The silver economy is an exciting market that is gaining more attention from investors and entrepreneurs alike. The silver economy refers to the economic activities and spending associated with aging populations, typically those over 60 years old. This segment of the population is growing rapidly due to longer life expectancy, and it is becoming increasingly... Continue Reading →
Building an Inclusive Future through Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship can be a powerful tool for promoting inclusion and empowering marginalized groups, including women, indigenous people, people of color, and the LGBTQI+ community. It can play a role in mitigating disparities and advancing diversity by offering avenues for financial independence and social empowerment. Entrepreneurship provides a solution to the systemic obstacles and biases faced... Continue Reading →
Board of Directors 2.0
Guest post by Stephanie Fleury. When you think of a Board of Directors, the first image that comes to mind is a table surrounded by gray-haired men wearing suits and ties. However, the fact that this image is recurrent only shows that it urgently needs to be changed, for the good of the companies themselves.... Continue Reading →
Bringing Digital Transformation to Your Business
The rate of adoption of digital technologies by companies of all stages and sizes has been growing fast over the past decade. These technologies range from e-commerce applications, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, video conferencing and financial management software, all the way to blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI), to name just a few. In the... Continue Reading →
10 Slides Every Pitch Deck Needs
I’ve been helping entrepreneurs prepare for their investor pitches for several years. Before that, I pitched my startups to investors for over a decade. Based on this experience, I have come up with the 10 slides a typical 5-to-10-minute presentation should have. 0. Title Before the content slides, you need a slick title slide to... Continue Reading →
Time for E-Commerce Entrepreneurs
Launching an online business, or e-commerce, has never been easier than in the past ten years. There are fantastic resources available that allow for the seamless development and operation of e-stores. For example, in 2017, working only nights and weekends, I was able to launch an online shop for apparel and accessories in just a... Continue Reading →
An Idea Is Just That – Not Yet An Innovation
Innovation and new ideas I am frequently approached by people who want to share a new business idea with me. Usually the pitch is accompanied by a good amount of mystery and secrecy: "Andre, I'm telling you this because I trust you, but don't tell anyone; this could be big". Let me summarize what I tell... Continue Reading →
Equity or Debt: Questions Entrepreneurs Should Ask
In a previous post, I covered the kinds of investors that support startups. In the last post, I discussed the different types of financial instruments available to startups. But how does an entrepreneur know which type of instrument is ideal for his or her business? Let’s now turn to the main questions one should ask... Continue Reading →
Overview of Financial Instruments for Startup Funding
In a previous post I discussed the different types of investors available to entrepreneurs. But choosing the right investor depends also on the types of financial commitment you are willing to take on. Therefore, in this post I will discuss the main financial instruments used to fund startups – equity, debt, grants, and convertibles –... Continue Reading →
8 Tips for Friends and Family Fundraising
Startup fundraising is never easy and the current pandemic crisis makes it even harder. Typical early-stage investors, such as angel investors and venture capital funds, today might be more reluctant to take risks and bet on early-stage startups. In such situations, entrepreneurs often turn to friends and family (2F's) to support their endeavors. Asking people... Continue Reading →
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