🕶️ From WeWork to We-Work-It-Out?

The PAINFUL road from Pitch Deck to Funding $

Whether you're in the early stages or gearing up for a seed round, this video is packed with valuable advice from a venture-backed founder who's been through it all, not once but twice. Remember to SUBSCRIBE!

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Six bullets of updates

1. 😎 Apple's Vision Pro counts on iPadOS apps and immersive experiences, but its mainstream adoption hinges on cost and content.

2. 💸 AI and ML redefining debt recovery processes, offering personalized communication and accurate risk assessments.

3. 🤖 Abacus AI's newly released open-source language model, Smaug-72B, outperforms GPT-3.5, becoming world's top-ranking AI.

4. ⏰ Boards need to wise up! 72% of them have a risk oversight committee, but new challenges from AI demand smarter strategies.

5. ♻️ Dutch recycling giant Bollegraaf invests $12.8M in UK AI startup Greyparrot to boost waste intelligence and recycling efficiency.

6. 🤑 Riding the crowdfunding wave, TechCrunch spells out the pros & cons and shares six key tips for a successful campaign.

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How Regional Quirks Spice Up SaaS Growth

In a world brewed with a strong shot of globalization, similarities can be as apparent as the hipster coffee shops in Budapest and Portland. Yet, like coffee, SaaS businesses are showing distinct flavors depending on their geographical brew.

India's SaaS sector, for example, is soaring towards a projected $50 billion in annual revenue by 2030, according to Bessemer Venture Partners. They also noted that Indian SaaS businesses are more efficient.

The 'State of SaaS LatAm 2024 report' corroborates the same trend in emerging markets. It reveals Latin American SaaS businesses outperform their global peers with better net dollar retention and customer acquisition cost payback, despite being hamstrung by capital scarcity.

In the world of SaaS, customer acquisition cost (CAC) is crucial and forced efficiency due to economic constraints could serve as an unconventional path towards global SaaS leadership.

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Startup Events and Deadlines

1. Pitch Deck Design | February 13, 2024 | Online  

2. SaaS Open | March 3, 2024 | Austin

3. SaaSOpen: Austin | March, 28, 2024 | Austin

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These companies just raised money

1. 🔒👮‍♂️ Despite a cybersecurity funding dip, NinjaOne nets a cool $231.5M Series C, boosting its valuation to $1.9B

2. 🛜 3D scanning app Polycam raises $18M in Series A round, with participation from Adobe and YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley, to enhance its AI and expand into new markets.

3. 🧪🔬DUDE CHEM secures €6.5m to scale its patented, eco-friendly chemical manufacturing processes, slashing pharma's CO2 emissions by up to 40%.

4. 🎪 Event rental management software company Goodshuffle nets $5M in Series A funding to accelerate growth.

5. 💰 Suma Wealth lands $2.2M to boost its financial tools for young U.S. Latinos, raising its total capital to $5.5M.

6. 🤖 New kid on the AI block, Cimba.AI, nabs $1.25M pre-seed funding to help businesses build customized AI agents

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Back to the Future of WeWork: Neumann rebooted

WeWork co-founder Adam Neumann is reportedly considering a buyback of the now-bankrupt company, with his new real estate firm Flow Global. His intention includes partnering with capital providers such as Dan Loeb's Third Point.

WeWork, once valued at $47 billion, filed for bankruptcy last November after a failed IPO attempt in 2019 led to a scrutiny of Neumann's eccentric management style. This possible reinvolvement of Neumann into WeWork, if successful, could mark a significant shift in the company's trajectory and potentially signal a new chapter for the troubled co-working giant. However, it's unclear how WeWork's stakeholders will react to this surprising move, given Neumann's controversial leadership history.

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