|
|
|
In This Edition:
|
|
|
|
|
|
AI
ARTISTRY
|
|
Atlas Humanoid
Demonstrates
Push-ups
|
|
|
|
Atlas doing a
quick warm up
before work.
|
|
|
|
|
|
STARTUPS
GROUNDSWELL
|
Investor
Rejection?
Here's How
Startups Can
Thrive
|
|
Imagine you're an
entrepreneur
pitching your
business to an
investor, whether
over email, in
person, or on
national TV.
You've sacrificed
a lot to reach
this point, and
you believe that
getting this
funding will solve
your problems. But
after your pitch,
the investor says
"NO" Why does this
happen?
|
|
|
Why
VCs
and
Angel
Investors
Say
"No"
to
entrepreneurs
|
Alicia
Syrett
|
TEDxFultonStreet
|
|
|
|
Alicia Syrett, a
startup investor
and entrepreneur
educator, shares
five key reasons
why investors
often reject
pitches:
|
1. Rookie
Mistakes:
|
-
Lack of
Research:
Entrepreneurs
often fail
to research
investors
before
pitching,
which can
lead to
pitching to
the wrong
people who
aren't
interested
in your
industry or
stage of
growth.
-
Indiscriminate
Pitching:
Blasting out
pitches to
many
investors
without a
personal
connection
or
introduction
can result
in being
ignored.
-
Poor
Timing:
Pitching
during
market
downturns or
when
investors
are on
vacation can
decrease
your chances
of
success.
|
2. Character
Matters:
|
-
Integrity:
Investors
prefer to
work with
entrepreneurs
who are
honest and
have good
character.
Being weird,
overly
secretive,
or having
poor online
behavior
(like
posting
nasty things
about
others) can
turn
investors
off.
-
Overconfidence:
Making
exaggerated
claims, such
as saying
there’s no
competition
or
pressuring
investors
for quick
decisions,
makes them
skeptical.
-
Poor
Judgment
in Funding
Requests:
Asking for
money to pay
yourself a
high salary,
settle legal
issues, or
pay off
debts,
instead of
growing the
business, is
a red flag
for
investors.
|
3. Fit
Matters:
|
-
Long-Term
Relationship:
The
relationship
between an
investor and
entrepreneur
can last
longer than
many
marriages,
so a good
fit is
crucial.
-
Beyond
Money:
Investors
want to know
how they can
help you
beyond just
providing
funds. If
you can’t
articulate
that, they
might
pass.
-
Impression
Management:
The way you
communicate
and handle
follow-up
matters. If
it seems
difficult to
work with
you,
investors
might say
no.
-
Generating
Excitement:
If you don’t
create a
sense of
urgency or
excitement
about your
business,
investors
might not
feel
compelled to
invest.
|
4. Business
Basics:
|
-
Market
Size and
Competition:
Investors
want to see
a big market
opportunity
and a unique
product that
competitors
can’t easily
copy. If
your market
is too small
or
competitive,
they might
decline.
-
Traction:
Ideas are
easy, but
execution is
what
matters.
Showing real
progress
like
customers,
partnerships,
or awards is
crucial.
-
Know Your
Numbers:
Understanding
and
presenting
your
financials
(revenue,
margins,
profitability)
is
essential.
If the
numbers
don’t add
up,
investors
will likely
say
no.
|
5. Investors
Make Mistakes
Too:
|
-
Even if you
do
everything
right,
investors
are human
and
sometimes
make
mistakes.
They might
still say
no, but this
could be a
sign to
either pivot
or
strengthen
your
business
further.
-
Sometimes,
making your
business
stronger can
lead to
investors
changing
their minds,
or you might
become so
successful
that you no
longer need
outside
funding.
|
|
In the end,
whether you
continue with
your business or
pivot, the key
is to keep
improving and
moving forward,
regardless of
what investors
say.
|
|
Don’t let a "no"
deter you from
your
entrepreneurial
journey. Instead,
use it as a
learning
opportunity to
refine your
approach.
|
|
Ready to take
your fundraising
efforts to the
next level?
|
|
Follow this
guide, "Right Steps
to
Successful
Fundraising
for
Startups,"
to ensure you’re
on the right path
to securing the
investment you
need to grow and
succeed. Start
turning rejections
into opportunities
today!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
Why Are VCs
Hesitant to
Invest in AI
SDR Startups
Despite
Their Boom? (Link)
-
Ready to
Scale Your
Product into
a Company?
Here’s How (Link)
-
What’s More
Crucial for
Founders:
Runway or
Lift? Keith
Rabois
Weighs In (Link)
-
How Can
AI-Era
Startups
Thrive and
Scale?
Discover the
5 Essential
Rules (Link)
-
Startup
“Experts”:
Why Their
Advice May
Not Be as
Reliable as
You Think (Link)
-
How Did a
Family
Recipe Spark
a Successful
Pet
Nutrition
Business? (Link)
-
20 Proven
Tips for
Bootstrapping
Your Tech
Startup to
Success (Link)
-
How Can
Writing
Skills Boost
Your Chances
of Success?
Wharton
Research
Reveals (Link)
|
|
|
|
|
-
How AI Will
Turn Capital
into Labor (Link)
-
29 Startups
with Fresh
$10-20M
Funding You
Can’t Afford
to Ignore (Link)
-
Midjourney
Web Platform
Now Open to
All (Link)
-
McKinsey
released
their
76-page long
report on
generative
AI. (Link)
-
Data
Unveils How
SearchGPT
Could
Revolutionize
Organic
Search (Link)
-
Perplexity
AI to
Introduce
Ads in Q4
Amid Rising
AI Search
Popularity (Link)
-
Polish Your
Drafts
Effortlessly
with Gemini
in Gmail (Link)
-
Innovation
at Risk?
OpenAI
Speaks Out
Against
California’s
AI Bill (Link)
-
Google's
First U.S.
Newsroom
Funding Deal
Faces
Backlash
Over AI
Concerns (Link)
-
Claude by
Anthropic
Surpasses
$1M in
Mobile App
Earnings (Link)
-
What’s Next
for Artists
in the Legal
Battle
Against
Stability AI
and
Midjourney? (Link)
-
Google’s AI
Studio Now
Features a
Free 'Prompt
Gallery (Link)
|
|
|
|
|
-
Innovative
Blockchain
Company
Valued Over
$2 Billion
After
Securing New
Funding for
AI Copyright
Protection (Link)
-
Zomato
Acquires
Paytm’s
Movie
Ticketing
Business for
$244 Million (Link)
-
Grafana
Labs Secures
$270 Million
in Latest
Funding
Round,
Valued at $6
Billion (Link)
-
Onebrief
Secures $53
Million to
Enhance
Military
Team
Management (Link)
-
Thomson
Reuters
Acquires New
AI Firm
Based in
Cambridge (Link)
-
AstroForge
Raises $40
Million to
Fuel Next
Growth Phase (Link)
-
SleekFlow
Secures $7
Million to
Expand
Conversational
AI in Asia (Link)
-
VividQ
Secures $7.5
Million in
Series A
Funding for
Spatial
Computing (Link)
-
Opkey
Raises $47
Million for
AI-Based ERP
Testing (Link)
-
Top 10 AI
Chipmakers
Receiving
the Most VC
Funding (Link)
-
Depot
Secures $4.1
Million Seed
Funding to
Speed Up
Developer
Growth (Link)
-
Failed
Fintech
Founder
Secures $11
Million for
Robotics
Venture (Link)
|
|
|
|
|
|
AI INSIGHTS
|
Are Your
Favorite AI Apps
in a16z's Top
100?
|
|
|
Source:
a16z
|
|
|
For AI
enthusiasts,
staying on top of
the ever-expanding
universe of
consumer gen AI
products is a
thrilling yet
relentless
pursuit. With each
passing day, new
workflows promise
to save us time,
innovative use
cases emerge, and
creative stacks
expand with
endless
possibilities.
|
|
But as we
navigate the
constant stream of
product launches,
investment buzz,
and hyped-up
features, one
question stands
out: Which of these
AI apps are
people truly
using?
|
|
As the AI
landscape evolves,
it's crucial to
identify which
behaviors and
categories are
capturing consumer
interest and, more
importantly, which
AI apps are not
just being tried
but are also
becoming essential
tools in daily
life.
|
|
Are there certain
AI-first apps that
users are
consistently
returning to, or
are many simply
being downloaded,
tested, and then
forgotten?
|
|
|
Source:
a16z
|
|
|
Welcome to the
third installment
of the Top 100 Gen
AI Consumer Apps.
Every six months,
the data is
analyzed to rank
the top 50
AI-first web
products (measured
by unique monthly
visits) and the
top 50 AI-first
mobile apps (based
on monthly active
users).
|
|
In the latest
report, nearly 30%
of the featured
companies are new
entrants, marking
a significant
shift from the
findings of March
2024.
|
|
|
Source:
a16z
|
|
|
Curious about
which AI apps made
the cut this time? Visit the
link
to dive deeper
into the trends,
the newcomers, and
the must-watch
apps that are
shaping the future
of AI consumer
products.
|
|
|
|
|
|
RECOMMENDATIONS
|
|
Boost your
entrepreneurial
skills and AI
knowledge with
these selected
newsletters.
|
|
They're great for
anyone running a
startup,
interested in
artificial
intelligence, or
wanting to keep up
with the latest AI
tools and
trends.
|
|
Subscribe to
these
publications
FREE, and get access
to loads of useful
insights and
information.
|
|
Frugalpreneur
|
|
Discover
frugal
living,
savings,
&
unique
income
opportunities
in
our
ultimate
financial
newsletter!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Veroneus
Newsletter
|
|
A
Newsletter
Focused
on
Effective
AI-Powered
Business
Strategies
and
AI
news.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
️ Boost
Workday
Productivity:
Download
eBook!
️
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Boost Your Workday
Productivity With
ChatGPT.pdf
1.50 MB • PDF File
|
|
Download
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|