Forbes Reveals the 2013 Venture Capital Midas List
Forbes released the 2013 Midas List for Venture Capital today, proving that to be successful in VC, all you need is one big hit. Five of the top ten names on the list invested in Facebook, the largest tech IPO of 2012.
How I closed a round with 7 Investors and Survived [Guest post]
Funding is never easy. Even when you hear stories about entrepreneurs who walk out of a VC with a personal check from the managing director, it is usually after 6 months of pitching and hearing 'no'. This is the story by Yaniv Nizan from Soomla, who raised a round from 7 investors and lived to tell the tale.
The Era of Real Time Marketing Has Arrived (Guest Post)
At Cannes Lions, no one will discuss the most significant disruption to hit the advertising industry since the internet- the transition to programmatic, real time bidding (RTB), except for maybe a few data geeks. Carl Fremont, Chief Digital Officer at MEC (WPP Group’s media buying subsidiary) is one of those Geeks and shared his perspective about RTB, “easily, the most important trend in the digital advertising sector for the next five years”.
Sorry, Brands…Your Digital Agencies are Lying to You
Brands spend a fortune on marketing- more than 9% (b2c) and 7% (b2b) of total revenue. Within marketing budgets, the fastest growing portion (+40%) is social media. Unfortunately, a growing body of evidence suggests that garnering LIKES on a Facebook page does nothing to foster community or increase engagement. Your digital agency has been lying to you. The better approach for lowering customer service costs and increasing engagement is to transform your organization into a social business.
FFF and 31 Crowdfunding Platforms To Raise Money for Your Startup
Crowdfunding is rapidly growing in the UK and elsewhere. No longer restricted to Friends Family and Fools, founders can
Mobile Game Monetization – It’s the UI, Stupid
The Smartphone Era has been good to games. This category captures more than 80% of mobiledownload revenue (AppAnnie) but earns even more from from in-app purchases and advertising. This post covers the main drivers for gaming ROI and adoption.
Words of Encouragement for European Startups
The Eurozone is in crisis - GDP numbers point to the worst recession since 1999 and major economies are shrinking. That said, the startup ecosystems are growing and have lot to be optimistic about. I urge founders to also consider the good news and take on a more positive outlook based on "this is water"' by David Foster Wallace.
