Silicon Valley insiders say Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter are using 'behavioral cocaine' to turn people into addicts
Entrepreneur First, the company builder backed by Greylock, expands to ParisEntrepreneur First (EF), the London-HQ’d company builder that invests in individuals “pre-team, pre-idea” to help those individuals found new startups, is continuing to expand internationally. After adding an outpost and program in Singapore, Berlin and Hong Kong, in addition to London, the so-called talent-first investor is setting up shop in Paris. Quelle surprise. [ Tech Crunch ] Former head of UberEats in Europe has joined VC Atomico as Executive-In-Residence When long time Uber employee and head of Uber’s food delivery business in Europe, Middle East and Africa, Jambu Palaniappan, quit the on-demand juggernaut, it was let slip that he planned to join a European venture capital firm, but it wasn’t clear who. [ Tech Crunch ] From startup to upstart: 5 VC tips for scaling your businessFounders with a vision, bursting with energy and a seemingly endless string of disruptive ideas, receive a lot of attention—and in some cases a lot of capital, too. Some Apparel Brands Shun Amazon for InstagramWhen Karla Gallardo and Shilpa Shah founded their women’s clothing and accessories company Cuyana, they chose not to sell their products on Amazon, one of the top apparel retailers in the U.S. Instead, they are using Instagram, as well as their own website, to drive sales. That strategy, the co-founders said, allows them to control how products are presented to customers from the moment they begin browsing online to when they receive a package. [ The Information ] New Female Founded Venture Capital Fund Attracts Social Impact Leader VancityB.C. based Relentless Venture Fund (“Relentless”) today announced Canada’s largest community credit union, Vancity as its founding institutional investor. The Relentless mission is to invest in technology based businesses that contribute to active, healthy living at all ages. “We are pioneering a new approach to health care investing with our commitment to an individual’s entire lifecycle. By targeting preventative and proactive health strategies, we have found deep values alignment with investors from the social impact community,” highlighted Brenda Irwin, General Partner of Relentless and Co-Founder of Relentless Pursuit Partners. “Vancity’s early support has been an important catalyst for our recently launched health tech venture fund.” Draper Esprit invests in and partners with German VC EarlybirdDublin and London-listed venture capital firm Draper Esprit has teamed up with Berlin-based Earlybird in a move that could lead to a merger between the two companies. Together, both businesses will have the equivalent of a €1 billion fund, one of the largest in Europe, and a portfolio of over 100 European tech businesses. The partnership is expected to deploy up to €200 million a year in seed, Series A, B and C technology companies. It is anticipated there will be between 15 to 20 new deals a year carried out by the teams. [ The Irish Times ] ISAI closes new $175 million fundIn Q2 2018, Global VC Scales Tipped In Favor Of Chinese Startups Over North America Dutch medical research data startup Castor EDC raises €5.3 millionDoing The Math On Quartz’s Exit How to get a job in venture capitalCincinnati-Based SaaS Capital Targets $75 Million For Third Fund, Filings Suggest Armed with military cred, this Israeli startup helps clients fight fake newsSatellite Startups Turn To Reinventing Broadband, Mapping, And Other Industries |