No one’s going to tell you when your startup has reached product-market fit — there are no flashing lights, no siren, no balloons falling from the ceiling. “Especially for first-time founders, assessing product-market fit at a stage where it’s mostly anticipation can be as much art as science,” writes News Editor Darrell Etherington, who interviewed […]
‘Fantasy startup investing’ NFT platform Visionrare shuts down paid marketplace after a day in open beta
Just over 24 hours into its open beta, Visionrare, which launched an NFT marketplace for “fantasy startup investing,” is temporarily shutting down and refunding users who purchased shares, saying it will relaunch soon as a free-to-play game. The platform allowed users to bid on auctions of fake NFT shares of real startups, building up a […]
Finding product-market fit, from the earliest stages through growth
Three VCs shared their perspectives on what makes for good product-market fit, how to spot it and how to use it to your best advantage for both your business’ growth and for raising capital.
Why and when startups should look to diverse sources of capital
Venture capital is a popular source of capital for early-stage startups, but it’s not the only one. Debt is an increasingly popular alternative, as is non-dilutive, revenue-based financing.
Reid Hoffman on the evolution of ‘blitzscaling’ amid the pandemic
“Blitzscaling itself isn’t the goal,” said Hoffman. “Blitzscaling is being inefficient; it’s spending capital inefficiently and hiring inefficiently; it’s being uncertain about your business model; and those are not good things.”
What you should know about working with corporate venture investment committees
Brian Walsh demystifies the role of the corporate venture capital investment committee and shines a light on how entrepreneurs can navigate some of the hidden pitfalls.
3 questions startups must answer before taking on their largest competitors
Successful startups will inevitably draw the attention of incumbents. They will fight you, but if you are positioned well for the challenge there has never been a better time to prevail.
EquityBee snaps up $55M for a marketplace that connects employees with capital to help them exercise their stock options
Stock options can hold a lot of potential reward for employees when their company is doing well, but not every person will have the funds to fully exercise — that is, buy up — the options they have available to them. Enter EquityBee, a marketplace for employees to connect with capital from a network of […]
Which form of venture debt should your startup go for?
Given the surplus of liquidity, entrepreneurs have access to more funding options than ever. Venture banks, venture debt funds and venture capitalists are jockeying to prove their money is greener.
Bootstrapping in 2021 goes a long way
The well-worn riff that it’s easier than ever to start a company today could be wed to the concept that it’s perhaps cheaper, too. That should bode well for bootstrapping.