Founders’ guides to equity, valuations, and company growth.
Did you know that there are about 75,600 tech startups in the US as of 2024? In comparison, by the end of 2023, there were only 3,417 venture capital firms. A limited pool of VCs is tasked with evaluating and shortlisting startups for investment. Because of all this competition, securing funding from VCs is extremely …
Founded in 1977 by Chuck Newhall, Frank A. Bonsal, and Richard Kramlich, New Enterprise Associates (NEA) is a stage-agnostic venture capital firm that primarily invests in startups from the sectors of life sciences, digital health, enterprise tech, consumer, and fintech. The firm believes in taking an active role in supporting its portfolio companies. Its support …
We feature a young, prominent entrepreneur and product leader in this edition of the founder spotlight: Rhim Shah, the Co-Founder and CEO of Arva AI, an AI-enabled business verification platform designed for banks and fintech. Arva AI is pioneering AI-driven solutions for compliance workflows, particularly in Know Your Business (KYB) processes. The platform automates business …
Picture this: It’s 2025, and the pace of change in the business world is not just fast, it’s a whirlwind. Markets are shifting, customer expectations are evolving at breakneck speed, and competition is fiercer than ever. For founders, the challenge isn’t just about keeping up; it’s about staying ahead. Here’s some good news. Growth is …
In 1976, Apple started as a partnership between Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. To attract investors and scale its operations, the budding tech company soon became a corporation, a pivotal move that set the stage for its rise to become one of the largest companies in the world. Today, many small businesses find …
Welcome to another edition of the founder spotlight interview with Nicolò Mazzocchi, the CEO and Co-founder of Skillvue, an innovative AI-based skills analysis platform based in Milan that utilizes AI for skills assessment. Together with Simone Patera, Nicolò founded Skillvue in 2021. The demand for AI-related skills is surging, with a reported 866% year-on-year increase …
As a founder, you must be extremely wary of inaccurate valuations since they can deter investors, set unrealistic growth expectations, and lead to suboptimal decisions in key areas such as mergers and acquisitions (M&As). A great example of this would be Yahoo! passing on Microsoft’s $44.6 billion acquisition offer and then, in 2016, having to …
In one of McKinsey’s Global Survey, they found that less than 1/3rd of companies that underwent corporate restructuring could sustainably improve their performance. However, when companies implemented comprehensive actions in goal-setting, design, and implementation, the success rate shot up to as high as 78%. Once again, we are reminded that the devil resides in the …
In this Founder spotlight edition, we introduce Nasha Fitter, Co-Founder and CEO of FOXG1 Research Foundation and the Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer at Citizen Health. Nasha Fitter is deeply passionate about supporting children and families affected by FOXG1 syndrome. Nasha’s commitment to this cause is not just professional but deeply personal, driving her to …
Presently, it is common practice for companies, especially startups, to issue equity compensation to attract and retain employees. However, equity compensation comes in various shapes and sizes, primarily, it comes in the form of RSUs, NSOs, and ISOs. Each of these types of equity compensation attracts a unique tax treatment and offers benefits suited to …
Ever since Bitcoin was launched in 2009, every few months, we have seen headlines describing its unbelievable price rise. In the last five years, Bitcoin’s price has risen by over 1,200%! In comparison, 2024 has been a tame year for the cryptocurrency with its price rising by a little over 110%. Nevertheless, this has not …
In this edition of Founder Spotlight, we’re featuring Mathieu Nohet, the Founder and CEO of baCta, a Paris-based startup focused on producing biosynthetic, carbon-negative natural rubber using engineered microorganisms. The company has developed a unique manufacturing process that could reduce carbon emissions by up to 151%. Under Mathieu’s leadership, baCta has significantly progressed in developing …
According to the Hurun Global Unicorn Index, 128 unicorn valuations dropped in 2023. Of these 128 unicorn companies, 42 lost their unicorn status. Half of the companies that lost their unicorn status were American. This trend has sparked fears of the overvaluation of unicorn companies, especially in the USA. Many investors are now questioning the …
Assigning a valuation to early-stage startups is particularly difficult because there is little to no financial history and their products are not market-tested. Instead, these valuations are based on the early-stage startup’s potential, which can be highly speculative. As a result, they may have higher valuation multiples than better-established companies or even other startups for …
In this edition of Founder Spotlight, we’re featuring Varun Sud, the Founder and CEO of Juleo, a dating app launched in 2023 to revolutionize the online matchmaking landscape. In August 2024, Juleo raised $2.5 million in angel funding from over 180 investors. Juleo distinguishes itself by moving away from the prevalent “swipe culture” associated with …
The root cause of the failure of 65% of start-ups is due to founder conflicts. Issues like executive misconduct, conflicts of interest, and mismanagement of resources are often the roots of shareholder disputes. A common flashpoint within these disputes is a financial reporting dispute, where disagreements arise over the accuracy, transparency, or interpretation of a company’s …
Venture capitalists serve as a cornerstone of the startup ecosystem, offering not only critical funding but also invaluable guidance and mentorship to innovative and transformative startups as they scale their operations. Hence, it is an encouraging sign to see a spike in venture capital funding. In 2024, US startups raised $209 billion from venture capitalists, …
In this edition of the founder spotlight series, we have a prominent figure in sustainable transportation: Michael Fernandez-Ferri – Co-Founder and Managing Director of VELA, a pioneering French company focused on 100% wind-powered maritime transport. Through VELA, Fernandez-Ferri envisions a future where shipping is faster, more cost-effective, and fundamentally aligned with ecological sustainability, thereby addressing …
As we roll into 2025, we hope one of your New Year resolutions is to avoid the late filing of tax returns. If so, you are right on track to avoid late filing penalties which can be as high as 25% of your unpaid taxes. You must note that the US tax season will begin …
Given that some of the most highly valued companies in the US are software companies, this sector is bound to attract investors and breed innovation. Accurate software company valuation has thus become a critical skill for investors, analysts, and business leaders. So, let us help you build an understanding of exactly how software companies are …
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