Uniting VC and corporate expertise can help startups solve ‘hard tech’ problems

Chris Kim and Nate Williams formed Union Labs with the conviction that investors and companies aren’t collaborating closely enough to ensure the success of the startups they back.

Kim is the former co-founder and chief technology officer at the automatic lock company August. He first met Williams when the company was attempting to create a consortium of stakeholders for the Internet of Things market. READ MORE

Why Enterprise Tech Is Dominating Venture Capital

As the technological world rapidly evolves, venture capital always strives to follow closely behind. With a seemingly daily influx of innovations coming to market, there’s certainly no shortage of trends to chase for investors looking for the next hot growth opportunity. Our constant challenge is to look past mere flashes-in-the-pan, identifying long-term secular trends that are here to stay. READ MORE

3 cliché pieces of startup advice I never want to hear again

There’s certainly no shortage of advice on how to build and grow a startup. From keeping an insanely packed, no-sleep schedule like Jack Dorsey’s to putting your entire social life on hold, it seems that there’s “wisdom” around every corner.

But I’ve learned through my own experience that, despite the volume of advice out there, much of it isn’t all that useful in most cases. No single nugget of insight will make or break your business. Instead, the secret to success is learning how to follow your gut about what feels right for you, your customers, and your team. READ MORE

How Venture Capital Firms are Closing in on Industry Niches

What comes to mind when most people think of Venture Capital (VC) firms? A lot of the time, it is the institutional approval and support that a company receives when it wants to expand to the next level. When it is announced that a company has received VC support and funding, it is indicative that they have achieved a certain level of success and are on their way to becoming the next big company in their field.  READ MORE

COVID Not Slowing VC Investment

The COVID-19 pandemic has battered industries around the world, but one sector's prospects aren’t so bleak: venture capital.

Startup backers—and private-equity managers in general—say that half of their portfolio companies haven’t been harmed by the coronavirus that stalled the economy in March, according to two new surveys by Paul A. Gompers, the Eugene Holman Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. Only about 10 percent of companies in this often unpredictable industry have been severely affected. READ MORE

How VCs can avoid another bloodbath as the clean-tech boom 2.0 begins

Last decade’s clean-tech gold rush ended in disaster, wiping out billions in investments and scaring venture capitalists away for years.

But a new investment boom is building again, this time around a broader set of climate-related technologies. Funding has soared more than 3,750% since 2013, according to a PwC report this fall, as numerous climate-focused venture firms emerge and established players return to the field (including some that got scorched the last time). Investments are poised to rise further as market, policy, and technological forces align to make venture capitalists and entrepreneurs more confident. READ MORE

The long-term impacts COVID-19 will have on startups seeking capital

The world of venture capital has certainly not been immune to the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But despite the scale and breadth of the disruption, many startups and fledgling companies have discovered new and inventive ways to adapt. Indeed, many have found themselves having to pivot their offering, or shifting their business strategy to ensure that they still secure capital to fund their projects. READ MORE

COVID pandemic brings focus back on climate change start-ups for venture capital firms

Even as the world hopefully looks at a Covid vaccine, the pandemic seems to have brought the focus back on investing in climate change startups, a PwC report said. Many venture capital firms could now be scouting to invest in startups that are focusing on providing solutions around environment and climate change. Industry trackers say that this also comes at a time when several surveys have found that the younger generation is increasingly getting conscious around climate change. READ MORE

Goldman Sachs using drones to close M&A deals during pandemic

Goldman Sachs is using drone technology to conduct virtual tours of companies and close merger and acquisition deals during the coronavirus pandemic.

“We have been selling asset-based businesses all over the world using drones for site visits and fly-overs,” Stephan Feldgoise told CNBC in an interview. ``It gives buyers the confidence they need because when you are buying a business, you want to see, touch and feel what you are buying. ” READ MORE

Inside the spectacular startup failure of Oomba

When her new boss started hitting on her, Ronnie* wondered if she might be able to take advantage of the situation. She was 23, and by now she’d figured out that when she raised the pitch of her voice and dressed like an anime fantasy girl, switching her hair from purple to green to pink every few weeks, it drove certain guys wild. Guys like the CEO of this startup, a serial entrepreneur named Michael Williams. She examined him from her desk: he was 49 and seemed rich but painfully nerdy and obsessed with Magic: The Gathering. Maybe if she acted all bubbly and let him stare, she could get a raise or a promotion. His crush was her opportunity. READ MORE