NEWS & PRESS
In the suddenly expansive delivery market and ensuing land grab, the question is: How can retailers remain competitive? The answer lies in technology. Given the cutthroat competition and razor-thin margins, every company will need to differentiate in a similar way, and precision last-mile delivery has quickly become a key differentiator for delivery. Technology is starting to provide the solutions necessary to satisfy the needs of the most exacting of customers.
Is it better to be a jack of all trades or a master of one? This question plagues the venture capital industry — with some managers pursuing a generalist investment strategy while others swear by a thematic approach. Can you truly diversify your investment portfolio when taking a generalist approach? Do thematically diversified asset portfolios lead to better returns?
Over the past decade, family offices have become increasingly interested in the realm of direct investments and coinvesting. This trend has led family offices to gather specified asset pools and the talent required to allocate capital directly into private markets. Today, nearly every family office has decision-makers with firsthand experience in successfully operating businesses. While the direct investment route affords greater control and transparency, it’s not without its downsides. Here are the pros and cons of direct investing and how to identify when investing in venture capital funds and working closely with venture capital managers makes more sense.
Originally published on StartupNation
As the COVID-19 pandemic horizon stretches onward and a return to normalcy appears ever more distant, adaptation is the only option. What makes founders essential when fortifying a startup against unpredictable risks? Some essential traits distinguish the very best startup leaders - here’s how to cultivate them.
Originally published on ValueWalk
Surveillance during Black Lives Matter protests, privacy violations by apps meant to trace COVID-19 cases, and covert monitoring of newly remote workers. Many privacy concerns are rearing their heads all at the same time. Why you should care about your TikTok data.
Originally published on Enterprising Investor
Technology, properly applied, can help initiate and improve your relationships with clients. But with so many tech options out there, where do you start? After all, even well-established firms find it difficult to stay on the cutting edge. Yet there are three essential tech tools that can improve your business right off the bat…
It turns out, you’re right - data is driving the world around you. And it’s not going to stop. In this illuminating talk, Dan Conner explores this data-centric evolution and the nurturing needed to thrive in its future.
We are in the middle of a widespread evolution in which our economy stands to be enlivened by a parade of high-growth companies in new, data-centric sectors. These breakthrough inventions in science and engineering are characterized by extensive research and development times — and they are classified as “deep tech.”
Originally published on Equities.com
It used to be the case that an initial public offering was the preeminent financing opportunity for startups, leading most companies to go public earlier in their life cycle. But the proliferation of private equity dollars over the past 30 years means that one of the best investment strategies is to influence founders to keep their companies privately held for considerably longer…
Ascend Venture Capital partner Dan Conner has made a career of funding and helping build startups. As a venture capitalist himself, Conner shared what he believes every founder should know when seeking to raise capital with FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller as part of the FreightWavesTV show, "Fuller Speed Ahead."
Originally published on InvestorConnect.org
On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall is joined by Dan Conner of St. Louis-based Ascend Venture Capital. Before coming into investing, Dan worked as an engineer, primarily in the oil, biofuel, and wind energy industries. After getting his MBA, Dan ended up in the VC world, in the enterprise sector. According to Dan, he owes his success to ‘putting in the legwork’, researching thousands of companies to find the select few he likes.
