Joseph D'Souza

Join us today for the Thought Leadership Panel on, 'Outage Management in Utility Industry: Innovation, Trends and Challenges' where industry leaders will be discussing innovations and trends in the Utility Industry.

5

Drop In Venture Funding To Black-Founded Startups Greatly Outpaces Market Decline Chris MetinkoGené Teare February 27, 2024 Venture funding to Black-founded U.S. startups last year totaled only $705 million — marking the first time since 2016 that the figure failed to even reach $1 billion, Crunchbase data shows. The decline in capital to Black-founded companies greatly outpaces the overall decline in startup funding. While total venture dollars in the U.S. fell 37% last year, funding to Black-founded startups dropped a staggering 71%, according to Crunchbase data. Last year’s total investment in Black-founded startups in the U.S. marks the lowest amount since such startups raised only $582 million in 2016. The drop in total dollars also meant Black-founded startups received their lowest share in the venture market since at least 2016, per Crunchbase. Black-founded startups received less than 0.5% of the $140.4 billion in venture funding all U.S.-based startups received last year. In 2021, Black-founded startups received 1.4% of all U.S. venture funding. In 2022, it was 1.1%.

1

1 Comment

Mark Taylor Amy McGeady It was a pleasure to be on the webinar with you, "Dispelling Myths Around Gen AI Use in Proposal Development" https://lnkd.in/egyYWnva Mark, I liked your remark: "Even if AI could create proposals autonomously, we would have to have the human role since that creates human ownership." "Even if" likely implies AGI—OpenAI defines AGI as autonomous systems that surpass humans in most economically valuable tasks - https://lnkd.in/eCXp8MfN For instance, the Tech Writer job function as defined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook https://lnkd.in/eSScQG9v Could you hire the latest model from OpenAI o1 model to be a proposal writer on your team? The answer is obviously no. Interestingly, last week, a bunch of scientists designed a new "AGI benchmark" to measure real-world progress in autonomous ML engineering agents. They found that o1 achieved at least the level of a Kaggle bronze medal on 16.9% of the 75 tests. https://lnkd.in/eZmwj2B5 pWin.ai

30

In this insightful conversation between the legendary host, Frank Fiume, CFE, and Tushar Mishra, CFE, the CEO at Delightree, you will learn how our innovative platform is helping franchisors and franchisees overcome day-to-day expansion and operational challenges with easy-to-use franchise tech. Tushar talks about the five modules at Delightree that franchisors use for: 🌟 Launching New Locations (LoLa) 🌟 Knowledge Sharing 🌟 Training and Onboarding Teams 🌟 Achieving Operational Efficiency 🌟 Increasing Communications and Engagement If you would like to learn more about this episode, the link is in the comments section below.

21

1 Comment

HR Tech Vendors – from Foe to Friend. Over the years, Phase 3’s relationship with software vendors has changed dramatically. When I set up the business we intentionally positioned ourselves against the vendors. We said we were more affordable, we offered continuity of resource, we were independent (all of which we were) and this was our ‘in’ with the customers. We’d throw however much mud we could and hoped it stuck. The vendors didn’t like us as they lost quite a bit of business to us in those days. I headhunted consultants out of the vendors and got them contracting for us so it's not really surprising we weren't on their Xmas card list. This is the time where legal letters were common (at least a couple each quarter) and they tried their very best to make it difficult for us to operate. They were protecting their business as i was protecting mine. To be fair, we still get the odd letter from a certain vendor – can anyone guess who? I’ll give you a clue, we’ve probably saved them over 50 clients, a minimum of ten million pounds in customer renewals (conservative figure) yet they still treat us like a pariah!! How dare we work with their customers 😲 shock/horror! A thank you would be nice…..Oh well, they’ll survive and so will we. Fast forward to today and our (and my) outlook is totally different. Vendors are now our partners and we work together, in collaboration to add value to our joint customers. They pass us work, we pass them work and I believe in the triangle of Vendor, Client & Partner to deliver the best possible outcome for all parties involved 🤝. Not all vendors operate this way and some maintain their PS teams internally which is absolutely fine. For these guys, we may offer client-side support around PM or data migration for example. New and innovative solutions are popping up all the time and HR, Payroll & Finance remain incestuous markets where people float around from one vendor to another – this hasn’t changed in 20 years! Time and experience has changed my approach to many things at Phase 3 and those true partnerships where it feels like a 50/50 approach and not just in the benefit of one side are to be cherished, nurtured and cultivated. That’s what we do at Phase 3.

42

8 Comments

Bill Inmon on Crafting a Visionary Tech Company In this exclusive video, Bill Inmon shares his incredible journey from starting his first company, Prism Solutions, to becoming a visionary leader and innovator in the tech industry. Bill's story is a testament to the power of vision, innovation, and leadership. If you're in the realm of #leadership or #agile methodologies, this is a must-watch! Key Learnings: Visionary Leadership: Understand the importance of having a clear and compelling vision. Building Technology: Learn about the challenges and excitement of developing groundbreaking technologies. Selling the Vision: Discover the strategies to effectively communicate and sell your vision to the world. Watch the full video below and get inspired by Bill Inmon's journey. For more insightful content, visit our YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/ghX5ESWa. Don't forget to subscribe to our "Cracking The Growth Code" podcast! #leadership #vision #businessgrowth

3

Check out our recent webinar on applying for SBIR/STTR awards with Fehmida Kapadia, PhD and Kapamed Consulting!

11

If you enjoyed our first blog on the metrics that matter for Verticalized SaaS then don't miss on the Part II of the series where my colleagues Devraj Hom Roy and Matt Schaar discuss the strategic and operational choices to improve these operational indicators. https://lnkd.in/g5QkCrcH

15

1 Comment

Wayseers are visionaries that ‘find the way’ to make a vision a concrete, material reality. And Sherry Deutschmann, now joined by her Co-Founder Morgan Stanley, have created a model in BrainTrust that works. I know because I have experienced it. It works because the Wayseers empower their team members to see the way too. It works because those driving the bus keep checking in and looking back to see if those riding the bus are enjoying the ride, and providing support to make the trip ‘profitable’ and memorable. It works because everyone – employees and clients – are heard and openly and genuinely appreciated. And it works because these Gals walk their talk, every time. BrainTrust is a membership program for ambitious women entrepreneurs. We hear often that ‘it takes a village’ to run your business. But what we are not told is that WE – the entrepreneurs – create the village. For me, BrainTrust works because it is a critical component of MY village by providing me an invaluable close-knit group of women business owners who care about my success, and a larger network of women who share the BrainTrust code: empower others to empower yourself. So, I’m really excited to share that BrainTrust is expanding to Charlotte, NC, in August 2024! If you are a Woman Entrepreneur in either Nashville, TN, or Charlotte, NC, joining BrainTrust can propel your business exponentially while providing a peer support network like no other! For more information, please visit https://ourbraintrust.org, or email [email protected] Add BrainTrust to your village: it works. #womenfounders #entrepreneur #ittakesavillage #peermentoring #businessowners

11

4 Comments

Do you struggle to track grants and report accurately to get the most for your mission? Do you have difficulty capturing accurate costs for reimbursement and lack of control and visibility? \ Sage Intact simplifies grant tracking and billing by: • Providing secure and comprehensive views of grant documents and details in one place • Addressing issues related to grant tracking and billing, regardless of award type or funding • Comparing budget to actuals and configuring grant records • Reporting and comparing budget to actuals on grants with different reporting periods. • Configuring grant records to include unique program delivery details Ready to achieve mission success with Sage Intacct? Check out this demo video: https://lnkd.in/gNZhHPqa, and subscribe to our channel! #sageintacct #nonprofitERP #expressinfo #granttracking

10

1 Comment

Today's the day. This has been a long time coming, and Pixlmob v.1 is finally here! We took in our first venture capital from SCRA: South Carolina Research Authority & Founderville in August (thank you to several angel investors who believed in us way before that!). Since that time we have deployed so much and grown exponentially, but now the core product features we were working on building are finally ready. If you've got three minutes, enjoy our mini-keynote as we drop some new tech that will revolutionize the real estate media world's ability to get work done. When work gets easier, more people can build the lives they want. At Pixlmob our "north star" is to build a platform where anyone on the planet is free to find and complete fulfilling work. This is a huge step forward in helping our vendors differentiate their unique businesses to be selected (through ASAP in particular). It's also a huge step forward for our customers to manage their projects with integrations to key platforms and project management tools for nightly production work (and so many more features)! #makeworksuckless

39

1 Comment

Discover how to use the Brokerkit functionality effectively to engage with leads and secure appointments. We share proven strategies to enhance visibility and showcase values that resonate, ensuring connections with agents who align with our mission. #BrokerkitSuccess #realestatetips #clientengagement #leadconversion #AgentConnection #realestatemarketing #videostrategy #businessgrowth #networking #valuedriven

2

We are seeing a tremendous amount of dialogue around replacing SaaS solutions with AI. Elementum is helping lead the way with easy to build AI Workflow apps that can be deployed in weeks. Cloud replaced On-prem. SaaS replaced traditional software. AI is rapidly replacing SaaS. Buckle up.

63

1 Comment

Good day, esteemed leaders! In a world where every dollar propels us towards innovation and sustainability, it's crucial to ponder: Could your business optimize its utility expenses? At National Utilities Refund, we specialize in converting overlooked utility costs into chances for growth. 📉➡️💡 Our unique audit uncovers refunds, slashes costs, and promotes smart, sustainable practices. With no upfront fee and our payment contingent on your savings, we're committed to boosting your bottom line and sustainability goals. 🌱 Are you ready to explore hidden savings and invest more in innovation? Connect with me to make your business more efficient and sustainable. Let’s embark on this journey to smarter utility management together. #UtilitySavings #SustainableBusiness #Innovation #Growth #Leadership

2

Personalizing the client experience with technology is essential today. Using SMS automation for key moments like policy renewals can boost engagement. By including policy details and preferences, advisors can keep things personal while automating tasks. This strengthens relationships and improves client satisfaction. #FinancialAdvisory #ClientExperience #TechIntegration

2

New Episode Alert! 🦞 I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Ashish Bajaj, co-founder of DIME (YC W24), a Y Combinator-backed startup transforming the manufacturing industry. Ashish's unique journey from investment banking to entrepreneurship is the perfect example of passionate founders with a knack for solving complex problems. In our latest episode of Lobster Talks, we dive deep into: -The manufacturing renaissance in the US: A look at the data that proves it's a booming sector ripe with opportunity. -Dime's factory-floor focus: Why their hands-on approach is a game-changer in a crowded market. -The China challenge: How the US can compete and win in the global manufacturing landscape. -The Y Combinator advantage: The entrepreneurial mindset and the culture of relentless execution that sets YC founders apart. Ashish shares invaluable insights on the future of manufacturing, the importance of getting your hands dirty, and the resilience it takes to build a successful startup. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, manufacturing, or the power of a great idea. Tune in to Lobster Talks and discover why Dime is poised to make a significant impact in the world of manufacturing. Watch the full episode here → https://lnkd.in/gScqXQdY #lobstertalks #manufacturing #startups #YCombinator #entrepreneurship

7