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☆ Influencer app Node's $13 million sale shows how central tech and AI have become to talent management
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewThe talent-management agency Dulcedo Group acquired the influencer-marketing app Node in a July deal that valued the company at around $13 million, Node's cofounders told Business Insider. The deal shows how important tech products, including artificial-intelligence tools, have become in the talent and marketing industries. Founded in 2008 as an agency for more traditional media talent, Montreal-based Dulcedo Group has recently been on a buying spree, announcing in November it acquired creator talent agency Influence+All and PR firm Sundae Creative. Related storiesThe cofounders ultimately connected with Dulcedo Group, which put in an offer to acquire Node. Dulcedo Group was drawn to the company's technological expertise and roster of micro influencers, Faraji told BI.

Persons: —, Node's cofounders, Cofounders Armin Faraji, Mackenzie Dérival, Faraji, Stagwell, Dérival, they're, It's Organizations: Service, Dulcedo Group, Business, Publicis, Stagwell, Sundae Locations: Montreal, Dulcedo

☆ Tech founders are shunning IPOs after extended market lull, survey finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Katie Bartlett | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Silicon Valley is known for producing tech businesses that start in garages and turn into massive publicly traded companies ubiquitously known across the globe. From Oracle and Microsoft to Google and Facebook , the public markets are responsible for turning ambitious tech founders into billionaires. But the appeal of the IPO is waning, according to a survey published this week from startup accelerator Techstars. Of the 1,550 entrepreneurs surveyed by Techstars, only 15% said their long-term goal is an IPO. There have been scant few notable tech IPOs in the past two and a half years.

Persons: Techstars Organizations: Oracle, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Techstars

☆ A tax compliance startup raised millions. Then it abruptly shut down, and the founder cut off contact.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Even the human-resources firm retained to help employees with offboarding, Tandem, quit soon after the layoffs because it never got paid. Shannon Flynn Bevers, Tandem's president and founder, said that she tried to help employees but that Johnson stopped responding. "When startups go out of business, they will pay employees their final paycheck. Johnson told employees to take a weeklong furlough and blamed the issue on a technical snafu. She also told employees they could file a claim with their state labor department or hire an employment lawyer.

Persons: Slack, Shiloh Johnson, Johnson, they'd, Benjamin Matthews, Shannon Flynn Bevers, I've, Flynn Bevers, VCs, Josh Felser, Aerin Paulo, ComplYant's, I'd, ComplYant, podcaster David Sacks, Michael Tam, Tam, Matthews, Ryan Cady, Lusely Martinez, Martinez, Cady, paychecks, wasn't, Taliah McGuire, McGuire, what's, Shiloh Luckey, Penelope, We've Organizations: Business, offboarding, . Venture, BI, Craft Ventures, ComplYant, Mucker, Slauson, — Mucker, Fika Ventures, Employees Locations: Los Angeles, Shiloh, San Francisco, Colorado, New York, TikTok

☆ This AI startup that helps stores catch shoplifters just bagged $1.5 million in pre-seed funding without using a pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

MokSa.ai uses general-use models and customizes them to detect suspicious activity at store locations. The company also pays college interns in India to watch footage for suspicious activity and annotate it — a process called data labeling. The dashboard shows reports of suspicious activity at a glance. MokSa.aiThe Android of the surveillance marketBefore MokSa.ai, Kolli worked as a quality manager at a company producing parts for high-speed rails. While these two tout their abilities to detect suspicious activity and send alerts, they both require customers to use their cameras and sensors.

Persons: —, Nikhil Teja Kolli, Kolli, Jay Farner, MokSa.ai, MokSa.ai Kolli, Shruti Gandhi, Gandhi, It's Organizations: Service, Business, Array Ventures, Quicken Loans, The Fund, Ventures, Royal Ozarks Locations: Kansas, India, Detroit

☆ Check out the pitch deck video AI firm ViralMoment used to raise $2.5 million in seed funding
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

ViralMoment raised funds to expand its AI-based video tools. The tools help marketers identify what people are talking about on social media. It recently identified fake, explicit images of Taylor Swift that appeared online. ViralMoment, which uses AI to analyze short-form social videos on platforms like TikTok, raised $2.5 million in seed funding. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: ViralMoment, Taylor Swift, Techstars, Chelsie Hall Organizations: Supernode Global, Crush Ventures, Duo Partners, Carnegie Mellon University, US Department of Defense, Department of State, Business

☆ Startup funding is falling in most major cities. So why is Boston pulling ahead?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Melia Russell | Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

AdvertisementThe Bay Area took the lion's share of capital raised on Carta in 2023, followed by Boston, then New York. AdvertisementAccording to Carta data, select metro areas saw the total early-stage funding raised decline by at least a third from 2022 to 2023. Yet early-stage funding was only down 24% in Boston, however, the smallest decrease of the metro areas that Carta tracks. According to Carta data, about $2.6 billion of capital raised in biotech flowed to Boston startups last year. Beyond biotechThe Carta data shows Boston also had strong showings across investment in software-as-a-service and hardware.

Persons: —, Zach Weinberg, Roche, Carta, Founders, that's, Rudina Seseri, Seseri, Peter Walker, Michael Greeley, Greeley, Mark Castleman, Castleman, Clement Cazalot, Cazalot, Walker Organizations: Service, Massachusetts Turnpike, Partners, Business, Carta, Boston, East Coast, Companies, Area, Flare Capital Partners, pharma, Intel Ignite, Glasswing Ventures, Founders, Machinery, Pritzker Group, Armory Square Ventures, Way Ventures, Klaviyo's, New York Stock Exchange Locations: Boston, New York City, East, Boston , Cambridge, Newton , Massachusetts, Newark, Jersey City , New Jersey, New York, San Francisco, Bay, France, Copley

☆ From bouldering to silent meditation retreats: Here's how this year's rising stars of VC are keeping their wellness on track while hunting down deals
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Samantha Stokes | Madeline Renbarger | Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

And these rising stars of the VC world are at the forefront of the trend, with many adopting various wellness routines. Business Insider asked this year's rising stars to name their best wellness hack that keeps them at the top of their game. Find ways to get movingMany rising stars in VC have a relationship with exercise that goes beyond an obligatory hour at the gym or a forced jog around the block. "It's amazing how taking just 10 minutes out of my day helps set the pace and structure for the rest of the day so well," she told Business Insider. she told Business Insider.

Persons: Base10, Justin Williams, Fiona Huang, Huang, Laura Bock, Amanda Herson, Taylor Brandt, Luci Fonseca, It's, Vivien Ho, VCs, journaling, Ashley Paston, Ahmed Mirza, who's, Amber Atherton, Brandon Hoffman, Tobi Coker, Wellington Management's Javier Grevely, Natalie Borowski, I've Organizations: Business, Seae Ventures, Ventures, Headline, Base10 Investors, Meritech, Sunset Ventures Locations: New York, Eastern, Brooklyn

☆ The founders of The Gist and Just Women's Sports describe what it's like to run a women-focused media company in a male-dominated industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Margaret Fleming | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ellen Hyslop cofounded in 2017 The Gist, a sports media company geared toward female fans. Three years later, Haley Rosen founded Just Women's Sports, making Instagram content about, well, just women's sports. In the male-dominated sports media industry, these female founders have built sustainable and successful businesses around women in sports. In 2022, women's sports received 15% of all sports media coverage, a study by Wasserman's The Collective found. "Every single person at Just Women's Sports adds so much value and is so influential and impactful in the company," Rosen said.

Persons: Ellen Hyslop, Gist, Haley Rosen, They're, Rosen, Billie Jean King, Hyslop, The Gist, That's, King, Kevin Durant, Allyson Felix, Abby Wambach, Sam Kerr, Kelley O'Hara, Elena Delle Donne, Haley, Michele Kang, Wasserman's, We're Organizations: Sports, Nike, Media, Comcast, Labs, King's Enterprises, Elysian Park Ventures, State, Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty, Philadelphia 76ers, Washington

☆ We moved to Austin for the tech jobs, but finding a home was defeating. We kept getting outbid by people making cash offers sight-unseen.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementThis as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sarah Hollingsworth, 35, about her experience moving from San Antonio to Austin in 2019. My six-month-old daughter, Amelia; my husband, Scott; and I moved to Austin in August 2019 from San Antonio — literally an hour and a half away. There really just aren't that many high-paying tech jobs in San Antonio and we both loved that industry and wanted to stay in it. Austin, being the next-closest tech city, had an abundant amount of high-paying tech jobs. I enrolled in the Entrepreneur Center of Austin, which San Antonio doesn't have.

Persons: Sarah Hollingsworth, —, Austin, Hollingsworth, Poppylist, Amelia, Scott, San Antonio —, Hollingsworth's, Zoey, Antonio doesn't, Techstars Austin, Sarah Hollingsworth San, it's Organizations: Service, Entrepreneur Center of Austin, Capital Factory Locations: Austin, San Antonio, Scott's, West Austin, Lake Austin, Sarah Hollingsworth San Antonio, There's

☆ Some startup founders say VC influence is 'debilitating.' Here's why they are turning down outside funding and bootstrapping instead.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But when it comes to his current startup, an AI platform for businesses called Iterate, Nordmark is staunchly against relying on outside funding. Nordmark is part of a growing league of founders who are opting for bootstrapping, which means growing startups without relying on outside funding from investors. Six startup founders interviewed by Insider also say that in some cases, they're actively turning down opportunities for funding to keep maximum control of their business plans. Founders who have eschewed VC funding say that bootstrapping allows them to go — and grow — at their own pace. To be sure, some startup founders are still taking big checks from VCs when the timing is right.

Persons: Jon Nordmark, Samsonite, Nordmark, they're, it's, MailChimp, Brooke LeBlanc, VCs, Dr, Bobbi Wegner, SVB, Evan Jager, we're, Dori Yona, Jason Burke, – Burke Organizations: Insider, VCs, Apple, Oracle, Intuit, Founders Locations: VCs, Boston

☆ This Harvard dropout and her brother launched a company to conserve liquids in factories
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

"As with every family business, everyone is involved in the family business," Annie told CNBC. We grew up in the sector," Annie told CNBC. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Annie and David Lu at a Harvard Innovation Labs event, when they were still ideating. As part of this partnership, Unilever tested the H2Ok Innovations solution at its Ben & Jerry's facility in Waterbury, Vermont. "They are exceptionally smart, visionary and courageous — the kind of founders investors dream to back," Iskold told CNBC.

Persons: David, Annie Lu, Annie Lu Annie Lu, Lu, Lu's, hasn't, Annie, David's, David Lu, David Lu They, Sandeep Desai, Desai, Jeff Bussgang, Alex Iskold, doting, Iskold, Dayna Grayson, We've, David giggled, it's Organizations: Harvard, CNBC, H2Ok, Construct, Flybridge, Ventures, Greentown Labs, Forbes, H20k, Harvard Innovation Labs, Unilever, AB InBev, Coca Cola Co, Colgate, Palmolive, Waterbury, Unit, Flybridge Capital, Construct Capital Locations: China, Saskatoon, Canada, Bay, Techstars, Boston, Minnesota, Minneapolis, Waterbury , Vermont, U.S, Brazil, United States, H2Ok

☆ Silicon Valley Bank became the go-to bank for startups with a network of top-tier VCs. Underrepresented founders say that created barriers to access for them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( April Joyner | Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But some early-stage founders told Insider they had trouble getting access to SVB's services. SVB's reliance on VC networks made it less accessible to some underrepresented founders, they said. With its focus on venture-backed startups, Silicon Valley Bank provided loans and lines of credit to businesses that often wouldn't qualify for such services at a larger bank. But the earliest-stage companies — those without significant venture funding or a notable VC backer — were still sometimes shut out, founders told Insider. Jean-Charles and Alvarez-Bailey said they didn't believe bias or discrimination was at play in SVB's decisions — they simply didn't meet the bank's VC funding threshold.

☆ The 14-slide pitch deck a Los Angeles-based fintech startup used to raise $10 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Claire Turrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Users can borrow up to $1,000 each time, and they have the option to tip the lender and SoLo Funds. It showcases how simple the SoLo Funds design is, how borrowers have control, and how they set their own terms." After meeting the SoLo Funds team, he invested $1.6 million. SoLo Funds now has more than 100 employees and is a registered B Corp. Here's the original pitch deck that the team used to raise a $1.2 million pre-seed round, which led to raising $10 million in January 2021.

☆ 'I feel like I got catfished': Young VCs who left investment banking and consulting jobs are having career second thoughts in the downturn
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

For young investors who pivoted to VC in the middle of the recent market downturn, the reality hasn't been quite as glamorous. From window shopping to bargain huntingMany young investors eagerly filled junior-associate positions at VC firms, expecting the breakneck rate of deals common in 2020 and 2021 to continue. With fewer deals to go around, there's more pressure than ever for new VC associates to bring in hot investments, young VCs told Insider. One investor told Insider that they didn't regret the pivot from tech-investment banking to venture capital in the second half of 2021. Some young investors like Nicole DeTommaso, who left investment banking to intern at Harlem Capital in 2020, started posting regular detailed Twitter threads on how to break into venture capital in the second half of 2021.

☆ Rise of 'zombie' VCs haunts tech investors as plunging valuations hammer the industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Startup investors are increasingly warning of an apocalyptic scenario in the VC world — namely, the emergence of "zombie" VC firms that are struggling to raise their next fund. Life becomes harder for zombie firms in a higher interest rate environment, as it increases their borrowing costs. Investors expect this gloomy economic backdrop to create a horde of zombie funds that, no longer producing returns, instead focus on managing their existing portfolios — while preparing to eventually wind down. "There are definitely zombie VC firms out there. "We're going to see a lot more zombie venture capital firms this year," Steve Saraccino, founder of VC firm Activant Capital, told CNBC.

8baseAlbert Santalo, the founder and CEO of 8base. 8baseHQ: MiamiYear founded: 2017Total raised: $15.2 million, according to the companyWhat they do: 8base is a low-code platform for building "serverless" web applications, meaning it takes care of the back-end programming for its users. Why you should bet your career on them: As companies perpetually look for ways to maximize their IT budgets, 8base's platform could help developers save time and money by eliminating the need for "back-end" programming for some apps. Since its launch, 8base has secured strategic customer partnerships as well with a mix of startup clients and big firms like IBM and NATO. The startup is also a Techstars accelerator alum and raised a fresh $10.6 million Series A round in 2022.

☆ European software startup investor Notion Capital set to raise around $300 million for fifth and largest-ever fund, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Callum Burroughs | Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

European venture capital fund Notion Capital is set to raise its fifth fund, Insider understands. The London-based investor has secured around $300 million in commitments so far, sources say. European venture capital firm Notion Capital, which has backed companies like Currencycloud and GoCardless, is set to raise its fifth fund, sources say. Notion filed for its fifth fund in Luxembourg in February 2022. The fifth fund's commitments came in sizable chunks from LPs last year with around $200 million raised over the course of 2022, one London-based source said.

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.

☆ Check out the 16-slide pitch deck the sustainable-healthtech startup Cabinet Health used to nab $17 million in new funding
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The sustainable-healthtech startup Cabinet Health just raised $17 million from Global Impact Fund. Check out the pitch deck Cabinet Health used to land its latest round of funding. Cabinet Health just raised millions of dollars in new capital for its mission to make medication refills more earth-friendly. Cabinet Health was founded in 2018 with the goal of eliminating single-use plastics from the pharmaceutical industry. Check out the 16-slide pitch deck Cabinet Health used to raise its most recent round of funding:

☆ A founder built an executive team of former Amazon, Starbucks, and WeWork employees. Here are the 3 ways small-business owners can attract top talent.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

He shared his advice for other small-business owners looking to build an all-star executive team. This article is part of Talent Insider, a series containing expert advice to help small business owners tackle a range of hiring challenges. Today Odeko has 470 employees, including an executive team of six made up of former employees from Starbucks, WeWork, Squarespace, and Bed Bath & Beyond. Atkinson spoke with Insider about the importance of building a robust executive team and how to attract top talent to your small business. Retain top employees by investing in their growthMany business owners have a difficult time letting go of responsibility, Atkinson said.

☆ Watch CNBC's full interview with JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon on recession, market turmoil, Twitter and more
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWatch CNBC's full interview with JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon on recession, market turmoil, Twitter and moreJPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon speaks to CNBC's Julianna Tatelbaum from the JPM Techstars conference in London.

☆ Jamie Dimon says Musk should 'clean up Twitter,' echoes Tesla CEO's bot concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Brian Snyder | ReutersJamie Dimon appears to be a fan of Elon Musk's $44 billion Twitter takeover. "I hope Musk cleans up Twitter," the JPMorgan CEO told CNBC's Julianna Tatelbaum, adding he thinks Musk should look into eliminating anonymous accounts from the site. Musk has made no secret of his concerns with fake accounts on Twitter. In November 2021, JPMorgan sued Tesla for $162.2 million for allegedly breaching a 2014 contract relating to stock warrants that Tesla sold to the bank. watch nowThe suit was the subject of a report by the Wall Street Journal that said Musk and Dimon have never gotten along.

☆ Jamie Dimon says UK government deserves benefit of the doubt after sparking market turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Jamie Dimon, chairman and chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co. says the new U.K. government should be "given the benefit of the doubt." JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said new governments "always have issues" and U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss should be "given the benefit of the doubt" following a turbulent first month in office. "I would like to see the new prime minister, the new chancellor, be successful," he said. Dimon's comments come after a rocky few weeks for Truss's administration. Sterling plummeted and yields on U.K. government bonds, or "gilts," were sent through the roof and have yet to return to their pre-announcement levels.

☆ U.S. should pump more oil to avert war-level energy crisis, says JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Dimon said in June that he was preparing the bank for an economic "hurricane" caused by the Federal Reserve and Russia's war in Ukraine. Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesJPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said Monday that the U.S. should forge ahead in pumping more oil and gas to help alleviate the global energy crisis, likening the situation to a national security risk of war-level proportions. Speaking to CNBC, Dimon dubbed the crisis "pretty predictable" — occurring as it has from Europe's historic overdependence on Russian energy — and urged Western allies to support the U.S. in taking a lead role in international energy security. We should have gotten that right starting in March," he continued, referring to the onset of the energy crisis following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. And while EU nations have hit targets to shore up gas supplies over the coming winter months, Dimon said leaders should now be looking ahead to future energy security concerns.

☆ JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says 'very smart' Elon Musk should 'clean up Twitter' and remove bot accounts
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon told CNBC he hopes tech billionaire Elon Musk "cleans up Twitter." He expressed concerns about the number of spam accounts on the site. Musk cited bot accounts when he backed down from his Twitter takeover deal earlier this year. "I hope Musk cleans up Twitter," Dimon told CNBC at the JPM Techstars conference in London. The Wall Street Journal reported in 2021 that Musk has spurned the bank for years and that Musk and Dimon have personally clashed.

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