Samsung’s $150 million bet to find the next big startupSamsung is no stranger to the world of venture capital — it ranked as one of the most active corporate-backed venture firms in 2016. But at the beginning of this year, the company underwent a transformation, launching a new $150 million fund to spend on emerging-tech startups. Called Samsung NEXT, this new investment vehicle is the result of experimentation by the electronics manufacturer to see if it has what it takes to move fast to “invest and grow.” In an interview with VentureBeat, Samsung NEXT principal Christina Bechhold spoke about the company’s vision, its desire to move deeper into venture capital, and how it plans on making investments in early-stage companies. [ Venture Beat ] How Microsoft got out of its vacuum and enlisted 10 million die hard fans to make a better WindowsIn September 2014, Microsoft did something very uncharacteristic: Not only did it introduce the new Windows 10 operating system — it invited people to try out the extremely unfinished operating system, a full year and a half before it would hit store shelves. [ Business Insider ] How to name your startupRich Barton, the founder of Expedia, Zillow and Glassdoor, explained to Axios why naming your company is one of the most important decisions entrepreneurs need to make throughout their careers. Barton shared his advice for the most important things to consider when naming your business. [ Axios ] ‘Hillbilly’ author JD Vance aims to invest time, venture capital in home state of OhioAlthough he achieved fame as the author of Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, J.D. Vance says that the main reason he is coming home to Ohio has less to do with literary endeavors and more to do with his “day job.” He’s a venture capitalist, and it’s in that arena that he hopes to make his mark. Flipkart raises $1.4 billion from eBay, Microsoft and Tencent at an $11.6 billion valuationFollowing months of rumors, Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart has confirmed that it has raised $1.4 billion in new funding at a post-money valuation of $11.6 billion to battle Amazon and Alibaba. The deal includes some big name strategic investors: China’s Tencent, eBay and Microsoft, which joint existing Flipkart backers that include Tiger Global, Naspers, Accel and DST Global. The investment will also see Flipkart take control of eBay India, a second-tier e-commerce player in India, which will remain an independent e-commerce site. Separately eBay, which is a minor investor in rival Snapdeal, has inked an international deal with eBay to cross-promote products between the services. The best VC returns are created at Series A.Venture capital is a business of funding milestones. Companies raise capital to take themselves from point A to B. And most VCs invest at a dedicated point during these companies’ life-cycles (Series A, B, C and D+). The stage of where a VC invests is rooted in their strategy and believes as to where one can yield best risk-returns. But at what funding stage do VCs experience the highest valuation multiple increase? As a VC, what stage is really “best” to invest in? By looking at some interesting funding data just release by the law firm Cooley we can try to answer this. Learn the Formula: From Idea to $1B Exit | Jim Scheinman (Maven Ventures) @ Startup Grind GlobalBuilding a Creative Career on Kickstarter: A Visit to Kingdom DeathLong before Adam Poots raised a record-breaking $12.4 million on Kickstarter, he raised… a lot less. Adam’s story shows the value in sticking with an idea and building it out over time — with the help and support of your Kickstarter fan base. We visited the Kingdom Death studio in Brooklyn to hear Adam’s thoughts on success and chasing a creative dream. Venture capitalist Bijan Sabet says tech CEOs need to stand up to TrumpOnce it became clear that the things Donald Trump said in 2016 weren’t mere “campaign rhetoric” — when President Trump first tried to ban Muslims from entering the country — Spark Capital General Partner Bijan Sabet decided he had to say something. Over the past few months, the venture capitalist has become a prolific anti-Trump tweeter and blogger. And he wants to see more prominent people in tech follow suit. |