April, 2018

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What Can You Learn From Ring’s Astounding Success?

Both Sides of the Table

Many people will write the history on why Ring became an enormously successful company and why it became a real-world unicorn in a world when many startups are anointed that merely on paper. Since I had a ringside seat to the company before it really existed all the way through the end I thought I’d offer my version and what I think it means for our future.

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A Meeting of Unreasonable Minds

Entrepreneurs' Organization

A successful entrepreneur, businessman and EO Bahrain member, Suhail Algosaibi had long thought about how he could use his position and his company—FALAK Consulting—to make real, radical and sustainable change in his corner of the world. He also considered what separated him and the people he admired from his neighbors, local students, other Bahraini entrepreneurs and societal shapers, including government officials and corporate executives.

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Why venture capitalists are investing in international startups

David Teten VC

Why are more US VCs investing in international startups? Take a look at The Fortune Unicorn List : of the top 100 most valuable unicorns in 2016, 39 are currently based outside of the United States. While fundraising of US VCs has dropped slowly as a percentage of global limited partner allocations over the last decade, non-US startups are receiving a more rapidly increasing percentage of that money.

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The Series A Round: “Could A Round By Any Other Name Smell As Sweet?”

Haystack

Too many investors subscribe to the Patek Phillipe school of investing “you don’t own the companies’ problems, you merely hold onto them [until you] can get the company to the next round of investors. ” — Micah Rosenbloom of Founder Collective, April 2018. If you’ve followed me on Twitter or this blog, you’ve likely seen me ( too often ) talk about this term — The Series A — again and again.

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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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No Excuses not to Travel: Noken is the First Digital Native Tour Operator and Here's Why I Backed It

This is going to be BIG.

A few weeks ago, I booked a customized tour of Iceland with Noken , and I did it in about five minutes. All I had to do was to tell Noken how long I planned to go, what level of hotel and car I wanted, and then I had the option to add on a few extras, and within minutes my entire trip was booked. I had a connection to my own personal trip concierge and a custom app that outlined my trip.

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So, what if you run out of money?

Berkonomics

Money in the bank is like oil in the car. Certainly, you have many ways you are pulled every day, both tactical and strategic. But when money is the issue, your time, energy and focus are drained from other important areas of your life or business. Running out of money is not always synonymous with “going broke”. Many great businesses in their growth periods find themselves stretched for cash.

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5 Ways One Entrepreneur Is Giving Disadvantaged Teens a Fresh Start

Entrepreneurs' Organization

For Jabez LeBret, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals combined with his experience as an EO San Diego member provided the inspiration to serve his community’s marginalized youth—an effort that’s earned him a nomination for EO Global Citizen of the Year. As part of our focus on #EOImpact , Jabez told us about his efforts in the education field.

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­­­Community Management Churn: How to Prevent the Crisis

Deskmag

Many coworking providers dread the moment a Community Manager hands in their employment notice. That Manager knows the life story of every member who walks through the door. They’ve set up and established multiple processes first-hand whilst carrying the patience of a Saint and the fire of a networking God. But unfortunately, the rate at which Community Managers leave their jobs is significantly higher than many other professions and despite awareness, providers are still unsure of which steps t

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The Disappearance of the Fundraising Demo

Tomasz Tunguz

Ten years ago, Guy Kawasaki took this photograph of me. I was attending my first YCombinator Demo Day, maybe three months into my time at Redpoint. Much has changed. I’m am not as young or as green. YCombinator has thrived and scaled. And the startup demo has disappeared. At that August Demo Day, each pitch lasted eight minutes. Without fail each featured a demonstration of the product.

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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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To Fundraise While You're Not Fundraising or to Not Fundraise While You're Not Fundraising? That is the Question.

This is going to be BIG.

"I'm not raising right now." When said to a VC, this is one of the biggest BS lines out there. You're literally talking to an investor, and if they offered you a big check at a great deal, you'd take it, no? So, how could you say you aren't fundraising? On the other hand, some founders *literally* aren't fundraising. They won't share any info on what's going on with their company, even with investors that are really excited about their concept.

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Investing Notes From The Inaugural Pre-Seed Summit

Haystack

Earlier today, the folks from Afore Capital hosted their inaugural “Pre-Seed Summit” in San Francisco. About 150 people showed up, a healthy mix of founders, seed-stage investors and big fund VCs, and a bunch of LPs of various sizes. Some press showed up, too. “Pre-Seed” is somewhat of a controversial term in the investing world, triggering reactions questions its validity, its effectiveness, and even its contribution.

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Entrepreneurs: Employment law is not on your side!

Berkonomics

Small companies most often scrape by with borrowed or invested funds, doing everything possible to grow and prosper with limited resources. So, it is like a punch in the gut when an employee makes a claim against the company for a perceived or actual but unintentional violation of a law or regulation. Or when a former employee strikes out with a suit claiming discrimination for one of a thousand causes.

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You Can’t Afford to Make this Mistake With Your Company Culture

Entrepreneurs' Organization

Written for EO by Marina Byezhanova, co-founder and director at Pronexia Inc. , headhunters for small- to medium-sized businesses and company culture consultants. . If you’ve been trying to fill a position in the last 12 months, then you’ve definitely noticed that it’s become more difficult to attract the same number of applicants that you once did.

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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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OpenBSD : why and how

Derek Sivers

The only operating system I use on my computers is not Mac , not Windows, and not even Linux. It’s OpenBSD , and I love it so much. So I figured I should say a little something about why, and how you can try it. It’s probably not for you. It’s not for beginners. Most people should use Ubuntu. It’s not for people who want to click a button and have the computer hide the details from you.

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How to Reach More People with Content Marketing by Changing How You Write

Tomasz Tunguz

Ben Franklin’s edits to the Declaration of Independence. The average English sentence has been shortened by half over the last five hundred years. Read the first sentence of the Declaration of Independence to see why. It is 71 words long and contains 8 recursive clauses. I read it ten times before I understood it. I have 48 seconds with you , my reader.

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#MovingForward movement: VCs and a diverse, inclusive, and harassment-free workplace

David Teten VC

HOF Capital recently joined the # MovingForward movement of VCs committed to diverse, inclusive, and harassment-free workplaces. The movement emerged at a founders dinner a few months ago when the question, “As an entrepreneur, if I experience harassment or discrimination, where do I report it and how will I be protected?”, was asked. After speaking with many VC firms, it was realized that this was a very common issue.

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You're the CEO.

This is going to be BIG.

It's really hard to advise a company when you don't have all the information--and no one has more information than the CEO of the company. Sometimes, you might believe the CEO is ill-informed, and you're a check on the amount of homework they've done to seek out solutions to a problem, or which metrics or signals they're paying close enough attention to.

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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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The 18-month rule and a harrowing tale

Berkonomics

It can take 18 months from initial concern about a critical employee to getting a replacement up to speed. Of course, I’ll tell another harrowing story here. But first. an old friend, Dick Tanaka, gets credit for the 18-month rule. He observed that the process we follow to be humane in our handling of under-performing employees, manage the risk of future lawsuit, finally then move to separate the employee, define the open position, recruit the candidate, train the new hire and count the new hir

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How to Use Social Media In Your Event Marketing Strategy

Entrepreneurs' Organization

Written for EO by Raul Harman, editor in chief at Technivorz blog. What if you threw a party and nobody came? The chances of this happening in the age of Facebook and Twitter are slim, right? Even so, if you’re planning a professional event and your success depends on people showing up, you’ll want to implement a marketing strategy to ensure its success.

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Look Back: Breast Cancer Prevention Innovator Wins at 2017 EO GSEA

Entrepreneurs' Organization

Just one year ago in Frankfurt, Germany, Julián Ríos Cantú was named the winner of the EO Global Student Entrepreneur Award competition. Read how—and why—this Mexican teen has set out to transform breast cancer prevention and treatment. The 2018 EO GSEA global finals will take place in Toronto, Canada, on Monday 16 April. Meet the finalists and check back here for updates!

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Dutch Studentpreneur Looks Back on GSEA

Entrepreneurs' Organization

Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) ‘s Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (EO GSEA) encourage “studentpreneurs” to grow their businesses with support from mentors and fellow entrepreneurs. With 2018 EO GSEA global finals rapidly approaching, we are reaching out to previous participants and finalists to find out how the program changed their lives.

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Your Fractional Finance and Accounting Team

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.

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6 Reasons Why Every Entrepreneur Should Have a Personal Blog

Entrepreneurs' Organization

Online content is a key ingredient of every marketing strategy. And one of the most popular and effective ways to establish a positive online presence is a blog. Blogging can pay off faster than any other marketing strategy and requires almost no investment. Still not convinced? Check out these six reasons a blog is an opportunity you shouldn’t miss out on: 1.

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Thinking of a Rebrand? Here’s How to Start.

Entrepreneurs' Organization

Written by Paul Binsfeld, founder and president of Company Nurse , LLC, and Kathy Heasley, founder and president of HEASLEY&PARTNERS. If you are not a brand, you are a commodity. And the only thing that makes a commodity different is price. A brand, on the other hand, is unique. You buy brands because they’re different. I started Company Nurse more than 20 years ago as a pioneering brand.

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4 Traits to Look for In Your Next Hire

Entrepreneurs' Organization

When I first started out as a business leader , I worked alone from a home office. If I needed help, I asked my brothers or hired a freelancer I found online. While a few freelancers turned into long-term contractors, I didn’t have any full-time employees. But after a few years, it became clear that I needed to open a brick-and-mortar office to keep up with my customers’ demands.

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7 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became Director

Entrepreneurs' Organization

It was a dream-come-true for me to start a business of my own. However, running and managing a business was a whole new ball game for me. There’s little to prepare you for life as a business owner or entrepreneur, but there are a few lessons that I wish someone had shared with me early on. 1. Take risks in adopting new strategies. I used to follow strategies that were in place at my prior workplace because I was so scared of failing or losing.

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Digitalization: 5 Tech Updates That Will Help You Survive The Recession & Thrive

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.