Maya Horgan Famodu’s Post

Had an interesting chat with Merai Syed, and also mentoring session with Founders from Hongkong. It seems that Pakistan, Hongkong and Indonesia shared similar startup culture and behaviour, yet somewhat different in certain ways. Some tips that we shared: 1. Founders must know the difference between Tech Startup and SME. There is no need to force yourself to raise funding from VC 2. Founders need to understand the stage of their Startups to then meet the right Investors Profile for optimal Fund Raising exercise 3. In the early stage, Traditional Investors need to let Founders have enough equity to raise for the next round and not exit by taking the next investors money 4. When in Doubt, by Default, the direction is to Solve the problems of the Customers. Investors are not the Customers. 5. If Founders can build a solution, can find the customers and can bootstrap until there is a proof of concept, then can raise funding on your own, Do not let yourself be controlled by another Partner who are not contributing anything Most importantly, Focus on Building your Business, (with your co-founder, not by subcontracting to third party).

The #tech scene in Singapore is changing. In recent years, the city's startup ecosystem has begun to see a departure of young founders; in their place comes a surge in seasoned entrepreneurs drawn by government incentives. Might an exodus of innovative, risk-taking young graduates create a talent dearth in Singapore's tech sector? Or does the influx of proven #founders point towards an uptick in the quality of deal flow? Click on the link below to read about this phenomenon and what our CIO and managing partner Kelvin Tan had to say about our outlook and the future of #innovation in #Singapore. Read more on our website: https://lnkd.in/g9W9NHjE Follow our page now for more insights on the #venturecapital and #startup landscape in Singapore and the region!

Here’s what leading investors had to say about the future of CEE startups at How To Web 2024! “We need to give people a reason to believe they can build $100 billion companies”—Marius Istrate. “In the US, trying and failing is respected”—Felix Martinez. “Life in Europe is good, but that can sometimes take away from the drive”—Eva Arh. “We need founders to tell better stories”—Bogdan Iordache. Read more in our latest article, covering one of the many panels and sessions during the two-day conference >> https://lnkd.in/d5Hz3KUE

How to Build a Successful Business Without VC Capital? Launching a business without external financing is more challenging than taking VC money. But in the long run, it is also more rewarding, with a higher success rate. I'm going to oppose Andrej Petrus from ZAKA VC , an experienced investor whom I truly admire. However, I will challenge the status quo and ask him and everyone in the audience: What are the alternatives to VC funding? I will be brutally honest about: - Why I believe that the majority of first-time founders in Slovakia should not take VC. - Why do most startups die after their first round. - Why I believe the VC and startup ecosystem in Slovakia is broken. - Why most startup/low-tech projects in Slovakia should be built as bootstrapped, profitable businesses. I am looking forward to this discussion moderated by Katerina Syslova :) Thanks Startup Kitchen for making a Slovak version of a TRUESDAYS Registration link in the comment.

In startups, stock options play a big role in aligning the interests of founders, employees, and investors. They not only help attract top talent but also foster long-term commitment and loyalty, driving the company’s success 🚀 ✨ In this article, Arthur Jordão, Executive Director at ESNA - Europe Startup Nations Alliance, explores the benefits of stock options, their role in talent retention, and the challenges within the European startup landscape. Discover how stock options can fuel innovation and growth. https://lnkd.in/dFqEEb6q

The latest article by ESNA’s Executive Director, Arthur Jordão in EU-Startups is just out, featuring insights on the value of stock options for the ecosystem.   Startups face a key challenge—attracting and keeping top talent. Adopting Stock options schemes can help address this challenge for startups. By offering employees a stake in future success, companies foster a culture of ownership, motivating employees to stay and contribute to growth. ➡ 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒐 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒄𝒌 𝑶𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌? Employees gain the right to buy shares at a set price after a vesting period. As the company grows, employees can profit, aligning their goals with the company’s success. ➡ 𝑬𝒖𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒆: Europe is making progress, but tax policies and frameworks still vary widely, making stock options less attractive in some countries. While 76% of surveyed countries allow non-voting stock options, only 43% tax them once at sale. 💡𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕? Harmonising stock option policies across Europe will make it easier for startups to attract top talent, fostering innovation and growth. #Startups #TalentAcquisition #StockOptions #Innovation #Entrepreneurship

Alerts for founders in Singapore! Securing a grant might sound challenging, but once you get it—boom! It can give your startup the boost it needs to soar. That’s why we’re here to share some awesome grant opportunities you don’t want to miss! Startup SG Founder Got a game-changing idea? This program offers S$50,000 in startup capital and top-tier mentorship for first-time founders! You’ll just need to pitch in S$10,000 as co-matching funds. Startup SG Tech Working on a breakthrough technology? This grant funds Proof-of-Concept (POC) and Proof-of-Value (POV) projects, helping you bring innovative solutions to life and hit the market running! Good luck, founders! Start applying and turn those dreams into reality. In case, you are not registered as founder in FACE, apply here now - http://bit.ly/3SBpTHM

US equity management platform Carta has soft-launched in Australia, opening its Sydney HQ this week to capitalise on what it describes as “the country’s growing startup ecosystem”. Carta currently manages nearly US$3 trillion in equity for over two million stakeholders worldwide and sees Australia — ranked 11th on the Global Startup Ecosystem Index — as a key growth market. According to Carta’s investment stats, Australian startups raised nearly $2 billion in the first half of 2023, a 30% year-on-year increase. AI and big data companies accounted for $75 to $100 million of this funding. "Australia is one of the few markets in the world that actually produces global B2B players," said Bhavik Vashi, Carta's managing director for Asia Pacific and Middle East. Read more in this story from Bronwen Clune 👉 https://lnkd.in/g6b2hkNj

Why High Valuations Hurt Southeast Asia’s Startups in 2021 and 2022 - Arnaud Bonzom "What happened is a lot of them across the COVID time have raised way too big funds. So a lot of them end up having a lot of capital to deploy. And the challenges you, face multiple things. It's one the company, even if before COVID may have already been used to too high valuation for what will make it a sustainable business model for VCs in the region. Because then you have to think about exits, the valuation of those exits, the size of those exits, and then basically that is going to be very tricky for a VC to make money out of it. So before COVID, valuation was likely to be a little bit too high for the region. I see deals with more experiments from founders, like repeat founders in Europe can sometimes get into deals where the valuation is similar to a first-time founder in Southeast Asia. I'm like, the market is not the same size. The odds are not the same. So it's just that Southeast Asia sometimes is overpriced ..." Main Site: https://lnkd.in/gxKSh3rw Full YouTube Video: https://lnkd.in/dqf7c8vc Newsletter Signup: https://lnkd.in/gWedr5RK LinkedIn Page: https://lnkd.in/dH-rpqXf #southeastasia #asean #venturecapital #startupvaluations

We are bringing back our popular "Investors on Stage" sessions to the EU-Startups Summit in Malta! ✨ On the main stage we will welcome 30 high-profile VCs to present their investment firms and focuses with a 2-3 minute pitch each. In these sessions, we flip the switch, turn the tables, and put them in the hot seat for a change! 🚀 Before reaching out to investors, it’s important to do your homework and find out which VC firms are a fit for your company in terms of industry focus, business stage, or even geographical focus. https://lnkd.in/dx4WCmn3