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☆ 4 ways equity management can help build a foundation for growth
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Sponsor Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

To drive a culture of ownership, companies must build an effective strategy around equity management. Optimize capitalization table managementOne of the core elements of an effective equity management strategy is a transparent and defensible capitalization table. And with a partner to help design or evolve your equity plan management strategy, your organization will be well-prepared for its next stage of growth. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC ("Morgan Stanley") and its Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide any tax/legal advice. Morgan Stanley at Work services are provided by Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, member SIPC, and its affiliates, all wholly owned subsidiaries of Morgan Stanley.

Persons: Teri McFadden, you've, Morgan Stanley, Mike Jung, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, SIPC Organizations: Norwest Venture Partners, Circle, Insider Studios, Financial Advisors, Wealth Advisors

☆ Fijoya is bringing AI to employer-sponsored healthcare benefits. Here's the pitch deck it used to raise $8.3 million.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Digital health benefits startup Fijoya just came out of stealth and announced an $8.3 million seed round from Team8, the Israeli venture group that creates startups and invests in existing ones across the cyber, data infrastructure, fintech, digital health, and AI industries. As Americans are spending more than ever on healthcare, Fijoya is one of many healthtech startups cropping up to tackle the financial aspects of healthcare. Now, out of stealth, Fijoya is focusing on giving employees an easier way to choose healthcare benefits that best suit their lifestyles. "This end-to-end approach signifies our commitment to simplify health benefits by offering a wide range of options with a seamless discovery, selection, and payment process.'" Check out the 15-slide pitch deck Fijoya used to raise its seed funding round.

Persons: Team8, Baruch Levy, Levy Organizations: Business, Health, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Norwest Venture Partners Locations: Team8, Israel

☆ Meet the founder of the Failure Museum, an exclusive collection of swag from companies that went bust
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Norwest partner Sean Jacobsohn started collecting objects from failed businesses a year ago. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . To make it into the museum, the failure has to be a physical item — no NFTs allowed, Jacobsohn said. Some even offer to donate failed business swag as a way of getting in his rolodex. He's currently scheduled to lead a guest lecture on the subject for the class "Avoiding Startup Failure,' he mentioned.

Persons: Sean Jacobsohn, he's, it's, —, Jordan Poole, Jacobsohn, Sean Jacobsohn's, freebie, Jacobsohn's, Mattel, Allan, Ken's, Michael Cera's, Harley Davidson's, Elizabeth Holmes, He's, you've Organizations: Service, Bay Area, Norwest Venture Partners, Golden State Warriors, Business, Mattel, eBay, mater, Harvard Business School Locations: Bay, cologne

☆ [WATCH NOW] Create a culture of ownership to drive business growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Morgan Stanley At Work | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Comprehensive equity strategies are an effective way to create a culture of ownership. Prioritizing a transparent and open dialogue can facilitate a culture of ownership and community where employees understand the value they bring to the company and their role in business success. Not only does this lead to more satisfied employees, but it also helps drive sustainable business growth. Among them: Incorporating equity compensation into a broader compensation strategy that aligns with your company's values and culture. In the US, for example, workplace financial benefits like equity compensation are often considered individual benefits for the employee.

Persons: Teri McFadden, Morgan Stanley, Rodney Bolden, Shawn Murphy, Murphy, Laura St, Charles, —, isn't, McFadden, there's Organizations: Norwest Venture Partners, Work, of Law, Economics, Insider Studios Locations: St

☆ McLaren Applied's Lavoie buys bankrupt Dutch e-bike maker VanMoof
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Nick Carey Tosterling | Nick Carey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The logo of e-bike maker VanMoof is seen on a bicycle in Amsterdam, Netherlands August 17, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON/AMSTERDAM, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Lavoie, the electric scooter unit of Formula One engineering and technology firm McLaren Applied, said on Thursday it has agreed to buy bankrupt premium Dutch e-bike maker VanMoof and will invest to stabilize and expand its business. Fry said McLaren Applied - bought from McLaren Group by private equity firm Greybull Capital in 2021 - would retain VanMoof's departmental managers and would "engage and retain or rehire some of the great people" the Dutch e-bike maker employed. VanMoof had also struggled with quality problems, which McLaren Applied's Fry said had hurt sales. McLaren Applied recently launched the premium Lavoie e-scooter brand.

Persons: de Wouw, Lavoie, Nick Fry, Fry, Jan Padberg, Robin de Wit, McLaren, VanMoof, McLaren Applied's Fry, Nick Carey, David Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Formula, McLaren, Reuters, VanMoof, McLaren Group, Capital, Norwest Venture Partners, Nasdaq, Thomson Locations: Amsterdam, Netherlands, AMSTERDAM, Silicon

☆ McLaren Applied's Lavoie in talks to buy Dutch e-bike maker VanMoof - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Nick Carey Tosterling | Nick Carey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Lavoie, the electric scooter unit of Formula One engineering and technology firm McLaren Applied, is in advanced talks to buy bankrupt Dutch e-bike maker VanMoof, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. The source said talks are at "quite an advanced stage" and would involve Lavoie taking over "as much as possible" of VanMoof's operations. The company had raised more than $180 million from investors including private equity firm Hillhouse, Silicon Valley venture capital fund Norwest Venture Partners and venture firm Felix Capital. According to another source familiar with the matter, McLaren Applied is one of two suitors remaining for VanMoof. Bought from McLaren by private equity firm Greybull Capital in 2021, McLaren Applied recently launched the premium Lavoie e-scooter brand.

Persons: de Wouw, Lavoie, VanMoof, Felix Capital, Jan Padberg, Nick Carey, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Formula, McLaren, Reuters, Norwest Venture Partners, Nasdaq, Capital, Thomson Locations: Amsterdam, Netherlands, Silicon Valley

☆ Norwest Venture Partners just hired ex-Salesforce sales guru David Rudnitsky. Here's why VC firms are now expanding their platform teams.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Norwest has hired ex-Salesforce sales guru David Rudnitsky to be its third operating executive. The hire is part of the firm's recent expansion of its portfolio services team for its founders. Here's why more VC firms may be doubling down on these roles during the market downturn. "We try to be an invited guest in the companies," he said of his work with his first four Norwest portfolio companies. For Norwest, its portfolio services team was launched 13 years ago by partner Katie Belding, who has been at the firm for over two decades.

Persons: Norwest, David Rudnitsky, Rudnitsky, he's, Marc Benioff, I've, It's, Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins, Katie Belding, Belding, Lisa Ames, Renée Cohen Organizations: Norwest Venture Partners, Oracle, Netscape, Salesforce

☆ 44 of the most promising generative-artificial-intelligence startups of 2023, according to investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

We asked investors to name the most promising generative-AI startups of 2023. VCs were asked to name startups in their portfolios and ones with which they had no financial ties. This past year has seen doom and gloom for most of the tech world, but a small, rapidly growing group of startups have seen a renaissance. In the model layer, third-party and open-source providers like OpenAI and Stability AI train AI models that startups can build upon. Insider asked 22 top artificial-intelligence and machine-learning investors to nominate the early-stage generative-AI startups within this ecosystem they believe show the most promise.

☆ 44 of the most promising generative-artificial-intelligence startups of 2023, according to VCs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

☆ Microsoft's $13 billion bet on OpenAI carries huge potential along with plenty of uncertainty
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Microsoft's cumulative investment in OpenAI has reportedly swelled to $13 billion and the startup's valuation has hit roughly $29 billion. What does that mean for Microsoft's investment and broader arrangement? The structure changed in 2019, when two top executives published a blog post announcing the formation of a "capped-profit" entity called OpenAI LP. Microsoft has an exclusive license on GPT-4 and all other OpenAI models, the OpenAI spokesperson said. When considering potential exits for OpenAI, Microsoft — which does not hold an OpenAI board seat — would be the natural acquirer given its close entanglement.

☆ A housing downturn is causing a reckoning in the once-hot cluster of proptech startups that let homebuyers pay all cash and win bidding wars
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

In that market, all-cash offers were king to sellers because they ensured quicker, stress-free closings. According to Redfin, all-cash offers quadrupled the chances that a homebuyer would win a bidding war. Ribbon has since paused its all-cash offering, but some of the other firms that Insider featured last year are still making all-cash offers. FlyhomesFlyhomes is a real-estate brokerage that featured all-cash-offer services for years and distinguished itself in December 2021 with a free all-cash-offer product. "The value to the buyer is different than in a seller's market," Garg said in the email.

☆ In the midst of the AI boom, investors are doubling down on diligence. Here are the five questions VCs are asking every generative AI startup during pitches.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Buzzy generative AI startups have so far avoided the troubles plaguing the rest of the tech world. Here are the five diligence questions investors are asking generative AI startups, according to VCs. But for generative AI startups, 2023 has been much of the same — and that hasn't been a bad thing. Insider spoke with eight of these VCs about the top five questions they're asking generative AI startups during diligence processes. One hallmark of generative AI startups are their eye-staggering round sizes.

☆ Twilio announced top executive departures at an all-hands meeting to discuss recent layoffs. Leaked messages show employees felt blindsided and let down: 'Trust is nonexistent at this point.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The company addressed the plans, and announced executive departures, during an all-hands meeting. Eyal Manor — the chief product officer to whom the company just agreed to give a $2.5 million cash bonus — is leaving the company, Twilio leaders announced in the all-hands. Lybra Clemons — the company's first chief diversity, inclusion, and belonging officer, hired in 2020 — is also leaving, Twilio announced during the all-hands. The plan to cut 17% of workers follows another significant Twilio layoff in September when the company cut 11% of workers. In September, Twilio announced layoffs of 11% of its workforce.

☆ Velocity Global, an HR startup backed by US billionaire Todd Boehly's investment fund, lays off 10% of its workforce
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

HR and remote work startup Velocity Global has laid off 10% of its workforce, Insider understands. The Denver-based company counts US billionaire Todd Boehly's Eldridge among its biggest backers. Velocity Global, an HR platform backed by US billionaire Todd Boehly's investment fund, has laid off over a tenth of its workforce. The cuts at Velocity come as part of a wave of wider layoffs in the tech sector and a cooling off in the HR and remote work sector. HR companies enjoyed a pandemic boom through 2020 and 2021 as firms began experimenting with hybrid work, requiring new processes and platforms.

Parafin, launched in 2020, works with so-called platform partners, or companies that other small businesses sell their products through. All the cofounders knew was that they wanted to build technology that would help small businesses. And they may not get their first contract payment from the government for as long as 120 days," Reed, the startup's CEO, told Insider. Helping small businesses manage their taxesComplYant's founder Shiloh Jackson wants to help people be present in their bookkeeping. HoneyBookWhile countless small businesses have been harmed by the pandemic, self-employment and entrepreneurship have found ways to blossom as Americans started new ventures.

☆ Dremio: 2022 Top Startups for the Enterprise
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Dremio is an open lakehouse platform aiming to reinvent SQL — a core language used to manage data — and simplify data structure. Founded in 2015 in Santa Clara, California, the company allows data teams to save time pulling insights and makes data engineering easier. With Dremio, users have the ability to access analytics and business intelligence on their data lakehouse with the same functionality as data warehouses. The company announced that it closed a $160 million Series E funding round in January 2022, which doubled its valuation to $2 billion. Insight Partners, Norwest Venture Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint, Cisco and Sapphire Ventures are among Dremio investors.

☆ Fidelity, HDFC Mutual eye India's Five Star IPO at lower valuation - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( M. Sriram | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The shadow lender's last funding round in December 2021 was closed at a valuation of 220 billion Indian rupees, roughly $3 billion at the time. Fidelity and India's HDFC Mutual Fund, among others, are in in talks with Five Star to invest in the so-called anchor book of the IPO but at a company valuation of 160 billion rupees, due to weak market sentiment, the sources said. Five Star is planning to list in the last week of October, which coincides with Diwali, a popular Indian festival. Two sources, however, said that the company was closely tracking the ongoing stock market weakness in India before finalising a date. For the fiscal to March 2022, Five Star recorded a net profit of 4.5 billion Indian rupees ($55.14 million) on a total income of 12.5 billion Indian rupees ($152.74 million), growing about 20% year-on-year, according to its annual report.

Insider asked top VCs what cybersecurity startups excited them the most this year. In turn, venture-capital firms are pouring billions of dollars into cybersecurity startups to help keep businesses secure. Additionally, VCs told Insider that cybersecurity isn't an area where companies are likely to cut spending in a downturn. Insider asked several VCs to pick the most promising cybersecurity startups both in and out of their portfolios. Here are the cybersecurity startups investors say are worth betting on, from least to most capital raised:

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