WND+ Review: South Korea Investor Survey, Hourly Board Meetings, Venture Leasing Fundamentals
After software sales startup TigerEye closed its Series A and created a board of directors, its co-founders put them on notice:
What we would never want to do is a three-hour, haphazard, non-strategic board meeting.
“Every presentation I’ve made or seen is over 80 pages long,” says Tracey Young, co-founder and CEO of TigerEye. “I’m not exaggerating.”
Full WND+ articles available to members only
Use discount code TCPLUSROUNDUP to save 20% on 1 or 2 year subscriptions.
In this TC+ article, she explains how to set up a one-hour board meeting that will bring real value to founders and investors. Step One: Replace your huge deck with a three-page memo.
We’re taking Monday May 29th to celebrate Memorial Day, so I’ll be back with another TC+ review in a week.
Good weekend!
Walter Thompson
Editorial Manager, WND+
@yourprotagonist
Why aren’t venture capitalists going to fund cybersecurity startups?
Image credits: Robertax (opens in a new window) / Getty Images
The accelerated digital transformation has been good for mature cybersecurity companies, with Palo Alto Networks, Scaler and CrowdStrike showing strong revenues, according to Alex Wilhelm.
But there doesn’t seem to be a halo effect for VC-backed cybersecurity startups. Funding for companies in the sector fell 58% in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the first quarter of 2022, according to Crunchbase.
“With declining valuations across the board, today’s cybersecurity stock prices have plummeted, even if they remain more expensive than other tech subcategories,” Alex writes.
Profit over growth: 5 investors explain their mantra for South Korean startups
Image Credits: Bryce Durbin/WND
South Korea has seen a unicorn boom in recent years, but like the rest of the world, it is feeling the impact of a global market correction.
“Venture funding in Asia in the first quarter of 2023 was down 33% compared to the fourth quarter of 2023 and 57% compared to the first quarter of 2022,” says Kate Park, who interviewed five investors to find out their forecasts for 2023 year and find out how they advise their portfolio companies. :
Han Kim, General Partner of Altos Ventures Tim Che, Managing Partner of 500 Global JP Lee, CEO and Managing Partner of SoftBank Ventures Asia Yemin Chung, Managing Director of BRV Capital Management Youns Lee, Founder and Managing Partner of 541 Ventures
Ask Sophie: What options do I have if the company withdraws my OPT job offer?
Image Credits: Bryce Durbin/WND
Dear Sophie,
I am an international student graduating this month but the company I was supposed to start working for OPT canceled my job offer.
What are my options?
— Grappling Grad
3 Things Companies Should Do to Protect Their Applications in the Age of AI
Image credits: Henrik Sorensen (opens in a new window) / Getty Images
Companies with AI-enabled applications provide attackers with a wider attack surface when it comes to phishing, bots, and other attempts to gain access to customer accounts.
“We are already seeing examples of AI-based websites reverse-engineered for free AI computing,” says Reed McGinley-Stempel, co-founder and CEO of Stych, a customer identity and access management (CIAM) platform.
Venture Leasing: The Unsung Hero of Startups Trying to Raise Capital
Image credits: bugs 1998 (opens in a new window) / Getty Images
Hardware startups have always struggled when it comes to high initial capital investment and open R&D timelines.
Luckily, venture leasing creates “a happy medium between high-priced debt and venture capital financing, which works particularly well,” says Felipe Chavez Cortés, CEO and co-founder of robotic food delivery company Kiwibot.
To get products to market faster and avoid dilution, his company secured a $10 million venture lease deal.
“Equipment companies should not feel limited by venture capital funds to fund their high-risk, high-growth operations,” Cortez said.
Pitch Deck Breakdown: Faye’s $10 Million Series A Deck
Image Credits: Faye
Startup Insurtech Faye has shared an edited version of the 19-slide deck its founders used to win a $10 million Series A round.
“Let’s get rid of it right away,” says Haye Jan Kamps. “It’s really an excellent presentation.”
Cover Slide Summary Slide Team Slide Problem Slide Market Size Slide Insurance Market Overview Slide Product Overview Slide Product Features Slide Slide 1 Product Features Slide 2 Product Features Slide 3 Product Features Slide 4 Market Entry Slide Financial Growth Metrics Slide Customer Growth Metrics Slide Growth Metrics Slide Customers Customer Confirmation Slide 1. Competitive landscape slide. Ask slide. Customer confirmation slide. 2. The final slide with the mission.
