๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ
Clear segmentation and personalized communication ensure investor engagement and build trust, which accelerates fundraising outcomes. Strategic, transparent follow-ups increase efficiency and long-term LP loyalty.
๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐งฉ
– Segment LPs by stage preference, sector focus, geography, and engagement style.
– Recognize that investor motivations vary, and tailor outreach accordingly.
– Create LP archetypes to guide personalized communication and prioritize efforts.
๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง โจ
– Deliver updates and materials aligned with each investorโs preferences.
– Highlight KPIs, portfolio milestones, and fund performance, avoiding generic or irrelevant data.
– Maintain clear, concise, and consistent messaging to build credibility.
๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐
– Use CRM systems to track interactions, follow-ups, and investor commitments.
– Log nuances of conversations, previous feedback, and investor interests for long-term strategy.
– Scale communication without losing the personal touch, ensuring LPs feel valued.
๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ฒ & ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฌ
– Share both successes and challenges openly to enhance credibility.
– Maintain engagement outside fundraising cycles with insights, portfolio updates, or market commentary.
– Establish a relationship-first approach, ensuring investors feel informed and understood.
๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ข๐ ๐
๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ-๐๐ฉ๐ฌ & ๐๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ โฐ
– Plan structured follow-ups at predictable intervals to maintain momentum.
– Engage investors well before active fundraising to foster confidence and familiarity.
– Turn investor relations into a strategic advantage, reducing friction and accelerating commitments.
๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ & ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฌ โ
– Strong IR strategy improves fundraising efficiency, LP trust, and long-term partnerships.
– Combines relationship-building, data transparency, and targeted communication for measurable impact.
A structured, relationship-first approach turns investor relations into a key strategic advantage. It ensures LPs feel valued and informed while boosting fundraising efficiency.
Category: Uncategorized
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐จ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ ๐๐ญ๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ-๐๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ (๐๐จ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ-๐๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ)
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ:
Regular, structured communication significantly boosts your chances of securing follow-on funding. The data shows that startups that deliver consistent investor updates are three times more likely to succeed.
๐๐๐ซ๐’๐ฌ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐-๐๐ฒ-๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐:
๐. ๐๐ซ๐-๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ท
– ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ: Teaser deck (~12 slides), one-page KPI snapshot.
– ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐: Weekly momentum updates until a LOI/term sheet is in place.
– ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฌ: Intro email โ 30-minute call.
– ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ก ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ: Broad, untargeted outreach, vanity metrics, responses taking over 48 hours.
๐. ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ โ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐
– ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ: Full data room including financials, cap tables, legal docs, runway, wiring info.
– ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐: Twice-weekly emails with updates and Q&A responses; 48-hour turnaround on legal edits.
– ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฌ: Email, DocSend/Carta (for tracking), Slack/Signal/WhatsApp for real-time.
– ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ก ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ: Ghosting after hard questions, slow document delivery, last-minute valuation shifts.
๐. ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง & ๐๐จ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ค
– ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ: Monthly updates + quarterly board packs with KPIs (ARR, burn/runway, margins, hiring, asks, 12-month forecasts).
– ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐: Monthly updates; quarterly board meetings scheduled ~10 days post-pack.
– ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฌ: Email for updates, Notion or Boardable for packs, video or in-person for meetings.
– ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ก ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ: KPI drift, late packs, vague or no actionable asks.
๐. ๐
๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐
๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐
– ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ: Raise-preview deck, milestone scorecard, list of target investors.
– ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐: Bi-weekly metric snapshots for insiders; monthly pipeline status.
– ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฌ: Email, dashboards (e.g., Visible or Rundit), Loom walkthroughs.
– ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ก ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ: Preferential terms to new investors, raising with low runway, unfocused outreach.
– ๐๐ข๐ฉ: Quickly act on introsโthis speeds up fundraising and protects ownership.
๐. ๐๐ฑ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ถโโ๏ธโโก๏ธ
– ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ: Buyer data room, waterfall model, employee retention plans, LOI progress.
– ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐: Weekly board updates + ad-hoc alerts for major changes.
– ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฌ: Dedicated board Slack channel and scheduled board calls.
– ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ก ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ: Excluding the board, surprise clawbacks, delayed approvals.
Effective founder-investor communication is foundational to building trust and driving results. Anchoring your approach in clarity, consistency, context, candour, and conciseness โ and tailoring your approach to each phase of the funding lifecycle sets the stage for mutual value creation.
#fundraising #investor relations
Also shared on LinkedIn
๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ’๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐๐ ๐
In a recent blog post by Ryan Monk and Gianna Santaniello of Primary Venture Partners, they highlight the best reasons for hiring (incl. where to find them, and when and how to hire) a Chief of Staff in early-stage startups. This piece resonated deeply with me, as I felt like it was written specifically about me, perfectly describing my own professional journey โ 2x Chief of Staff, former VC, specializing in operations, strategy, marketing, community, and fundraising โ a professional who excels in a wide range of tasks, adding immense value across various functions.
The article is a great and quick read, but I’ve condensed it here for you in a tldr version as I know you’re all busy people.
1. ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐๐:
Chiefs of Staff are crucial in startups, acting as the founder’s right hand and managing everything from internal KPIs to investor relations.
2. ๐๐ก๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐:
a. Operational Generalists: The Swiss Army knives who tackle diverse tasks, from setting up HR policies to organizing team offsite.
b. Functional Specialists: Experts in a specific area like product development, finance, or marketing, who also manage broader operations.
c. Versatilists: Similar to generalists who are capable in many areas, but also possess deep knowledge in one or more specific domains. (I added this one. For more info on versatilists, check out my Linked post.
Regardless of their type, a CoS spends over 75% of their time working closely with the CEO, building a relationship founded on trust.
3. ๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐:
Timing is everything. Hire too early, and the CoS may have little to do; hire too late, and the founder could be too overwhelmed to make the most of the role. Typically, the best time to hire is around the Seed or Series A stage when the founderโs workload starts to hinder key activities like fundraising and product development.
4. ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฎโ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐๐จ๐:
– Delegatable tasks are piling up.
– Struggling to focus on core responsibilities.
– Increasing administrative complexity requires dedicated attention.
5. ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ ๐ข๐ญ:
Look within your network and relevant communities. Strong candidates often transition from consulting or investment banking into startups. Primaryโs Chief of Staff Mastermind Network, along with VC and startup communities, are excellent resources.
6. ๐๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐:
– 2-3 years in top-tier consulting, investment banking, or private equity.
– Startup experience for a year or more.
– Proactive, self-starter with intellectual curiosity and strong executive presence.
7. ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ข๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ:
– Comfort with ambiguity and a โget things doneโ attitude.
– Ability to build from scratch and research solutions to new problems.
– Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
8. ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐:
Once hired, grant them trust and autonomy. Clearly define their responsibilities to maximize their impact, such as:
– Creating decks and financial models.
– Managing hiring processes.
– Setting up company-wide productivity tools.
– Handling contracts and agreements.
A successful CoS will ensure operations run smoothly, allowing the founder to focus on high-impact activities. Typically, they transition into a specialized role within 12 to 24 months, further contributing to the companyโs growth.
๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง:
The right Chief of Staff is transformative, enabling founders to focus on what they do best. They are capable of handling diverse challenges and driving results across various functions and acting as a force multiplier for their principal. So if youโre looking for someone like this in your startup, letโs connect!
#Versatilist #ChiefOfStaff #StartupSuccess #Fundraising #Growth #Leadership #VC #PE #HealthcareTech #AI #LLM #ProfessionalDevelopment #LinkedIn
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐จ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ฌ
This post by Gregory Shove and Taylor Malmsheimer highlights the 10 ways to get your CEO to listen during a presentation to them. Their blog is located at https://lnkd.in/d27h2mm5 and is well worth subscribing to.
It’s a great read but if you’re strapped for time, here’s the tl;dr:
CEOs are impatient, strapped for time, and focused on finding leverage for the business.
So if you want to present well to a CEO, follow these 10 tips:
๐) ๐๐จ๐ง’๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐
Get to the point quickly and in plain words.
๐) ๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐ข๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง
It’s not a TED talk. Use them to get feedback, not as a rapt audience.
๐) ๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ฌ โ ๐ง๐จ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐, ๐ง๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ โ ๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฑ๐ญ
If you skip right to the point without context, theyโll be lost.ย So you need to anchor them.
๐) ๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ฌ, ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ/๐จ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ
Why are you here today? What decision is being made? What are you asking for?
๐) ๐๐๐ญ ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐, ๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐
And make sure they agree that the problem is worth solving.
๐) ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐-๐ซ๐๐๐
Ask if the CEO read it beforehand, and donโt be offended if they didnโt.
๐) ๐๐จ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐จ๐๐ญ
CEOs respect people who give the truth and can cut sharply to how something is doing.
๐) ๐๐๐ค๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ
How does what you present matter to the business (is it driving up renewal, referrals, user growth, etc.)?
๐) ๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ญ (๐ฌ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ซ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ)
Insert questions along the way to spur good conversation, such as “Is this a problem worth working on?” or “Are these the right metrics for us to prioritize?”
๐๐) ๐๐จ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ
If they do, two pieces of advice:ย say โweโll cover that in a momentโ if you are going to cover it in a few slides and donโt overreact or get defensive.
Think of presenting well to the CEO as an opportunity to show that you understand the metrics that matter and to position yourself as a thought partner to the CEO.
For the full post: https://lnkd.in/dDRHp5Re
Also posted on LinkedIn
What makes a strong Chief of Staff?
I’ve sometimes been asked, “What qualities do I need to become a strong Chief of Staff?”
First, why is the Chief of Staff role important?
A strong Chief of Staff plays a pivotal role in facilitating an organization’s success by acting as a bridge between executive leadership, key initiatives, and various functional areas.
Now that we’ve established the importance of the role, here are 14 attributes that are essential to excel as a Chief of Staff:
1. Deep Understanding of Operations and Strategy
A Chief of Staff must understand the company’s operations and strategic objectives fairly deeply. This includes a keen awareness of not only the companyโs specific industry/sector, but also the bigger picture (global business landscape, financial markets, and the macro-economy). Having this knowledge allows them to align their efforts with the organization’s vision effectively.
2. Strategic Thinker
Strong Chiefs of Staff have a knack for strategic thinking. They can not only grasp the big picture but also identify specific opportunities and challenges. (My previous CEO would ask each participant for their SWOT analysis after every external meeting with investors, partners, vendors, etc., which helped hone this skill in me.) This skill is vital when working on critical initiatives and projects such as international expansion and program development.
3. Self Awareness
People will perceive you differently in this role. Youโre no longer โyour nameโ. Youโre โ(the CEO name)โs Chief of Staffโ. So the words you say and actions you take are going to land differently. Keep this in mind in your approach.
4. Egoless Mindset
Chiefs of Staff must prioritize collaboration, teamwork, and the greater good over personal ego and individual recognition. Iโm this way, and I know itโs not easy for most people to be like this, but it is necessary for success in the role.
This is often associated with agile methodology, where teams are encouraged to be self-organizing and focused on delivering value (which is how I prefer to work). It also leads to more effective and efficient teamwork, minimizing conflicts and competition among team members.
5. Superior Communication Skills
Effective communication is key. Chiefs of Staff are responsible for conveying insights, coordinating efforts, and ensuring that information flows seamlessly between executives and teams. They must be adept at summarizing complex ideas and presenting them clearly to leaders. And they must be able to communicate effectively, precisely, and succinctly.
6. Engendering Trust
Trust is defined here as โconsistency over timeโ โ meaning consistently deliver and have sensitivity around conversations of confidential topics. The more you can do that, the more trust you will build with the team over time.
7. Organizational and Productivity Skills
Chiefs of Staff must be self-starters who can take ownership of juggling multiple projects, stakeholders, and deliverables, prioritize them all effectively, and manage multiple tasks with competing deadlines. Their ability to bring together various stakeholders and drive decisions is crucial, aligning with the company’s values of excellence.
8. Growth Mindset
The ability to learn from mistakes and not make the same ones again is very important.
9. Adaptability and Resiliency:
In their capacity as strategic thought partners, Chiefs of Staff often need to switch between supporting leadership directly and working on organization-wide projects. This adaptability enables them to seamlessly transition between these roles as needed.
They also need resiliency in the face of adversity when things donโt go well.
10. Track Record of Accomplishment
A successful Chief of Staff usually brings a track record of accomplishments in previous roles. This can include achievements in business development, operations, and other relevant areas. This history of delivering results demonstrates their ability to drive projects forward.
11. Multidisciplinary Background
Given the multifaceted nature of the role, a strong Chief of Staff typically has a multidisciplinary background. Experience in fields, such as management consulting, venture capital, fintech, and corporate development provides a well-rounded perspective that can be invaluable in supporting leadership.
12. Global Perspective
Given the international nature of business today, Chiefs of Staff are sometimes required to travel frequently to engage with partners and stakeholders worldwide. This global perspective can be critical when expanding into new markets.
13. Evaluation and Decision-Making
Chiefs of Staff evaluate proposals and initiatives critically, exercise independent judgment, and make recommendations to senior leaders. Their decisions contribute to the overall strategy and direction of the company.
14. Commitment to Company Values
Finally, a strong Chief of Staff upholds and embodies the core values of the company. Their high integrity, commitment to a multistakeholder approach, mindfulness, and unwavering dedication to excellence reflect and reinforce the company’s culture.
In conclusion, a strong Chief of Staff brings a combination of operational expertise, strategic thinking, excellent communication, and typically, a history of accomplishments. They act as a critical partner to executive leadership and play a key role in driving the organization’s goals and objectives forward.
What is your opinion? Feel free to contribute in the comments below.
Keywords: #chiefofstaff #cos
Please feel free to share/repost/retweet. Also posted on LinkedIn.
How Blockchain Will Disrupt E-commerce

As blockchain technology grows in popularity and usage, e-commerce businesses are realizing just how revolutionary the technology is, and how it can solve many of the problems the industry is currently facing.
1. Growth
Decentralized transactions allow merchants to expand their reach across borders and simultaneously grow their businesses to levels that were previously constrained by central authorities. Blockchain technology also allows third-world countries to trade online more easily, as consumers and merchants no longer need a payment intermediary thanks to peer-to-peer technology enabled by the blockchain. This will result in massive growth for existing online stores (and new ones coming in), thanks to their increased reach.
2. Security
The pure decentralized nature of the blockchain is also such that it is impossible to alter the data, thus removing the possibility of any fraudulent transactions. Additionally, due to self-executed smart contracts, business partnerships will strengthen and efficiency will increase. Thus, it will create a “trustless” environment where users will not need not know or trust each other to enter into an agreement since any manipulation of the data will be rejected by other members in the network.
3. Counterfeit Products
E-commerce companies are facing a huge problem of counterfeit and substandard products due to difficulty in regulation and selection of vendors, which leads to increased returns and customer dissatisfaction. Blockchain technology solves this problem by enabling the verification of all information and claims associated with a product, allowing consumers to quickly and easily be able to check the purity, quality, or origin of a product, and thereby building more trust and loyalty.
4. Supply Chain Management
For certain products, ethical sourcing and/or sustainability is the key to its ethos and potentially success in the marketplace. But until now, that was always one of the most difficult things to get insight on. However, blockchain technology allows both customers and organizations the insight and ability to track complex variables related to both sustainability and ethical sourcing. This helps procurement organizations in all industries lower their costs and improve performance while driving greater value for their companies.
5. Payment
Paying vendors is not always as easy or straightforward as it may seem. But now with the blockchain, the entire payment process has been simplified and been made more efficient as the payment intermediary or central authorizing body has been eliminated. As a result, transactions can take place in real-time and also lowers operational costs.
6. Exchange Rates
With cryptocurrency, we now truly have universal currencies โ which allows consumers and businesses to transact all over the globe without needing to worry about exchange rates.
7. Digital Identity
Passwords and authentication requests have proven to be limited in their effectiveness in protecting data, and stealing a user’s credit card information has become easier for thieves. Blockchain technology helps to prevent this from happening with a digital identity that is safer and easier for users to manage with digital identities that are based on a uniquely random set of numbers assigned to each user on the blockchain network.
8. Customer Experience
In addition to all the issues listed above, there are also problems in the customer experience. For instance, customer loyalty programs are seeing low redemption rates and are badly in need of a more modern upgrade; there are too few incentives for customers to join them; and data breaches happen with regularity compromising customers’ data. However, using blockchain technology, users can receive loyalty tokens that are interoperable across many programs, and they never expire or lose value unlike traditional reward points.
9. Proof of Ownership
Additionally, blockchain technology allows businesses and consumers to prove ownership and save product invoices and warranties. Often times consumers get frustrated when they canโt find their paper receipt to substantiate ownership and therefore, the warranty coverage for their product. (I mean let’s be honest – how many people really save all their product warranties?) But with blockchain technology and NFTs specifically, buyers and sellers will be able to conveniently save receipts and warranty data and authenticate evidence of ownership.
Conclusion
In summary, blockchain technology can and will continue to be used to improve e-commerce and solve the problems that currently face it โ including providing added security, fixing the issue of counterfeit products, proof of ownership and digital identity, supply chain management, and improving the customer experience.
What is your opinion? Feel free to contribute in the comments below.
Keywords: #blockchain #blockchaintechnology #emergingtech #emergingtechpredictions #e-commerce #ecommerce #ecommercetechnology #techdisruption #supplychain
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Emerging Tech Predictions & Promising Companies To Watch For In 2021
2020 was a strange year in many ways. We experienced social unrest, a global pandemic, and a recession…all in one year. Disparate groups, regions, and ideas stretched the country in different directions, sometimes nearly to the breaking point. And in the midst of all this โ we also saw record-breaking equity markets, some rich getting richer, and an ever-widening income gap disparity.
You want some examples? Here you go…
- Racial conflicts and massive protests in every city in the US and even worldwide, sparked by the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer
- 2020 Presidential election legal battle – Democrats and Republicans fighting tooth and nail for each and every college elector, and Donald Trump exhausting every possible legal means to dispute and overturn the election results
- Vastly different Covid-19 safety policies and procedures โ ranging from some states that are completely open with few rules in place (such as Florida) to others that are almost completely shut down with a long list of restrictions (such as California)
- After a brief Covid induced crash, the equity markets have reached crazy heights and many say stock valuations are completely unreasonable
Look For These Emerging Technologies and Companies in 2021
Despite all of these negative things, there are some bright spots in the future. We are forging ahead with emerging technologies that improve our lives, many of which have seen record adoption this year due to the pandemic (such as food delivery apps, e-commerce, tools for working from home, and others). Here is a list of the tech trends and corresponding companies that I’m watching in 2021 and beyond:
Digital Health and Telehealth
Considering the damage the pandemic has done, one good thing that has come out of it is the acceleration of digital health and telehealth.
In terms of funding, this year is the largest on record for the sector. For VC investment, the median deal size through Q3 2020 is $39 millionโup from $25 million in 2019 and $18.9 million in 2018, signaling โindustry maturity,โ according to Kaia Colban, an emerging tech analyst at PitchBook.
The pandemic also drove research in diseases and drug discovery, as companies focused on studying and/or developing a vaccine for Covid-19 โ particularly in the use of AI for those purposes. Mike Paylor, VP of engineering and product for Upwork, says heโs seen a lot more demand for healthcare apps and, in particular, AI for healthcare.ย In addition, researchers put many of their existing research and clinical trials on hold to focus their attention on a Covid vaccine. And the record speed with which the Covid vaccines by Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca were tested, trialed, and brought to market will likely have a lasting impact on the pharmaceutical industry. Remote clinical trials, performing consultations online, and collecting data remotely may also be a permanent part of future pharmaceutical trials long-term.
We’ve also seen a rise in telehealth, allowing patients and caregivers to communicate remotely. There was a 154% increase in telehealth visits during the last week of March 2020, compared with the same period in 2019, according to the CDC.
Abacus Insights, Amwell, Kaia Health, LetsGetChecked, Mindstrong, and Plushcare are all startups that have raised Series A, B, or C rounds during the pandemic and โdecentralize medicine away from hospitals and empower patients as consumersโ, according to Bond Capitalโs Mary Meeker.
And speaking of AI…
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Language, and Robotics
In 2020, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine language (ML) made big strides in technology.
Businesses have access to more data than ever on their customers, competitors, and the market as a whole. AI tools have helped them to do that, and there doesn’t seem to be any looking back.
- A recent McKinsey survey found that half of organizations worldwide have adopted AI in at least one function.
- But another global survey found that less than half of adopters say theyโre highly skilled at integrating AI into their existing environments.
What this means that the demand for skilled AI specialists and more standardized, user-friendly AI tools will only increase in the coming years. And the fast-growing field of ML operations (MLOps) is helping to provide some of those tools. Specialists trained in ML Ops are the ones that help deploy, train, and run those AI models.
In 2021, expect to see huge demand and rapid growth of AI and industrial automation technology. As manufacturing and supply chains return to full operation, manpower shortages will become a serious issue. Automation, with the help of AI, robotics, and the internet of things, will be a key alternative solution to operate manufacturing.
Some of the top technology-providing companies enabling industry automation with A.I. and robotics integration include:
UBTech Robotics (China), CloudMinds (U.S.), Bright Machines (U.S.), Roobo (China), Vicarious (U.S.), Preferred Networks (Japan), Fetch Robotics (U.S.), Covariant (U.S.), Locus Robotics (U.S.), Built Robotics (U.S.), Kindred Systems (Canada), and XYZ Robotics (China).
Last-Mile Delivery Tech
Due to the pandemic, more people are ordering food deliveries and shopping online. “No contact” delivery is now the “new normal”. This created a huge demand for last-mile delivery tech companies and autonomous delivery capabilities. Startups like Arrival have partnered with UPS, and Rivian which partnered with Amazon to deliver your goods in electric vans. Amazon and Walmart are still locked in a never-ending episode of “Battle of Delivery Drones”. And shipping giants like FedEx are rolling out autonomous same-day delivery bots.
What’s spurred this activity on? Several things really.
- Obviously, the pandemic has shifted the delivery landscape from “personal touch” to “touchless/no contact”
- Uber acquired Postmates in July
- California passed Proposition 22 in November, which exempts gig economy companies (such as Uber and Doordash) from providing employee benefits to workers. And these companies are already working to expand it to other states.
- DoorDash had an IPO in December
- Instacartโs IPO is looking like it will happen in Q1 2021
- All of the industry leaders are focused on moving beyond just food delivery and expanding into retail and convenience
Edtech, Online Learning, and Future of Work
Edtech had already been growing pre-Covid, but Covid just accelerated that growth even faster. It also put “online learning” at the forefront of many educators. During the pandemic, 190 countries enforced nationwide school closures at some point, affecting 1.6 billion students (91% of all students worldwide).ย
17zuoye, Yuanfudao, iTutorGroup, and Hujiang in China, Udacity, Coursera, Age of Learning, and Outschool in the U.S., and Byju’s in India are some of the online learning platforms that have benefitted from the pandemic and will continue to experience tremendous growth even after we go back to a “normal life”.
And of course, most of us are familiar with Future of Work apps like Zoom, Slack, Airtable, Calendly, and others. But there are others that may be less well-known but equally as promising: Deel (payroll from remote teams), Guru (a better knowledge database), Notion (an “OS” for startups), and Zapier (a way to synchronize information across apps).
Many of these new behaviors driven by pandemic will outlast the virus and continue to accelerate in 2021 and beyond. This will help drive future technological innovation in these areas and help the adoption of what may become our new “normal”.
#emergingtechnology #emergingtech #emergingtechpredictions #Covid-19 #digitalhealth #telehealth #artificialintelligence #AI #robotics #deliverytech #lastmiletech #edtech #onlinelearning #futureofwork
What is your opinion? Feel free to contribute in the comments below.
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Is Uber Eats the new savior? (Part 3)
Let’s dive a little deeper
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic and corresponding stay-at-home orders, it should be obvious to anyone that ridesharing has pretty much halted the past few months. Going forward, unless Uber incorporates a physical barrier/screen between the driver and passenger (in the backseat), the minimum recommended distancing of 6 feet apart isn’t going to be met in a rideshare situation. And forget about Uber Pools for the time being. It will likely be a while before most people are comfortable sitting in a vehicle in close proximity to 3 other people. (I would venture that the ridership numbers for Uber Pools will suffer worse than Uber X rides during the Covid period.) Basically, the pandemic has effectively cratered Uber’s rideshare business for the foreseeable future.
The ride-share segment was down 80% and reported a $2.9 billion loss in Q1 2020, it’s largest loss in three quarters.

Other Issues
During the pandemic, Uber laid off 3700 full-time employees (14% of its workforce) and another 400 employees from its bike and scooter division, Jump, as part of an investment deal offloading that business to Lime.
And Uber is also dealing with a new lawsuit in California that claims Uber wrongfully classified drivers as contractors rather than employees to avoid paying for overtime, reimbursement for business-related expenses, access to unemployment and disability insurance, paid sick leave, and other benefits.
Given the massive losses that Uber has sustained since its inception from its ride-sharing segment and the promising growth of the food-delivery segment as discussed in part 1 of this post, pushing its food delivery business might seem like the logical way forward to eventual profitability. After all, Uber Eats reported adjusted net revenue of $1.4 billion in 2019, an increase of 82% over the previous year.
However, those numbers don’t accurately reflect the real impact of the business’s growth on Uber, and when you take a deeper look into the food delivery business, you see that the economics make it difficult to see a long term path to profitability.
During the same period that Uber reported the adjusted net revenue of $1.4 billion, it also reported EBITDA of -$461 millionโ. Much of this loss came from “increased investments in key markets that delivered category position improvement.” You’re probably asking, what does that mean exactly? It means that Uber spent 45% of its revenues ($1.13 billion) on “excess driver incentives”. Again, you’re probably wondering, well what does that mean?
“Excess driver incentives” is the term Uber uses to describe two things, either paid new driver referrals (usually from an existing driver) or financial losses on rides and deliveries. Also mentioned in part 1 of this post, Uber has been very aggressive in grabbing market share in some areas, much to the detriment of its bottom line. In order to get drivers on board and lower prices as much as possible, Uber essentially loses money on every ride. And since it pays the driver more than it collects in revenue, it chalks it up to a cost of doing business to gaining dominant market share. While this has worked well to some degree so far, it is unsustainable in the long run.
This is why Uber purposely breaks out what it pays drivers in excess incentives so that it can easily show investors what the impact on profit would be if it eliminated these incentives. And if itโs not clear by now, the plan is to certainly eliminate this expense as much as possible in order to become profitable.
So about that “Uber Eats savior thing” again…
Even as Uber Eats seems to be a path forward for Uber to gain profitability, it is a road littered with obstacles and fraught with dangers. Food delivery companies basically earn money from delivery fees and revenue share with restaurants. And to sign up some biggerย restaurant chains, the food delivery companiesย have had toย lower their commissions. On top of that, several cities have now started capping the fees they can charge restaurants. Seattle, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Jersey City have all instituted some sort of cap on delivery fees with other cities expected to follow suit. Other cities such as Chicago have forced the companies to reveal what exactly constitutes the total delivery fee by itemizing everything including the actual delivery costs, taxes, food costs, and the commissions and service fees restaurants pay.
All of these factors contribute to a murky outlook for Uber’s future. While it still continues growing, its profitability will continue to be a big question mark.
But, there are solutions
Recent polling data suggests that somewhereย between 13ย andย 20 percentย of folks in the U.S. say that theyโll start venturing back out once their regional shutdowns are lifted, and about half,ย CBS News reports, say they wonโt resume normal social activity until itโs clear the outbreak is over. If those numbers are accurate, Uberโs Ridesโ business is likely down for the long haul, Eats will continue to shine, and Uber will be best served by going where the money is: food delivery.
Consolidation is the way forward in the food-delivery business, and Uber understands that very clearly. As part of the quote mentioned in part 2 of this post, Uber stated “like ridesharing, the food delivery industry will need consolidation in order to reach its full potential for consumers and restaurantsโ. I’m just wondering if they just lost their best potential partner (Grubhub) and may now have to settle for the leftovers (Postmates). Despite that,ย look for a merger with Postmates in the coming months.
In my opinion, Uber Eats might just be the new savior…and possibly the only one for Uber.
#uber #ubereats #coronavirus #covid19 #ridesharing #businessstrategy #justeattakeaway #mergersandacquisitions #doordash #grubhub #postmates
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Why Are Targeted Ads So Effective? It’s Probably Not What You Think

Based on an article in the Harvard Business Review, studies show that targeted ads are effective not only because they are targeted, but because they also influence the target’s perception of themselves. What this means is that if the ad has been corrected targeted, the viewer is subconsciously influenced to perceive themselves as belonging to that target market segment, even if they are not fully inclusive of that segment. Studies show that they accept the fact that they have been targeted for this particular type of product as validation that they belong to the subgroup; and that this validation subsequently increased interest in the product.
Rather than target demographically, advertisers have learned that targeting behaviorally can often be more effective. However, what most advertisers don’t know is why it is more effective. They may just see that it is better at generating clicks and conversions or has higher ROI than non-behaviorally targeted ads.
We exposed students to an ad that they believed to be either behaviorally targeted or non-targeted for a high-end watch brand. Then we asked them to rate how sophisticated they perceived themselves to be. The data show that participants evaluated themselves as more sophisticated after receiving an ad that they thought was individually targeted to them, compared to when they thought the same ad was not targeted. In other words, participants saw the targeted ad as reflective of their own characteristics. The ad told them that, based on their browsing history, they had sophisticated tastes. They accepted this information, saw themselves as more sophisticated consumers, and this shift in how they saw themselves increased their interest in the sophisticated product.
Behaviorally targeted ads can also impact behaviors beyond just purchasing products. Another study was conducted in which students rated themselves as “more green” after receiving a behaviorally targeted ad for an environmentally friendly product. This resulted not only in purchases of the product, but a measured increase in the student’s willingness to donate to a pro-environmental charity, which they were prompted about at the end of the same lab session.
However, the most important part of this is that the behaviorally targeted ad must be at least somewhat plausible or accurate – meaning that the targeted individual must at least share some of the characteristics of the target segment. If the targeted individual shares none of the characteristics of the target segment, then the likelihood of a conversion is low.
*Itโs important to note that the effects on self-perceptions we observed are contingent on consumers being aware that a given ad was or was not tied to their past behavior. Across all of our studies we provided participants with an explanation of behavioral targeting, so that those in the behaviorally targeted ad condition believed that they received the ad as a result of their own online behavior.
Given that the ads in our studies were not actually matched to participantsโ behavior โ we merely created the perception that they were โ we expect that effects may be even stronger in the real world when behaviorally targeted ads are more accurate. If consumers are not aware that an ad has been behaviorally targeted, though, even if it is actually matched to their online actions, they likely wonโt perceive the ad as a reflection of the self.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, our results suggest that transparency benefits consumers and firms. These effects of behaviorally targeted ads only occur when consumers know that an ad has been behaviorally targeted, so it behooves advertisers to include theย AdChoices icon to clearly label behaviorally targeted ads as such. Additionally, identifying ads as behaviorally targeted gives consumers greater control over the use of their data and may help alleviate many of the privacy concerns cited by the FTC in relation to disclosure of the use of consumer data in delivering online ads.
This brings me to the point of this blog post. There is an additional method of online advertising that often incorporates behaviorally targeted ads – and that is “retargeting” (retargeting ads follow potential customers around the internet and show them targeted ads based on their previous browsing history). With retargeting ads becoming more popular with advertisers, any somewhat perceptive viewer will have noticed the same ads following them around the internet as they browse from website to website. The way retargeting works is when a visitor lands on a webpage, a javascript tag hidden in the webpage code places anonymous retargeting cookies in the visitor’s browser. This code allows advertisers who typically contract with a third-party retargeting company (such as Adroll, ReTargeter, and Criteo) to display retargeted ads to visitors as they browse other websites. The large social media platforms and browsers, such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Instagram even have their own retargeting services. This repeated exposure has proven to be effective not only in increasing conversions but promoting brands as well. And, when used in combination with behaviorally targeted ads, retargeting makes those ads even more effective. This combination can be a powerful 1-2 punch in the advertiser’s arsenal. For most websites, only 2% of web traffic converts on the first visit. Retargeting can multiply that conversion rate significantly, which allows advertisers to optimize their ad spend, and simultaneously increase their marketing ROI.
What is your opinion? Feel free to contribute in the comments below.
source: Harvard Business Review article
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Instagram vs Pinterest – Which is Better For Advertisers?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few years, you’ve probably heard of Instagram and Pinterest. Instagram is the popular image and video sharing website used by people and companies ranging from Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, and Cristiano Ronaldoย to Nike, NASA, and the NBA. Pinterest is another popular image sharing (and on a smaller scale, GIFs and videos) website that users typically curate into collections around a common theme. Its three most popular users are lesser known celebrities; Joy Cho, Maryann Rizzo, and Bekka Palmer.
As of this blog post, Instagram has approximately 1 billion monthly active users (MAU) and 500 million daily active users (DAU). It’s popularity places it well ahead of other well-known social media channels, Twitter (326 million active users), Snapchat (150 million active users), and Pinterest (250 million active users). And, Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, currently accounts for approximately 25% of revenues of its parent company (next year it is projected to account for 30%).
Pinterest’s 250 million active usersย is approx 1/4 of Instagram’s. However, if your specific market is women aged 25-54, then Pinterest may be a gold mine for you. 83% of women in that age bracket in the US are on Pinterest. And, since women are often the controllers of household finances (women control 80% of household spending in the US), Pinterest has a special importance for advertisers of household products. But, that doesn’t mean men are left out either. 50% of new signups in 2018 were men. If your product has a strong international appeal, 80% of new Pinterest signups are from outside the US. High-income and educated US households are also well represented on Pinterest, and twice as likely to use the platform as low-income and less educated US households (39% of people in households worth $75k or more per year use Pinterest).
For business looking to advertise on Pinterest, the statistics reveal a powerful tool to capture sales and market share:
- Pinterest users are twice as likely to report that they feel their time on the website was well spent (compared to other social media platforms).
- 67% look at saved content while in stores
- 55% use Instagram to shop
- 98% of Pinterest users go out and try the ideas they find on the platform (compared to the average of 71% on other social media platforms)
- 90% of weekly users use Pinterest to make purchasing decisions
- 55% of Pinterest users are looking specifically for products
- 85% of female users use Pinterest to plan for “life moments”
In general, Instagram tends to be more personal, with the poster sharing images and video that show the real side of your product/service and company and allow personal interaction with potential customers. Instagram users tend to add images that foster feelings ofย FOMO (otherwise known as the “fear of missing out”); which often includes the amazing food they are eating, the fabulous parties they attending, and the exotic destinations they are traveling to.
Conversely, Pinterest users often add images of future aspirations; including the clothes they want to buy, the makeup they want to test, and the kitchen remodeling projects they want to do. Pinterest users seem to be always searching for that perfect _____ (fill in the blank). Whether it’s a perfect duvet cover, kitchen accessory, wedding dress, or cufflinks, people flock to Pinterest to find it. As such, Pinterest seems to fulfill one of the basic emotional needs we all have…shopping.
Simply put, Instagram is generally more about “who you are, or what you’re doing (right now)”, whereas Pinterest is generally more about “who you want to be, or what your plans are (in the future)”.
What this means for advertisers is that Pinterest may be the better choice for marketing products or services that don’t have a built-in FOMO feature. If your product or service is something that customers have to save for, plan for, or is long-term oriented, Pinterest is probably the marketing platform for you. However, if your product or service is more short-term, perishable (in terms of longevity, not spoilage), or an impulse or emotional purchase, then Instagram may be the better platform for you.
In terms of branding, Instagram is a great tool for that purpose. It’s “in the moment” snapshots of time can be a powerful technique to reach out and connect with new audiences, or reshape a brand’s image. Instagram followers tend to seek more personal interaction and engagement with the brands they follow. If used correctly, Instagram can be very effective in promoting goods and products to potential customers. Therefore, brands must be careful to be authentic in their representation. Doing this will engender trust with users, who can also be potential advocates of the brand as influencers. In fact, some brands also choose to pay popular Instagram influencers to show their products and services in a way that feels more genuine than traditional advertising. And, some influencers get handsomely paid for doing so. In Kylie Jenner’s case, she reportedly receives $1 million per paid Instagram post. This has helped Jenner become the youngest self-made billionaire in history, coincidentally unseating the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, for the honor. And, the paid influencer market is not going away any time soon. The total “paid influencer” market reached $1 billion in 2018, and is expected to double in 2019.ย
Pinterest, on the other hand, seems to be the opposite of Instagram: it comes across as more natural, genuine, humble. Words that have often been used to describe Pinterest include “inspiring” and “uplifting”. This genuineness helps to create an authenticity that allows Pinterest to connect on a deeper level than most social media platforms out there. And, like Instagram, Pinterest is also a great place to get brand exposure. 97% of Pinterest searches are unbranded, and 51% of women have been exposed to new brands on Pinterest. In addition, 78% of users say content from brands on Pinterest is useful.
Whichever platform you choose depends on your advertising goals, target market, and type of product/service. Ultimately, the final decision of which one to choose should always be which generates the most traffic that produces sales, and in the end, ROI.
(all statistics from Hubspot and Pinterest)
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