Below are some of the more notable resources I explored this week.

For Entrepreneurs

The payment platform Stripe has a guide to pitching that is worth checking out.

For Investors

Jason Calacanis recently released a book called Angel: How to Invest in Technology Startups (2017). Jason runs a site called This Week In Startups where he interviews leading entrepreneurs and investors. He also made around 100 million in tech investing. Here is a recent discussion at Google Talks occasioned by the release of his book.

Trending

CBC Ideas is one of my favorite radio programs. I recommend listing to the second in a three part series on the future of work called Platform capitalism, digital technology and the future of work. Platform Capitalism is an idea that I am encountering more frequently and the episode link also includes many useful followup resources.

Here are 3 links to reports and news stories that came out this week that might be of interest to you.

The Wealth Report 2015

KnightFrank has released it's 2015 Wealth Report. KnightFrank tracks everything it can about where UHNWI's (Ultra High Net Worth Individuals) live, what they buy, and more. It is all packaged up in a nice 36 page PDF report that can be found here:

http://content.knightfrank.com/research/83/documents/en/wealth-report-2015-2716.pdf

What the Seed Funding Boom Means for Raising a Series A

Because Seed Funding is comparatively easy to obtain lately, entrepreneurs are being mislead into thinking the next round of funding, Series A, will be a cakewalk; however, the glut of Seed Funded companies means fewer of these companies are succeeding in obtaining additional rounds of funding. Read more here:

http://firstround.com/review/what-the-seed-funding-boom-means-for-raising-a-series-a

Let’s Talk About What the Ellen Pao Case Really Means

Ellen Pao worked at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, one of the top venture capital firms in the world. She is now taking them to court claiming discrimination in not promoting her within the company. The case is drawing some attention for a couple of reasons: 1) It is giving us some insight into the culture of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and it is not all coming up roses, and 2) it is bringing to light issues of gender bias in venture capital firms where only 4% of females achieve the level of partner in these firms. You can read more about this case here:

http://recode.net/2015/03/09/lets-talk-about-what-the-ellen-pao-case-really-means/

I'd like to make it a regular part of this blog to share with you some of the more useful entrepreneurship and investment-related links I come across in the course of my research and surfing. Without further ado, here are three links that are worth checking out.

1. The May 2013 issue of Harvard Business Review is worth a read. It is an issue devoted to "The New Rules of Entrepreneurship". Useful article on the concept of "Lean Startup" by one of it's founders Steven Blank. Also articles on how the Venture Capital landscape is changing and how to negotiate with Venture Capitalists.

   Harvard Business Review - May 2013

2. Free online course at Udacity on "How to Build a Startup" by Steven Blank and Kathleen Mullaney. Many entrepreneurs throughout the world are taking this course. In his Harvard Business Review article, Steven Blank made the provocative claim that an entrepreneur's chances of success are better if they adopt lean startup principles. He cites a recent study claiming a 75% failure rate for startups so there is definite room for improvement here. If Blank's claim is true, investors might start quizzing entrepreneur's on their awareness and adoption of lean startup principles as a way to assess whether they are likely to be successful or not.

   Udacity course on "How to Build a Startup"

3. What is your tolerance for risk? Dr. Ruth Lytton at Virginia Tech and Dr. John Grable at Kansas State University have developed an Investment Risk Tolerance Quiz that is worth checking out if you want to better understand your tolerance for risk. The role of risk taking in entrepreneurship is debatable. On the one hand, there are lots of stories about entrepreneurs who risked it all but prevailed in the end. Egon Musk of Tesla Motors is one example (watch Revenge of the Electric Car to appreciate the gut-wrenching level of risk Egon was willing to accept). On the other hand, there are management theorists who claim that successful entrepreneurs are not reckless risk takers, but calculated risk takers. Perhaps that means that unsuccessful entrepreneurs are reckless risk takers? The quiz might be useful as a means to stimulate thinking about the nature of risk and risk taking behavior.

   Investment Risk Tolerance Quiz

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