Kunal singh’s Post

📢 Exciting News! 🚀🌟 I am thrilled to announce that Microsoft is partnering with Alt Capital to provide support to early-stage B2B AI startups! 🤝💼 Check out our latest blog post to learn more about this exciting collaboration: [Partnering with Alt Capital to Support Early-Stage B2B AI Startups](https://lnkd.in/eqiG5SrH) #MicrosoftStartups #AIStartups #B2B #Partnership #Innovation #TechIndustry #Entrepreneurship #AltCapital #SupportingStartups This partnership aims to empower and nurture the next generation of AI-driven businesses, fostering innovation and growth in the tech industry. 💡💪 If you're an aspiring entrepreneur or part of a startup, don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to leverage Microsoft's resources and expertise. Together, we can shape the future of AI-powered solutions! 🌐🚀 #StartupOpportunity #TechCollaboration #MicrosoftSupport #AIInnovation #BusinessGrowth #EntrepreneurialJourney #TechCommunity #FutureOfAI Feel free to share this post with your network and spread the word about this exciting partnership! Let's inspire and empower startups to reach new heights! 🌟📈 #InspiringStartups #EmpoweringEntrepreneurs #TechPartnerships #MicrosoftCollaboration #StartupSuccess #InnovationEcosystem #AIRevolution #TechLeadership

Can non-technical investors really help AI startups? We all know that the #AI #startup ecosystem is experiencing rapid #growth and attracting substantial #venturecapital: • Year-to-date as of Q3 2024, AI startups have raised a record $53 billion, surpassing the $49.4 billion raised in all of 2021. • #Seed deals constituted 32% of total AI fundraising deals between 2015 and Sept 2024, suggesting that the AI ecosystem is just getting startued • In Q1 2024, the top 35 venture capital firms announced 51 AI funding rounds, up from 31 a year earlier. AI represented one out of every five investments for these firms, compared to one out of every ten in early 2023 Yet, investors making these bets on AI don’t always have a technical background. As an AI founder, it made me wonder, can non-technical investors provide material support to AI starutps beyond just funding? So, I did a little research, and this is what I found! Non-technical venture capitalists have been able to add value to software (I guess we'll have to wait and see about AI) companies in the following ways: Strategic Vision and Business Acumen • Business Model Refinement: When Airbnb was starting, Sequoia helped the founders pivot from a focus on air mattresses to a broader home-sharing concept, significantly expanding their market potential • Market Positioning and Vision: BCV helped DocuSign position itself not only as an e-signature service but also as a comprehensive "system of agreement," positioning DocuSign as an indispensable tool for managing business transactions. • Introducing a loyalty program: KP introduced Amazon to a board member who inspired their loyalty program Powerful Network and Connections One of the most valuable assets a non-technical VC can offer is their extensive network: • Customer Introductions: KP introduced Amazon to key corporate partners, helping them establish their initial B2B relationships and bring their product to amazon. • Executive Recruiting: One of Facebook’s investors helped Mark Zuckerberg recruit Sheryl Sandberg as COO, a pivotal hire that shaped the company’s growth • Hiring young talent: Contrary Capital leveraged a network of talented engineers, designers, product managers, and operators to help DoorDash recruit top talent early on What are ways in which you have seen non-technical investors contribute meaningfully to their software/AI companies? 

🚀 Exciting News! 🚀 Rocketlane, the B2B SaaS platform that champions professional services teams, has just secured $24 million in a Series B funding round! 🎉 Co-led by 8VC, Matrix Partners India, and Nexus Venture Partners, this investment propels Rocketlane’s mission to empower service teams with cutting-edge AI capabilities. 🌟💼 Rocketlane’s journey began by streamlining customer onboarding, but now it’s doubling down on professional services teams. Unlike the manual patchwork of siloed tools, Rocketlane provides visibility into every project aspect: progress, stakeholders, tasks, and communication with clients. 🚀🔍 Over the past year, they’ve tripled revenue, serving 500+ customers, including industry leaders like OpenGov Inc., LivePerson, Fivetran, Personio, and Zenoti. 📈🤝 Srikrishnan Ganesan, CEO & Co-founder of Rocketlane, emphasised their commitment to accelerating their AI roadmap and redefining the client portal experience. 🚀🔥 #Rocketlane #SeriesBFunding #Growth #AI #TechFunding #Innovation #Business  #VentureCapital #TechStartups #India #BelieveIndia To read more in detail, click below:👇 https://lnkd.in/gTvHfpNP

📰 News: 📰 --- 🚀 Zendesk Ventures: Powering AI Startups Globally! 💡 Hey, tech enthusiasts! Ready for some exciting news? Zendesk, the customer service SaaS giant, has just launched Zendesk Ventures, a global venture fund dedicated to supporting early-stage AI-first startups. This is huge for companies working on enhancing both customer and employee experiences through AI! But it's not just about capital. Zendesk Ventures also offers expertise in customer experience -CX- and artificial intelligence -AI-, plus strategic partnership opportunities to turbocharge growth for emerging startups. As Ben Barclay, SVP of Strategy at Zendesk, puts it, "We’re eager to form partnerships with companies leading this new era." Here are some killer metrics that highlight why Zendesk Ventures is a game-changer: 💡 Invested in PolyAI, a leader in conversational voice assistants, and unitQ, an AI-powered customer feedback platform 📈 Portfolio includes heavyweights like Observe.AI and Zuper, turning the tides in conversational intelligence and field service management 🌐 Spanning globally with a keen interest in India's booming AI startup ecosystem Intrigued? Follow AnniQ on social media to stay updated on Zendesk Ventures and other game-changing tech innovations. 🚀 -FutureOfAI -ZendeskVentures -AIStartups -CustomerExperience 🔔 Hit the follow button to keep your finger on the pulse of innovation! 👇 #Hospitality #Ecommerce #Retail #Commerce #Manufacturing #Logistics #Business #AIDriven #Digital #AI #Strategy #Innovation#ArtificialIntelligence #AnniQ https://lnkd.in/eK4aEtMX

Venture capitalists who fund B2B AI startups should have their founders read this tweet out loud 3 times before they send the bank wire. To this day I see an extraordinarily high number of companies (usually seed or series A) who spend all their time developing their B2B AI tool for other scrappy, digitally-native small startups. It’s like, buddy, anyone can get 6 of their friends from college and 3 more random series A founders to try their product, and even get some nice little testimonials. But you need revenue to make payroll. These companies end up having to rejigger their products, marketing and sales entirely when they realize the ‘indie AI crowd’ has zero in common with an enterprise buyer. B2B AI startup founders hyper-optimizing brand and product for other startup founders is almost always a dead end. I’ve seen it so many times in the last 8 years it’s tiring.

Chiratae leads pre Seed round in B2B SaaS startup Pepsales: Business-to-business SaaS platform Pepsales has raised $1.1 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Chiratae Ventures along with participation from other angel investors. The proceeds will be used to scale its operation, develop an enterprise-grade AI SaaS platform, assemble a team of product, technology, & AI talent, and bolster sales & marketing functions, Pepsales … Continue reading "Chiratae leads pre Seed round in B2B SaaS startup Pepsales" The post Chiratae leads pre Seed round in B2B SaaS startup Pepsales appeared first on Entrackr. #startupnews #startups

ZEPIC, Inc., a SaaS-based customer experience firm, has secured $2.1 million (INR 17.5 crore) in pre-seed #capital from Neon Fund and other angel investors who hold prominent positions at Apple, Chargebee, Freshworks, Microsoft, and Zoho. Neon Fund had offered $500K to the round. ZEPIC intends to expand its market presence in the US and other regions and strengthen its AI offerings with the #additional funding. Out-of-the-box connectors and no-code philosophy throughout ZEPIC will allow for rapid integration with existing #customer management tools to present the best possible 360 degree view of the customer. ZEPIC, which was cofounded in 2023 by Sunil Kumar Somarajan Pillai, Bharathi Kannan Ravikumar, Naveen Venkat, and Sreelesh Pillai, assists companies in providing excellent customer experiences across #channels and platforms. Siddhartha Ahluwalia To share your startup story write us on - startup@viestories.com #zepic #neon #startup #funding

The SaaS Boom – Do you know why SaaS startups succeeded and minted billions of dollars? (It's pretty straightforward) 🚀 Rewind to the early 2000s. The internet was clunky, apps were slow, but then something big happened: XML HTTP requests enabled rich web applications. It sparked a revolution we now call the SaaS boom. That single piece of technology potentially changed the entire digital landscape. (In easy words, only certain parts of the website would be requested and unnecessary page reloading was eliminated) Over the years, 300+ unicorns emerged. The opportunities clustered into three paths: 1️⃣ Obvious consumer products (social media, messaging): Prominent companies like Facebook dominated 2️⃣ Unexpected consumer innovations (streaming, ridesharing): Startups disrupted industries. 3️⃣ B2B SaaS: This is where startups thrived. 💡 Why did startups win in B2B SaaS? The market was wide open, with no dominant players, there was a huge untapped market waiting to be extracted to its fullest, that possessed a massive opportunity for startups to prosper. Domain expertise mattered, and startups owned niche solutions. SaaS tools were simply better—sleeker and easier to use than bulky legacy software. People started preferring lightweight solutions compared to the legacy system which was slow and a headache to install and use. Hence enterprises had a paradigm shift from legacy software to lightweight, easy, and cheap software which we call SaaS. Tomorrow, I’ll share why I think Large Language Models (LLMs) and AI Agents present a similar opportunity—and how startups can once again lead the way. 🚀 #SaaS #Startups #Innovation #B2B #AI

How to Do a Startup, According to YC Data YC (Y Combinator) is a name we all know. With less than 1% of startups making the cut, it’s the ultimate stamp of validation. But how exactly do those YC-backed companies succeed? After digging deep into the data, the findings are surprisingly simple, yet powerful. Here’s what the data reveals about what works in building a startup: 1️⃣ Driving Efficiencies - Whether B2B or B2C, startups that focus on bringing efficiency to existing markets have the best shot. But it's no walk in the park. Efficiency in B2B can mean reducing workforce or transaction costs, while B2C models often rely on massive capital to reach economies of scale. Speed is key—only the first to capture critical mass wins. 2️⃣ Removing Limitations - Startups that create solutions for underserved communities—particularly in FinTech—are gaining traction. These companies balance creativity with tech, solving real problems. The market might seem small at first, but entering early can offer big rewards down the line. 3️⃣ Advancing Technology - The most exciting startups move the tech needle forward. Think healthcare, AI, biotech, and robotics. They’re risky, sure—but the payoff is huge. It’s all about overcoming technological uncertainty to create long-term defensibility. For founders, it’s about identifying inefficiencies, solving emerging problems, and building a value proposition aligned with your skills. But, a key lesson? Don’t overestimate the market size. As the data shows, VC-backed success is rooted in solving real problems and staying focused on creating value—not just chasing big, unproven markets. The market must demand what you offer. We’re entering a new era of startup funding, with the focus shifting to what truly drives value. 💡 Check out this article and learn more about YC’s insights on what makes a successful startup: How to do a startup, according to YC data https://buff.ly/3DhoVeP #Revveon #kavedonkapital #kavedon #tech #funding #venturecapital #venture #vc #startup #startups #founders #investing #investor #Startups #YC #VentureCapital #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #StartupTips #Tech

How to Do a Startup, According to YC Data YC (Y Combinator) is a name we all know. With less than 1% of startups making the cut, it’s the ultimate stamp of validation. But how exactly do those YC-backed companies succeed? After digging deep into the data, the findings are surprisingly simple, yet powerful. Here’s what the data reveals about what works in building a startup: 1️⃣ Driving Efficiencies - Whether B2B or B2C, startups that focus on bringing efficiency to existing markets have the best shot. But it's no walk in the park. Efficiency in B2B can mean reducing workforce or transaction costs, while B2C models often rely on massive capital to reach economies of scale. Speed is key—only the first to capture critical mass wins. 2️⃣ Removing Limitations - Startups that create solutions for underserved communities—particularly in FinTech—are gaining traction. These companies balance creativity with tech, solving real problems. The market might seem small at first, but entering early can offer big rewards down the line. 3️⃣ Advancing Technology - The most exciting startups move the tech needle forward. Think healthcare, AI, biotech, and robotics. They’re risky, sure—but the payoff is huge. It’s all about overcoming technological uncertainty to create long-term defensibility. For founders, it’s about identifying inefficiencies, solving emerging problems, and building a value proposition aligned with your skills. But, a key lesson? Don’t overestimate the market size. As the data shows, VC-backed success is rooted in solving real problems and staying focused on creating value—not just chasing big, unproven markets. The market must demand what you offer. We’re entering a new era of startup funding, with the focus shifting to what truly drives value. 💡 Check out this article and learn more about YC’s insights on what makes a successful startup: How to do a startup, according to YC data https://buff.ly/3DhoVeP #Revveon #kavedonkapital #kavedon #tech #funding #venturecapital #venture #vc #startup #startups #founders #investing #investor #Startups #YC #VentureCapital #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #StartupTips #Tech