Posts by Blake Coleman
Founder Friday: The Startups Recognized in CB Insights Top 12 Tech Trends of 2022 Report
In January, CB Insights produced an amazing 70-page report on tech trends titled “12 Tech Trends To Watch Closely In 2022.” It has tons of great insights and is free to download. And a belated congratulations to the startups highlighted by CB Insights… Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)/Telehealth Huma Element Science Biofourmis Qure4u Somatix Crypto Security BitMart…
Read MoreFounder Friday: How Startups Can Navigate Losing Key Team Members
No one company likes to lose key team members, but it can significantly hurt startups that don’t have the layers in place or succession plans in place to handle the loss of cornerstone employees easily. What should your startup do if you find yourself in this unfortunate situation? Identify Your Stars You probably already have…
Read MoreFounder Friday: Top Online Influencer & Creator Startups
Recently, we came across the Wired article “Meet the Lobbyist Next Door.” It covers the Alexandria, VA startup Urban Legend and describes how their platform uses online influencers to advocate various causes, much like they do when pushing brands/goods. It’s a fantastic read. However, it got our wheels turning, and we decided to dig and identify some of the…
Read MoreFounder Friday: Debt Financing vs. Equity Financing
On August 17, PitchBook published the article “Venture lending flourishes amid VC funding pullback.” In that piece, PitchBook discusses the increased interest by startups in venture debt to solve growing capital needs instead of doing another equity round where they would have to sell shares at lower valuations. They also highlight how players like Blackstone are entering the venture…
Read MoreFounder Friday: 2022 Triangle Tweener List
Research Triangle Park, RTP, Research Triangle, or simply The Triangle, the Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill market has long been one of the South’s leading tech mechas. One of The Triangle’s serial startup founders is Scot Wingo. Since 1995, Wingo has successfully started four startups, had three exits, and his recent venture, the on-demand car washing (and now brake service) startup Spiffy, announced a…
Read MoreFounder Friday: Raising Capital in a Tight Market
If you follow startups and VC deal flow, it’s hard not to read something on money getting tighter, startup layoffs, etc. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t funding available, but it does mean that there will be greater scrutiny as to what VC firms choose to invest in. So how do founders navigate raising capital…
Read MoreFast Company: 2022 Best Workplaces for Innovators
Fast Company teamed up with Accenture to compile 100 companies with cultures built to inspire creativity and innovation. And, they’re not all tech companies. There is representation from virtually every type of industry… Agtech (1) Biotech (2) Consulting (2) Consumer Packaged Goods (1) Education (3) Energy (6) Engineering (1) Entertainment (3) Financial Services (12) Fintech (4) Health &…
Read MoreFounder Friday: Climate Tech Startups
NPR recently posted, “Climate Change And Record Breaking Heat Around The World.” A few days before that article, CNN published, “Hot records are outpacing cool by more than 10-to-1 this year as Europe, US brace for dangerous heat.” MIT recently announced that they may have discovered how to reverse climate change fully through space bubbles (link to story), but that…
Read MoreFounder Friday: Stratasan – Update
We started our Founder Friday posts on LinkedIn before finally starting our blog. Back in May 2021, we featured Nashville startup Stratasan. Here is what we posted… This Founder Friday, we’re sharing a post highlighting lessons learned from the co-founder of Stratasan, Brian Dailey. Stratasan recently celebrated their 10th year being in business, a huge accomplishment for any tech startup. Brian…
Read MoreFounder Friday: Growth vs. Profitability
MRR, ARR, churn, etc. You need to know your numbers. When times aren’t as tight, you might see more emphasis on revenue vs. profitability as startups scale. But, in 2022 and the near term, profitability is vital for startups hoping to lure investment dollars. Hockey stick revenue growth is the goal for every startup. One…
Read More