Shalanda Armstrong

Please enjoy the recent podcast I hosted with Haytham Allos on due diligence strategies for AI enabled proprietary applications. We are seeing more due diligence engagements with AI enabled tech platforms as the key value driver of the transaction. We dive into the key areas a mature AI enabled platform must have and key considerations related to these areas as a buyer. Please reach out to me if you are looking at these types of transactions so I can share some of the insights we’ve gained firsthand and the approaches we’ve taken to address the areas Haytham highlights in our podcast.

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Venture capitalists have poured billions into defense tech startups, but the U.S. government seems hesitant to take the plunge. Is it a lack of trust or just a fear of commitment? Is this a case of "innovation theater" or a missed opportunity for national security? Either way, this mismatch could dampen the innovation we need to stay ahead in the global arena. #SiliconValley #DefenseTech #GovernmentContracts #VentureCapital #EmergingTech https://lnkd.in/gSjCP6TU

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Sean Johnson's posts are always informative, but this one in particular spoke to me and my love of Workshops for Expertise businesses. Notice how his framework (for growing PFS firms) there's at least one way of using workshops for each facet of the triangle: in the "Attract" side, Framework Design pairs nicely with flagship workshops for said framework in the "Convert" side, High Impact Workshops could not be clearer than this in the "Deliver" side, Onboarding is not dependent on Workshops but can surely use them (I use them to craft the briefing together with the client). if you run a Professional Services Firm, Sean's account is a steady stream of great insight.

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Regain control of your SaaS applications to better understand your risk exposure and expense management.

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A little background on our technology consulting firm. I often tell folks that we are not in the "effort" business, our product is RESULTS. I am reminded of a quote I learned in my time at AT&T. "The only excuse for activity... is results!" It's a critical part of our core philosophy! #TechnologyConsulting #Cloud #ITInfrastructure #Automation

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Everyday, Americans lose income because banks pay essentially no interest on money in their checking accounts. Evergreen Money, my latest venture, launches today with our first product, Liquid Treasuries. It transforms the potential of these accounts by offering users a high yield without sacrificing any of the traditional conveniences of checking. In fact, we’re so excited to officially launch today that we’re taking over the New York Times homepage! To learn more, please visit evergreenmoney.com

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With my 20 years of experience in F&B operations at Australian sporting venues and another 20 + years on, I know that you can take the person out of the industry but not the industry interest out of the person; that’s me. I note that labour cost management in the US is as critical as here in Australia. Their wages are less than $10 per hour, compared to our Australian wages of between $30 and $55 per hour, depending on the days worked. Labour is what Inzenius cares about. #ThatsInzenius #Payroll

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I work with companies who prize their culture and invest in the leadership to support it. Today's The Wall Street Journal article on college grads highlights how a tsunami of young adults entering early adulthood feel disconnected, unmoored and unready. The implications here are massive --companies need to be equipped to deal with the realities of a mental health epidemic in our younger members of society. Managers and leaders of organizations: How we lead and manage talent has changed for good (and complaining about how younger hires appear entitled or disengaged takes us nowhere). The good news is that leaders can become skilled in working these new realities. The balance is tipping toward relational leadership skills --more of the human traits we all crave. If you're interested in becoming a skilled leader in these new domains, follow us at Mandala Institute. We're building a community of leaders and courses to deal with the new realities that confront us all at work and life. #futureofwork #culture #leadership #digitalacceleration https://lnkd.in/euYygTGK

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Tech #CFOs reported they would be cautious about pursuing deals this year, according to BDO’s 2024 Technology CFO Outlook Survey. Could the #tech #dealmaking rebound change that? Read more in @MiddleMarketGrowthMagazine’s latest article: https://bit.ly/4bLbJLa #BDOCFO #TMTCFO

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In our latest episode on Practical Nerds, Patric and I talk about what "Service-as-a-Product" means for AEC tech, and why it might prove to be one of the most valuable and timely opportunities for founders to address.

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from a CPO chat today, we were strategizing ways to explain to CFOs/finance folks why investors value real subscription revenue 10x higher than implementation and professional services revenue... https://lnkd.in/gxZs5CyE Of note, they tend to be less interested in the HOW: agile, backlogs, WIP, interrupts, SW architecture, bugs vs features... #leadership #executives #money #WhenDoWeIPO

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🚀 Ansa, the trailblazing "Wallet-as-a-Service" startup, cashed in $14 million in funding. Here are my top 3 about this start-up that I think make it compelling - 🏷️ White-Label Solution: Want to impress your customers with a snazzy branded wallet? Look no further! Ansa's solution is the ultimate fashion statement for your business, letting you slap your logo on your very own digital wallet. No more paying x% credit card fees which can add up quickly especially for small businesses 💅👜 🔌 Integration with Existing Systems: Ansa plays nice with existing tech stack, seamlessly slotting into place like the missing puzzle piece you never knew you needed. It comes with pre-built integrations with payment solution providers of the likes of Stripe Square 💖💻 🔒 Security and Compliance: The tech wizards have built fortress of digital fortitude, ensuring your financial data stays under lock and key. It's like having a digital bouncer guarding your wallet 24/7. 🛡️🔐 With Ansa's groundbreaking innovation and #femaleled funding frenzy, the future of finance has never looked brighter. Dig deeper into this epic funding saga on TechCrunch https://lnkd.in/eXYumwd8 #FinanceInnovation #WomenInTech #Ansa #WalletAsAService #TechTales

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Since Private Equity is such a hot topic, I'm excited to start sharing some learnings I've gathered after working with a number of PE companies like KKR, Thoma Bravo, Apax, Chertoff, and Carlyle Group. I'll be delving into how to navigate the IT landscape before, during, and after a financial transaction. Stay tuned for more insights! I'm going to call this series Private EquITy Insights. What do you think? Would love to hear the topics that people may have questions on to drive content in these articles. Here is a link to the first of several articles: https://lnkd.in/gJNuibTC #PrivateEquity #ITlandscape #TransactionInsights

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Rippling raised its Series F round (yay: https://lnkd.in/gXZ7jWF8) and shared an update to Parker's investment memo! One of the greatest strengths of the Rippling business over the years has been consistency of product vision. This isn't a platform for marketing's sake, it's been built from the ground up as a platform with a unique compound startup approach. The intro to the memo below is almost verbatim what the company's thesis was in the early years. As someone that spent a few years in venture seeing thousands of company pitches, I know how rare this is. If you haven't checked out Rippling for your company's HR, IT, and Finance needs, now is as good a time as ever. We're global, continuously adding products, and are building in the space with a plan to stay a while. These are also good reasons to join the company: https://lnkd.in/em5FqZi. 🙂 🌎 🚀 "Rippling’s one underlying insight is that most business systems are full of information about employees. Everyone knows that’s true for HR systems. But we know this is true beyond the HR department as well. We think employee data isn’t just the domain of the HR department—it’s a fundamental primitive for business software including, and most especially, for business software well outside of HR. This fragmented employee data creates a problem for Rippling’s customers, which Rippling can solve." https://lnkd.in/gV89e5hD

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Capital market is a vital component of a nation's economic development. In my latest blog post, I dive into the various aspects of capital markets, exploring their role in driving economic growth, fostering innovation, and creating investment opportunities. Read now to gain a deeper understanding [https://lnkd.in/dH_m52QN]" #capitalmarkets #investing #finance #economicgrowth

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Really excited to also announce that we are working with Bryan Johnson and the whole Blueprint team to unlock HSA/FSA spending! Personally, I think Bryan Johnson is a gift to humanity: the guys spends millions on his personal health, and openly shares it all. Addressing the $4T in healthcare spend and ~90% of people who are struggling with chronic illness is the biggest problem in the world. And I'm excited we're working with Blueprint to help address it. https://lnkd.in/gPc6qFg7

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Great advice. As both an Operating Advisor and a portfolio company executive, i commonly help both PE firms and operating executives understand each other and translate real risk. Execution is everything!

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Today is the one year anniversary of announcing DevClarity! When they say startup life is "peak life", they aren't kidding. From launching our first MVP, landing our initial paying customers, and winning Alabama Launchpad to tackling a massive problem space with no funding (or salary) and getting rejected dozens of times, the past 12 months have been the biggest roller coaster I've ever been on. And yet I have zero regrets about my decision because starting a company has been BY FAR the greatest learning experience I've ever had. So much so that I've lately started telling people that I believe EVERYONE should start a company at some point. In the coming days, I will share some reflections from the past year. But there are two main takeaways that stand out to me: 1. Perseverance is the most important trait for an entrepreneur. More than intelligence, specific knowledge, boldness, or anything else. The entire game is to stay in the game. Everything can change with one conversation, one customer, one investor. But you have to stay in the game long enough for that to happen. Great things take time. Perseverance gives you the mental fortitude to allow yourself that time. 2. People are the most important aspect of a business. When we announced the launch of DevClarity, I said that in the course of a career, or a lifetime, when you meet special people, you bet on them. I continue to feel validated that Will Blackburn is one of those people and am glad that we continue to bet on each other and ourselves. It's hard to know what the next 12 months will hold, but I am open to the journey and excited for what's to come! - Peter

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