Ron Conway or Paul Graham say.” Top founders want to live in a place where employees are serious about working hard. Lastly, your city needs to be livable—and that definition is changing.

communities

TechCrunch

MARCH 22, 2021

He adds that what differentiates Flux from other crypto remittance startups lies in the ease and speed of the platform’s transactions. Pioneer gives founders access to funding streams and talent hardly found outside Silicon Valley. It has already backed more than 100 founders who give up 1% equity to join the accelerator.

peer-to-peer

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 22, 2020

There we were at the casino table again after that, pouring billions of dollars into unprofitable startups while cutting taxes when we didn’t need to, for people and companies who didn’t need it, with little regard to the future. We’ve already been in an economy where the stock market doesn’t reflect how the average person is doing.

health

TechCrunch

JANUARY 21, 2022

The degree to which we get involved with the idea validation may vary depending on the goals and needs of the project, the founders and/or stakeholders, and the stage at which the project is when we begin our collaboration. Help TechCrunch find the best software consultants for startups. Definitely!

collaboration

TechCrunch

OCTOBER 24, 2020

Editor’s note: Get this free weekly recap of TechCrunch news that any startup can use by email every Saturday morning (7 a.m. Startup failure is easy to hold up as a type of martyrdom for progress, especially if the founders are starting out scrappy in the first place and trying to save the world. Subscribe here.

startup

NZ Entrepreneur

JUNE 19, 2023

A new batch of enterprising New Zealanders are being given the opportunity to fast track their ventures from idea through to startup, thanks to an online education initiative backed by Callaghan Innovation and entrepreneur education platform Startup NZ.

education

Entrepreneur's Handbook

AUGUST 16, 2023

It took years before my startup Anchor began to gain real traction. Most founders I speak to agree that the startup journey is generally discouraging, overrun with unsolvable challenges and many many mistakes. Chang Kim (CK) , Tapas  — Founders need to keep practicing compartmentalizing their brain.

founder

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 18, 2020

Sometimes that’s venture capital generally (like last year’s conversation with Reid Hoffman ) and sometimes it’s in a space where I’ve invested (like mobility and city innovation with Bird’s Travis VanderZanden , one of our portfolio founders.) definitely a big and expensive promotional bet for a “startup”. “We

innovation

TechCrunch

JANUARY 28, 2023

Welcome to Startups Weekly, a nuanced take on this week’s startup news and trends by Senior Reporter and Equity co-host Natasha Mascarenhas. Sometimes, due to the nature of the startup game, we over index on “the new.” It just made me think about that larger comprehension coupled with the nimbleness of a startup.

startup

TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 7, 2022

Investment has also trickled down to Africa, with large checks going into growth-stage startups. I mean, the definition is simple, but the execution is sometimes more difficult than that,” said chief executive Kuti to TechCrunch on a call. “So The six-year-old startup said it has averaged a 3.5x Our mission is super simple.

health

Startup Blogpost

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023

12 Strategies for Boosting Team Productivity in Startups To help startups boost their team productivity, we’ve gathered twelve insightful strategies from top founders, CEOs, and managers. Make sure your team members know what is expected of them and how their work contributes to the overall goals of the startup.

strategy

AsiaTechDaily

AUGUST 22, 2023

Register “Young musicians today treat music-making kind of like playing video games,” says PoChang Wu, co-founder of OurSong, an NFT-based platform for music collection and community building. Or even if they are aware, vague definitions of royalty rights make it hard for them to receive a share of the revenue.”

founder

TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

Last year was a good 12 months of firsts for African tech startups. This shows that Africa’s investment landscape is still very promising because it continues to grow, and there’s increasing interest in multiple startup ecosystems, including nascent ecosystems. billion, according to data from Partech.

startup ecosystem

AsiaTechDaily

APRIL 27, 2023

Register Asia is a significant market for startups due to its large and diverse population, as well as its rapidly growing economies. South Korea’s largest accelerator program– the K-Startup Grand Challenge (KSGC) is the unique opportunity for global startups to enter the flourishing market of Asia.

accelerator

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 4, 2013

I guess this is the ultimate definition of implementing a business model when you’re not clear on strategy! LEAN STARTUP MOVEMENT. And finally there is the most modern spin on these concepts by two individuals who have built tech startups and have done an excellent job at describing the process. Startup Advice'

strategy

TechCrunch

AUGUST 15, 2023

There is an unprecedented amount of information or knowledge that is now freely available to guide founders (e.g., the free YC Startup School courses). Digital communities and social platforms such as Twitter, Signal NFX, YC’s co-founder matching, and Slack communities (e.g.,

accelerator

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 18, 2013

Maybe small amounts of money for what founders reading these pages dream of but life-changing for many. ShayCarl (a Maker Studios co-founder) in particular. The other theme I’ve been playing around with in my head (and in the numerous debates with media execs who aspire to do startups) I’ve started calling MMOV.

peer-to-peer

TechCrunch

JULY 10, 2022

In 2021, fintech startups were the top recipients of venture capital globally, accounting for about 21% of dollars raised with $131.5 So far in 2022, fintech startups are earning another, less favorable distinction — accounting for the third largest number of layoffs, by percentage, globally. Layoffs up in H1 2022. of the total.

startup

TechCrunch

JULY 15, 2022

Sandvik is also a renowned hacker and security researcher and, as of recently, a founder. With her new startup, Granitt — with Sandvik as its principal — aims to help at-risk people, like journalists and activists but also politicians, lawyers, refugees and human rights defenders, from threats they face doing their work.

startup

AsiaTechDaily

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

Register Startup founders need to be authentic and prepared when they get the chance to meet prospective investors, according to Rex Fong, founding partner at investment and advisory group Capitale Ventures. How many startups do you invest in per year in general? What mistakes do you see founders make when raising money?

ventures

Entrepreneur's Handbook

OCTOBER 24, 2020

How I spent €200.000 on a failed startup by raising money, hiring people, and building a product no one wanted. years ago my startup ( Panda Training , which back then was a matchmaking platform for trainers offering training and companies that needed training) raised €200.000 from various funding sources. Employees are not founders.

investing