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Corporate investors fill startup funding gap as VC firms pull back

According to investors, corporations are increasing investing for enterprise-technology firms despite a general slowdown in venture capital agreements.

The rebound comes as huge institutional investors such as hedge funds and pension funds abandon riskier bets on emerging technology businesses. Traditional venture capital firms are likewise reducing their investment in startups.

“But we’re seeing large corporations continue to invest,” Christophe Bourque, general partner at investment firm White Star Capital, said Tuesday at a panel at Collision 2022, a startup and investing conference in Toronto. “We’ve seen a lot of this across our portfolio companies.”

The Nasdaq Composite Index, which is centered on technology, fell to its lowest close since September 2020 last week, though it recovered 2.5 percent on Tuesday. Similar declines are reverberating throughout the startup sector, as many digital companies have shifted from hypergrowth to survival mode, eliminating employment and revenue projections.

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How to sell your story through your pitch deck

A flawless pitch — more particularly, a perfect pitch deck — can make or break a startup seeking investment. Delivering a flawless pitch deck gives you access to an investor who could contribute transformational funding to your company, making it the most critical aspect of a successful meeting with a VC.

Embrace the power of six. Strive for no more than six bullet points each page and no more than six words for each bullet. If necessary, provide graphics, but never exceed 36 words in your bulleted list.

Think short and sweet. Your pitch deck is not a long-winded romance novel. It is a summary of the most significant aspects of your startup. Because most VCs look at pitch decks for less than four minutes, keeping your deck brief keeps VCs actively listening to what you have to offer.

Invest in professional VC pitch deck design. Although it may appear that VCs make all of their decisions based on figures, eye-catching pitch deck designs can nevertheless lure them in and keep their attention. Find someone who is skilled at creating strong pitch decks if you aren’t. As the aforementioned angel investor pointed out, it may cost you more than $1,000 to outsource the design to a professional who can make it appear neat and beautiful.

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Startups

Seven success tips for business start ups

Starting a new business can be difficult, especially for someone who is doing so for the first time. Finance, time management, customer service, reputation can be draining, but they don’t have to be. Here are seven tips to help you along your new business journey.

  1. Get a mentor

Obtaining a mentor is critical and serves as a guard in the business voyage.

  1. Draft a business plan

Setting objectives is crucial, but making them attainable is even more important. A business strategy is essential for any successful business owner. 

  1. Target your customers

Knowing what your clients require helps your business develop. A new firm should do a thorough poll to determine what its clients desire. 

  1. Observe your competitors

Understanding your competitors will help your businesses grow. A new firm should conduct a detailed poll of what its clients desire. After that, improve your service to your clients them.

  1. Finance management

This is the lifeblood of any firm. Managing and controlling your earnings is key to success.

  1. Leverage  social media

As the world advances through technology, so should a serious business startup. Another medium for corporate success is social media. Social media platforms help make your brands visible to a large number of individuals. Also, money can be generated legitimately on these sites as well. Some sites to consider joining include WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.

  1. Network

Networking is required to maintain corporate longevity. It exposes your brand to a bigger audience. Put your brands forward wherever you go. Don’t keep your business quiet in front of others. Introduce yourself and what you do as soon as possible.

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Startups

The science of startup valuation

When it comes to evaluating a company, there are two factors to consider: potential and ambition.

A startup’s potential is assessed using qualitative approaches such as a scorecard and a checklist. These components consider everything from the founders themselves to the strength of their intellectual property and the market in which they operate.

What is the rate of growth in the industry? What is the startup survival rate in the region? These provide insight into the startup’s theoretical capability, which is critical because discussing future expectations with investors requires first agreeing on the present.

Later on, the emphasis changes from qualitative to quantitative measures. The two sides of value might then be conceived of as “assets and expectations” rather than “potential and ambition.”

Consider valuation in terms of baking. If you want to make the best slice of bread on the market, you must ensure that your components are of the highest quality and that your technique and timing are accurate. One is qualitative, while the other is quantitative. Both are scientific when approached correctly. Most importantly, they are repeatable, reliable, and reasonable.

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Three things to remember when diversifying your startup’s cap table

“…ensuring diversity within our cap table has been a must — and has proven instrumental to our success. Breaking down your cap table to diversify your investors based on a variety of criteria will provide far more value than funding alone…” – Oriana Papin-Zoghbi

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Finding your startup’s valuation: Five factors to consider

A startup’s valuation denotes what it is worth at a given point in time. Factors that make up the valuation include the 1) development stage of the product or service 2) proof-of-concept in its market 3) the CEO and their team 4) valuations of peers or similar startups 5) existing strategic relationships and customers; and sales.

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SBA TARGETS BLACK BUSINESS FOR MONEY

According to Godfrey Hinds, an economics specialist, the Small Business Bureau is working hard to build a marketing plan to engage impoverished populations with not only program information, but also empowering educational opportunities.

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The Top 10 Traits That Attract Investors To Your Startup

With the rise in startups, a whole new vocabulary has come about. Terms like “unicorn” and “pivot” are being used by people outside the startup sphere. Here’s a handy resource to reference when you need to reference terms you’ve never heard of.

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The amount of venture dollars going to Latinx startups jumped 143% last year

The amount of venture capital going into Latinx-founded startups surged last year, but such companies still get a disproportionately small percentage of total venture dollars, according to a new report.
Latinx-founded companies across the US raised $6.8 billion last year, according to the report Wednesday from Crunchbase. That amount was up 143% from the $2.8 billion such companies raised in 2020.

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The 11 Slides You Need to Have in Your Pitch Deck for 2022

If you’re soliciting funds for your company, having an impressive pitch deck is a must-have weapon in your fundraising arsenal. An excellent pitch deck piques the interest of potential investors in your idea and engages them in a discussion about your company, hopefully leading to an investment.
In this essay, I’ll walk you through the formula for creating your own pitch deck.

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