Tue.Nov 23, 2021

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How a $250 Toothbrush Robot for Kids Became a Must-Have

Entrepreneur - Entrepreneurs Category

Willo co-founder and CEO Hugo de Gentile breaks down revolutionizing a stagnant industry.

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5 Important Tips For First-Time Franchise Buyers

StartupNation

Many people have the goal of owning their own business. To expedite this process, becoming a franchisee of an established brand may be an attractive option, as entrepreneurs can build off a proven formula for success to guide their decisions as business owners. However, opening a franchise location is not a fast track to riches, as the 90% 5-year success rate lauded by many franchises is a myth.

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Verbit lands $250M Series E at a $2B valuation to expand its AI-powered transcription platform

TechCrunch

Less than six months after raising a $157 million Series D round, AI-powered transcription and captioning platform Verbit announced today it has closed $250 million in a Series E round that values the company at $2 billion. The latest funding brings its total raised to more than $550 million. . The new capital was led by Third Point Ventures , with participation from existing investors Sapphire Ventures, More Capital, Disruptive AI, Vertex Growth, 40North, Samsung Next and TCP. .

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Employee Experience: Culture, Involvement and Career Development

StartupNation

Businesses focusing on customer experience is a given. After all, no business will thrive, or even succeed, without the support of the market it seeks to capture. But ensuring customers remain happy with your products and services is not the be-all and end-all of effective business management. Or at least it should not be. An equally important factor is employee experience.

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From Curiosity to Competitive Edge: How Mid-Market CEOs Are Using AI to Scale Smarter

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.

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Kenyan fintech Asilimia raises $2 million in a pre-seed round, plans to extend loans to MSMEs and expand in East Africa

TechCrunch

Kenya’s economy is powered by informal businesses, which contribute 33.8% to the country’s GDP and provide 83.4% of the total employment outside of small-scale agriculture, data from the country’s bureau of statistics shows. The contribution of these enterprises is pivotal to the country’s economy yet they remain underserved by traditional banking institutions making it hard for them to access the financing needed to grow.

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More Trending

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Peek raises $80M as its travel experiences software and marketplace business passes $2B in bookings

TechCrunch

Travel and tourism are slowly starting to move again in the wake of COVID-19 crashing over the world and sending us to shelter in place. Today a company focused on experiences — museum visits, skydiving, local cooking classes and more — is announcing a round of growth funding on the back of seeing its own business bounce back. Peek , which provides a marketplace for consumers to discover and book experiences, a platform for businesses to book team building and other internal events a

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Forget Huge Markets; Your Startup Needs to Dominate a Niche to Be Successful

Entrepreneur's Handbook

The leader in any category can make huge margins. Everyone else loses money Continue reading on Entrepreneur's Handbook ».

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Bitrise grabs $60M to keep companies updated with constantly changing mobile requirements

TechCrunch

As more of the world shifts to doing everything from their smartphones, the ability to build better iOS and Android apps has to move with it. Bitrise aims to be the go-to company closing the gap between that mobile demand and a company’s ability to get apps out faster while also balancing all of the moving parts and complexities. Today, mobile DevOps company Bitrise announced it secured $60 million in Series C funding, led by Insight Partners, with participation from existing investors Partech,

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4 Things Entrepreneurs Need to Know to Successfully Launch and Monetize a Website

StartupNation

Launching your first website is exciting. However, figuring out how to turn that website into a successful business can feel like a grueling task. As an entrepreneur, you want your content to boost your website and brand authority in your industry or niche. The reality is, driving traffic to a new blog or website isn’t always easy. Below are some key steps you must take when launching in order to monetize your website.

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State of AI in Sales & Marketing 2025

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.

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Einride founder Robert Falck on his moral obligation to electrify autonomous trucking

TechCrunch

Robert Falck used to work at a Russian trucking factory by day, and by night, he built a nightclub guest list startup. He also collects old books, and once guessed that Chinese author Gao Xingjian would win the Nobel Prize in literature. He grew up on a farm, but has degrees in finance, economics and mechanical engineering. No, this isn’t a game of two truths and a lie — indeed, these are snippets from the life of a serial entrepreneur who harbors a vendetta against the carbon emissions pr

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What Is Visual Merchandising? – Importance, Elements, & Examples

Feedough

Visual merchandising is what one sees when walking into a retail. Read more.

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TechCrunch+ roundup: Why your title matters, part-time CFOs, Sequoia’s new model

TechCrunch

Startup culture is informal, which is why some workers end up with job titles like “customer delight manager” or “product whisperer.” That might work inside mature companies, but early-stage founders who are presenting themselves to investors must be more specific. In an interview with Natasha Mascarenhas, B2B stealth startup founder Akshaya Dinesh recounted the time her team was rejected by an accelerator because they hadn’t yet picked a CEO.

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The 7 Worst Career Mistakes I’ve Made—And What to Do Instead

Entrepreneur's Handbook

Avoid them and watch your success soar. Continue reading on Entrepreneur's Handbook ».

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15 Modern Use Cases for Enterprise Business Intelligence

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?

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UK-based mental health provider ieso raises $53M armed with an ‘unprecedented’ data set

TechCrunch

U.K.-based digital therapy company ieso announced a $53 million Series B round on Tuesday. The round is the funding the company needs to move in a brand new direction: creating more intuitive autonomous text therapy. . In other words, AI trained on thousands of hours of real-life therapy that can provide personalized sessions, over chat. . Ieso has been around for about 10 years, and has been running a text-only therapy service (with human therapists on one end) through the U.K.’s National Healt

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WJR Business Beat: Most Consumers Will Shop Locally This Holiday Season, Study Says (Episode 324)

StartupNation

On today’s Business Beat, Jeff Sloan shares the good news that a survey found 67% of shoppers are going to trust local brands over Internet-only merchants during this year’s holiday shopping season. Tune in to the Business Beat, below, to learn more about what the Uberall study says about customer loyalty: Tune in to News/Talk 760 AM WJR weekday mornings at 7:11 a.m. for the WJR Business Beat.

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Volvo Cars Tech Fund invests $2M in optics and imaging startup Spectralics

TechCrunch

The venture arm of Volvo Cars, an automaker long synonymous with safety, has invested in an optics and imaging startup developing technology that can be integrated into a car’s windshield or windows to deliver images to drivers and passengers. Volvo Cars Tech Fund invested $2 million into o ptics and imaging developer Spectralics , funds it will use to accelerate the development of its optical film that the company says could make cars safer and provide a better user experience.

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[JumpCloud in Daily Camera] Apple manager joins JumpCloud

OurCrowd

JumpCloud Inc., a directory-as-a-service technology platform, has hired Joel Rennich as the company’s head of device identity. Read more here. The post [JumpCloud in Daily Camera] Apple manager joins JumpCloud appeared first on OurCrowd Blog.

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The GTM Intelligence Era: ZoomInfo 2025 Customer Impact Report

ZoomInfo customers aren’t just selling — they’re winning. Revenue teams using our Go-To-Market Intelligence platform grew pipeline by 32%, increased deal sizes by 40%, and booked 55% more meetings. Download this report to see what 11,000+ customers say about our Go-To-Market Intelligence platform and how it impacts their bottom line. The data speaks for itself!

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Nigeria’s OnePipe raises $3.5M to double down on its embedded finance offering

TechCrunch

Last year, fintech API infrastructure players came into the African tech scene, ushering in Plaid-like services to businesses and developers. And the attention on these companies, particularly from venture capitalists, spiralled into this year, with each significant player raising large seed to Series A rounds. OnePipe , a fintech API company with a different play from the lot, joins the list today, raising $3.5 million seed to double down on its embedded finance offering.

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[BioCatch in Find Biometrics] BioCatch unveils new mule account detection tool

OurCrowd

BioCatch is trying to thwart cybercriminals that move money through mule accounts. The company has previously warned that mule traffic increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, as fraudsters sought to take advantage of people who found themselves in precarious financial situations. Read more here. The post [BioCatch in Find Biometrics] BioCatch unveils new mule account detection tool appeared first on OurCrowd Blog.

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Column Tax announces $5.1M seed round to launch mobile tax-prep products

TechCrunch

Mobile income tax software Column Tax announced today that it raised $5.1 million in seed funding and is launching its first commercial product, which will provide users with early access to their tax refunds. . Bain Capital Ventures led the seed round alongside South Park Commons, Core Innovation Capital, and Operator Partners. Some prominent angel investors also participated in the round, including Opendoor founder Eric Wu and former Wealthfront CEO Adam Nash.

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[OurCrowd in The National] ADGM focuses on new initiatives to attract more companies and boost Abu Dhabi’s economy

OurCrowd

Israel’s venture capital firm OurCrowd sets up operations at ADGM, according to its chairman. Read more here. The post [OurCrowd in The National] ADGM focuses on new initiatives to attract more companies and boost Abu Dhabi’s economy appeared first on OurCrowd Blog.

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How Top Tech CFOs Solve Annual Planning’s Biggest Challenges

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.

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Dent Reality raises $3.4M to bring augmented reality into the grocery store

TechCrunch

Despite Apple and Facebook investing billions into a “metaverse” future, in recent years there’s been a distinct drop-off in venture deals for startups focused on finding opportunities in augmented reality. Many VCs who have been burned by investments in large-scale efforts like Magic Leap now see the near-term spoils of augmented reality tech as opportunities largely left for big tech companies, but smaller startups are still finding inroads that appeal to investors.

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[Bizzabo in Skift] Amex GBT tests new model with Bizzabo ror virtual meeting bookings

OurCrowd

Rather than buy technology, the agency’s meeting division has struck a new type of commercial deal with the fast-growing meeting software firm Bizzabo to tap into virtual meetings. A big bet that those meetings will be here to stay. Read more here. The post [Bizzabo in Skift] Amex GBT tests new model with Bizzabo ror virtual meeting bookings appeared first on OurCrowd Blog.

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Vercel raises $150M Series D as it looks to build an end-to-end front-end development platform

TechCrunch

Only a few months ago, Vercel , the company behind the popular Next.js framework for front-end developers, announced a $102 million Series B funding round that took its valuation to $1.1 billion. Today, it’s announcing a $150 million Series C round that puts its valuation at $2.5 billion. The round, which brings Vercel’s total funding to $131 million, was led by GGV Capital, with participation from existing investors Accel, Bedrock Capital, CRV, Geodesic Capital, Greenoaks Capital, G

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[Lemonade in Futurism] Why insurance is broken, and how one company is fixing it

OurCrowd

Lemonade is fixing renters insurance, but why is it broken in the first place? Read more here. The post [Lemonade in Futurism] Why insurance is broken, and how one company is fixing it appeared first on OurCrowd Blog.

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5 Ways You Can Win Faster with Gen AI in Sales

Incorporating generative AI (gen AI) into your sales process can speed up your wins through improved efficiency, personalized customer interactions, and better informed decision- making. Gen AI is a game changer for busy salespeople and can reduce time-consuming tasks, such as customer research, note-taking, and writing emails, and provide insightful data analysis and recommendations.