How Ward van Gasteren thinks about growth hacking today
Ward van Gasteren embraces the “growth hacker” term, despite the fact that some in the profession prefer the term “growth marketing” or simply “growth.” What's the difference to him? The hacking part should be a distinct effort on top of ongoing marketing, he says.
“Growth hacking
Founders must learn how to build and maintain circles of trust with investors
Many VCs tout their mentorship and hands-on approach to founders, especially those who run early-stage startups. But in the recent era of lightning-fast rounds closing at sky-high valuations, the cap tables of early-stage startups are becoming increasingly crowded.
This isn't to say that the va
A blueprint for building a great startup founding team
In a company's early days, the difference between C-level executives and the rest of the organization is simple — employees can walk away from a failure, but the leaders cannot. Under these conditions, certain kinds of people thrive in leadership roles and can take a company from ideation to
John Deere buys autonomous tractor startup Bear Flag Robotics
In the world of robotic startups, acquisition is often as good an outcome as any. And when it comes to robotic tractor startups, you could do worse than being acquired by John Deere. The agricultural technology giant announced today that it's set to acquire Bear Flag Robotics for $250 million.
Qualcomm wants to buy Veoneer for $4.6B, beating Magna’s offer
The $3.8 billion sale of Swedish automotive tech company Veoneer to Magna International hit a roadblock Thursday after chipmaker Qualcomm submitted a bid for the company for $800 million more.
Qualcomm's $4.6 billion bid, which comes in at $37 per share, has already received approval from the c
Allocations sees a world where myriad, smaller private equity funds are the norm
This morning Allocations, a fintech startup building software to help smaller private equity funds form and operate, announced that it has raised a $4 million round at a $100 million valuation.
The startup also shared a host of performance metrics, including that it reached a $4.6 million revenue r
3 invaluable founder lessons I learned on my immigration journey
I was four years old when my dad first showed me a computer. I immediately asked him if we could take it apart to see how it worked. I was hooked.
When I learned that Windows and Mac were based in the United States, I was 10. Since then, I've wanted to come here to launch my own tech business.
Avoid these common financial mistakes so your startup doesn’t die on the vine
The startup world can be a rollercoaster. While investment continues to pour in — with both founders and investors looking for the next unicorn — the reality is that 90% of startups fail, with over half of those going under in the first three years.
I've founded two companies that I grew an
European refurbished electronics marketplace Refurbed raises $54M Series B
Refurbed, a European marketplace for refurbished electronics which raised a $17 million Series A round of funding last year, has now raised a $54 million Series B funding led by Evli Growth Partners and Almaz Capital.
They are joined by existing investors such as Speedinvest, Bonsai Partners and Al
Bluecore lands $125M Series E on $1B valuation as e-commerce personalization grows
During the pandemic, especially when we were in lockdown, just about every retailer had to build its online presence and do it quickly. As people move to shop online in larger numbers, being able to personalize that experience has become more crucial. That made the pandemic a pivotal moment for Blu
Plant-based cereal startup OffLimits pours $2.3M into new products
For Emily Elyse Miller, founder and CEO of OffLimits, launching during a global pandemic was “interesting to navigate,” but in the end, worked out.
“Unfortunately, 'fun cereal' is associated with being unhealthy, and I wanted people to have fun with their food again, but in a healthy
Hydroponic farming startup Just Vertical cultivates growth at home
The indoor growing industry is starting to scale. Farms that utilize hydroponics (grow produce without soil, usually in large warehouses) and traditional greenhouses have started to become integral parts of our food supply chain, mainly for leafy greens like lettuce, spinach and arugula.
Vert
Checkmarx acquires open-source supply chain security startup Dustico
Checkmarx, an Israeli provider of static application security testing (AST), has acquired open-source supply chain security startup Dustico for an undisclosed sum.
Founded in 2020, Dustico provides a dynamic source-code analysis platform that employs machine learning to detect malicious attacks a
Accel leads Lucid Lane's $16M round aimed at treating people with medication dependency
Telehealth company Lucid Lane raised $16 million in Series A funding to continue developing its platform that enables real-time intervention for people with medication dependence and substance-use disorders.
Adnan Asar, co-founder and CEO of Lucid Lane, started the company three years ago after wat