This is going to be BIG.
AUGUST 22, 2016
Today, I'm happy to announce that Brooklyn Bridge Ventures, the firm I founded and continue to run as the sole General Partner, has raised a second fund, totalling $15.1 million in commitments. Nearly all of our existing investors returned, and they were joined by a couple of new family offices and a prominent college endowment. What does this mean?
Both Sides of the Table
AUGUST 29, 2016
GOAT just announced it raised $5 million in venture capital led by our friends at Matrix Partners. On the surface that sounds unremarkable — fundings happen daily. But this isn’t just any funding. GOAT (“Greatest of All Time) is a sneakerhead marketplace that is en fuego, but we led the company’s last financing round in 2012 (yes, four years ago) when they were an application for letting people join group dinners.
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Entrepreneurs' Organization
AUGUST 14, 2016
By Sid Bala, an EO Chicago member, and president and CEO of alligatortek. A company using technology to run their business may not have a CIO, but each member of the team should think like one. In today’s business landscape, the success and profitability of a company is more dependent on smarter IT and new software. In the day-to-day operation of your business, system and process bottlenecks highlight opportunities for growth and a better bottom line.
For Entrepreneurs
AUGUST 17, 2016
Intro Sales development teams are taking a much more data-driven approach in recent years by closely tracking their metrics and performance. Benchmarking your performance against other companies offers a valuable way to see how your company stacks up against the competition. We have collaborated again this year with The Bridge Group, an inside sales research.
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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 The tech market offers a wealth of technologies tailored for management, planning, and forecasting, replacing outdated pen-and-paper methods.
Tomasz Tunguz
AUGUST 28, 2016
Jeff Wiss has managed demand generation and corporate marketing for some iconic software companies. MySQL, the most valuable open-source acquisition; Zendesk*, the $3B leader in customer support software; DataStax, The business commercializing Cassandra; and most recently Duo Security*, an Ann Arbor-based trusted access company that has some of the most sensational SaaS metrics I’ve ever seen.
Startup Catalyst Brief brings together the best content for the entrepreneurial ecosystem from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
This is going to be BIG.
AUGUST 29, 2016
Investors turn down deals for some pretty dumb reasons. They lack logic, consistency, and sometimes even a grasp of what their own job is. You know. taking actual risk. "We're not interested for this round, but come back to us when Sequoia is leading at a $1.5 pre-money, you have seven enterprise customers and you're cashflow positive. Oh, and make someone from your 25 person Moldova tech team your co-founder.
Derek Sivers
AUGUST 25, 2016
When a friend says something interesting to me, I usually don’t have a reaction until much later. When someone asks me a deep question, I say, “Hmm. I don’t know.” The next day, I have an answer. I’m a disappointing person to try to debate or attack. I just have nothing to say in the moment, except maybe, “Good point.” Then a few days later, after thinking about it a lot, I have a response.
Entrepreneurs' Organization
AUGUST 2, 2016
We were very intrigued by an article posted on Inc.com by Art Markman , a professor of psychology and marketing at the University of Texas. Professor Markman argued that one core behavior of brilliant thinkers was to “learn widely”: “The best innovators have a base of knowledge that is both broad and deep. They start with an area of expertise that they deeply understand.
500 Hats
AUGUST 20, 2016
Yeah, There’s a Bubble… But it Ain’t in Tech Continue reading on 500 Hats »
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Outdated or absent analytics won’t cut it in today’s data-driven applications – not for your end users, your development team, or your business. That’s what drove the five companies in this e-book to change their approach to analytics. Download this e-book to learn about the unique problems each company faced and how they achieved huge returns beyond expectation by embedding analytics into applications.
Tomasz Tunguz
AUGUST 16, 2016
A senior SaaS executive once told me, “Reports sell software.” In a top down sale, that’s absolutely true. The CEO wants better predictability of bookings so she’ll buy a CRM tool to gather the data. Classically, software has been built for that mantra. First, a company buys a database. The sales people, marketers or customer care staff continue working as normal.
Berkonomics
AUGUST 18, 2016
Over fifty years ago, I was CEO of a record manufacturing company in Hollywood. We were the only such facility on the West coast to provide and control the entire process from studio, through finished vinyl record pressings in the same building, therefore able to promise quality control others could only dream about. As founder and CEO of the then public company, I was expert in several of the “clean” processes such as studio recording, record mastering, cover design and photo– lithography.
This is going to be BIG.
AUGUST 14, 2016
There is always more to do. Right now, I have about 1000 unread e-mails in my inbox and I have a bunch of personal errands and projects around the house that I've been unable to get to. One of the hardest things to learn is that if I don't get to all the e-mails, that's ok. You can't live your life in your inbox. You have to put your personal priorities into your schedule or else other people will put theirs on yours.
Derek Sivers
AUGUST 3, 2016
Until yesterday, I called myself an entrepreneur. Now, I don’t. It’s been years since I started a company, so I can’t keep using that title. Someone who played football in high school can’t call himself an athlete forever. Someone who did something successful long ago can’t keep calling himself a success. You have to keep earning it. Holding on to an old title gives you satisfaction without action.
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CAPTARGET presents a masterclass in M&A deal sourcing. Learn to cast a wide net, embracing seller self-identification. Consistency is the linchpin: keep the origination process steady for a reliable flow of opportunities. Diversify your tactics, employing various tools and vendors. Tech matters! Understand DNS settings, domain authority, and brand presence for optimal outreach.
Entrepreneurs' Organization
AUGUST 24, 2016
By Doug Kisgen, owner of Kisgen Group, Inc. (Culture Index) and Fregata Fitness, Inc. (Iron Tribe Fitness). I always had the desire to own my own business. My Dad was a CPA and business owner, and his Dad was the local Phillips 66 guy in a small town (he even had a gas pump in his front yard!). Right out of college, I formed my first corporation. It was a music-publishing company, and basically it was a means to funnel income from a professional band I was in.
Unvalidated Learnings
AUGUST 12, 2016
Very true. Wouldn’t call it a problem per se but it is indeed what we spend a lot of our time trying to figure out. It’s obviously harder for businesses that create or expand existing markets, which is what the most significant companies typically do. That’s why bottom up analysis (how many potential users x potential aov) tend to work better than top down (current market size of x).
Tomasz Tunguz
AUGUST 2, 2016
Channel distribution represents one of the biggest and most important changes in customers acquisition for SMB SaaS startups in quite a while. Historically, channel distribution has been reserved for the most expensive software and hardware. IBM, Intel, Cisco and their kin generate more than 80% of their revenues through a universe of resellers and distributors.
Berkonomics
AUGUST 11, 2016
It happens all the time when you’re a CEO. Somebody important leaves or is let go, and you worry over the impact upon remaining employees and customers. You worry that the person leaving will begin to unload all the pent–up garbage from the past, perhaps damaging the company and causing customer defections and even employee unrest. Your worry is real.
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Marketing technology is essential for B2B marketers to stay competitive in a rapidly changing digital landscape — and with 53% of marketers experiencing legacy technology issues and limitations, they’re researching innovations to expand and refine their technology stacks. To help practitioners keep up with the rapidly evolving martech landscape, this special report will discuss: How practitioners are integrating technologies and systems to encourage information-sharing between departments and pr
This is going to be BIG.
AUGUST 31, 2016
Last night, while I was speaking on a panel about food entrepreneurship, my cellphone suddenly lit up with frantic texts asking if I was ok. Something about some kayaks on the Hudson and a crash. I quickly searched Twitter while still on the panel and saw the horrific news. A group of kayakers had been run over by a ferry boat backing out of a dock near West 39th Street.
Derek Sivers
AUGUST 1, 2016
Like everyone, I get those times when I’m unmotivated to do anything. Brain dead. No energy. Everything feels like, “Why bother? What’s the point?”. But I’ve finally figured out what to do with those times. Like everyone, I have a list of boring chores that need to be done but that I’ve been putting off for years. I never do them because I’m always more excited about something else.
Entrepreneurs' Organization
AUGUST 22, 2016
By Caryn Kopp. Why waste the rest of August cleaning your office? Make the most of your summer by seizing new business opportunities while your competition plays miniature golf! Most business owners and salespeople assume making prospect calls in August is pointless because decision makers are on vacation; however, most aren’t gone for all four weeks.
Unvalidated Learnings
AUGUST 9, 2016
8 Tips To Onboard New Users And Keep Old Users Engaged Following a friend’s recommendation, I attended my first Toastmasters event last week. Having no idea what to expect, I left amazed by how well thought out and choreographed the event was. Here are 8 tips I took away from it on how to run effective meetups, onboard new users and keep old users engaged.
Speaker: Wayne Spivak - President and Chief Financial Officer of SBA * Consulting LTD, Industry Writer, and Public Speaker
The old adages that "cash is king" and "you can’t spend profits" still hold true today. But however well-known these sayings might be, it requires a change in mindset to properly implement a cash flow management system that predicts your business's runaway as accurately as possible. Key to this new mindset is understanding the difference between the Statement of Cash Flows, a historical look at the source and uses of cash, and the Cash Flow Statement, which uses transaction history and forward-l
Tomasz Tunguz
AUGUST 23, 2016
Success has 1000 fathers and failure is an orphan. I heard this aphorism in my first year as a venture capitalist having forgotten it. There’s a lot of wisdom to it and I think it’s most applicable when interviewing. I remind myself of the same each time I speak with a candidate for a role. When I see a sterling resume, I know that I am susceptible to confirmation bias.
Berkonomics
AUGUST 4, 2016
It’s a term rooted in ancient philosophy. Robert Greenleaf may have been the first to resurrect the concept in his book published in 1970. Not quite as bold as inverting the management triangle, the concept of servant leadership requires that a business manager focus upon his or her people’s highest priority needs first. The question begged by the headline above is whether this form of leadership is perceived as soft, indecisive, and inappropriate for the fast–moving world of today’s business.
This is going to be BIG.
AUGUST 18, 2016
Campaigns, conventional or not, are highly motivated and energetic storytelling machines. They come up with a narrative, figure out who they want to get it in front of, and work like all hell every single minute to get it out there. That's the kind of pace a startup needs to be on--except that most startups treat their PR as if all you need to do is to launch your message at a debate and cross your fingers after that.
Both Sides of the Table
AUGUST 14, 2016
I love reading non-fiction as a way to challenge myself to understand topics that stretch my understanding of the world around me. I love history and biographies and even novels that are “faction.” This Summer I read “The Third Chimpanze” by Jared Diamond and since he’s my favorite history writer I of course loved it. If you haven’t read Diamond, though, I’d recommend starting with “Guns, Germs & Steel” & then “Collapse” but all three are worth reading.
Speaker: P. Andrew Sjogren, Sr. Product Marketing Manager at Very Good Security, Matt Doka, Co-Founder and CTO of Fivestars, and Steve Andrews, President & CEO of the Western Bankers Association
PCI compliance can feel challenging and sometimes the result feels like you are optimizing more for security and compliance than you are for business outcomes. The key is to take the right strategy to PCI compliance that gets you both. In this webinar, we have a great set of panelists who will take you through how Zero Data strategies can be used as part of a well-rounded compliance and security approach, and get you to market much sooner by also allowing for payment optimization.
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