Know What's Happening in Entrepreneurship
Know What's Happening in Entrepreneurship
PopSockets turned phone backs into a $169 million business
From a garage prototype in 2011, PopSockets built a global brand that generated $169 million in revenue by 2017. The company’s growth stemmed from embedding a simple grip into daily phone use, driving word‑of‑mouth buzz and celebrity endorsements.
Sytemap, formerly HouseAfrica, is building a blockchain‑based map directory that digitises private developers’ land records across Lagos and other Nigerian states. By geo‑referencing each plot with satellite imagery and recording allocations on an immutable ledger, the startup aims to eliminate double allocation and streamline title verification. The platform also tokenises payment installments, allowing buyers to lock plots with as little as ₦50,000 and earn redeemable tokens. In 2025 Sytemap reported $300,000 revenue, ₦1.5 billion in property sales and an exclusive partnership with REDAN.
Can someone make me an analysis for the jcurve being created by LLMs and supporting companies (data centers)… which should be $250b today… Assume $250b more invested over next 4 years Then assume $10b in profits in 2031 and 50%...
The Revolut share‑plan controversy highlighted how poorly managed equity schemes can generate massive tax bills for departing employees and reputational damage for founders. The article explains that the root causes—confusing tax treatment, vague leaver rules, and over‑promising on outcomes—are common...
First movers fail 47% of the time. Fast followers win by learning faster, spending less, and fixing early mistakes. Google beat Yahoo. Facebook beat MySpace. Slack refined chat tools. Timing drives 42% of startup success, but execution decides who owns the market. Are you...
I replaced $26,500/month in marketing headcount with one AI platform. 37 agents. Zero full-time hires. Most agencies pay $26,500/month for SEO, content, social, competitive intel, and marketing ops. We built the AI CMO Platform. 37 agents that coordinate and execute like a full...
Deepinder Goyal’s new venture Temple closed a $54 million friends‑and‑family round, valuing the stealth‑mode startup at roughly $190 million post‑money. Goyal contributed ₹104.07 crore, while Steadview Capital, Dharana Fund, Peak XV Partners and Aaroh Fund led the institutional side. More than 30 Temple employees...
I’m running a 5-day intensive starting Monday for AI and SaaS founders. It’s called WARP Week. The premise: the fastest-growing companies in the AI era are getting users to value in 60 seconds or less. The ones that figured this...
the size of a public ceo’s workforce is shifting from being a flex if large to a flex if small. the next few years of refactoring will be significant (and seat-based models will shift to value-based), but I also think...
Luno Nigeria announced plans to launch perpetuals trading and potentially futures contracts in 2026, extending its crypto offering into derivatives. The move is part of a broader strategy to become an all‑in‑one investment app, building on recent launches of staking,...
Mehsana, Gujarat, has launched NAMO iHub, India’s first district‑level startup and innovation hub, aligning with the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision. The hub integrates ideation, incubation and acceleration services within the district’s administrative framework, linking schools, colleges, local industry and investors. Spearheaded by...
Moving from a hands‑on founder to a strategic CEO is essential for scaling a startup. The transition demands trusting a carefully chosen executive team, delegating operational details, and focusing on long‑term vision. CEOs must replace task‑completion metrics with strategic KPIs...
Dash0, an AI‑native cloud‑monitoring platform founded in 2023, is in talks with Balderton Capital to lead a new funding round that would value the company at $1 billion, elevating it to unicorn status. The New‑York‑based startup, which retains a strong operational...
Co‑creation HUB (CcHUB) and the Mastercard Foundation have opened applications for the fourth cohort of the EdTech Fellowship in Nigeria. Twelve early‑stage startups will receive $100,000 in equity‑free funding and a 12‑month incubation program that includes mentorship, technical support, and...
The article argues that fears of an AI‑driven "SaaSpocalypse" are overstated. While large‑language models can generate code, software companies still rely on sales, contracts, and support that AI alone can’t replace. Recent stock declines at firms like Workday and Adobe...
Excitel Broadband co‑founder Vivek Raina announced his resignation, remaining a shareholder while planning to launch new ventures. The move follows the recent promotion of COO Varun Pasricha to CEO, effective March 2026. Since its 2015 launch, Excitel has expanded to...
Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) has opened applications for the 2026 Aquatech Innovation Studio, AquaScale, a three‑day intensive in Galway aimed at established aquatech firms ready to scale. The programme, running 26‑28 May 2026, targets a cohort of 8‑10 companies and...
Founders expect AI to smooth sales and marketing, but it only highlights existing misalignments. When teams share goals, data, and clear ownership, AI can act as a unifying intelligence layer. The Marketing Centre’s AI Future Forum proposes a three‑pillar health‑check—decisions,...
Andrew Bud, founder and CEO of iProov, stresses that founders must own their mistakes and keep leadership clear, rather than blaming teams. He advises new entrepreneurs to prioritize solving a real market problem over the allure of technology. Bud also...
Naval Kishore, a resident of Bhagupur village near Etmadpur in Agra district, launched a small dairy outlet after leaving his family’s sweet shop. Leveraging a Rs 5 lakh loan from the Mukhyamantri Yuva Udyami Vikas Abhiyan scheme, he equipped a modest processing...
Skyscanner has launched a new AI-powered flight planning app within ChatGPT, leveraging OpenAI's GPT‑4 model. The app lets users ask natural‑language queries and receive personalized flight options and pricing. Skyscanner serves about 160 million monthly users, positioning itself among the first...
Ancient Stoic Epictetus taught that we should maximize what we can control and let everything else unfold. The article translates this principle into modern business, showing how focusing on effort—such as product development or skill building—boosts productivity while reducing anxiety....
Founder life: fixing a bug while thinking about distribution while answering support while writing the newsletter
ICYMI: Fresh new article dropped: The Opposite Test: "Good design" isn't strategic because "bad design" was never smart. But “all-in-one” vs “small core + ecosystem” is real because both result in beloved, successful products. If both sides work, "both" is incoherent. “Strategy” means making...
Cars24 India posted a 10% drop in gross revenue to Rs 6,233 crore for FY25, following a 25% growth surge in FY24. The decline was driven by an 11% fall in auction and retail sales, while net losses widened 9% to Rs 543 crore....
There is no speed limit. You don't need to finish school, get a degree, or do an internship before building a business. Start as soon as you're ready. https://t.co/EF2CXDCFKP
Handpickd, the farm‑to‑home fresh food platform, is extending its product line into freshly milled flours and pounded spices, aiming for the segment to generate 20% of its revenue by the end of the next fiscal year. The company currently operates...
Nothing Before Coffee (NBC), the Jaipur‑based quick‑service coffee chain, plans to expand to 400 company‑owned stores by 2029, up from over 100 locations across 39 cities today. The firm is shifting fully to a COCO model to maintain control over...
Subify, a Lagos‑based subscription‑sharing platform, was named winner of the 2026 Proof Lab experiment at Tech Revolution Africa 2.0 after a one‑week product sprint. The startup, which began as a WhatsApp group in 2021 and officially launched in October 2025, secured a...
Origa, a voice‑AI startup focused on consultative pre‑sales conversations, closed a $450,000 funding round led by Antler Singapore, bringing its total capital to $1 million. The company will use the capital to grow its engineering team, enhance product capabilities, and scale...
Proptech startup Spintly announced an $8 million Series A round, led by Accel with participation from ENRISSION India, Chakra Growth Fund, Alumni Ventures and Spyre VC. The financing follows a Rs 3.5 crore seed extension last year and an earlier $5.36 million round, underscoring investor confidence...
In this episode, InsurTech Leadership host Josh interviews Randall Bennett, CEO and co‑founder of Quixen, about the company’s embedded, parametric production guarantees for commercial solar projects. Bennett explains how Quixen partners with solar installers and prime contractors to offer a...
PayU has launched the third edition of its inFINity accelerator, targeting 30 early‑stage fintech founders with a four‑week sprint that blends mentorship, direct capital pathways, and integration into PayU’s extensive merchant network. Building on two prior cohorts that supported over...
Ferns N Petals posted operating revenue of Rs 861.5 crore for FY 2025, a 22 % increase over the prior year, driven primarily by product sales. The company narrowed its net loss to Rs 22 crore, an 8.3 % reduction, though EBITDA and ROCE remained negative at -1.25 %...
Supertails, a Bengaluru‑based pet‑care marketplace, lost its entire inventory when a fire engulfed three warehouses, including its own, on February 22. The blaze forced the company to cancel its flagship WTF Sale just after recording its highest ever revenue. Within...
Neo Naturelle, a federally registered Canadian skincare brand founded in 2019 by chemist Nila Cook, is expanding nationwide to serve women experiencing hormonal changes such as perimenopause and menopause. After the pandemic forced a digital‑first launch, the company now combines...
there’s actually a whole raft of tech companies where if the founders are not AI wartime you should abandon ship real fast
Defence‑tech startup Constelli announced a $20 million Series A round led by General Catalyst, with participation from 360 One Asset Management and existing backer Pravega Ventures. The capital will fund R&D for next‑generation electronic warfare and communication payloads across drones, ground systems, naval...
The Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS) has been upgraded to offer up to ₹20 crore guarantee per borrower, doubling the previous limit. The 2025 amendments introduce tiered coverage—85% for loans up to ₹10 crore and 75% beyond—while adjusting annual guarantee fees...
Modulaw AI, a Lagos‑based startup, has launched an all‑in‑one AI‑driven legal operations platform for Nigerian law firms. The system combines a RAG‑powered research engine—trained on roughly 10,000 appellate and Supreme Court judgments—with case management, client collaboration, workflow automation, and billing...
the advantages of keeping a team - and company - small will continue to grow
Steve Pastor, founder and CEO of Kings of Neon, explains how the custom neon signage firm scaled from a 2019 side venture to a global partner for brands like Formula 1 Las Vegas, Netflix and BMW. He credits three non‑negotiables—quality, speed...
Crypto adoption has exploded to about 741 million users, making digital‑asset payments a mainstream expectation. Modern crypto payment gateways now provide plug‑and‑play solutions that remove the need for in‑house wallet management. Businesses across ecommerce, SaaS, and retail can integrate crypto checkout...
Third Way Health announced an oversubscribed $15 million Series A round led by Health Velocity Capital, with Kristin Torres Mowat as the lead investor. The new capital lifts the company’s total funding to $22.5 million, earmarked for product development and scaling operations. The...
India’s listed coworking operators have turned a profit in Q3 FY26, signalling a shift from pre‑IPO scepticism to financial stability. WeWork India posted a ₹16.8 Cr PAT and 29% revenue growth, while Awfis and Smartworks reported 43% profit growth and a...
Shoutout to @DStrachman, I just really really appreciate her. Also every founder should try to work with her. :) https://t.co/IoNNQu40Tn
Jack Dorsey announced Block will slash its workforce from 10,000 to 6,000, sending the stock up 24% and signaling a broader efficiency push. Tech layoffs in February total 23,000 and, if the trend continues, could annualize to 153,000 by year‑end,...
So many interesting ideas to explore at this intersection. One such example: crypto is great at using incentives (i.e. $) to get people to do something, and AI companies are incredibly data-hungry. If you can use crypto incentives to get...
Colombian fintech Addi secured $89 million in structured financing from Citi, adding to the $71 million debt facility it raised in November 2025. The funding brings Addi's total recent debt to roughly $160 million, supporting its buy‑now‑pay‑later (BNPL) platform that offers instant point‑of‑sale credit....
A mini rant about seed VC models and pricing. Seed VC's lament that rounds have gotten so big and varied and there is no definition of a seed round anymore. They tend to suggest this is a signal of irrational...
We went into this sales call and found all sorts of weird things that had nothing to do with our product. We asked about it, and learned a 𝘵𝘰𝘯 that allowed us to price and sell our product better. Here’s what we...
