Executive Access India’s Post

I often get asked what The Builders does in our interview stage that leads to such a high success rate. My answer? Nothing. We just listen. You see, when we select startups, they go through a 4-stage funnel. It starts with a clearly defined need from our partners - the 'why' is crucial here. This goes out to our network - 100 of the best and brightest in the startup world who refer the most relevant startups to us. Then there's an online review (I'll save that story for another post), but it's the third stage I want to talk about today. This is where startups meet the experts, and it's magical. Our partners aren't your typical investor-types looking for the next unicorn. No, these are industry veterans with decades of experience in solving the exact problems we're tackling. One of my favorite moments? Watching startups who've raised millions meet experts like Cameron Geiger, a supply chain guru from Walmart, or Peter Scott, a media mastermind from Turner (Turner Broadcasting System, Inc). The questions these experts asked... you could see the lightbulbs going off in the founders' heads! At The Builders, we're obsessed with solving real problems for our partners. We believe that a startup tackling a genuine industry challenge has a better shot at long-term success. And when you put them in a room with people who've lived and breathed these challenges for years? That's where the magic happens. I recently counted the experts who've helped us since we started (including our activity with The Bridge by Coca-Cola). The number blew me away - 107 experts from giants like The Coca-Cola Company, Mercedes-Benz AG, Turner, Paramount, Walmart, Mondelēz International, and A.P. Moller - Maersk. Their input has been invaluable. It's helped us achieve some pretty incredible numbers: 1260 startups reviewed, 235 pilots launched, 64 license agreements signed, and 26 exits. But you know what really gets me excited? It's not just the numbers. It's knowing that we're connecting brilliant minds, solving real problems, and potentially changing industries. To all those experts who've lent their time and knowledge - thank you. You're the secret sauce in our recipe for success. What do you think? Have you experienced the power of expert input in your ventures? I'd love to hear your stories! I tried to find a photo that best represents these interview weeks and mainly found photos of us meeting startups or eating, here's one with the startups :) Linkedin won't allow me to tag everyone so more in the comments. Thanks Don Loheide Cameron Oja Christopher Södergren Alex Wellen Brooks Tobey Karen Painter Aaron Gwinner Miguel Piñeros Petersen Stefanie Miller Michael Vormittag (and gang)Neri Friedlander Vlado Koljibabic Joanne M. Andrew McMillin Daniel Tolosa Sabine SCHEUNERT Barry Simpson ☑ Adam Gilman Alan Boehme Anthony Newstead Galya Frayman Molinas Bal Bansal FRANCISCO CRESPO Shell (Xiaoyan) Huang Ph. D. #InnovationStories #LessonLearned #letsbuildtogether

An exclusive story by Hindu businessline with data from LONGHOUSE Consulting suggests that the startups are restructuring at the top level as founders make way for more seasoned executives, either from within the organisation or an external hire, to lead their ventures. Commenting on the story, Mr. Anshuman Das, CEO and Founder, said, “The trend highlights the emphasis on the path to profitability within the startup ecosystem, leading to a thorough reassessment by both founders and professional management in the past year.” Read the full article by Jyoti Banthia. https://lnkd.in/gVctxQq8 #LeadershipMovement #CEOHiring #LeadershipHiring #LONGHOUSEConsulting

#Founders, ever considered an acqui-hire as a viable exit strategy? 🤔 In this article by Marina Temkin, CFA, discover why selling your startup in an acqui-hire can be more lucrative than it seems. While it may feel like a step down, founders and key team members often benefit from higher pay, accelerated career growth, and senior roles at acquiring companies. 💼 Explore more: https://lnkd.in/gvDTth7k #startupdevelopment

What happened to CTech’s 50 most promising #startups from last year (2023)? An #analysis following up on Ido Hart’s interesting request. Most recurring investors as of today? Insight Partners, Pitango & Entrée Capital. Closely followed by NFX & Cerca Partners. Interestingly, more investor overlaps. 2 * Acquisitions - Talon (by Palo Alto Networks) & Locusview. Nice! Company sizes by headcount (2024): 1️⃣ Small (11-34) - 8.3%  2️⃣ Medium (35 - 59) - 22.9% 3️⃣ Large (60+) - 68.8% As a general concept, last year’s list consisted of “growthier” stage companies, with about a third of the list having 100+ employees. Fastest growing companies YoY in employees for each category: 🥇Descope (Small). 🥇Trullion (Medium). 🥇Eleos Health (Large).    All growing in high double digits in headcount %. No triple digit growth in the list. Understandable seeing as the list was composed of bigger companies. Total funding to-date average $105M and the latest round average is $52M, highlighting the later stage companies focus in the 2023 list. WEKA leads the list with the most funding to-date, totaling $415M raised. 37.5% of companies actually reduced their headcount in the last 12-months. Out of the shrinking companies population, 8 companies (16.66% of the total set) reduced headcount by over 20% in the 12 months. This is probably due to residual effects of the funding-overdose of 2021-2022 + current conflict. 27% of companies either stayed stale or grew their workforce by up to 10%, steady and impressive given the times. 35.5% of companies grew their workforce by 10%-46.5%+, pretty awesome considering the average company size in the list. Since the list publication, 11 companies have declared subsequent funding, representing 22.9% of the list. 26 companies, representing 54.1% of the list, haven't disclosed a new financing round in 18+ months. Any #growth investors in the crowd? Last note, about tracking commercialization growth. I created a score-card model to analyze how many companies actually increased their commercialization related departments - Sales, Marketing, Customer Success. This helps understand whether a company simply streamlined expenses to extend runway or has a positive outlook towards increased revenue. The scoring model consists of three 12-month headcount growth % parameters, one for each department. Sales & Marketing have equal weights - 40% and CS is 20% of the score. Value ranges to calculate the score are all equal - departments which grew 1% or less get a ‘0’ score and departments that grew 20% or more get a ‘100’ score. 15 companies, representing 31.3%~ are showing positive signs of commercialization growth with at least two of the three departments growing in the last year. Want to run your own deep dive analysis of the list or any other list? DM me and I’m happy to assist! Get the full list here to perform your own analysis -> https://lnkd.in/dR_RuGjN

Every now and then, we hear news like this: " 🗞️📰 Pristyn Care is cutting 120 jobs to try to make a profit by 2025…. 🗞️📰 Pristyn Care Sets Profitability Target for FY25, Unveils IPO Plans for 2027…. 🗞️📰 Exclusive: Pristyn Care Lays Off 120 Employees, Eyes Profitability By FY25.. I'm not sure if this was the only option left for the company, if the media likes to focus on it for TRP, or if there is any other reason. I always stress this in my advice to startup founders. Startups need to stay PROFITABLE. But it's also important to treat your team members well. Sometimes, cutting jobs might seem like a good idea to quickly become profitable, but it's not always the best choice. Successful startups focus on growing steadily and coming up with new ideas. Investors want to see companies with good plans, talented teams, great work culture and the potential to succeed in the long run. Instead of eliminating jobs, startups can try other things, like making operations more efficient, finding different ways to make money, or making their product fit the market better. Let's build businesses that do well without hurting those who work for us. Is it OK to fire people to make any business profitable? #startupculture #workculturematters #foundervision

The economic downturn might be easing up - but founder-investor relations haven’t taken a turn for the better yet. According to a new Sifted survey conducted this month, 71% of startup founders feel like their relationships with their investors have gotten worse, not better. Nearly 44% of respondents said that their relationship with their VCs has gotten worse in the last 12 months, while 27% said it had gotten much worse, according to the survey of 96 founders and senior startup leaders of mostly early-stage companies. #Startups #VCs #Investment

Some good thoughts for The Savvy Startup community members building their businesses on their Zero-to-IPO journey. John Majeski raises food for thought 💭 for those thinking about building their competitive edge. Can you relate to the reference to bridges (vs moats)? … Explore more below ⬇️ #Startups #Moats #Innovation

Absolutely! Here's how we can adapt the previous conversation to a stealth mode/startup context: Stealth Mode: * Early-stage defensibility: In stealth mode, a "moat" can be even more crucial. It protects your unique idea from competitors while you refine your product and build a strong foundation. * Attracting investors: A stealth startup with a promising "moat" can be highly attractive to investors. It signals potential for disruptive innovation and a competitive advantage. * Focus and clarity: Building a "moat" forces a stealth startup to focus on its core strengths and avoid distractions. This helps ensure a streamlined development process and a clear path to market. Stealth Startup: * Stealth mode: A stealth startup operates in secrecy, keeping its product, services, and sometimes even its existence under wraps. This can be a strategic advantage in highly competitive markets. * Open source: While not always suitable for stealth startups, open source can be used strategically to gather feedback, build a community, and attract talent without revealing all your secrets. Remember: Deciding whether to operate in stealth mode or be more open depends on your specific goals, industry, and competitive landscape.

Summary: The article discusses the option of being acquired for struggling startups, even if it means selling for a fraction of their previous valuation. It also delves into the incentives and benefits for founders and key team members in such acquisitions. Key takeaways: Acqui-hiring can be a better financial opportunity for founders and key employees than lateral hires or traditional M&A deals. Acquirers often give more seniority and incentives to retain the startup's workforce. Acqui-hires are becoming common in the AI industry, with large tech companies looking for specialized talent. Counter arguments: Acqui-hires may not always be successful for the acquiring company, as not all technologies or people may fit their needs. Some founders may not be interested in working for a larger company after experiencing the fast-paced environment of a startup. #venture #capital #vc #venturecapital #ventue #startups

Thanks Suvin Bansal for sharing your learnings for present and future founders #startup #founder #startupindia