Fundraising has been nuts this year and last week was a perfect illustration, with two gigantic $1 billion-plus rounds leading the way. Those weren’t the only large rounds, either: The week saw 10 U.S.-based companies raise more than $200 million each. The $1.2 trillion U.S. infrastructure bill sets aside hundreds of billions of dollars for government investment in sectors—from cybersecurity to electric cars, broadband internet to renewable energy—in which venture-backed startups are likely to play an active role. We look at where the money’s going.
How to help close the opportunity gap for minority women in finance
There is still a vast chasm when it comes to opportunities for minority women in finance, writes guest author Diane Yoo, founding partner of Parliament Ventures Fund. But all is not lost: She offers ways to encourage women and minorities to seek roles in finance, go after top-level positions, and be role models for the next generation.
2021 shatters record for new decacorns
More new startups valued at $10 billion or above have been minted in 2021—far more than in any prior year, and double the number created in 2020, which set the previous record for new “decacorns,” as these highly valued companies are known.
Big money floods Amazon aggregator space
While many of us will spend a fair amount of money on Amazon this holiday season for gifts, venture capitalists and others are instead putting their money into companies that buy up brands on the Goliath’s marketplace. Just a few of the aggregators receiving funding this year include Heyday, Thrasio, Branded and Razor Group.
The next emerging sales trend: Syndicated selling
Building out a sales organization has historically been an incremental process: Scale in a linear fashion by hiring one salesperson at a time. However, relying solely on employing full-time sales workers may soon become a restrictive model. Lief Larson, founder and CEO of Salesfolks, shares why it’s time to rethink how to grow a sales team and employ a syndicated selling strategy.
