Vince Velicov’s Post

Earlier this week, we released our interview featuring Silicon Valley's rising star, Shensi Ding (CEO and Co-Founder of Merge) on Scale Here's a few unique insights someone backed by Accel-KKR & New Enterprise Associates (NEA), and featured in Forbes and TechCrunch had that you should know too: 💸 #Fundraising: 1. If you want to build something truly large, skip the angels and go straight to VC, they know how to build you for scale specifically 2. VCs tend not to be prepared or change their minds, find the ones who are most likely to say yes and get them involved 💼 #Hiring 1. When interviewing someone, focus on *how* they speak about their previous role. If they seem like they couldn't care less, they likely won't care about your company either 2. Merge often went out externally to recruit specific candidates, instead of waiting for the candidates to come to them. That way they can set up their ideal team and go filling in the pieces, rather than hoping for the best from a hiring process The 2nd edition featuring Shensi and Merge will be out soon, subscribe now and check out our previous edition here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dsxrm6Jm #StartupAdvice #Entrepreneurship #VentureCapital #StartupLife #FounderJourney

I got into tech 8 years ago, and I started 3 businesses during that time - a software company with customers in over a dozen countries, a co-working center for startups that failed miserably (terrible idea, don’t do it), and a sales recruiting practice that was absorbed by RevsUp in 2022. Immensely proud of the work we’ve done at RevsUp. Not only have we made an impact with dozens of key hires at the startups we’ve served, we’re also the first company to take a wrecking ball to the industry’s archaic pricing model, and we’ve led from the front in integrating AI into the workflows of recruiting. Mark DeChant is an industry icon, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside him the past 2 years. The wealth management industry is evolving at light speed, and I’m fired up to join David J. Scranton, Barry C. Wheeles, MBA and the team at Sound Income Group in Fort Lauderdale in leading recruiting and new business development initiatives. 1 in 6 financial advisors have moved from a corporate firm to an independent model over the past 5 years, and that’s only accelerating. With an RIA with $2.8 billion in assets under management, and a world class FMO providing marketing, compliance and operational support, income-centered advisors have a true partner who’s committed to their growth. We’re going to do a lot of winning. I’ve gotten to know so many amazing founders and leaders in recent years, and those relationships won’t change, even with new mountains to climb. #LFG 🚀🚀🚀

Hey, Founders! Does this sound familiar? You’ve got that killer idea but no clear path on how to bring it to life? 💡 Worried about deadlines, budget overruns, or investors asking, 'Who’s handling the tech part?' 🤔 You deserve a partner who can take charge of the product's tech stack, so you can focus on growing your vision. At Lionprodev, we’re here to be that partner and ensure your tech is in the right hands. Let’s bring your idea to life—together! 🚀 #Lionprodev #TechPartner #StartupSupport #FounderLife #TechDevelopment #ScaleYourBusiness #InnovateWithUs #ProductDevelopment

Founders everywhere here is Patric Hellermann and Shubhankar Bhattacharya seminal podcast on founders’ traits and behaviours. As a customer and an investor this makes a lot of sense.

We’re just 1 day away from closing the applications for the 3rd MFG Programme! https://lnkd.in/eP3ApDEM Next week, we’ll be announcing the companies we’ll be working with over the coming weeks to help them raise their first media capital round. Here’s what’s different this time: 👀 With each programme, we’ve seen an increasing number of applicants. Last November, we were asked, “What is media capital or media for equity?” Now, we’re hearing, “Which media partner should I choose?” 📈 12 months ago, most applicants were at the pre-seed or seed stage. Now, 75% of the companies are Series A or beyond. In 2023, consumer startups received only 7% of all VC seed funding, leading many founders to focus on cost-cutting and extending their runway rather than advertising. 🇺🇸 We’ve noticed a growing interest in the US market: 1 in 5 companies we spoke to either has a presence in the US or plans to expand there by 2025. Stay tuned for more on this… Each programme works with 7-8 founders, with a laser focus on providing tailored media support. If this sounds like you, there are less than 48 hours left to submit your application! #mediaforgrowth

Some takeaways from last night's Primary Venture Partners event in NYC: - New York is home to 140!! private unicorns (that's a big number, especially after the past year of valuation declines) - Private market valuations are starting to improve again - tech company layoffs are down substantively - @Ben Sun AI will bring about the most transformative productivity shift in our lifetime (keep in mind that the Internet became a thing during our lifetime and I'm sure we all thought that was profound!) - even the largest publicly held companies are seeing revenue growth accelerate due to AI - Rule of 40 was the rule but now being modified. More emphasis on growth - but, importantly, *efficient* growth. Shane Sandoval suggested focusing on Gross Dollar Efficiency - for every dollar that you put into your business, how many dollars come out (seems logical but not many founders have had to think this way... but now they do!) - Focus on ARR per employee - Cassie Young shared her pro tips on improving margins at all stages of the GTM funnel (growth/retention/unit economics/efficiency) AI is already being used in traditional film production... and it's incredible what's already possible. The pace of innovation and advancement is going to surprise a lot of people. #StateofStartups #PrimaryVentures #nyc

Exciting news! Allison Clift-Jennings be speaking at Reno Startup Week on the topic "GOOD & FAST & CHEAP: Building a Tech Stack for Founders in 2024. If you're looking to learn how to build a powerful tech stack without breaking the bank, this is a session you won't want to miss! #RenoStartupWeek #TechStack #Founders

🚀 Dive deep into the critical strategies for hiring in both startup and scaleup businesses. Watch the recording of last week's insightful presentation where Russell White, Director of Future Work, explores the unique challenges and best practices associated with hiring at each stage of business growth. 🎥 Watch now: https://lnkd.in/e-WhbBBN

📢 The latest edition of Re:VITALIZE is out, filled with essential reads of curated content featuring: ▶️ Margaret Ntambi on the importance of partnerships ▶️ Lessons from hiring before PMF by Jean Yang ▶️ The Y Combinator approach to finding startup ideas by Ben Lang And more! Read 👇 https://lnkd.in/eqzRVtSD

#intechno #quiz #quiztime #quizoftheday #quizchallenge Q. What is a common mistake that startups should avoid when seeking funding? a) Presenting a well-defined business plan b) Being transparent and honest with potential investors c) Ignoring investor feedback and suggestions d) Demonstrating a solid understanding of market trends Ans. ( C ) Click Here 🚀 :- https://lnkd.in/d_WPXAvd