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How to decide what type of investment is right for your tech startup

Salvatore Minetti, CEO and founder, Prospex.ai on how to decide what type of funding is best for your tech business.

The UK has established itself as one of the best countries in the world to start and grow a business. In fact, between 2012 and 2017 approximately 3.5 million new companies were founded across Britain.

There are several reasons for this boom in entrepreneurialism, but financial support has proven demonstrably important. Specifically, a combination of private sector investment coupled with public sector initiatives have helped nurture an environment where early stage businesses can secure vital capital to enable them to grow.

Entrepreneurs in the UK are fortunate to have a plethora of places to turn when looking to secure finance for their fledgling company. Yet despite all these options – or perhaps because of the vast number of choices now available – the task of raising investment can be daunting for a startup.

 

https://www.uktech.news/news/70647-20181002

 

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Consider These 3 Variables Before Expanding Your Business Internationally

Despite the fact that it has never been easier, a company’s international expansion still retains an exotic allure today. Wells Fargo’s International Business Indicator recently found that 60% of U.S. companies expect to increase international business development planning. It remains a goal, and then a milestone, for fast-growing successful businesses to expand beyond their native market and move into international territory.

Whether it’s San Francisco or Spain, launching in another location is one of the most challenging benchmarks an entrepreneur can experience. In the past year, we grew our company globally and we now have offices in London, New York, Barcelona, Dubai, and Santiago de Chile. Companies with truly global ambitions have probably seen a good degree of success at home, but I’ve observed a tendency among these organizations to lose control of their senses when moving overseas. Too often, companies seem to simply stick a pin in the map in order to locate their first international move or target the market du jour.

 

https://www.alleywatch.com/2018/10/consider-these-3-variables-before-expanding-your-business-internationally/

 

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SoftBank Vision Fund said to eye investment in Chinese education startup

Selina Wang October 2, 2018

SoftBank Vision Fund is seeking to invest about $500 million in China’s Zuoyebang as it seeks a stake in the country’s vast online education market, people familiar with the matter said. The fund, created by SoftBank Group Corp., and Zuoyebang are still finalizing terms of the deal and the details could still change, the people said, asking not to be identified as the details are private. The education technology startup has already raised more than $500 million in funding from investors including Coatue Management, Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Sequoia Capital China and GGV Capital. Founded in 2014 by Chinese search giant Baidu Inc., Zuoyebang targets primary and secondary school students in China. The company, which was spun out from Baidu a year later, created a mobile app that lets students upload homework questions and search for answers. Zuoyebang has also expanded into live-streaming courses and one-on-one mentoring, with a reported 300 million registered users.

Read more at: https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/softbank-chinese-education-startup-107817/?utm_source=DealStreetAsia%3A+The+Daily+Brief&utm_campaign=735fde82e4-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_10_02_01_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0fa50e40c1-735fde82e4-246561397&mc_cid=735fde82e4&mc_eid=bba68709e3

 

 

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SoftBank to raise $100b fund every 2-3 years, spend $50b annually

September 27, 2018

SoftBank Group Corp plans to create a new $100 billion fund every two to three years and spend $50 billion annually, its Chief Executive Masayoshi Son told Bloomberg Businessweek in an interview published on Thursday. Son has attracted more than $93 billion to his Vision Fund technology investment vehicle, and has flagged his intention to raise further financing. The comments reflect Son’s dealmaking ambitions that have shaken up the world of venture capital investing as he looks to accelerate his vision of a future driven by artificial intelligence. SoftBank did not immediately comment.

Read more at: https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/softbank-son-100b-fund-107522/?utm_source=DealStreetAsia%3A+The+Daily+Brief&utm_campaign=048c3de548-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_09_28_01_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0fa50e40c1-048c3de548-246561397&mc_cid=048c3de548&mc_eid=bba68709e3

 

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Four Steps to Take Before Scaling Sales Hiring

Growth at All Costs is Perilous – This is How to Scale Sales Sustainably

Earlier in her career, Karen Rhorer was rising through the sales ops leadership ranks and working with her team to come up with an aggressive hiring plan, trying to reverse engineer the sales team capable of delivering the equally aggressive bookings numbers that their startup had set.

At the time, this move seemed in-line with conventional thinking, which was steeped in hypergrowth and the triple triple double double double mantra that drove startups to sell more, faster. But that pressure to hit those top-line growth numbers created blinders that left one side of the equation out entirely: sustainability. Like many other companies, Rhorer’s startup didn’t realize early enough that the math wasn’t supporting the sheer amount of cash they were burning in a quest for growth. And just a few years later, it all came home to roost — and nearly 40% of the staff had to be laid off.

http://firstround.com/review/growth-at-all-costs-is-perilous-this-is-how-to-scale-sales-sustainably/?utm_campaign=new_article&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter

 

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Steve Blank: The Difference Between Innovators and Entrepreneurs

I just received a thank-you note from a student who attended a fireside chat I held at the ranch. Something I said seemed to inspire her:

“I always thought you needed to be innovative, original to be an entrepreneur. Now I have a different perception. Entrepreneurs are the ones that make things happen. (That) takes focus, diligence, discipline, flexibility and perseverance. They can take an innovative idea and make it impactful. … successful entrepreneurs are also ones who take challenges in stride, adapt and adjust plans to accommodate whatever problems do come up.”

The Difference Between Innovators and Entrepreneurs

 

 

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Zero to $50M – A Roadmap of the Key Stages, and How to Win at Each Stage

There are seven key stages in a startup’s evolution from $0m to $50m in revenue. Understanding where you are in that evolution, and how to act at each stage is critical for success, as what is appropriate at one stage is not appropriate at another stage. In my talk at SaaStr 2018, I will lay out the roadmap, and detail the keys to success at each stage. The talk is aimed at technical/product founders plus their sales, marketing & product executives who are responsible for the go-to-market strategy for their company.

https://www.forentrepreneurs.com/saastr-2018/

 

 

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Blockchain In Healthcare

Led by Senior Intelligence Analyst Nikhil Krishnan

Blockchain has risen to prominence in the last year, with more than $18B raised over the past year. Several companies are attempting to apply the technology to the healthcare space, some with stronger use cases than others.

We’ll talk about several applications, their feasibility, areas of opportunity, and which companies should be worried.

 

https://www.cbinsights.com/research/briefing/blockchain-in-healthcare/?utm_source=Digital+Health+Newsletter&utm_campaign=00eaeab874-DigitalNL_3_16_2017_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8f02c12568-00eaeab874-89237717