How not to launch a company in the U.S. — lessons learned from LeEcoAfter a months’ long parade of endless red flags, LeEco’s Stateside woes finally came to a head this week. The company announced that it would be laying off 325 employees in the U.S. alone. And judging from a number of address forwarding emails I received, the company moved swiftly and without much warning. [ Tech Crunch ] Jessica Livingston on Cofounder Disputes and Making Something People WantIndia Tech Giant Warns Trump's 'Radical Shift' to Hurt IndustryThe vice chairman at one of India’s largest technology services companies warned that U.S. President Donald Trump’s visa policies will damage the industry as his company reported weak earnings and his stock fell the most in almost two years. Tech Mahindra Ltd. said net income was 5.9 billion rupees ($91 million) in the fourth quarter, compared with the average analyst estimate of 7.8 billion, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Shares fell as much as 17 percent and traded 12 percent lower at 1:18 p.m. local time, the largest intraday decline since May 2015. [ Bloomberg ] Slingshot launches CoVentured platform to connect startups and corporatesLooking to further its mission to connect corporates with startups, Slingshot has today launched CoVentured, a platform to facilitate engagement and drive collaboration between the two sides. Allowing corporates to detail opportunities or challenges within their business for which startups may be able to provide a solution, and then identify, track, and engage with startups that could fit the bill, the platform is almost an extension of Slingshot’s corporate-sponsored accelerator programs, which are aimed at helping corporates and startups work together. [ Startup Daily ] Apple Design Chief Jony Ive Adds Another JobApple design chief Jony Ive has added another job to his resume. The Royal College of Art in London on Thursday appointed Ive as it chancellor, a position he will hold for five years starting in July. As chancellor, Ive will serve as the head of the college and join the school's Council governing body. It's an unpaid position. The Royal College of Art, founded in 1837, is one of the world's most highly regarded art and design institutions with programs including art, design, and architecture. [ Fortune ] Tech giants acquired 34 AI startups in Q1 2017A total of 34 artificial intelligence startups were acquired in the first quarter of this year, more than twice the amount of activity in the year-ago quarter, according to the research firm CB Insights. Tech giants seeking to reinforce their leads in artificial intelligence or make up for lost ground have been the most aggressive buyers. [ Venture Beat ] Tech Ready program wants to help non-tech female founders learn the basicsThe percentage of female startup founders or cofounders across the global ecosystem varies according to which source you look at, with Crunchbase putting it at 17 percent and the latest Startup Genome survey reporting 16 percent; the same survey found Sydney has one of the highest rates of female founders globally, with 22 percent. [ Startup Daily ] 7 Lessons From 100+ Failed StartupsThere’s a joke about startups. “For every 10 startups you see in the market, 11 of them will fail.” I didn’t want to think that my startup would be the one to fail, and no entrepreneur does. I thought I knew it all…or at least would learn it all during the process of launching my startup. Jason Huertas, author of My Startup Failed, says this is common, writing: “You think that you know it all. After all, you’re already successful in your mind, so who cares what others have to say? Fight that urge every day…You know nothing.” After my own failure, I became obsessed with understanding how and why things go wrong. As of today, I’ve read 100+ failed startups stories. I recently compiled my learnings from this into The Startup Checklist, and this post shares a few things in particular that stood out to me. [ Medium ] Why Europe is your first and most important international stop on the way to an IPOAt Index Ventures we back entrepreneurs who dream big and want to turn bold ideas into global businesses. And one of the most important steps in the journey of US tech companies is setting up their presence in Europe. Take nearly any successful North American tech company and you’ll find that on average at least 30 percent of its revenue comes from international markets, usually led by Europe. [ Index Ventures ] 5 Ways To Build Resilience From Sheryl Sandberg And Adam Grant's New Book 'Option B'Jyoti Bansal Waited 7 Years For A Green Card To Start His $1.9 Billion CompanyJyoti Bansal graduated from India’s top engineering school and, like many immigrant entrepreneurs, believed America was the best place for him to build his career. “I wanted to come to Silicon Valley,” Jyoti told me in an interview. “I was fascinated with the concept of startups and creation, and wanted to work for a startup company in America.” [ Forbes ] How this startup CEO became a secret weapon for star Valley engineersThe fabulous life and career of 33-year-old Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the fifth richest person on earthFew people on earth are as successful as Mark Zuckerberg. The Facebook CEO has grown his social network from a Harvard dorm room to nearly 2 billion users over a period of 13 years. With a stated mission to connect the world, Facebook is now working on drones and other methods of bringing internet access to unreached parts of the globe. [ Business Insider ] Funds of Venture Capital Funds Have Edge Over Buyout Peers The fabulous life and career of 33-year-old Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the fifth richest person on earthSnap CEO Evan Spiegel and supermodel Miranda Kerr have officially tied the knot. The pair got married at their home in Brentwood, California, on Saturday, according to E! News, who spoke to people who attended the ceremony. E! reports that the wedding was an "intimate affair," with fewer than 50 people in attendance, most of whom were "high-profile attendees and some models." [ Business Insider ] Join the ranks of Jeff Bezos, Sheryl Sandberg, and Mark Cuban |