Jan Reichelt

Series A Engineering: How does Dreamcraft Ventures support startups towards a successful Series A? 🚀 Find out in our Bits & Pretzels Masterclass in Munich on 30 Sep, which will be hosted by Nico, Founder Enablement Partner, and yours truly 🙌 We will cover how we invest and support portfolio companies. Using Hiber as a case study, I will talk about our collaboration with Michael and his team, and give you insights into how they raised their $15m Series A led by EQT Ventures 🤩 Nico will do a deep dive into crucial building blocks for early-stage startups. Based on his +15 years of experience from VC-backed startups like Trustpilot and Platypus, which he co-founded, Nico will provide hands-on advice for hiring, creating structural trust, retaining talent and building a performance culture 💪🔥 Are you going to Bits & Pretzels? Then join our Masterclass or reach out to myself, Nico or our colleague, Mads, if you want to meet up elsewhere! 💬 #Bits24 #venturecapital #vc #startup

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How to Navigate VC Dynamics. 🌏 8 insights to master the fundraising game: 🚀 1. Understand VC Behavior Patterns VCs often say "show more traction" as a default response. This demand escalates with each meeting, creating a moving target. 2. Leverage Social Proof and Herd Mentality A term sheet from a top-tier VC can dramatically shift perceptions. This highlights the strong influence of social proof in the VC ecosystem. 3. Balance Risk Aversion vs. FOMO VCs juggle the fear of missing out (FOMO) against their risk aversion. A respected VC's involvement tips this balance towards FOMO. 4. Build Trust Dynamics Initial hesitation from VCs often stems from a lack of trust. Third-party validation, especially from renowned VCs, acts as a trust catalyst. 5. Master the Fundraising Game Securing investment is as much about social dynamics as it is about business metrics. Understanding these unwritten rules is crucial for founders. 6. Target Respected Lead Investors Early-stage startups might benefit more from targeting respected lead investors. Building relationships with top-tier VCs, even if not immediately fruitful, can pay off later. 7. Decode the Paradox of VC Decision-Making Despite claims of data-driven decisions, VC behavior suggests a strong reliance on peer signals. This creates a circular system where VCs validate each other's decisions. 8. Focus Your Efforts Wisely Understanding these dynamics can help founders navigate the fundraising landscape more effectively. Focus your efforts where they're likely to yield the best results. And succeed! ♻️ Repost if you found this useful 💡 Follow David Kim for more 💡 Subscribe my newsletter, Founders' Edge on LinkedIn https://lnkd.in/g8w7GjAT

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Market size slide often misses the mark due to a standardized approach by pitch coaching. This template mandates the inclusion of TAM, SAM, and SOM in three bubbles. You can find such templates all over the internet. 👀 Everywhere I found that entrepreneur claims “Our global TAM is $X B, but we are going to start in a certain part where our SAM is $Y B. And we project that our SOM is $Z B” It’s clear why entrepreneurs try to pump up their market size. They’ve been told that VC only interested in unicorns, and so they assume that the best way to become a unicorn is to go for the largest market. The thinking is that it's easier to get 2% of a very large market than it is to get 20% of a smaller market. So, they search for market data that allow them to claim that their TAM is $56B, or $256B, or even better, $2.5T. When this slide appears, most investors chuckle. Investors generally don’t give any credence to the market size. We may still ask founders how big their target market is, but the point is to see 'how founders think about segmentation, not to rate the startup based on how big they think.' 💡 Savvy investors prefer startups go after a market that doesn't yet exist. Better to create the market than try to unseat established competitors. Rather than claiming that you can disrupt a existing market, what’s more relevant and compelling is how you answer questions such as: 👇 1. Who are your target customers? 2. How will you reach them? 3. How many can you reach? 4. How will you convert them? 5. How many can you convert? 6. How will you onboard them? 7. How much will that cost? 8. What is a customer worth? 9. How many customers will you acquire this year,Next year,The year after? Most investors want to see market opportunity, not market size. They need to see that you understand more about your approach of reaching & onboard customers. Founders should build a bottom-up model that demonstrates how you will build a big, profitable, customer by customer business. Don’t suggest that your focus is on acquiring market share in a large market. 🙆‍♀️ We’ve heard several pitch on wearable technologies for dogs. They claim - there are 90M dogs in the US alone — at $9.95 a month subscription, that’s a $10B market! But truth is It doesn’t matter if there are only 20M or 200M dogs. What matters is how many dog owners the entrepreneur can convince, one by one, to sign up for this service. Define your target precisely, like "urban professionals, 25-35, earning $80,000+, active Instagram users, and dog owners." Entrepreneur should stop pitching the typical market-size slide. Instead, they should show investors that they understand the market opportunity customer by customer.💡 Check out my free newsletter for more insights: https://lnkd.in/dKZQKHg2 . #startups #funding #fundraising #founders #investors #VC #angelinvestors #founder #fund #money #runway #marketsize #market #entrepreneurship #entrepreneur #customers

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How to Close an Angel Round: Securing angel investment requires strategic planning and building momentum. Here are essential steps to help you close the round: 1. Mass Syndication: Approach multiple investors simultaneously to create urgency and increase social proof. 2. Set Terms Below Market: Start with investor-friendly terms and valuation to gain initial traction with interested angels. 3. Build Social Proof: Mention reputable backers who have shown interest, as this can create momentum among other investors. 4. Rolling Close Strategy: Accept funds as they come, rather than waiting for the full round to close, allowing you to stay agile with cash flow. 5. Use Angel Networks: Platforms like AngelList can connect you with potential investors and streamline introductions. 6. Clear Deadline: Set a timeline to push for commitment, using milestones like holidays or oversubscription to create urgency. #AngelInvesting #StartupFunding #InvestorRelations #Entrepreneurship #VentureCapital PS. check out 🔔 for a winning pitch deck the template created by Silicon Valley legend, Peter Thiel https://lnkd.in/ejp-Bhnu

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Forget VC moonshots. There’s a different model that underrepresented founders should pursue. Here's what you need to know about mittelstand businesses. “Mittelstand” is a German word typically used to describe companies focused on doing one thing well and doing it with great margins. In the world of venture capital, these companies are typically classified as lifestyle businesses that generate “only" $1-50M in annual revenue. While plenty of founders want to build big businesses with many employees listed on NASDAQ, most of us would be more than happy to build a sustainable, revenue-generating business that employs 10-50 people and has a great culture. Mittelstands are the best route. The problem is that many (not all) tech founders default to VC, which means they default to chasing VC outcomes. Defaulting instead to a mittelstand model allows founders to expand and aim higher if the opportunity presents itself. Imagine this: you raise a $2m Seed round. You grow to $1M in ARR in 2 years, but it’s a grind. You’re not growing at the high rate your VC investors want you at, but you’re profitable and have a product that your customers love. You have two options: 1. Follow traditional tech startup advice, raise more money, and try to pivot into something with more growth potential, potentially throwing away the traction that you’ve already found and setting your company up to flame out if you can’t raise more money or if the pivot doesn’t work. 2. Go the mittelstand route and grow your company sustainably to ~$5M in revenue while staying as lean as possible. Two years later, your company profits $1-2M a year, and you can exit for $20M to a big player OR keep riding the wave. Option 2 sounds pretty good to me 🤷🏾‍♂️ Venture-sized outcomes are not the only path for founders. The more we know about the different growth models for companies, the more optionality that gives to underrepresented founders looking to build something. H/t Neil Thanedar for introducing me to the idea of a mittelstand business Did you find this useful? If you did, give me a follow Toby Egbuna 💰 and/or report it to your network!

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Raising a VC Fund in Europe? We've gathered insights from over 300 VCs and LPs. Here’s what you need to know: 1. Build trust-based connections. 👉28.6% of our guests emphasize the power of strategic and authentic networking Deep, sector-specific insights + broad, meaningful networks = the winning combo! 2. Stand out in a crowded space! 👉19.7% highlighted the need for a compelling narrative that aligns with investors’ goals. Showcase your investment thesis and team expertise to carve out your niche. 3. Be consistent & committed. 👉18.9% stressed the importance of resilience, grit, and continuous improvement. Success requires enduring the trials of fundraising and staying dedicated to your long-term goals. 4. Show knowledge & expertise. 👉14.3% mentioned the value of deep knowledge and effective communication. Blend your expertise with a forward-thinking vision to articulate your thesis in a compelling way. 5. Keep it real. 👉 10.9% advised authentic engagement and integrity. Build genuine relationships and be transparent about your strengths and weaknesses to foster trust. 6. Stay flexible! 👉 7.6% underscored the need for a flexible mindset to navigate uncertainties and seize new opportunities. Pivot strategies and embrace continuous learning. Learn how to navigate the effects of the #TechReset. Get insights from The State of European Fundraising Report. https://buff.ly/4boUlfm #EUVC #fundraising #venturecapital #industryreport

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Why more boards need to have a brand strategist For years now I have been consulting LPs, VCs, and Their portfolios Every time we do stakeholder interviews here are the outcomes: - We didn't think of that - This is a much better way to look at it - This will help the company get more market share What leads this to be the case? - My Strategic guidance? Yes. - Interactive Facilitation? Yes again. - Aligned Positioning for brand impact? Bingo! But why aren't the board able to do that? - Well everyone has their key skill - And while they know how to grow - An external consultant can help scale it But that's not it! As a brand strategist, I have helped - Create an audience differentiation and association - Scale growth and profits - Align direction! Both internally and externally This gives the brand a larger vision and a culture to lead it This is why more company boards should have a brand strategist Want one? We have 3 more slots for my advisory portfolio Reach out! Always, Arcui #boardadvisor #brandstrategy #VC #marketshare

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𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲-𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝘀. 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁-𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀: 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝘆? 𝗨𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗮𝘀! 📈 Ever wondered why VCs love product-focused companies while Private Equity firms lean towards services (not exclusively)? 🤔 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆! 𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼, 𝘄𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀: 📈 𝗩𝗖𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵: They bet on product-based companies because they can scale rapidly with minimal headcount. 0 to $100 million in under 10 years? That's their game! 🤝 𝗣𝗘 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵: They typically invest in companies that are already well-established, post Series B or C. While they might consider service-based businesses, the complexity of scaling these companies requires a different strategy. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅? 👨‍💼 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: You need more people to deliver services. This means more hiring, onboarding, and talent management headaches. 📈 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹: As you scale, you need more people to manage the increased workload. This can create bottlenecks and slow down your growth. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀!  𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲-𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀? 💪 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺: Invest in recruiting, training, and retaining top talent. 🤝 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆: Streamline communication and collaboration to avoid bottlenecks. 🚀 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆: Find tools and platforms to automate processes and free up your team's time. 📢 𝗜𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆, product-based businesses can scale more rapidly and with less incremental cost, while service-based businesses face greater challenges in scaling but can offer higher customization and potentially higher margins. Hybrid models aim to balance these aspects but come with increased complexity. 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲-𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀? Watch this video👇

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Excellent chart! A common wrong assumption about VC investments in Europe, that they are in close relation with country size, population or GDP. This map clearly shows fundamental differences amongst similar sized countries... Whether one likes it or not, there MUST be a hub impact (preferred locations), existing network benefits as well as big disadvantages for any fragmentation...

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WHAT THE DECK? 🍿 Twenty years ago, startups crafted dense Word-based business plans for investment purposes. Today, landscape-mode slide decks are the standard, prioritizing synthesized information and visuals. Here's a quick guide to the three types of #decks you need for fundraising: 🎬 #Teaser: the trailer. Introduce your project to new investors. 🎥 #Pitch Deck: the movie. Use it in meetings but don’t share it. 🎞️ #Investor Deck: the extended version. Detailed and comprehensive, send it after initial meetings. Stay tuned for more insights on crafting the perfect deck for your startup by subscribing to the #Deckoder by Slide Hackers.

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The Startup Pricing Guide By Bessemer Venture Partner A Must-Read Guide for Founders to Understand the Ways to Monetize Their Products and Services. It includes: 1. Where to Start? 2. Companies Wait on Pricing, But Why? 2. Why Does This Matter? 3. How Does the Role of Pricing Change? 4. The Startup Pricing Journey Stage 2: Finding the Right Revenue Model Stage 3: Segmentation of the Customer Base Stage 4: Drive Upsell & Cross-Sell Stage 5: Optimizing Price Pricing is often an afterthought for tech startups, with founders focused more on product development and user adoption. However, pricing is one of the most important decisions a company will make. Startups tend to take a "kick the can down the road" approach, delaying pricing decisions due to factors like an "adoption at all costs" mentality, lack of a multidisciplinary approach, and absence of data Bessemer Venture Partners' team shared a practical approach on how to find the best way to monetize your product/services and how to scale the business model, etc. You can read in attached pdf 👇 👉 Check out my free newsletter for more insights: https://lnkd.in/dKZQKHg2 . #startup #fundraising #venturecapital #funding #fundraising #founders #founderjourney #entrepreneurship #entrepreneur #founderstories #startuptips #sharktankindia #siliconvalley #startups #vc #vcfund #vcfunding #funding #startups #pmf #product #sequoiacapital #pricing #businessmodel

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Europe’s 20 biggest 2024 funding rounds of women-led startups   The momentum in European VC ecosystem is electrifying, fueled by founders building startups driven by true passion and 💯 dedication. Among them, the women founders are truly standing out, making remarkable waves in Europe's bustling startup scene. Let's celebrate these top 20 trailblazers having successfully raised the biggest funding rounds so far.   Huge shout out to:   1/ $145M in Series D for Eléonore Crespo, Romain Niccoli, and team Pigment led by ICONIQ Growth 2/ $107M in Series B for Klara Forslund, Anders Forslund, and team Heart Aerospace led by Sagitta Ventures 3/ $100M in Series B for Vidya Peters and team DataSnipper led by Index Ventures  4/ $100M in Series D for Shrestha Chowdhury, Tushar Ahluwalia, Dr. Oliver Dlugosch, Christoph Felix Gamon, and team Razor Group led by Presight Capital 5/ $40M in Series B for Eleanor Lightbody and team Luminance led by March Capital 6/ $27M for Priscilla Rozé-Pagès, Antoine Coutant, and team AgriLife Studio led by Bpifrance 7/ $27M in Series A for Pauline Glikman, Joseph A., and team Payflows led by Balderton Capital 8/ $26M in Series B for Vilve Vene, Myles Bertram, and team TUUM led by CommerzVentures 9/ $24M in Series B for Delphine Groll, Martin Raison, and team Nabla led by Cathay Innovation 10/ $16M Series A for Romina Coll, Carlos Serrano García-Lisón, Antonio Berga, and team Embat led by Creandum 11/ $15.4M in Series A for Drs. Sara Marquart and Max Marquart, and team Planet A led by World Fund  12/ $15M for Shelley Copsey, Anish Patel, Karl Simons, and team FYLD led by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan 13/ $15M in Series A for Cassidy Daly, Lucas Vogelsang, Martin Quensel, and team Centrifuge led by ParaFi Capital and Greenfield 14/ $13M in Series B extension for CEO Kate Henningsen, and team Information Grid co-led by Keyframe Capital and A/O 15/ $13M in Series B for Michaela Wachtel, Dr. Sascha Bach, Marcus Stein, Ronald Claus von Nordheim, and team Wattron led by the Circular Innovation Fund and ECBF  More in the comments below.   👩🏾‍🎤 So far 38 gender-diverse startups have already notably raised Series A+ with a huge pre-seed and seed pipeline of startups also having secured money to build generation defining businesses. Huge congrats! #pavingtheway That said, we know there are a lot of founders who are working extremely hard to reach those critical financing milestones. 💸 Let’s roll up our sleeves and collectively shape a more diverse, equal, and inclusive future of European tech. 💡 For all venture capitalists aiming to further diversify deal pipeline and portfolio feel free to comment with a “yes” for last years funding list of gender-diverse startups in Europe. #startups #captablediversity the Evangelistas #founder

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My VC-tech newsletter for the first half of September can be summarized in 5 words - Summer Slump and AI Hype - https://lnkd.in/eHuihDec European VC Market 📉 August was the worst month for European startup funding since April 2017, with only €1.8bn raised across 247 funding rounds. 📈 Despite this, median late venture rounds are growing in size, with the median Series B round size up 40% year on year. Global VC Trends 📉 The number of VC transactions continued to decline in Q2'24, to 4,207 from 4,452 in Q1. 📈 However, aggregate value ticked up to $69.4bn from $61.2bn, boosted by tech deals. 🚨 Exits continued at a very moderate pace, with only 13 VC-backed IPOs in Q2 compared to 44 in Q1 2024. AI Update 🤖 AI features prominently among the 6,868 VC funds currently in market worldwide, aiming to raise a combined $462.6bn. 💰 The US has increased its domination of VC in recent years, with prominent funds like Andreessen Horowitz and Balderton Capital investing heavily in AI (A16Z did close their Miami shop which Khosla shrugged off). Mega-Deals and IPOs 🚀 Safe Superintelligence raised a $1+ billion round at a reported $5 billion valuation, while OpenAI and Coreweave are out to raise unprecedented rounds. 💰 Sequoia Capital bought $861 million worth of Stripe shares. IPO 🔔 Companies like OpenAI, CoreWeave, and Rebellions are reportedly planning IPOs. Come along for much else on how VC valuations shaped up in early Sep, the California AI act, AI eating jobs at your favourite BNPL shop, Paul Graham's awesome new article on 'founder mode'. #VC #Startup #Tech #AI #IPO #VentureCapital #Funding #Innovation

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As an #vc and #investor, I am constantly bombarded with buzzwords, and #AI seems to be spiking everywhere, even in #businesses that have nothing to do with it. Amused by what I see, I just realized that many people don't even know what AI is, and even more amusing is that there are people who consider #chatgpt to be AI. Well, there is a lot to dig deeper and read beyond. Here is an amazing report by Stanford University's Stanford Institute for Human-Centered #ArtificialIntelligence, which publishes the #AI #Index everywhere. Putting together some of the key highlights that I could gather from this amazing report 🚀 Insightful Takeaways from the 2023 AI Index by #Stanford #HAI 🌐 This year’s Stanford HAI report unveils compelling trends and #statistics that underscore the accelerating pace of AI #innovation, primarily led by the #UnitedStates. The emergence of multimodal foundation models highlights a significant shift towards more sophisticated AI systems capable of understanding and integrating multiple forms of data. As investments in generative AI continue to climb, the implications for industries and workforces are profound. The report calls attention to the necessity for robust AI governance frameworks to ensure ethical integration and mitigate job displacement risks. Delving deeper into the transformative power of AI the report speaks of - Multimodal Models: Their rise signifies a leap toward AI systems that can more accurately mimic #human perception by processing varied #data types. - Investment Surge: Reflects growing confidence in AI’s potential to drive future #economic and technological advancements. - Regulatory Imperatives: As AI's impact expands, crafting effective policies is crucial to balancing innovation with societal welfare. The report further discusses some exciting aspects of how we can, as a community, contribute to responsible AI development and what strategies should be adopted to integrate AI in ways that enhance job opportunities rather than diminish them. Here is the link to the complete report and amazing 13 #charts and #illustrations https://lnkd.in/gHQBzZjN #AI #Innovation #StanfordHAI #TechnologyTrends #AIRegulation #FutureOfWork

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All-in-One Business Model Guide For Founders It's written by leading entrepreneurs, investors and professors like Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur, Co-created by 470 practitioners from 45 countries, the book provides a practical framework for understanding, designing, and implementing innovative business models. It includes: 1. Definition of a Business Model 2. The 9 Building Blocks 3.The Business Model Canvas  4. Unbundling Business Models 5. The Long Tail 6. Multi-Sided Platforms 7. FREE as a Business Model 8. Open Business Models 9. Customer Insights 1 10. Ideation 11. Visual Thinking 12. Prototyping 13. Storytelling 14. Scenarios 15. Business Model Environment 16. Evaluating Business Models 17. Business Model Perspective on Blue Ocean Strategy 18. Managing Multiple Business Models 19. Business Model Design Process 👉 Check out my free newsletter for more insights: https://lnkd.in/dKZQKHg2 . #startups #businessmodel #funding #fundraising #founders #founder #entrepreneur #startup #venturecapital #VC #entrepreneurship #funding #angelinvestors #jobs #startuptips

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First Round Capital's 4 Levels framework is one of the most detailed and coherent guides on product-market fit (PMF) for B2B software businesses. And while this guide is geared towards venture-backed businesses, I've seen a lot of parallels within the bootstrapped community. Specifically, there's a version of the Level 3 PMF described here that bootstrapped companies hit where they begin to really start to seriously consider whether or not they should take outside help and/or investment. Usually these businesses are $1M+ in ARR, have team of ~5+ (usually more, and not incl. contractors), and have had a history of pretty healthy growth until the past 6-12 months. To echo some of the yellow flags mentioned in the guide, these businesses are now facing: - Inbound channels that are starting to stall. Referrals and word of mouth have started to plateau - Outbound efforts that have yielded little to no success, and have rendered the founders a bit gun shy on continued investment in these channels - A leaky bucket where unwanted/regretted churn is starting to tick up and competition is starting to get fiercer - Growth is starting to show signs of significantly slowing for the first time - Inexperience and/or a reluctance to orient the business towards larger enterprise opportunities, despite having some large logos or contracts It's completely understandable why founders would look externally for help at this point. The business has gotten farther than they probably initially imagined, but what got them to this point won't get them to the next step. At Polychrome, we've identified this point as our most preferred entry point into a business. Our expertise lies in partnering with and working alongside technical founders who've built a great business, but lack the GTM experience to take their bootstrapped business to that Level 4, Extreme PMF. If what I've shared above describes your business, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'd love to learn more and see if we can work together to help re-accelerate your company! https://lnkd.in/giKJ4Vfi

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Tips & tricks for European VCs fundraising right now. From Rainer Märkle, General Partner at HV Capital. Have courage. Step up. Don't let yourself down on some negative. Pursue your goals. Don't just try to do the same things that others have already done. Do something different. Do your own thing. Find your niche. Find your theme. Find your segment. BUT. Don't be overly ambitious at first. It's a long-term game. Don't set the bar too high. Start with a very small fund. Invest the fund for a year or a year and a half. What do you think? Join the conversation below. 🔽 #venturecapital #angelinvesting #startupfunding #europe

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