614Startups’ Post

Ever wanted to attend (and potentially invest) in a live Shark Tank event? April 24th is your lucky day. I’m teaming up with Michele Romanow, Andrew Wilkinson and Peter Pham to hear 4 founders pitch their business... Sign up to watch the virtual Battle Royale go down here: https://kern.al/events Here’s the format: 📌 Pitches are 5 mins or less 📌 Each of the founders will be looking to raise ~$500K 📌 Viewers can request to meet/invest* during or after the founder's pitch (*accredited investors only) It should be a boatload of fun and will likely be super helpful to the founders raising their rounds. So if you're too busy to join, just forward the event link to someone on your team so they can take a listen and give you the recap notes. See you there: https://kern.al/events #startups #entrepreneurship #innovation

Last night's Startup Grind Scotland event was an invaluable one. The event, 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡: 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞-𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫. I had the incredible opportunity to pitch my business and received invaluable insights from investors, founders, and industry leaders. Here's what I learned... 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝. Focus on solving real, existing problems that your customers face. 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰. Invest in understanding your market and its pain points first. 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬. Build to generate sales and create sustainable revenue. 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡. Continuously have conversations, learn, and iterate to improve your business. Meeting Pete Preston of Settlrz was an amazing encounter, and it was great connecting with Gunisetty Venkata Charan Teja, and Edward Pollock. I learned so much from our conversations. The panel discussions were packed with wisdom from Daniel McKiddie, Aakanksha Sadekar, Usman Ali, Craig McGill, and Jenson Brook. I walked away with renewed energy and actionable strategies for navigating tough market conditions. 🚀 Thank you, Oluwaseun Franklin Olabode for the invite. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received when building investor confidence? Drop your thoughts in the comments! #StartupGrind #Entrepreneurship #InvestorConfidence #Networking #Startups #BusinessGrowth #Pitching #VentureCapital #ScottishStartups

A must attend ! #TiEGlobalAngels #NetworkToGrow #NextLevelStartups #TiEInvestorSummit #InvestingInInnovation #NetworkingOpportunity #InvestInSuccess #VentureCapital #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #SouthernCalifornia #AngelInvestors #Tech #Startups #Business #TiESoCal #TiESoCalAngels #TiE

⏲️ Business Angel: A 20-Year Game I am constantly reminded of how long it takes to reap the rewards in the business angel world. It’s not only because startups often take 7–10 years to succeed but also because it takes years to build an optimal deal flow. Take yesterday as an example. I held one of my open pitch days, where I had 13 brief intro meetings with startups seeking investment. Before the day started, I thought I didn’t know any of these entrepreneurs. But as it turned out, I had actually met many of them before: - A founder I met at an event 15 years ago! - A former employee of a company I co-founded 14 years ago. - A current employee of another company I co-founded 12 years ago. - A former student who took my entrepreneurship class 10 years ago. - A former employee at a startup I invested in 7 years ago. - An entrepreneur whose startup I declined to invest in 5 years ago, now back with a new project. My message to new business angels: Only enter this asset class if you’re willing to play a very long game! Now, I’ve started another chapter: I want to build the same position in Andorra and Spain (while continuing to invest in Danish startups). Let’s see how it goes - I’m definitely ready for the long game! #businessangel #investing

Last month, our founders faced their first major checkpoint in the venture building program: pitching their business idea to the #Investment #Committee. We caught up with the teams right after the meeting to get their immediate reactions. For the Enaptiq team, composed of Isaak Affan, Esteban Poviña and Frederick Hamilton, things went quite well, and they have a clear idea of their next steps in order to help energy providers to upsell in a smooth and easy way. First up? Finding a great spot for lunch to relax before diving headfirst into MVP development. Follow us to keep up with more post-Investment Committee updates! #entrepreneurship #careers #innovation #startup #venturebuilding

We’ve been tirelessly pushing forward these past few days at our Storm X office in West Palm Beach! Exciting new videos are on the way, featuring insights on the secrets of raising capital and our journey as diverse founders who are redefining the world of investor relations, among other topics. Thank you Ben W. for snapping this picture of us! #founders #vc #vcfunding #startuplife #venturecapital #entrepreneurship #businessgrowth #investmenttips #techstartups #innovation #fundinggoals #angelinvestor #scaleup #startupfunding #businessstrategy #growthhacking #mvp #startupadvice

That's a very interesting post about "long term thinking", as I have a few non-scientific observations about human irrationalities, what we perceive as long term... 1. In business, try to ask leaders what does "strategic" mean. My observation: people tend to call strategic whatever is already out of their normal planning horizon. So leaders with heavy quarterly focus -> anything starting from 6m is strategic. Annual players -> 1.5-3 years. One reason why it is difficult to discuss "strategy" when changing sectors or companies. 2. Who would you think is more open to invest into long term assets? A young or an older person? (let's assume similar financial and other conditions) My perception (/feeling, observation) is, that despite the rationale of younger investors actually having more time in life... maturity also influences the horizon you dare to look at with confidence. When I was much younger, long term nature itself was a risk already. After a few decades of experience... time has a much different role in the decision. 3. However, all that I am sure is culture-dependent. Eg. Austria is quite inspirative as you see examples every day, old people being active, new companies founded and investments started after age 40-45, etc. If it works for others, it influences your attitude. Similar great stories often communicated from the US or other Western European countries. ("average founders' age...") The emerging economies I follow... this is much rarer, if any. Cultural, historical reasons putting their weight on individuals, nothing else.

🚀Highlights from the St. Petersburg VC Fast Pitch 💫 I really enjoyed the St. Petersburg VC Fast Pitch presented by Scott Kelly and Black Dog Venture Partners. The event was a fantastic opportunity to connect with fellow investors and get a sneak peek at some of the innovative ideas brewing in the early-stage startup space. Pitching isn't easy, so I want to give a huge shoutout to all the presenters. Your energy was infectious, and your ideas were truly inspiring. Keep pushing forward! ⭐HighRewards: Josh L., Rob H. ⭐MeasuredRisk: Tom Albert ⭐Work Well Reviews: Jim Carey ⭐Gale Force AI: John Samillano, MBA ⭐Wags and Wine: Ryan Levy, Lindsay Levy ⭐Bibe: Steven Rehrig, MBA ⭐Avagate: Steven Douglas ⭐Connect: Todd Allen ⭐US Precision Medicine: Frederick Fey ⭐Hook Security Co.: Zach(ary) Eikenberry ⭐Service Near: Leo C. ⭐SavvyCard: David Etheredge ⭐Check What's Good: Dustin Rowe ⭐LVED.com Inc.: Terry Anderton It was a pleasure to support the journeys of these amazing founders and share how growth credit (venture debt) can be such a helpful tool. This financing option can really make a difference, helping businesses grow with less ownership dilution, lower costs, faster closing times, and more favorable terms compared to pure equity financing. 👍 Like 🎤 Comment ♻️ Repost 🔔 Follow: Zack Ellison, CFA, CAIA, Applied Real Intelligence LLC ("A.R.I.") #VCFastPitch #VentureCapital #VentureDebt #Founders #Startups #Entrepreneurship #StartupPitch #StartupInvesting

In 1492, Christopher Columbus embarked on what could be considered the first significant venture capital-backed enterprise. Funded by Spain’s Catholic Monarchs with a clear ROI in mind, Columbus set sail to discover a new trade route to Asia, only to stumble upon the Americas. This pivotal moment in history offers timeless lessons for today’s entrepreneurs and investors. 🔹 Innovation through adversity: Columbus faced countless rejections before finding the right backers, mirroring the perseverance needed in today's startup ecosystem. 🔹 Risk and reward: His journey was fraught with peril, highlighting the importance of risk management in any venture. 🔹 Impact and legacy: The results transformed the global economic landscape, reminding us that true vision often leads to unforeseen opportunities. Swipe through our illustrated carousel to explore how Columbus's venture parallels modern entrepreneurial challenges and triumphs. #VentureCapital #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #History #BusinessLessons #StartUp

Whoever said you can’t raise funds on your own terms, haven’t attended Agora’s PIM. As an entrepreneur, raising capital can often feel like a game of roulette - pitching to countless investors while competing with many other startups. What if you could bypass all that chaos and have laser-focused meetings tailored just for you? Enter the Private Investor Meetings (PIM) by Agora Group. This exclusive and private event will put you in the spotlight and shorten your funding cycle. Here's how it works: 1- Intimate Setting - You'll be the ONLY startup present, ensuring undivided attention from pre-qualified investors keen on your niche. 2- Curated Audience - No more wasting time pitching to the wrong people. Agora carefully vets and invites investors aligned with your funding/project needs. 3- Maximum Efficiency - Receive all investor details post-event to streamline follow-ups and advance serious conversations. 4- Your Terms - Choose your preferred venue location or go virtual if needed. The choice is yours for maximum convenience. Whether you need to raise your next round or urgently seeking project buyers, the PIM provides the perfect setting to get deals done quickly without any distractions. So, if you’re ready to run an ultra-focused PIM tailored to your startup's needs? Send me a direct message here on LinkedIn.