Upstart Labs

I've talked about this recently in my classes. The increasing amount of economic/investment activity happening in Private Equity, outside the stock market, and thus outside the reach of common people - is contributing to the concentration of wealth in the so-called 1%

Equity-based Crowdfunding will hopefully fix this!

The stock market is shrinking. That’s a problem for everyone The market is half the size of its mid-90s peak and that’s troubling for the economy, for innovation and for transparence

Very proud of what Launch Academy has achieved in 3 short years!

If you're in Vancouver, and curious about being an entrepreneur - come by Launch Academy!

http://www.launchacademy.ca/blog/2015/11/24/launch-academy-companies-raise-over-57m-in-funding-over-last-three-years

Launch Academy companies raise over $57M in funding over last three years Over the past three years, Launch Academy has achieved some incredible milestones, from securing our first twelve startups on day one to hosting Canada's largest gathering of growth-hackers at Traction Conf. To celebrate our many achievements, we're releasing a new infographic (below) to illustrate…

This is huge! Could entirely change the way our economy works:

http://betakit.com/crowfunding-canada-startup-early-stage/

EEarly stage companies given the green light to raise capital through crowdfunding in six... British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Québec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are the participating jurisdictions.

Launch Academy's very successful "Lean Entrepreneur Program" is taking in its new cohort for Nov. 4

It's an intensive mix of education and hands-on experience and experimentation to kick-start your Entrepreneur career.

If you're in Vancouver, check it out: http://bit.ly/1DgaH42

The Lean Entrepreneur Program 2.0 (November 2014) Overview If you’re a first time entrepreneur, or thinking about a changing careers and plunging into the startup...

Data on the top 2000 Angel Investors. Very interesting analysis on how Angels can lead to future funding:

http://www.cbinsights.com/blog/top-angel-investors

We Analyzed 2000 Angel Investors. Here are the Top 1%. We analyzed over 2000 angel investors on factors such as network strength, rate of follow-on investment, # of exits and more. Here's how angel investors stack up.

Why small teams are more productive. Love Jeff Bezos 2 Pizza rule:

http://blog.bufferapp.com/small-teams-why-startups-often-win-against-google-and-facebook-the-science-behind-why-smaller-teams-get-more-done

The Science Behind Why Small Teams Work More Productively: Jeff Bezos' 2 Pizza Rule - - The... Why do small teams often outperform the Googles and Facebooks of the world? The latest science reveals the power of small teams and how to work like one:

Canada ranks 2nd in world for most innovation-driven Entrepreneurism. Good to see:

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/economy-lab/canadas-best-kept-secret-our-entrepreneurial-spirit/article17925593/?service=mobile

Canada’s best-kept secret: Our entrepreneurial spirit Global survey ranks Canada second among ‘innovation-driven’ economies for entrepreneur activity – despite little more than lip service from government

Interesting take on the WhatsApp acquisition - breaks down cost of acquisition by user:

http://www.businessinsider.com/price-per-user-for-whatsapp-2014-2

The Chart That Shows WhatsApp Was A Bargain At $19 Billion Facebook is buying WhatsApp for ~$19 billion....

Facebook buys WhatsApp for $19 Billion.

WhatsApp has only about 50 employees, but 450 Million monthly Users (but no real revenue!)

Although this strengthens the argument that Users are paramount in social-tech acquisitions, I fear we are getting some crazy price inflation on these acquisitions.

http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/19/facebook-buying-whatsapp-for-16b-in-cash-and-stock-plus-3b-in-rsus

Facebook Buying WhatsApp For $16B In Cash And Stock Plus $3B In RSUs | TechCrunch Facebook is purchasing messaging giant WhatsApp for $16B in cash and stock, according to a regulatory filing. On February 19, 2014, Facebook, Inc...

From 500 Startups' Dave McClure: a good 10-point summary on how to make successful pitches to investors

http://thenextweb.com/entrepreneur/2011/10/29/dave-mcclures-10-tips-for-the-perfect-investment-pitch/ #!tAgYC

Dave McClure’s 10 tips for the perfect investment pitch We've covered how to effectively pitch your startup to the tech press before, and at the Future of Web Apps conference in London this month, entrepreneur and angel investor Dave McClure ...

Google buys Nest Labs for $3.2 Billion - Looks like the "Internet of Things" may be heating up

http://www.businessinsider.com/google-buying-nest-for-35-billion-2014-1

GOOGLE BUYING NEST FOR $3.2 BILLION Google is buying Nest Labs for $3.2 billion...

Can't believe these guys released this. Some amazing data on a startups life: including full revenue/expense breakdown, financing rounds, pitch decks, user conversion graphs, etc.

Invaluable stuff for anyone wanting to start a (tech) company today.

https://github.com/everpix/Everpix-Intelligence

Everpix-Intelligence Everpix-Intelligence - Everpix metrics, financials and slides