Start-Ups
VC who bet on billion-dollar AI firm shares two red flags that stop him investing in a founder
Man and woman having a small business meeting in smart casual clothes Ippei Naoi | Moment | Getty Images One successful angel investor has revealed two red flags that prevent him from investing in a founder in the first meeting. Carles Reina is an angel investor who backed voice cloning AI startup Eleven Labs when […]
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Risk-averse parents are fueling Britain’s ambition crisis, VCs say
Mother and daughter using the laptop at home Fg Trade | E+ | Getty Images Concerns of an entrepreneurial ambition deficit in the U.K. have led some venture capitalists to question the role of risk-averse parents and a costly education system in disenfranchising young British people from becoming founders. Last month, U.K. Business Secretary Peter […]
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U.S. founders are ‘shameless’ with feedback and Europe’s should do the same: OpenAI’s startup boss
OpenAI’s EMEA startups head Laura Modiano spoke at the Sifted Summit on Wednesday, 8 October. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images In the latest comparison between American and European founders, OpenAI’s startup boss admitted that the Americans are “almost shameless” when it comes to making demands and giving feedback to the AI giant. Laura Modiano, […]
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‘The system is rigged’: Founders and VCs weigh in on the UK’s ambition deficit
Almost 60% of young people in the U.K. are interested in starting their own businesses, per the Generation Entrepreneur Report. Connect Images/ci-start | Connect Images | Getty Images Young Brits are catching flak for their apparent lack of entrepreneurial drive, sparking a broader debate on whether the U.K. startup scene is facing an ambition deficit. […]
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U.S. model upgrades are pushing AI startups to move fast – it’s unclear if Europe can keep up
Founded in 2022, ElevenLabs is an AI voice generation startup based in London. It competes with the likes of Speechmatics and Hume AI. Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images Artificial intelligence companies are the hottest ticket items in today’s startup ecosystem but the pace of change is dominated by developments at OpenAI and Anthropic. […]
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Startup founders share how they bounced back from failure: ‘I lost a lot of my identity’
Over two-thirds of startup founders have a fear of failure, per the Founder Resilience Research Report, 2024. Skynesher | E+ | Getty Images Startup founders face immense pressure to succeed, but it can be even more challenging to let go of a failed business and find success after. Building a startup has always been risky. […]
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Inside billionaire Lucy Guo’s intense daily routine: 5:30 a.m. wake-ups, double gym sessions, and no lunch breaks
Lucy Guo, founder and CEO of Passes. Passes Lucy Guo might be a billionaire, but instead of a life of luxury and comfort, she swears by a relentless work ethic and strict daily routine. At just 30 years old, the California-born-and-raised entrepreneur has achieved what many will spend their lifetimes chasing. In April, Guo’s net […]
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VCs use this ‘power law’ to decide whether to invest in startups: We want ‘outsized-outcome potential’
Peter Specht, general partner at venture capital firm Creandum. Creandum As pitches from founders come flooding in, one investor has revealed how VCs use a historic “law” to identify the best investments. “The power law in venture capital basically means that a small number of investments generate the vast majority of returns. So essentially, one […]
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Recruiter: I interviewed serial moonlighter Soham Parekh — here are my top 3 takeaways
Russell Pompeo, hiring manager at Topaz Labs, shared three takeaways from a job interview. Mtstock Studio | E+ | Getty Images When one recruiter received Silicon Valley’s notorious serial moonlighter Soham Parekh’s job application two years ago, he was immediately impressed. This was two years before the young Mumbai-based engineer was exposed for working remotely […]
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This CEO’s startup has raised $92 million and is backed by Sundar Pichai. He shares his ‘superpower’ tip for aspiring entrepreneurs
Caesar Sengupta, co-founder and CEO of Arta Finance. Courtesy of Arta Finance Given the ups and downs of the startup journey, the biggest “superpower” that entrepreneurs can have is the ability to ground themselves, said Caesar Sengupta, co-founder and CEO of fintech startup Arta Finance. “There’s so much noise in the world,” Sengupta told CNBC […]
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