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☆ Check out the exclusive pitch deck that school-to-student matching startup Schola used to raise $10 million in funding
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Schola is an online guide and marketplace for students to match with different PK-12 schools. Students can learn about and even apply to various public, private, and charter schools on the platform. Schola has launched in all 50 states and just raised $10 million in Series A funding. Schools can simultaneously use the platform as a way to increase their enrollment reach, and can pay for different-tiered recruitment campaigns or data analytic tools. Check out the 12-slide pitch deck that edtech startup Schola used to raise $10 million in Series A funding:

☆ An investor who started with $5,000 and built a 742-unit real-estate portfolio says a coming correction will be the next buying opportunity — and shares the financing method he's using to snag 2% inte
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Now, he's preparing to buy up the deals coming in from the housing correction this year. Some of the deals he's snagging are from foreclosures, which have been on an uptick. "People are getting more eager to sell and it's less of a seller's market and more of a buyer's market," Tortoriello said after witnessing the competition and buying frenzy of the last two years. He expects this to cause job losses and hurt other parts of the economy including the housing market. For those who are prepared to take advantage of price plunges in the housing market, numerous opportunities are coming, he said.

☆ This oil and gas VC upended his career to start a plant-based burger chain. Now, he's raised $20 million to open new restaurants with plans to steal market share from McDonald's.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Next Level Burger, which makes plant-based burgers, was cofounded in 2014 by Matt de Gruyter. Next Level Burger plans to triple in size and steal share from McDonald's, de Gruyter said. In his quest to align his career with this diet, he quit his job and launched a restaurant serving plant-based burgers in 2014. Both became early backers of de Gruyter's brand, Next Level Burger, which has grown to nine restaurants in six states. The restaurant chain announced a $20 million raise on Tuesday, led by Payne and his wife, Nicole Brodeur.

☆ This startup wants to show the impact Fortune 500 companies have on the environment and society. Check out the 18-slide pitch deck Upright used to raise $5.2 million.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Finnish startup Upright just landed a 5 million euros seed round (around $5.2 million). The platform reveals the impact the world's largest companies have on the environment and society. Check out the 18-slide pitch deck Upright used to raise its first round from VC Planet A.Annu Nieminen has always found solace in math. She couldn't find anyone working on a tool to show the overall negative or positive impact of businesses so decided to do it herself – "as the cliche goes," she told Insider. The Helsinki-based startup has been bootstrapped until now, as it announces a 5 million euros seed round (around $5.2 million).

☆ I spent 8 years at my dream job on Nike's design desk. Here's why I left and what I'm leaving behind as I grow my own business.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Kristen Shenk worked as a senior designer at Nike before leaving the company in 2016. I worked in Nike Basketball for a couple of years on LeBron James' and Kobe Bryant's brands. One of the last big projects I worked on was a big innovation summit in New York in 2016. My first creative director, the one who stopped me by the printer, had done this TED Talk about leaving your dream job. But I've learned to take lessons I learned at Nike forward about creating some separation between myself and my work.

☆ I fill executive-assistant jobs at tech companies that pay up to $250,000 a year. There's a surprisingly low barrier to entry — I just look for these traits in people.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Elle Hardy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Jessica Vann recruits executive assistants for companies like Okta at her company Maven. She says executive assistants are nothing like secretaries — they're the eyes and ears of a leader. After all, an executive assistant preserves a company's scarcest and most precious resource: the leader of the organization. Raising issues to an executive assistant can give the executive the opportunity to intervene while there's still a chance. Are you a recruiter or executive assistant at a major tech company?

☆ How Dexerto became 'the TMZ of esports,' with $10 million in revenue last year and 30 million monthly visitors
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

On the homepage of Dexerto, a seven-year-old gaming-news website, staid posts about competitive esports commingle with screaming headlines about online gossip. Dexerto — pronounced "desert-o," "as if the x was an s," the cofounder and CEO, Joshua Nino, said — was founded on "sport-style esports coverage." Today, dexerto.com attracts 30 million monthly visitors, it said — a formidable sum, though less than 30-year-old stalwarts like IGN and GameSpot, which clocked 98 million and 69 million monthly visits in September, according to the web-analytics firm Similarweb. Direct-ad sales account for about half of revenue, with programmatic ads (30%) and social monetization (20%) making up the rest. Nino said Dexerto had been mostly bootstrapped — aside from about £257,000 in seed funding — and had been profitable since 2016.

☆ A federal judge just struck down Biden's student-loan forgiveness plan — the most serious legal setback for the debt relief so far
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A federal judge in Texas struck down Biden's student-loan forgiveness on Thursday. It's in response to a lawsuit filed by two student-loan borrowers who didn't qualify for the relief. This is the most serious legal setback to Biden's debt relief so far. This was in response to a lawsuit filed by two student-loan borrowers, Myra Brown and Alexander Taylor, represented by conservative group the Job Creators Network, who sued because they were left out of debt relief. "Today, a federal judge conspired with right-wing politicians and corrupt corporations to block life-changing student debt relief for tens of millions of families," executive director of advocacy group Student Borrower Protection Center Mike Pierce said in a statement.

☆ I run a multimillion-dollar puzzle company built primarily from word-of-mouth marketing. Here are 3 strategies I use to sustain that growth.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Kaylin Marcotte runs Jiggy Puzzles, which has sold more than 250,000 units in three years. She says word-of-mouth marketing — partnering with brands and customers — has helped it grow. I've always been a fan of word-of-mouth marketing for my small business. But it also created a powerful word-of-mouth marketing channel. Word-of-mouth marketing isn't necessarily the quickest or easiest win.

☆ A 34-year-old entrepreneur earns up to $42,000 in revenue a month selling socks and tights on Amazon. She explains how she built her e-commerce business with $2,000 upfront.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

After six months of selling masks, she was earning enough from her own business that she felt comfortable leaving her day job. After she decided on her product, face masks, her next immediate step was to buy inventory. "Through our network, we found some factories in Asia and got the face masks to my door within two weeks," said Fu. After six months of working both jobs, she was making enough money selling face masks to cover her bills. Earning up to $42,000 a month in revenue selling on AmazonFu decided to lean into what was working: selling socks.

☆ Burger King's owner just opened a delivery-focused food hall where customers can order from Popeyes, Firehouse Subs, and other chains. The company is one of many expanding the ghost kitchen model to r
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Burger King's owner recently opened its first ghost kitchen, or digital food hall, in Miami. And recently, the parent of Burger King, Restaurant Brands International, opened its first ghost kitchen in Miami. Wonder is part ghost kitchen, part food delivery van, part meal-kit provider. These ghost kitchens on wheels, outfitted with cooking equipment and chefs, can be hailed through an app. The company, which ended its partnership with Miami-based Reef Technology this year, is not labeling the facility as a ghost kitchen.

☆ How much small business owners should pay themselves
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Cheryl Winokur Munk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Many small business owners have trouble figuring out an appropriate take-home pay as the company expands, and some don’t pay themselves at all. Understanding how to pay yourself appropriately — even if it’s only a small amount that grows over time — is important for the long-term health of a business, according to professionals that advise small businesses. “It doesn’t reflect the true health of your business if you aren’t taking something,” said Zahir Khoja, chief executive at Wave Financial, a provider of money management tools for small businessesThe mechanics are especially important given that 26% of small business owners don’t pay themselves a salary, according to a 2022 small business survey from Wave. Here are four tips small business owners should consider when setting their take-home pay. Business owners may think the money could be better spent on hiring marketing help, redoing the website or some other expense that can help the company expand.

☆ A former lawyer bought an entire Italian village and transformed it into a thriving tourist destination — here's how
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Claire Turrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Cesidio Di Ciacca bought his ancestral village in Italy in 2013 and turned it into a business. Many former residents settled in Scotland, as the Di Ciacca family did. After buying the home, Di Ciacca went on to own the entire village and run it as a business. "One year into the renovation, I started to get itchy and look at how I could buy I Ciacca," Di Ciacca said. Di Ciacca's wife, Selina Di Ciacca, suggested they make it a place of learning again.

☆ This startup helps Microsoft and P&G make their products more sustainable. Check out the 14-slide pitch deck Makersite used to raise $17.5 million.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A startup that helps companies build more sustainable products just raised $17.5 million. We got an exclusive look at the 14-slide pitch deck it used to raise the Series A round. A German startup that enables companies to assess the sustainability of their products before going to market just landed 18 million euros (around $17.5 million) in its first institutional raise. Makersite uses AI to create software-based replicas of product designs using technology known as digital twins. Check out the 14-slide pitch deck Makersite used to raise the fresh funds below.

☆ Here's the exclusive pitch deck workplace-coaching startup 10KC used to raise $56 million to match employees with mentors
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Founded in 2014, 10KC is a mentorship startup that matches employees based on their profiles. For Dave Wilkin, a cofounder and the CEO of 10KC, mentorship has been one of the foundations of his professional career. 10KC removes bias from networks and relationships, which is incredibly important for hybrid and decentralized work," Wilkin said. Now, Wilkin and Garcea have raised a $56 million growth-equity round for the first time, which Five Elms Capital led. Check out the 14-slide redacted pitch deck that 10KC used to raise $56 million in growth funding from Five Elms Capital:

☆ See the 18-slide pitch deck Peachy, a digital health insurance platform targeted at millennials, used to raise $1.6 million
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

London-based Peachy has raised $1.6 million for its health insurance platform. The startup tailors its digital platform to millennials and aims to expand its services to SMEs. Check out the 18-slide deck used to raise the fresh funding. A startup that has created a digital health insurance platform for millennials and service workers has closed a $1.6 million seed round. Their backers included the likes of Dr Damien Marmion, ex-CEO of global insurance provider Axa Global Health, Eva Maria Barbosa, partner at global law firm Clyde and Co, and Sian Fisher, ex-CEO of the Chartered Institute of Insurers, among others.

☆ A coder quit his $300,000 job at Stripe to build his own startup. Here's why he's convinced it was the right thing to do.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-05 | by ( Daniel Hüfner | Nathan Rennolds | Business Insider Deutschland | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sumit Kumar, a 34-year-old coder from Hamburg, Germany, quit his $300,000-a-year job at Stripe. He left in May 2022 to build his startup Parqet, a financial platform he started as a side project. He told Insider why walking away from his job to pursue his own business was the right choice. Sumit Kumar, 34, quit his 300,000 euro, which is around $300,000, job as a solutions architect at the fintech Stripe to build his own financial platform. Kumar said he's planning to focus on Google Ads, which he hopes will arouse new interest among investors as he's no longer completely ruling out funding rounds.

☆ Here's how Dude Wipes cofounder got his startup on track to make $90 million in sales this year after making the 'biggest mistake' CPGs can make
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Dude Wipes expanded into deodorant and body wash — something the brand now says was the wrong move. In 2019, the founders of Dude Wipes took what they thought was a major step forward: They extended their brand from solely toilet wipes into body wash and deodorant. So far, Dude Products has eschewed most investors. When COVID struck, demand for the brand's signature Dude Wipes took off. "When the toilet-paper rush happened, everybody's buying as many Dude Wipes as they can get from us," Riley said.

☆ Burger King's owner opened its first ghost kitchen in Miami. Meet 7 innovative ghost-kitchen startups expanding the multibillion-dollar segment beyond the models developed by CloudKitchens and Reef Te
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-27 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Burger King's owner recently opened its first ghost kitchen, or digital food hall, in Miami. Meet 7 nontraditional ghost kitchen startups. And, recently, the parent of Burger King, Restaurant Brands International, opened its first ghost kitchen in Miami. These ghost kitchens on wheels, outfitted with cooking equipment and chefs, can be hailed through an app. The company, which ended its partnership with Miami-based Reef Technology this year, is not labeling the facility as a ghost kitchen.

☆ See the pitch deck a startup used to raise $2.1 million and win over Serena Ventures
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-06 | by ( Ellen Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Chan raised $2.1 million from the likes of Serena Ventures and Ancestry.com's CEO Deborah Lui. Kathleen Chan raised $2.1 million for her fashion supply-chain-software company, Calico, during the pandemic. Before Calico, Chan had built two brands: one for direct-to-consumer jewelry and one for corporate apparel. Using Calico, businesses can quote, bring their suppliers on board, and place prototyping and production orders. Chan walked Insider through the pitch deck she used to close the $2.1 million seed round.

Carina Hader studied aerospace engineering and dreamed of becoming CEO of Porsche. She founded Nayca, which makes a heating pad that helps with period pain, with her father Bruno. The online store has been officially open for a few weeks, and customers can now pre-order the heating pad. "That was our proof of concept and confirmation that the clientele really wants our product," said Carina Hader. The product has impressed judges in startup competitionsWith her concept, as well as her cheerful charisma and a hands-on mentality, the engineer has really impressed in startup competitions.

☆ Founders of Canadian relationship app Couply talk gaining traction after winning Collision 2021 pitch competition
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-29 | by ( Sarah Finkel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Canadian relationship app Couply won the 2021 pitch competition hosted by Collision, a Toronto-based technology conference attended by thousands of industry giants. Naturally, you turn to the app store for some guidance, only to find that the selection of relationship apps is rather slim in comparison to dating apps. That was the ideation process behind Canadian startup Couply, founded by Tim Johnson and Denesh Raymond. It's a free relationship app designed to inspire couples to deepen their connection with fun features like personality quizzes, which then help aid the process of planning dates that are mutually enjoyable. "This kind of drills into that core sentiment of Couply, which is to get out there and do things with your partner in the real world," Johnson told Insider.

☆ How an ex-lawyer built Halo Top into an ice cream sensation with $347 million in sales
▼ + stars: | 2018-11-01 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

During the summer of 2017, low-calorie Halo Top Creamery was the best-selling pint of ice cream in America. "He just wanted to eat an entire pint of ice cream and not hate himself for it." To satisfy his sweet tooth, he wanted to concoct something that tasted like ice cream but was healthier and had less sugar. He liked his creation so much that he eventually bought an ice cream maker (on sale on Amazon for $20). The ice cream market in the U.S. was $6.7 billion for the 52 weeks ended Sept. 28, 2018, according to Nielsen.

Persons: Jerry's, Doug Bouton, that's, we've, Bouton, Justin, Woolverton, Margie Brevidoro, Haagen Dazs, Dazs, Justin Woolverton, Kirk McKoy, Latham & Watkins, who'd, we're, it'd, Khloe Kardashian, Kloss, Ashley Benson, Nina Dobrev, Hilary Duff Organizations: Ben, CNBC, Nestle, Woolverton, Latham &, Amazon, Bouton, Foods, Top, U.S, Nielsen Locations: America, United States, U.S, Los Angeles, L.A, Oakland , California, Chicago

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