Clinton Robinson’s Post

For your early stage startup, especially during your first couple years and if you are externally funded, doing this significantly maximises your chances of success. Keeping your expenses as low as possible. Think of external funding just as a means to have capital to run experiments. Hiring large teams, giving out big bonuses or perks, and having fancy offices before you find the right product-market fit, with growing revenue and profitability, is something where many startups go wrong. Identifying problems should be your key focus. #startups #funding

Canada 🇨🇦 is a land of opportunity for startups, and our cities are leading the charge! Based on the latest Global Startup Ecosystem Index, here’s where innovation thrives: 1️⃣ Toronto - The unstoppable leader 2️⃣ Vancouver - Innovation at its finest 3️⃣ Montréal - Where creativity meets tech 4️⃣ Ottawa - The rising star in the global arena 5️⃣ Kitchener - Small city, big dreams 📊 Ottawa and Kitchener are making impressive strides, climbing up the global ranks. Québec City is another up-and-comer, making its mark in the startup world. 💡 Whether it's Toronto's bustling energy or Québec's historic charm, each city offers a unique blend of culture, innovation, and opportunity. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eiQyzA97 🤝 At Glovance Ventures, we're excited to be part of this vibrant ecosystem. We connect ambitious entrepreneurs with visionary investors to turn innovative ideas into reality. 💬 Share with us: What’s your dream startup city in Canada? #GlovanceVentures #StartupCanada #InnovationNation #TechTrends #CanadianStartups #Entrepreneurship

Oxygem - Chapter 1: A Journey of Entrepreneurship and Growth It all began 13 years ago when I embarked on the path of #entrepreneurship, igniting a passion that has taken me on a whirlwind tour of cities around the world. From Melbourne to Vancouver, Queenstown to São Paulo, and now London, each location enriched my curiosity for diverse cultures and mindsets. My unwavering curiosity and analytical mindset drew me to observe numerous #businesses, predominantly in the #technology sector – my area of expertise – across these vibrant cities. After a period of travel and deep learning, I returned to my roots in São Paulo, Brazil, determined to establish my own #startup. My initial attempts to assist friends and create a #creative hub encountered obstacles, but persistence prevailed. Amidst this journey, the seed of our first #successful venture, Brydge, was sown. Brydge, a #fintech specializing in #payments, secured over R$ 600,000 in #funding, a testament to our dedication and the countless lessons we imbibed during the five years of relentless effort and dedication. Yet, as we constructed Brydge, doors to other opportunities unexpectedly swung open. My ceaseless #entrepreneurial drive propelled me to contribute to various startups, embracing #innovative concepts from across the globe. One such endeavor was Rabid, a Portuguese #web3 startup, where I played a pivotal role in designing the #tech architecture and securing an investment of approximately €20,000. The interconnection between Rabid led me to engage with Omni Clouds, another tech enterprise, further solidifying my position in the ever-evolving tech landscape. Inevitably, the momentum of these ventures brought forth more exciting prospects, each met with a resounding "YES" from me. Today, we stand proudly having nurtured and partnered with eight distinct startups, spanning the realms of technology, web3, and even ventures as diverse as juicing and chocolates. The second chapter of this journey promises to unravel the stories behind these enterprises, showcasing their #resilience and innovation. Our eagerly awaited website is on the brink of unveiling, serving as a portal to these inspiring narratives. If your nascent #enterprise is #seeking #guidance, I extend an open invitation to connect. Our proficient team comprises developers, product owners, financial experts, designers, and business developers, all poised to infuse your #vision with the breath of creativity. Join us in the journey to "Oxygenize your creativity. Your idea is a gem," as we propel your aspirations to new heights. #Oxygem #accelerator #funding #creative

🚀 My Journey in the world of #startups: a bridge from Italy to Silicon Valley that is ongoing for more than 12 years! My attention and passion about tech startups was ignited during my last year of university. It all started during a lecture when I had the privilege of listening to the inspiring stories of Augusto Marietti, Michele Zonca, and Marco Palladino, three young entrepreneurs who had founded #Mashape (now proudly known as the #unicorn Kong Inc.) - a marketplace for developers' APIs. Their journey began in Italy, but they faced numerous challenges from local banks and investors. Determined to chase their dreams, they decided to take their venture to the startup and venture capital mecca, the #SiliconValley. Their story had a deep impact on me, leading me to apply for a three-week Summer Camp in San Francisco, scheduled for the end of that warm summer in 2011. The program was organized by Mind the Bridge, an association of Italians dedicated to bridging the gap between Italy and California. Unfortunately, despite being accepted for this incredible opportunity, I had to decline at the last minute because of some issues related to the acceptance of my next job. Sometimes, I look back and wonder what might have happened if I had embarked on that Silicon Valley journey. But upon reflection, I realize that even if I had taken a different path, at some point, my route would have reconverged with my passion for startups. Let's rewind and go through the story. From 2011 to 2013, I delved into the world of startups. Thanks to my childhood friend Matteo Stifanelli, who started his career in Berlin with the European team responsible for launching Airbnb in Europe and later in Italy, I began drawing parallels between American and Italian startups. The disparity was striking even then, with the key issue being the same: the lack of funding in Italy to accelerate the growth of innovative companies. Today, I stand committed to bridging that gap and helping Italian startups thrive. The journey has been incredible so far, and I'm excited about what the future holds. 🇮🇹🌟 To be continued... #StartupPassion #ItalyTech #SiliconValleyDreams #Entrepreneurship Over Ventures

Toronto's Startup Ecosystem: A Journey to Unicorn Status and Beyond! 🚀 Toronto is not just Canada's largest city; it's a thriving hub for innovation and entrepreneurship! Our city boasts a rich tapestry of success stories that have put us squarely on the global startup map. From Shopify to Wealthsimple, Clearco, and beyond, Toronto's startup ecosystem is filled with unicorns and exits, showcasing our talent, diversity, and the sheer force of our innovative spirit. Interested in learning more? Check out our blog post below to dive deep into Toronto’s dynamic startup ecosystem: https://lnkd.in/eiCfbUZJ #Toronto #Startup #Success #Entrepreneurship #Unicorn

Get to Know the Startup Stages: Complete Guide Once upon a time, there was a person with a fantastic idea. They were at the very beginning of their journey, just thinking and gathering a team. This stage is called "Pre-Seed." It's like dreaming about building a castle but not quite sure how it'll look. As time passed, they figured out how to make their idea real. They knew what their castle would look like and how it'd work. This is the "Seed" stage. They got help from some generous folks called angel investors or venture capitalists to start building. Now, they had a castle! People started coming to visit. They liked it, but there were still some things to fix. This is the "Early Stage." It's like when you open a new store, and you're trying to make it even better for your customers. Guess what? The castle became super popular! Everyone wanted to visit. This is the "Growth" stage. It's like your store becoming so famous that you need to open more branches in different places. The castle owner didn't stop there. They decided to build new castles in other lands. This is the "Expansion Phase." They got help from big companies or special friends to do this. Finally, after all their hard work, it was time to say goodbye. They either sold the castle to a big company, let people buy pieces of it (that's called "going public"), or kept running it as a successful business. This is the "Exit Phase." It's like finishing a great adventure. Remember, not all stories are the same. Some castles take longer to build, and some adventures have more twists. But every startup has its own unique tale to tell. So, keep dreaming and building your own story! ♻ Know someone with a brilliant startup idea? Share this post with them and help them turn their dreams into reality. 🚀 #Entrepreneurship" - - - #StartupJourney #PreSeedDreams #SeedStageSuccess #EarlyStageGrowth #GrowthSpurt #ExpansionAdventure #ExitPhaseTriumph #UniqueStartupTales #DreamBuildSucceed #BusinessAdventure #STARTUPINDIA #

We're looking at the startup Tilt this week. Founded in 2012 by James Beshara and Khaled Hussein - there was a lot of hype Tilt was able to garner. The company aspired to be a social network for money - allowing users to exchange digital cash, and Tilt would take a modest fee for a successful fundraising campaign. Beshara was incredibly charismatic and hailed as the next Zuckerberg... which led the company to raise millions of venture dollars just one year into the venture launching. By 2015, the company was worth $375M and less than 2 years later it had lost over 95% of its value. What happened? At this time, a 'grow at all costs' mentality was running rampant, and Tilt's revenue was never impressive enough to show a pathway to profitability and viability. By 2016, as the public markets cooled and investors started focusing on showing fiscal sustainability - Tilt was unprepared for this. Unfortunately at this time, the investment wastage was clear; cushy salaries, top notch offices, luxurious company retreats, you name it... no expense was spared. At the end the day Tilt didn't achieve product-market fit, and not amount of venture capital dollars could solve that issue. Tilt was sold for $12M to Airbnb as an acquire-hire exit. #lessonslearned #startups #startup #startuplife #startuplesson #learningfromothers #fail #startupfail #startupgraveyard #startuptakeaway #adapt #PMF #founders #founder #founderlife #founderlessons

Story about three slightly crazy guys 👨🚀 👨🚀 👨🚀 When we started SUPER HOW? together with Vytautas Kašėta and Linas Butenas, we didn't have the aim of creating an international corporation. Perhaps we should have had or should have this objective now, but we hadn't and still don't have it. Our goal is to make an impact on our ecosystem, contribute to Web3 development, and simply live our dream. We've always had the idea that SUPER HOW? could serve as a hub for innovations and for creating something incredible within our team. That's why we've consistently encouraged ideas and our own projects. Fast forward to today, and we find ourselves with not just one, not two, but multiple projects with the potential to take flight as freshly baked startups. Maybe it's an unconventional stance, acknowledging that this path might not serve our immediate business interests. As you may have guessed, the people at the forefront of these projects are super talented, and one day they will leave to lead their own businesses. However, we are happy to encourage them and to be their support system if needed, while witnessing their development. So, here's more about the incredible projects from our Startup Studio: https://lnkd.in/eKmHFjAq #startups #venturebuilder #superhow #superhot #innovationjourney

🎉 We've got some exciting news to share: The Modulor Ventures Group hit a whopping $6 million in revenue last year! Pretty amazing, right?! 🚀 But hold onto your hats because it gets even better. We're aiming high and setting our sights on hitting $10 million by the end of this year. Let's go big or go home! 💪 Here at Minimum.run, we're part of the incredible Modulor family (mendesaltaren, Minimum.run, Nocodehackers, Actionable, Tailor Hub), and we're proud of our philosophy: Do one thing and do it amazingly well. We're all about excellence and specialization every step of the way. As one of the specialized boutiques within the group, each with its own unique style and approach, we're committed to delivering nothing but the best in our field, always. But wait, there's more! We're thrilled to welcome Tailor Hub to our family. This addition strengthens our ability to create innovative products from #technology, bringing us one step closer to our goal of leading our category. Thanks for being part of our journey! Together, we're making waves, and we can't wait to see what's next. Stay tuned for more exciting updates! #MODULOR #growth #startups #startup #emprendimiento ✨

4 years ago we launched SMOK. How is it doing? We invested €9M in 24 startups which now make €33.6M in ARR and hire 678 people. Our startups raised €100m from external investors — 83% of new funding came from investors from outside of Central and Eastern Europe. The overall valuation of all of our portfolio startups is €250m. Average valuation bump of a portfolio startup is 3.1x (for equity rounds) or 5.9x (when also counting the SAFE caps). 87.5% of portfolio startups managed to raise additional funding after SMOK’s pre-seed investment. 1/3 of SMOK startups have a female co-founder, while 12.5% of startups had a female-only founding team at the time of investing. 7 startups are thriving, 7 are doing well, 7 are struggling, 3 are dead. 🌈 Borys Musielak summed up our first 4 years in a post, which includes many more numbers, insights into our key errors and vision for the future: https://lnkd.in/dHm-ww_K #ceevalley #venturecapital #startups #smokportfolio