June, 2025

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From AI-friendly to AI-first: How Zapier is transforming hiring and onboarding

The Zapier Blog

At Zapier, we believe the future of work is AI-powered—and that future is already here. Recently, we shared our AI adoption playbook , which showed that 89% of the Zapier team is already using AI in their daily work. But to make AI transformation truly sustainable, we have to start at the beginning: how we hire and onboard people into Zapier to build this future with us.

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Sustainable Industrial Laundry Using Ultrasonic Waves: A Journey of Customer Discovery

Venture Well

Ultropia, an E-Team Program and Aspire Climatetech alumnus, is working to revolutionize the laundry space, with ultrasonic technology that works faster and uses less water and energy. The post Sustainable Industrial Laundry Using Ultrasonic Waves: A Journey of Customer Discovery appeared first on VentureWell.

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David Secures $75 Million Series A to Redefine Functional Nutrition with High-Protein, Zero-Sugar Products

American Entrepreneurship

The company’s rapid scale to over 3,000 retail locations in just one year places it on the path to become the platform of choice for science-backed nutrition. David, the rapidly growing health and nutrition startup, raised $75 million in Series A funding, led by Greenoaks with participation from Valor Equity Partners. The round follows David’s meteoric rise since its launch in late 2024 and positions the brand for continued growth as a leader in the functional food category.

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20 Years As a CEO: What I Wish I Knew Then

StartupNation

Leaning back in my chair and pensively staring into the digital whiteness of the Google Doc (about to type this article), I’m thinking how many times I actually pronounced (in my head or out loud), “ If only someone had told me this before ,” as a founding CEO. The answer “countless” would be a sheer exaggeration, yet there was quite a number. Two decades ago, when my friend and I struggled to acquire a ticket to the Dave Matthews Band concert, the idea smacked me in the brain.

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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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Why We’re Doubling Down on Pathos — and the Practical Application of AI in Healthcare

Revolution

Why We’re Doubling Down on Pathos — and the Practical Application of AI in Healthcare Revolution Growth Founding Partner Ted Leonsis shares why we were excited to participate in the company’s latest funding. Great companies often spring from a simple question: “ How do we make something fundamental work better for the people who need it most?” For Pathos , that “something” is healthcare, and more specifically, drug development — a process that, on average, takes a decade-plus, costs billions, an

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AI metrics: 6 ways to measure AI performance

The Zapier Blog

I'll admit: When I first started using AI at work, I was just going through the motions. Sure, ChatGPT could punch up my writing and make me sound wittier than I truly am, but what was that doing for me, really? Then my editor said something that flipped my approach to using AI: "The goal isn't to just use AI—it's to use AI to speed things up or make things better." So I put it to the test.

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Puawai

NZ Entrepreneur

In Founder Focus we introduce entrepreneurs and change-makers working on innovative startups, social enterprises and SME’s around Aotearoa New Zealand. At a glance Founder/s: Kate Forward & Stephen Ponsford Business: puawai Founded: 2024 HQ: wellington Can you tell us a bit about your business? Puāwai helps users ideate, execute, and scale their business in one smart, connected workspace.

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Taste Tomorrow Ventures’ New $30M Fund Makes First Investment in Just Ice Tea

American Entrepreneurship

The venture firms newly launched Fund will fuel food, beverage, and snack innovation. Taste Tomorrow Ventures (TTV), a new early-stage venture capital firm dedicated to investing in the next generation of consumer food, beverage, and snack brands, announced the closing of its $30 million TTV Fund I. Backed by prominent strategic investors including Ball Corporation and Advantage Solutions, the fund marks a significant step forward in shaping the future of healthy, innovative consumer packaged go

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15 Innovative Pitch Deck Designs That Drove Investor Engagement

StartupNation

Discover the secrets to transforming pitch decks into compelling investor magnets, courtesy of seasoned industry professionals. This article breaks down the essentials of innovative design techniques that have a proven track record for engaging investors. Learn from the best as expert insights illuminate the path to creating presentations that resonate and drive engagement.

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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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Bootstrapped CPC rule of thumb: ARPU/25

A Smart Bear: Longform

A Smart Bear » Bootstrapped CPC rule of thumb: ARPU/25 All Articles Topics Author Moon Sun All Articles Topics Author Subscribe By Jason Cohen on April 29, 2013 Reading time: 7 min Simple eReader (Kindle) Rich eReader (Apple) Printable PDF Bootstrapped CPC rule of thumb: ARPU/25 by Jason Cohen on April 29, 2013 source In the first year of business, you have no data for decision-making.

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Empowering Nonprofits with AI: Ron Rivers on Innovation and Impact

Jason Malki

Ron Rivers I had the pleasure of interviewing Ron Rivers. Ron is a co-founding member of Nonprofit Navigator , an experienced nonprofit Executive Director, former web2 entrepreneur with a successful exit, and best-selling author exploring the intersection of spiritual renaissance and systemic reformation. As a frequent speaker at industry conferences, Ron currently champions the equitable use of artificial intelligence for impactful socialchange.

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A guide to email marketing automation: best practices and automated workflows

The Zapier Blog

Let's say you buy your dog's favorite treats online. As soon as you hit that purchase button, you'll receive an email confirmation. Probably a shipping update, too. And a delivery success message once those goodies have arrived. That's email automation at its finest. But then let's say you receive a welcome email which offers you tips and resources on pet care.

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CRM setup for success – Part 2

NZ Entrepreneur

Part two of this series explores seven ways to improve CRM adoption and deliver maximum value. You’ve got a new CRM to support sales success. Why won’t your team use it? Part one of this series dealt with the practical steps to set up your CRM (customer relationship management system) for success. In Part two, the focus is bringing your whole sales team on the journey to deliver the full return on investment from your CRM implementation.

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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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Resilience in Entrepreneurship is the X Factor for Success

American Entrepreneurship

Successful entrepreneurs have a mindset that enables them to move past failure. Hear from those who have overcome common challenges, how they have persevered to build their startups and how you can build an entrepreneurship mindset of resilience. Why Resilience and Perseverance Are the Cornerstones of Startup Success Successful entrepreneurs overcome failure because they have developed entrepreneurial resilience—the mental toughness to weather uncertainty, recover from setbacks, and are able to

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Why the World Needs Peter Drucker Now More Than Ever

StartupNation

A few years ago, I stumbled upon the work of Peter Drucker, and it changed the way I thought about business. As a publicist and brand strategist, I had always viewed management through a lens of campaigns, messaging and market strategies. But Drucker’s teachings weren’t just about business; they were about people, purpose, and humanity. What I didn’t realize at the time was how transformative his ideas would be, not just for large corporations, but for entrepreneurs, sole proprietors, and family

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Buying a business is easier than starting one from scratch. Here is why

Founder Bounty

Having been in Techstars (top tier VC) , exited a SAAS i have a little bit of experince in building a business. Starting a business is extremely difficult and so there are plenty of reasons to think why buying one off the shelf may in fact be easier than starting one yourself. The business has not only been validated (which means you dont have to spend 1 year of your life trying to make it work and investing your own energy in it) but it will save you tons of time and emotional distress.

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Creative Entrepreneur Trinette Faint Brings [Real] Social Back

Jason Malki

Trinette Faint (Photo by Coco Jourdana ) I had the pleasure of interviewing Trinette Faint, a creative entrepreneur, screenwriter, novelist, and actress. She’s the founder of Chez Faint , a curated networking and retreat company that hosts transformative gatherings, of Faint Services Group , a creative consultancy, and of Floor 51 Productions , an entertainment production company.

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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 to use Gmail with a custom domain

The Zapier Blog

You run a business. And while you might feel very attached to the email account you opened when you were a pre-teen— dragonmaster93[at]gmail.com does have a nice ring to it—it's time to swap that out for one that ends with your business domain name. But here's the thing: most custom domain hosting platforms have outdated email interfaces and features.

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Patterns Across 5 Years of YC Investing

Tomasz Tunguz

Where venture capital flows, innovation follows. And for more than a decade, few faucets have been watched more closely than Y Combinator. An analysis of their investment patterns since 2020 doesn’t just reveal the accelerator’s strategy—it provides a map to the entire startup ecosystem’s next chapter. With Demo Day approaching this week & inspired by Jamesin Seidel’s YC Series A analysis , I wondered how YC investment patterns have changed since 2020.

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Seven Stars Launches $40M Fund Backing Founders Shaping the Future of AI Applications

American Entrepreneurship

The newly launched fund will focus on pre-seed and seed stage startups developing AI applications. In a major boost for the artificial intelligence startup ecosystem, Seven Stars, a new venture capital firm founded by former SV Angel Partner Steven Lee, has officially launched its $40 million inaugural fund to support early-stage AI startups. The fund, which was oversubscribed in just five weeks, will focus on pre-seed and seed-stage investments in AI application companies across both the consum

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How to Diversify Revenue Streams for Your Business

StartupNation

Do you want to learn how to diversify your revenue streams so you can take your business to the next level? If so, you’ve made it to the right place! When you consider the ups and downs of the global economy, it’s clear that finding new ways to improve profits is more important than ever before. It’s also one of the best ways to improve long-term stability and growth.

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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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5 Good Reasons Why People Buy a Business

Red Rocket

Many entrepreneurs go down the path of buying a business to help jump-start their business-building efforts. But oftentimes, they don't give enough thought to "why" they are buying the business, and the long-term goals they are hoping to accomplish from this investment. Unless they are 100% clear on the "end game", they could get themselves into a situation that is not what they intended, and it could be too late to fix it once they close on the purchase.

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Rebuilding American Tennis: How Yann Auzoux is Cultivating the Next U14 Superstar

Jason Malki

Yann Auzoux I had the pleasure of interviewing Yann Auzoux , a former Davis Cup player, top 100 ATP-tour match winner, elite tennis coach, and the founder of Tennis Central Corporation. With a passion for redefining how tennis is taught, Yann has spent his career transforming the lives of young players through high-performance training, character development, and global exposure.

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The 8 best vibe coding tools in 2025

The Zapier Blog

Decades ago, building the Facebooks and Twitters was reserved for a small elite. Those who speak in functions, methods, who know what lint and boilerplate are. People into obscure memes, who love to watch sorting algorithms compete against each other on TikTok. No-code was the first opening of that group to mere mortals like us. But now the gate is wide open: vibe coding tools, as coined by Andrej Karpathy , are here to make you forget the code even exists.

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What could Siri do for you--if Apple ever got it right?

This is going to be BIG.

Meet me where I am--that's the whitespace that Apple can fill up with a genuine personal assistant. I thought about that as I thought about where my weekly nextNYC newsletter fits into everyone's content consumption stack and even my own--and whether AI will mark the end of human driven curation. Do NYC founders really need me in between you and the event calendar?

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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.