Wed.Jul 28, 2021

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Ben Franklin Technology Partners Invests in 14 Tech Startups!   

Ben Franklin Technology Partners

Creating Jobs and Helping Grow the PA Economy. STATE COLLEGE, PA – Fourteen companies located in central and northern PA recently received an investment from Ben Franklin Technology Partners that will allow them to further develop and commercialize new products, processes, or software applications. The Ben Franklin program has been investing in tech startups and small manufacturers for nearly 40 years.

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Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Capital leads $20M investment in Brazilian healthcare startup Pipo Saude

TechCrunch

Pipo Saude , a startup that developed a platform that sells and manages healthcare benefits for Brazilian companies, has raised $20 million in a Series A round of funding. Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Capital led the round, marking the first time the New York-based venture firm has led an investment in a Brazilian startup. (Although, notably, Thrive has also put money in Nubank and Loft.).

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Sell First. Then Build. Then Hire. And Only Then Raise Money.

Entrepreneur's Handbook

10 entrepreneurship principles I learned over the past 5 years Continue reading on Entrepreneur's Handbook ».

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Former Iora Health execs raise $13M to guide seniors through Medicare enrollment

TechCrunch

Employers typically offer three options for healthcare insurance. When it’s time to switch to Medicare, particularly Medicare Advantage, there are over 3,500 plans available nationwide, and an average of 30 plans someone can choose from in their particular area. Connie Health is leading seniors through the Medicare maze, helping whittle down those 3,000 plans into a handful of best choices based on care requirements.

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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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Female Founders, Get Funding Now with These 4 Alternatives to VC

StartupNation

In 2019, venture capital investment into U.S. startups nearly doubled from $88 billion to $144 billion. So, while it comes as no surprise that 2019 was also a record year for female founders securing these dollars, many would be shocked to learn this funding amounted to a mere 3.4% at its all-time high. . It would be reasonable to assume that VC funding would drop in 2020, especially during the uncertainty of the pandemic.

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More Trending

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7 Signs You’re Cut Out to Be a $1M Entrepreneur, Not a $1B CEO

Entrepreneur's Handbook

And that’s okay — some of us go from zero to $1 million, while others go from $100 million to $1 billion. Continue reading on Entrepreneur's Handbook ».

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Shikho, an edtech startup focused on Bangladesh’s students, gets $1.3M seed

TechCrunch

In Bangladesh, students often rely on after school learning centers for study help or test preparation, but many of the best ones are concentrated in major cities. Edtech startup Shikho was created to make supplementary education more accessible and affordable. The company announced today it has closed a $1.3 million seed round co-led by returning investor LearnStart (the seed fund of edtech investment firm Learn Capital) and Anchorless Bangladesh. .

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The Dark Side of Being Your Own Boss

Entrepreneur's Handbook

Is it really worth it? Continue reading on Entrepreneur's Handbook ».

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Squire, a barbershop tech platform, triples its valuation (again) with Tiger Global

TechCrunch

When co-founders Songe LaRon and Dave Salvant first began barbershop tech platform Squire in 2016, they leaned in: The duo bought a barbershop in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood to see firsthand how the business worked. For one year, the co-founders religiously worked at the shop, now owned by a larger barbershop chain, handling every bit of the business (except cutting hair).

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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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3 Feelings You Can’t Escape as a New Entrepreneur

Entrepreneur's Handbook

But you can equip yourself with tools to succeed. Continue reading on Entrepreneur's Handbook ».

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Why I make everyone in my company be the CEO for a day

TechCrunch

Ville Houttu. Contributor. Share on Twitter. Ville Houttu is the founder and CEO of Vincit USA. Leaders become great not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others. It’s no secret that most tech companies tout their culture as “unique” or “open,” but when you take a closer look, it’s often merely surface level.

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GCUC is headed to New York

GCUC

Start spreading the news! GCUC is headed to New York City. In person or online, the choice is yours. We know the last 18. The post GCUC is headed to New York appeared first on GCUC Community.

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Egyptian ride-sharing company Swvl plans to go public in a $1.5B SPAC merger

TechCrunch

Cairo and Dubai-based ride-sharing company Swvl plans to go public in a merger with special purpose acquisition company Queen’s Gambit Growth Capital, Swvl said Tuesday. The deal will see Swvl valued at roughly $1.5 billion. Swvl was founded by Mostafa Kandil, Mahmoud Nouh and Ahmed Sabbah in 2017. The trio started the company as a bus-hailing service in Egypt and other ride-sharing services in emerging markets with fragmented public transportation.

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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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2 Foundational mindsets for employee development

Entrepreneurs' Organization

Contributed by Hun Boon Tan , a research manager and associate coach at BTS , an organization that works with leaders at all levels to help them make better decisions, convert those decisions to actions and deliver results. Mindset is the root cause of behavior. And because mindsets are often shaped by an individual’s beliefs, assumptions and biases, they sometimes need changing.

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Search API startup Algolia raises $150 million at $2.25 billion valuation

TechCrunch

Algolia has raised a $150 million Series D funding round at a post-money valuation of $2.25 billion. Compared to the Series C round from October 2019 , the company’s valuation has more than quadrupled. It means that Algolia is now a unicorn with a valuation above $1 billion. The company is best known for its search-as-a-service product. It lets you integrate real-time search in your app or website using a developer-friendly API.

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BEN FRANKLIN’S TECHCELERATOR IS HOSTING A VIRTUAL PITCH COMPETITION.

Ben Franklin Technology Partners

INDIANA, PA – Since early June, five local entrepreneurial teams have been participating via Zoom in an intensive Business Startup Boot Camp offered by the Ben Franklin TechCelerator@Indiana. In partnership with several economic development initiatives such as IUP’s Small Business Development Center, JARI, Startup Alleghenies, and the Indiana County Center for Economic Operations, the program targeted emerging tech innovators from the region.

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Contentful raises $175M at a $3B valuation from Tiger for its content delivery service

TechCrunch

Contentful this morning announced a $175 million Series F round of capital, led by Tiger Global, valuing the unicorn at around $3 billion. Contentful, formerly known as a UI-free content management system (headless CMS), now views itself in a broader light. More simply, Contentful provides customers with a service that will deliver images, words, and other content to their applications and websites around the world, quickly.

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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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Ghost Kitchens: How New & Aspiring Restaurants Can Quickly Enter The Industry

Common Reasons Why Startups Fail

The restaurant industry was thrown for a loop this past year as a result of COVID-19. Dine-in restaurants in particular were challenged unlike any other.… The post Ghost Kitchens: How New & Aspiring Restaurants Can Quickly Enter The Industry appeared first on.

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Dear Sophie: Should we sponsor international hires for H-1B transfers and green cards? 

TechCrunch

Sophie Alcorn. Contributor. Share on Twitter. Sophie Alcorn is the founder of Alcorn Immigration Law in Silicon Valley and 2019 Global Law Experts Awards’ “Law Firm of the Year in California for Entrepreneur Immigration Services.” She connects people with the businesses and opportunities that expand their lives. More posts by this contributor. Dear Sophie: Should we look to Canada to retain international talent?

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How Local Search Marketing Can Generate a Surge in Offline Sales

StartupNation

Today, more customers are online than ever before and they’re taking the digital approach in finding what they need, from ordering food and clothes to getting groceries. Data shows that 46% of these online searches are local , and almost 50% of online users have the intention of visiting physical stores of the businesses they’re looking for. This means consumers are going online first to look for information before heading to the store.

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China’s regulatory crackdown is good news for startups aligned with CCP goals

TechCrunch

Watching the Chinese technology sector over the last week has been a fascinating exercise. The Chinese government took on entire industries like edtech while also coming down on individual companies (Tencent, Meituan) in a broad effort to change the country’s technology landscape. The sum of the financial damage is easy to understand. The NASDAQ Golden Dragon China Index , for example, which tracks U.S.

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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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How Apple Podcasts’ Latest Update Lost Me 3,000 Weekly Listens

Entrepreneur's Handbook

A podcaster’s look at the much-maligned new subscriptions system and rival to Patreon Continue reading on Entrepreneur's Handbook ».

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Duolingo’s IPO pricing is great news for edtech startups

TechCrunch

While the Chinese technology market digests a new regulatory landscape impacting the country’s edtech market in a sharply negative manner, U.S. education technology companies have something to cheer about: Duolingo’s IPO priced very well. The language-learning unicorn initially targeted an $85 to $95 per share IPO price range. That interval was later raised to $95 to $100 per share.

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WJR Business Beat with Jeff Sloan: Small Business Marketing 101 Requires SEO (Episode 265)

StartupNation

On today’s Business Beat, Jeff talks to Shay Berman , founder and president of marketing company Digital Resource and StartupNation’s digital marketing expert, about why SEO is the key to creating awareness for your business. Tune in to the Business Beat, below, to learn more tips about SEO and how to put it to work for your business: Contact the experts at Digital Resource!

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Hear Startup Alley companies pitch expert VC judges in upcoming episodes of Extra Crunch Live

TechCrunch

We know how much you love a good startup pitch-off. Who doesn’t? It combines the thrill of live, high-stakes entertainment with learning about the hottest new thing. Plus, you get to hear feedback from some of the smartest folks in the industry, thus learning how to absolutely crush it at your next pitch meeting with a VC. With all that in mind, we’re introducing a special summer edition of Extra Crunch Live that’s all pitch-off, all the time.

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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.