Ernests Stals

500 VCs and thousands of founders have already joined the movement! That's HUGE for European Startups, but no time to chill. 🚀 - Europe's risk-capital backed ventures create jobs at 3x the pace of the traditional market. - 8 of 10 of the world's most valuable companies were once VC-backed startups - The startups signing the EU Inc petition today have already more enterprise value, than the biggest player in Germany automotive and chemical industry combined in market cap. And they are just getting started. Yet lets be realistic, our industry won't collect 1 Million signatures needed for an official European Citizen Initiative, but we can do what startups do - get creative, re-invent distribution and create a step-function. Which founder, which VC, which KOF from your local ecosystem do we need on the petition? Please comment and tag.

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The BIGGEST VC & Startup event in the world just ended, What did you miss? Jorian Hoover, Early-Stage Funding Coach, just got back from Slush, the BIGGEST Venture Capital and Startup event IN THE WORLD and he shares some key takeaways with us in this special episode of Business Mastery! ✅ Who is this event for? ✅ What are VCs seeing? ✅ Is the AI investment landscape changing? ✅ Why are you reading this instead of just clicking the link and watching the interview? 😎 *This is an excerpt from the full episode (the link to the full episode is in the comment!) #startup #entrepreneur #venturecapital

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Securing funding as a startup entrepreneur can feel like navigating a maze in the dark. ❖ Constantly pitching to investors, only to face rejection after rejection. ❖ Struggling to find funds without losing equity in your dream company. ❖ Drowning in a sea of paperwork and strict requirements. I get it. I’ve been there, and I know how frustrating and demoralizing it can be. But what if I told you there's a better way? At Burns Funding, we've pioneered a unique funding mechanism that flips the script on traditional startup financing. Here’s how: ❖ Unsecured Funding: You don’t need to put your assets on the line. We provide unsecured loans, freeing you from the stress of collateral. ❖ No Repayment Hassle: We invest a portion of the funds to generate returns that cover your payments. Imagine focusing on growing your business instead of worrying about repayments. ❖ Pre-Approved Applicants: With a 630 FICO credit score you’re automatically pre-approved. No more grueling vetting processes. Sounds too good to be true? It’s not. This innovative approach allows entrepreneurs like you to receive $100k-$150k on average, with some even securing up to $800k. Entrepreneurs deserve a funding solution as innovative as their ideas. At Burns Funding, we’re committed to making that a reality. Don't let traditional funding challenges hold you back. Let's turn your vision into reality without sacrificing equity or peace of mind. Reach out today and discover how Burns Funding can fuel your entrepreneurial journey. 🚀 #Entrepreneurship #StartupFunding #InnovativeFinance #BurnsFunding

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For founders who are in a fundraising process, remember it is a business transaction. It is not a matter of faith: You may be a great entrepreneur, but your company might not be in the VC investment thesis. You should not compare yourself to other companies that have raised funds with a silly project, and ask for a fundraise based on the fact that you think you are better. Venture Capitalists make mistakes as well, they do not want you to be there next one even though it is a volume game. So it causes a lot of emotions. Don’t use it to get enraged by cherry picking small things and make it personal. A VC should be a simple to understand partner to participate in the company’s growth. That is how you should select them and how most of them want to work as well. Again, it is a volume game for them, and they count on you to focus on your business. The customer is complicated enough to deal with, founders and VCs are ideally supposed to have a very simple relationship.

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Are you looking for a WEB3 project that drives growth 100% a month? I have some! We are https://minders.vc. We shape the future of Telegram and the TON ecosystem. At Minders, we are working on 10 revenue-generating projects you can invest in and get a high-speed exit (3 years instead of 7 at a venture fund). 📈 Why invest in Minders?  Speedy Exits. Aiming for profitable investor exits within 3 years. Exit options are either through a microcap IPO on NASDAQ or we keep it as a dividend business. Fast Growth. Startups created in venture studios achieve seed funding twice as fast and exit 33% faster than conventional startups. Quick Launching. Bringing ideas to market within 1-2 months. Strategic co-founding. We take between 30% to 50% equity in the projects. Amazing advisors. Many of them have built billion-dollar businesses, and all of them are founders. Diversification. You invest in 10 projects instead of one. Ecosystem of growing projects. We are building an ecosystem where every project helps other projects grow. When we attract a user per $1 they get involved in all 10 projects so CPL for us is $0.1 We launched with $50k revenue in July 2024 → one of the projects brought in $80k in August 2024 → our goal is to launch 10 projects targeting $1M MRR by Q2 2025. Our flagship projects highlight our depth of vision and technical expertise: 🎯TADS: A revolutionary advertising network, unlocking new business opportunities within Telegram Mini Apps. $200k revenue for 2 months, +1-2 clients daily 🗓CatchUP: A smart calendar integrated with Telegram, redefining the way meetings are scheduled.  👛Evolur: A next-generation gaming wallet, unifying multiple gaming platforms into a single ecosystem. 🪄Ommly: privat content platform, like OnlyFans. A subscription-based decentralized platform that allows authors to reach their full potential and capitalize on popularity Our core principles set us apart:  • Innovation: We don’t follow trends — we set them. • User Experience: Every solution we design is with the user in mind. • Scalability: Our products are built for global growth. • Integration: Our solutions seamlessly enhance the power of the Telegram ecosystem. Want to learn more? Find the presentation here: https://lnkd.in/deRuDxQf Want to catch up in Singapore on September 16-20? Let’s meet! Send me PM to arrange a meeting.

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If you are focusing on demand generation as an early-stage startup You may be doing it wrong, and here is why 👇 As an early-stage startup, you shouldn't act like an enterprise company. You want to bring your product to people who are ready to buy. These people are already looking for solutions like yours. You need to capture the existing demand before you start doing demand generation. If there is a demand for what you are selling, start investing in channels that will put your product in front of the right audience. Don't start marketing from the top of the funnel; start from the bottom and move up. So, what are some of the channels you can use to bring your product in front of the right audience? I usually work with B2B SaaS PLG companies, so we generally use: Ads ( for capturing demand in short term) Content ( capturing demand in short and long term) Outreach ( short term) If you don't know where to start, ask your customers about how they look for a new product. P.S: You don't need to do 10 channels at the same time you can do one at a time but do it right What do you do when there is no established category and demand for your product? If there is no demand for what you are selling, try to focus on pain points of your ICP or their current solution E.g: If there is no category called "content calendar software" You can still focus on a current solution, "creating a content calendar with sheets" If you focus on the current solution of your ICP, you can educate them about your product. or You can focus on educating people on how they can create content calendar and use your software to educate them. #seo,#saasmarketing, #gtmstrategy, #contentmarketing, #growthmarketing

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🐔🐔 The chickens of 2021 are coming home to roost! 🐔🐔 🚀🚀 2021 was the craziest year in startup land since the dot-com boom. European startup funding hit €100B - more than 2x compared to the year before. 💸💸 Back then I sat on both sides of the table - as an angel I threw money left and right and begged companies without business models to take my money and as a founder I was part of raising a huge round at a massive valuation, considering the stage we were at. 💋💋 Many of those rounds were a kiss of death! Along with the money came the imperative of growth at all cost… starting in 2022 the advice shifted, low-burn and profitability came into fashion... 📈📈 But growth is obviously the name of the game in venture capital. No one wants to invest in a company that's not growing. 😭😭 Keeping up growth while cutting costs is hard. Defending a high valuation while cutting costs and not growing is nearly impossible. An overvalued company that is not growing and firing their staff is a falling knife. Uninvestable. 🤫🤫 It has been awfully quiet around most companies that raised in 2021. The median time between early stage funding rounds is about two years and as you can only pivot and bridge for so long, time should be running out… ☠☠ As the graph below from Carta and the Financial Times shows, in the US, startups of every size and dignity are shutting their doors for good. This is the legacy of 2021. When anyone could raise money. 😖😖 Fundraising is hard again. The way it normally is and the way it should be! 👨🏻‍🎓 👩🏻‍🎓 This fall I will launch The Art of Fundraising, a comprehensive course on how to raise venture capital for early stage founders. I have put everything that I have learnt as a venture capitalist, angel investor and fundraising founder into the course. And then some! ✏✏ Hit me up in the comments if you want to hear more about the course!!

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🚀 Purpose Over Price: The True Value of Your Startup🚀 - Founders, remember this—investors don’t just buy into numbers; they buy into purpose. - When your mission drives your decisions, it creates long-term impact and inspires your team, customers, and partners. - Focus on why you started and let that guide your journey to scale. - Here are 5 Powerful Tips for Mission Alignment in Your Startup 1️⃣ Define Your Core Purpose Clearly: - Make sure everyone on your team understands why your startup exists. Your mission should be simple, authentic, and relatable. 2️⃣ Embed Mission in Every Decision: - From hiring to product development, ask: "Does this align with our mission?" This keeps your purpose at the center of your growth. 3️⃣ Communicate It Consistently: - Talk about your mission often. Make it a part of daily discussions, team meetings, and even you're marketing. 4️⃣ Measure Success Beyond Profits: - Track progress on mission-related goals alongside financial metrics. Purpose-driven success creates lasting impact. 5️⃣ Hire Mission-Driven People: - Bring in people who align with your vision and believe in the impact you're creating. They’ll be more motivated and committed. 🔑 Key Tips: - Stay rooted in your "Why" and the world will follow! #startupgrowth #missiondriven #foundermindset #purpose #scalingup

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As a startup founder in charge of Go-to-Market, I realize that the most important thing is bringing in revenue to pay the team and keep the lights on. So, I’ve been subscribing to more sales content (my whole feed is now sales content 😂). Below is a screenshot of a weekly newsletter from one of my favorite sales trainers, Jeremy Miner. His training has made me realize that even though I'm a strong communicator, there is much more to learn about being a better salesperson, like tonality and asking key questions. For job seekers, 90% of the interview is about how the interviewer thinks of you, and 95% of what the interviewer thinks of you is how you portray yourself and communicate, both nonverbally and verbally. My ability to vary my tone is a major plus that has enabled me to take on student leadership roles and speak at university commencement. Jeremy mentions it as vital in sales, and I will say that it is also vital in interviews. Check out what Jeremy says about tonality below. #internlaunch #buildinginpublic #Project365 #Day10

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Interesting read....Sifted 250, lists the fastest-growing European startups in 2024 and provides insights into their industries, funding, and growth metrics.

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Vital Laptenok What a powerful reminder! It’s easy to get caught up in numbers and results, but at the core of every successful business is the human element. Founders need partners who truly care, not just about their business performance, but about them as individuals. That personal connection builds trust and resilience. Kudos to the VCs who prioritize this—it’s what sets great investors apart.

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Bolt CEO Moves from Founder Mode to Grift Mode Not all founders are ethical, and I think this is a case in point here. It's one thing to attract a new investor who is willing to put money in when the company is about to go out of business. That new investor will often "cram down" existing investors because - well - last money in is often the first money out in a term called "liquidation preferences." If this is truly the lender of last resort, the cap table and ownership shares structure can be reset as well. But this is far beyond normal. Even on a business level, we are not creating a checkout and identity network any longer. We are building a super app. Because why not? It's house money at this point. First, how do you raise $250M in "marketing credits". Why not a billion? The value is unspecified. This sets the tone for the whole thing. Second, the new investor thinks Bolt is bigger than Stripe? There's a sucker born every minute I suppose. We are going to find out this "new investor" is on the take from Breslow. Just wait. Third, $28 M in revenue (which you have to bet is rapidly declining) on any valuation greater than $250M for this company is nonsense. I thought they signed Fanatics? At the top of Fanatics checkout is Paypal and no Bolt identity network. Likely this is not an accident. I question the $28M. But this is not even the worst of it. For all this, Breslow wants a $2M salary and a $1M bonus for coming back. Well, I want a pink unicorn but that doesn't make any sense either. 🦄 He wants a stock kicker if he can increase the ridiculous valuation even more. He wants to increase the grift by partnering with some of his other companies like Love (dot) com. All told, this is a ferriswheel of circus clowns and nonsense. But at least in this crazy world, we can get some entertainment out of it. 🎪 Almost sadly (which is the irony) our entertainment will be short-lived however because this "deal" is never going to close. And if it did, the number of lawsuits from existing investors would pile to the sky.

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Creator and CEO Coworking Sesh: How to Use AI in Content and Course Launches Like a Bestie Save + Share FULL YT VIDEO https://lnkd.in/dgzGnuPv Your favorite coworking to #CREATEIT Like a Boss In this coworking for Creators and CEOs, we're creating in the world of AI and uncovering its potential to act not just as a tool but as your bestie in the content creation and launching process. I take you #behindthescenes with Influencer Marketing Like a Boss. Whether you're a seasoned Creator to CEO or just starting your creator journey, this coworking sesh is designed to empower you with tips, tools and tech to #CREATEIT You won't want to miss a moment to #CREATEIT You will create with: 1 A sneak preview in a Bali coworking space @belunabali 2 Get an insider look into my Influencer Marketing Freebies to Guides to Course to Management 3 Experience and Create with 3 of my fave tech tools for AI @socialcurators @chatgpt @opusclip (and 3 out of my 75+ Tips, Tools and Tech) you will find in my FREE Creator to Cash and Creator to CMO Tool Kits! 4 See my #behindthescenes personal @chatgpt @socialcurators @opusclip #notsponsoredyet 5 How I Create Content and Lauches with Flow including videos, emails, blogs, podcast, youtube, and Instagram 🔔 Don't Miss Out: This coworking sesh isn't just another tutorial – it's a stepping stone to leveraging AI in ways that aligns your authenticity AND saves YOU time. LETS #CREATEIT https://lnkd.in/dhJV4fW3

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How to protect yourself against PANMS Post Acquisition Negative Market Shifts Most founders these days after scaling focus on acquisitions instead of developing an entire tool themselves It's more seamless and cost-effective Already has market adoption It is faster to deploy and achieve cross-user pollination. But what do you when once you acquire a company and then there are market changes affecting your new product How do you avoid it from the get-go? It's simple. Just check for the following! 1. Community Strenght. How strong is the community of the company How associated are they with the company and services Their commitment to the offerings and impact. 2. Scalable infrastructure. From a technical standpoint, how easily can the product change How seamlessly can new features be added Is it well-developed and documented 3. Market Differentiation Regardless of the changes how is this company unique How is it different in comparison and standpoint How are the company processes, offerings, experiences and impact different If a company you acquired meets these marks well You can seamlessly pivot Embrace, Thrive and scale Without worrying about market changes Does your company have these? Always, Arcui

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Fundraising is a numbers game. But not just because most investors will say no. (though they will) The other reason is it takes some level of volume to find the best possible investors for your company. In the best case scenario, you don't want to just raise money you want to raise from the best investors possible. Unless you already know a ton of investors (and sometimes even if you do), you'll need to meet a lot of folks to figure out: - who you vibe with most - who sees the world similar to you - who shares your values - who understands your market the best - who else already shares or can get to the conviction you have on the opportunity you're pursuing - who's network can be uniquely helpful to what you're building etc. This is one of the times when cringe statements like "investor 🤝 founder partnerships are like a marriage" or "fundraising is like dating" bares some truth. You're not marrying your VCs. And fundraising is def not the same vibes as dating in most ways. But it is an evaluative process and it takes reps to find your people. When we were raised, I was surprised at how many investors I liked in general that didn't feel like good fits for the specific company we were building.

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What are the disadvantages of building a small business in tech? Due to a risk-averse culture, many Western European founders prefer to build small businesses rather than large ones. However, this is usually not feasible in technology startups. We all know and use American technology giants in our daily lives. More and more gigantic companies are being created in the US, controlling most of the market. Small companies often become obsolete because big companies take over. Also, running a small business is extremely exhausting because the founder has to do it all. Often, it's unsellable because small businesses are dependent on their founders. As a result, founders of small businesses may find themselves stuck in an unsellable business, working long hours for many years. Ultimately, the business will most likely be rendered obsolete by big technology corporations. To sum up: 1️⃣ Don't stay small if you have a tech startup. 2️⃣ Growth at all costs! 3️⃣ Always be raising and invest in growth. 4️⃣ You either go big or go home, as they say in Silicon Valley. #TechStartup #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #GoBigOrGoHome #StartupLife #ScaleYourBusiness #BigTech #StartupChallenges #FounderLife #InvestInGrowth

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Often, I'm asked what the key ingredients are for creating a successful startup. The truth is that there are several crucial elements behind any great recipe. Every year, CB Insights publishes a sobering list of the main reasons startups fail, and among these, two stand out: the team and the product. There needs to be more than a good team, and neither is having TIER1 talent. A successful team is cohesive, not just a group of top performers. Cohesion comes from sharing a mission. It's not about having star players and merely listening to your team; it's about seeking consensus and continuously questioning ourselves, both in good times and bad. A good product isn't enough, either; market changes and initial customer discoveries need to be more significant. We must focus on why people choose us, our mission, and the positive impact we bring to their lives. Customer centricity is trendy, but genuine interest in the people who trust our product is vital. We must serve them, our startup team members, and the purpose for which our partners and investors have placed their trust in us. These ingredients are simple yet complex. Building a startup or company is an act of deep love. Like any relationship, it requires dedication, attention, and continuous listening. Today, I thank my entire team, our trusted founders, and, in a way, our customers and partners, whom we've carefully chosen individually. Special thanks to Mamazen Startup Studio IH1 for uniting us around a joint mission. Alessandro Mina, Alexandre Campra, Nicolò Vinci, Andrea Arditi, Manuela Maiocco, Roberto B., Luca Menesello, Anna Muzzolon Thanks to all our new partners. Today, we celebrate with you, too. Thank you 1000 times!

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Don't wing your startup's budget and hope for the best. Effective budgeting is crucial for the long-term success and sustainability of SaaS startups. Many founders think they can just focus on growth and figure out the financials later. But that's not how the best do it. Instead, create a comprehensive budget that covers all key aspects of your business. Here are 7 steps that will help you create a solid SaaS startup budget: 1. Project your revenue based on realistic subscription model estimates. 2. Budget for essential operating expenses like development and support. 3. Allocate sufficient funds to sales and marketing for growth. 4. Don't neglect software development expenses to keep your product competitive. 5. Account for general and administrative costs like office space. 6. Closely monitor cash flow and adjust spending as needed. 7. Leverage budgeting tools built for SaaS to stay on track. You'll know you're doing it right when you can sustainably invest in growth. Remember — you're not just a visionary founder. You're also the financial strategist that will guide your startup to profitability.

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Keep it simple As an exited founder - As an investor - I see too many founders overcomplicate their businesses. Do you overcomplicate things in your business? If Yes, why? I founded my first business in 2001 and closed it in 2007. Some lasting memories of stupid stuff I distracted myself with include: ❌ paying a graphic designer for logos and stationery ❌ website designers ❌ months building and populating a CRM system with potential leads ❌ setting up an accounting system with a bespoke chart of accounts Its over 20 years ago and the memories are hazy, but these are some of the examples of stuff I wasted time, energy and money on for my first business. I kept myself busy for months on end without doing anything unsavoury such as cold calling and/or prospecting. I perfected and polished everything before I did the stuff that I feared the most, selling. The business failed. Then onto business #2 ✔ DIY logo on Microsoft paint, took about 1 hour ✔ Free website template ✔ No CRM build, just hit the phones hustling on day 1 ✔ Ignored the accounting system until I started billing customers ✔ Started selling my software before the MVP was available The difference between business #1 and #2 was profound. #2 was pure hustle, all I focussed on was selling and then when I started to sell it was into panic mode to try and deliver. We winged it, myself and one colleague. We kept winging it for about the first 3 to 5 years until we started to scale and the team started to grow. We then started to put in processes and procedures as we were moving even faster. ✔ It was scrappy ✔ Processes and procedures were being tried and refined on the fly ✔ We were scaling so we could quickly see what worked and what didn't ✔ When we got things wrong we apologised, fixed it and moved on ✔ We were profitable every year We never got time to do some stuff that we really should have done. So were we 100% compliant with all of the laws and regulations that a UK company were supposed to be compliant with? No. There I said it. Were they major laws or regs, No, but Yes there are minor regs that we forgot to comply with. Am I proud of this no. Are you a founder, are there some laws and regulations that you know you should be compliant with but are not? But we were hustling, we were growing, we were employing more and more people whom we always looked after really well. There was a great environment and culture in the business, most of the time. We delivered a great product and service for our customers. But we essentially kept things simple, kept things lean at all times. Have you any examples to share of how you keep things simple in your business? #regulations #entrepreneurs #founders #law

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