FundersClub Weekly Newsletter - September 1, 2016
FundersClub Portfolio News
Coinbase expands in Europe as customers there can now buy digital currency on their mobile phones using a credit or debit card in "Coinbase customers in Europe can now buy digital currency on mobile using debit and credit cards."
Bellabeat launches the Leaf Urban, which is a pebble-like device with a leaf pattern on it that can be worn as a bracelet, a necklace, or a clip, and can predict how ready you are to deal with life's challenges—and prompt you to take charge of your well-being in "This Beautiful Bio-Tracker Promises To Help Women Manage Stress."
Slack updates its Android app with improved support for Android tablets, specifically larger ones such as the Nexus 9 and Pixel C, and is especially useful for those with multiple active channels, multiple groups within the app, or for those using a tablet as their primary device in "Slack for Android updated with proper tablet support."
AppZen, whose aim is to save enterprises time and money by automating back office functions with Artificial Intelligence, announces that it is now an official Concur App Center Partner in "AppZen Automated Expense Report Audit for Concur is Now Available!"
Wheelys, a chain of eco-friendly coffeeshops on bikes that started in Sweden in 2014, is now operating in over 45 countries and has a promising vision for massive growth in "This Bicycle Coffeeshop Chain Might Give Starbucks A Run For Its Money."
Investor Thoughts
Christopher Steiner of FundersClub writes that during the last decade, global venture capital and the startups it fuels have crept toward equal footing with the United States, much of which is from a world-over realization that well-placed venture capital can bring outsized returns compared with other asset classes in "International Venture Capital Will Soon Pass That Of United States."
Chris Dixon of Andreessen Horowitz chats with Ethereum inventor and co-creator Vitalik Buterin and co-founder of Coinbase Fred Ehrsam about everything from the politics of open source (and value of network effects even when those networks split) to the challenges of mainstreaming and scaling tech in "a16z Podcast: Ethereum, App Coins, and Beyond."
Brad Feld of Foundry Group writes about the dynamics between the acquiree and the acquirer after a deal, and how the approach should be simple in "Post Acquisition – It’s Business as Usual Except Better."
Boston Consulting Group releases a new study finding that markets are behaving differently than in the past and started bidding up shares of acquiring companies—by an average of 0.5% in the seven-day window around the announcement, and investors are showing more trust in and higher expectations for dealmakers in "The 2016 M&A Report."
CB Insights finds that although dealmaking to both AR and VR fell in Q2, at the current run-rate, 2016 AR deal activity will increase by nearly 40%, and VR will increase by more than 25% in "AR vs. VR Funding: AR Deal-Making Growing Faster Than VR Deal Activity."
Tomasz Tunguz of Redpoint Ventures approximates how much your SaaS startup would be worth if it were to trade in the public markets today by comparing it to the other publicly traded SaaS companies and benchmarking the business by its growth rate in "How Much Is Your SaaS Startup Worth?"
Patrick Mathieson of Toba Capital breaks down a deal structure where a larger venture-backed tech company agrees to acquire a smaller venture-backed tech company contingent upon an additional cash investment from the smaller company’s investors into the larger company in "The Acqui-Fundraise Hybrid Round."
Founder and Operator Thoughts
Noah Weiss of Slack maps out the dynamic evolution of push notifications and shares tips for startups seeking to build out their push notification strategy in "What You Must Know To Build Savvy Push Notifications."
Jory MacKay of Crew offers advice on how to turn your own panic into productivity and start building something you love in "How to turn stress and panic into productivity."
Alex Fishman of Bugsee discusses the importance of being able to vouch for the person you are recommending in order to keep your credibility as a connector in "How NOT to Raise Money."
Kris Duggan of BetterWorks shares how Goal Science Thinking, an approach that uses OKRs as a foundation and applies human behavioral psychology, can make your company’s objectives more data-driven, collaborative, and ultimately more successful as a result in "OKRs are Old News — Introducing Goal Science Thinking."
Brandon Redlinger of PersistIQ covers how you can maximize the odds of a sales meeting with top executives going well and successfully closing a big deal in "How to Sell to the C-Suite Like a Pro."
Niraj Pant of Request for Startups analyzes the evolution of podcasts and offers a few features he would love to see in the future in "Analyzing The Podcast Renaissance."
Ali Mese of Growth Supply emphasizes that growth is not just a marketers job, but starts with the very first line of your code and needs a great product that your full team works hard to improve everyday with consistency and persistence in "The Future of Growing Startups."
In Other News
David Drummond, Alphabet’s chief legal officer, has stepped down fromUber’s board of directors due to increasing competition in the self-driving vehicle space in "Alphabet’s David Drummond has left Uber's board over conflict of interest on self-driving cars" right before Google expands their ride-sharing service to help San Francisco commuters who use Wazejoin carpools in "Google Takes on Uber With New Ride-Share Service."
Samsung's mobile business suffered a blow as reports of exploding batteries forced the firm to delay shipments of Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, and knocked $7 billion off its market value in "Samsung mobile recovery suffers blow as Galaxy Notes 'catch fire'."
A SpaceX rocket exploded in Florida, marking the second loss of a spacecraft by Elon Musk’s venture in a little more than a year and hobbling an effort by Facebook Inc. to spread internet access in Africa in "SpaceX Rocket Blast Destroys Satellite for Facebook Project."
Did You Know?
Did you know that when you blush, your stomach lining also turns red? This is the result of increased blood flow throughout the body, and adrenaline being released which makes the blood vessels dilate in order to improve blood flow and oxygen delivery in case the body has to suddenly flee a dangerous situation. Source