Her name was Hanako Abe. Raised in Fukushima, Japan, she lived through the devastating 2011 tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster and emigrated to America to attend university. After graduation in 2018, she settled in San Francisco and worked in commercial real estate. She posted a smiling selfie on Instagram Thursday, announcing her excitement for a new year she would not live to see. Shortly after 4 PM Thursday, she was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while walking in the SOMA district of San Francisco, just 27 years old. Another woman, Elizabeth Platt, 60, was killed...…Her name was Hanako Abe. Raised in Fukushima, Japan, she lived through the devastating 2011 tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster and emigrated to America to attend university. After graduation in 2018, she settled in San Francisco and worked in commercial real estate. She posted a smiling selfie on Instagram Thursday, announcing her excitement for a new year she would not live to see. Shortly after 4 PM Thursday, she was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while walking in the SOMA district of San Francisco, just 27 years old. Another woman, Elizabeth Platt, 60, was killed...WW…

Since the Russia-Ukraine war began over 20 months ago, Western media has constructed and dutifully hewn to a series of narratives: Volodymyr Zelensky is a war hero and resistance leader akin to Winston Churchill. Ukrainians are eager to volunteer for the war effort while Russians flee conscription. More money and weapons are all the Ukrainians need to retake the territory Russia has annexed. The West’s interests lie in helping them achieve that grand victory rather than in pushing for a ceasefire and negotiated settlement. Facts at odds with these narratives — such as that Ukraine has been...…Since the Russia-Ukraine war began over 20 months ago, Western media has constructed and dutifully hewn to a series of narratives: Volodymyr Zelensky is a war hero and resistance leader akin to Winston Churchill. Ukrainians are eager to volunteer for the war effort while Russians flee conscription. More money and weapons are all the Ukrainians need to retake the territory Russia has annexed. The West’s interests lie in helping them achieve that grand victory rather than in pushing for a ceasefire and negotiated settlement. Facts at odds with these narratives — such as that Ukraine has been...WW…

A fundamental principle in SaaS sales is that the size of a deal must be large enough to justify the effort required to close it. There are many ways to win in SaaS. Some software companies target enterprise customers, while others focus on SMBs. Some concentrate on industry verticals, whereas others focus on horizontal needs across industries. However, all successful SaaS companies share a trait in common: the size of their deals is commensurate with the time required to close them. We call this the Difficulty Ratio (deal size/cycle time). Larger deals can take longer to close; smaller...…A fundamental principle in SaaS sales is that the size of a deal must be large enough to justify the effort required to close it. There are many ways to win in SaaS. Some software companies target enterprise customers, while others focus on SMBs. Some concentrate on industry verticals, whereas others focus on horizontal needs across industries. However, all successful SaaS companies share a trait in common: the size of their deals is commensurate with the time required to close them. We call this the Difficulty Ratio (deal size/cycle time). Larger deals can take longer to close; smaller...WW…

Almost 20 years ago, a startup named Jigsaw pioneered a new crowdsourcing model where users would contribute data to a platform in exchange for access to its services. Jigsaw is largely forgotten today, but its so-called “give-to-get” model could be perfect for AI startups that need to obtain rich proprietary datasets to train their models. These datasets are crucial to improve accuracy and performance of AI models, to provide a competitive advantage over rivals, to allow customization and specialization for industry-specific needs, and to reduce reliance on third-party data sources. This...…Almost 20 years ago, a startup named Jigsaw pioneered a new crowdsourcing model where users would contribute data to a platform in exchange for access to its services. Jigsaw is largely forgotten today, but its so-called “give-to-get” model could be perfect for AI startups that need to obtain rich proprietary datasets to train their models. These datasets are crucial to improve accuracy and performance of AI models, to provide a competitive advantage over rivals, to allow customization and specialization for industry-specific needs, and to reduce reliance on third-party data sources. This...WW…

As the economic crisis deepens, capital efficiency becomes a more pressing issue for startups. Not only is it necessary to maximize runway, it also plays a larger role in how investors evaluate companies. While growth is always prized during good times or bad, investors increasingly scrutinize burn and margins during downturns. Startups whose burn is too high relative to their growth will find it hard to fundraise. Founders should be prepared for this shift in emphasis. This post provides a framework for how to think about capital efficiency. How to Measure Capital Efficiency Two simple...…As the economic crisis deepens, capital efficiency becomes a more pressing issue for startups. Not only is it necessary to maximize runway, it also plays a larger role in how investors evaluate companies. While growth is always prized during good times or bad, investors increasingly scrutinize burn and margins during downturns. Startups whose burn is too high relative to their growth will find it hard to fundraise. Founders should be prepared for this shift in emphasis. This post provides a framework for how to think about capital efficiency. How to Measure Capital Efficiency Two simple...WW…

SubscribeSign inShare this postGet Ready for the 'No-Buy' Listwww.commonsense.newsCopy linkTwitterFacebookEmailJul 30, 2021Share this postGet Ready for the 'No-Buy' Listwww.commonsense.newsCopy linkTwitterFacebookEmail—BWWhen I helped create PayPal in 1999, it was in furtherance of a revolutionary idea. No longer would ordinary people be dependent on large financial institutions to start a business. Our democratized payment system caught fire and grew exponentially with millions of users who appreciated its ease and simplicity. Traditional banks were too slow and bureaucratic to adapt....…SubscribeSign inShare this postGet Ready for the 'No-Buy' Listwww.commonsense.newsCopy linkTwitterFacebookEmailJul 30, 2021Share this postGet Ready for the 'No-Buy' Listwww.commonsense.newsCopy linkTwitterFacebookEmail—BWWhen I helped create PayPal in 1999, it was in furtherance of a revolutionary idea. No longer would ordinary people be dependent on large financial institutions to start a business. Our democratized payment system caught fire and grew exponentially with millions of users who appreciated its ease and simplicity. Traditional banks were too slow and bureaucratic to adapt....WW…

In 2015, China added the Digital Silk Road (DSR) to its massive Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). While Beijing uses DSR to offer a suite of technologies to BRI countries, Huawei’s effort to provide next-generation communication networks to countries has drawn the most scrutiny in the United States.U.S. officials have frequently that Huawei is effectively an extension of the Chinese Communist Party. Under China’s 2017 , Huawei, like all Chinese companies and entities, appears legally required to conduct intelligence work on behalf of the Chinese government. According to this analysis, the...…In 2015, China added the Digital Silk Road (DSR) to its massive Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). While Beijing uses DSR to offer a suite of technologies to BRI countries, Huawei’s effort to provide next-generation communication networks to countries has drawn the most scrutiny in the United States.U.S. officials have frequently that Huawei is effectively an extension of the Chinese Communist Party. Under China’s 2017 , Huawei, like all Chinese companies and entities, appears legally required to conduct intelligence work on behalf of the Chinese government. According to this analysis, the...WW…

Legendary investor Charlie Munger famously said: “Show me the incentive, and I will show you the outcome.” To that, I would add “and the unintended consequences.” All sales incentive plans are based on Munger’s aphorism, but without that second part, the lesson is left dangerously incomplete. An aggressive sales team can be a fast-growing startup’s greatest asset or its greatest liability. Sales is the only team in the company that operates under a strict incentive plan, which dictates that sales reps hit quota to earn commission or get fired. While this incentive structure is necessary...…Legendary investor Charlie Munger famously said: “Show me the incentive, and I will show you the outcome.” To that, I would add “and the unintended consequences.” All sales incentive plans are based on Munger’s aphorism, but without that second part, the lesson is left dangerously incomplete. An aggressive sales team can be a fast-growing startup’s greatest asset or its greatest liability. Sales is the only team in the company that operates under a strict incentive plan, which dictates that sales reps hit quota to earn commission or get fired. While this incentive structure is necessary...WW…

Her name was Hanako Abe. Raised in Fukushima, Japan, she lived through the devastating 2011 tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster and emigrated to America to attend university. After graduation in 2018, she settled in San Francisco and worked in commercial real estate. She posted a smiling selfie on Instagram Thursday, announcing her excitement for a new year she would not live to see. Shortly after 4 PM Thursday, she was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while walking in the SOMA district of San Francisco, just 27 years old. Another woman, Elizabeth Platt, 60, was killed...…Her name was Hanako Abe. Raised in Fukushima, Japan, she lived through the devastating 2011 tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster and emigrated to America to attend university. After graduation in 2018, she settled in San Francisco and worked in commercial real estate. She posted a smiling selfie on Instagram Thursday, announcing her excitement for a new year she would not live to see. Shortly after 4 PM Thursday, she was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while walking in the SOMA district of San Francisco, just 27 years old. Another woman, Elizabeth Platt, 60, was killed...WW…