Category: Innovation

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These were the 10 biggest European tech stories last week

Happy Friday!

Our research team tracked 50 tech funding deals worth more than €279 million, as well as 5 M&A transactions and 1 IPO across Europe, including Russia, Israel, and Turkey.

We listed every single deal in our weekly newsletter (note: the full newsletter is now available to paying subscribers only). Here’s an extra overview of the 10 biggest European tech news items for last week:

1) Apple is taking control over the power-management technology at the heart of its iPhones in a $600 million deal with Dialog Semiconductor that also secures the German-listed company’s role as a supplier to the US tech giant.

2) Copenhagen-based visual effects startup Spektral was acquired by Apple for $30 million at the end of 2017 in a deal that was only disclosed this week. The company focused on applying machine learning techniques to image and video editing.

3) Helsinki-based Varjo, founded in 2016, has secured a $31 million Series B investment led by Atomicoto bring its technology to market as what it claims is the world’s first VR / XR hardware and software product specifically aimed at industrial use. The round, which brings Varjo’s total funding raised to $46 million, was joined by Next47, the Siemens-backed venture firm, as well as previous backers EQT Ventures and Lifeline Ventures.

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http://tech.eu/brief/these-were-the-10-biggest-european-tech-stories-this-week-october-12/

 

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What Startups Need to Know About Regulated Markets

Posted on October 9, 2018 by steveblank

Often the opposite of disruption is the status quo.

If  you’re a startup trying to disrupt an existing business you need to read The Fixer by Bradley Tusk and Regulatory Hacking by Evan Burfield. These two books, one by a practitioner, the other by an investor, are must-reads.

The Fixer is 1/3rd autobiography, 1/3rd case studies, and 1/3rd a “how-to” manual. Regulatory Hacking is closer to a “step-by-step” textbook with case studies.

Here’s why you need to read them.

One of the great things about teaching has been seeing the innovative, unique, groundbreaking and sometimes simply crazy ideas of my students. They use the Business Model (or Mission Model) Canvas to keep track of their key hypotheses and then rapidly test them by talking to customers and iterating their Minimal Viable Products. This allows them to quickly find product/market fit.

Except when they’re in a regulated market.

What Your Startup Needs to Know About Regulated Markets

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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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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