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Blast off at AURP’s inaugural SPACE DAY with a galaxy worth of discovery. Converging state, regional and national leaders, unearth the policy and tactics to cultivate innovation clusters on the ground as a observe and investigate the skies above.

This special session will be held on Thursday, October 21, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm. immediately following the AURP International Conference (Oct 18-21). Register for the day or plan to attend the full conference. We want YOU at AURP SPACE DAY in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Download the PDF for more information.

US healthcare venture fundraising soared in 2020, totaling $17B, a 57% increase over 2019’s record.

1. Strong exits propelled a fourth straight record year in venture fundraising 2020 venture fundraising soared, exceeding 2019’s record with $17B in new venture funds in healthcare.
2. Q3 2020 surge in venture investment led healthcare to a record $52B Every sector experienced record investment this year, with 2020’s funding rising 50% from 2019.
3. IPOs led exit activity, and large private M&A deals resurfaced Venture-backed healthcare IPOs yielded record valuations and post-IPO performance of +100%.

The biggest challenge for every entrepreneur and every startup today is to get noticed and remembered in today’s information overload. The number of entrepreneurs worldwide is huge, starting an estimated 50 million new businesses per year, or 137,000 per day. Every one of these probably has a unique story, but in my years as a startup advisor I only remember hearing a few who capitalized on their story.

While there are commonalities among their criteria, startup investors don’t take a cookie cutter approach. The key to unlocking investment is understanding the stage of your startup. “In the race of life, always back self-interest; at least you know it’s trying,” the late former premier of NSW, Jack Lang, once said.

Self-interest is defined as “regard for one’s own interest or advantage, especially with disregard for others… personal interest or advantage”. 

Meanwhile, to invest is to “put (money) into financial schemes, shares, property, or a commercial venture with the expectation of achieving a profit”.

Venture capital is a popular source of capital for early-stage startups, but it’s definitely not the only one. Debt is an increasingly popular alternative, as is non-dilutive, revenue-based financing.

So, we invited Accel Partner Arun Mathew, Clearco co-founder and president Michele Romanow, and Pipe co-founder and co-CEO Harry Hurst to TechCrunch Disrupt 2021 last week to discuss the various ways companies can raise capital and which might be the best avenue for startups. (Hurst unfortunately had a power outage so was not available for the entirety of the panel).

For anyone who doubted, the data is in. The Great Resignation is real and it’s happening. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that during the months of April, May, and June 2021 a total of 11.5 million workers quit their jobs. And it’s not over. According to Gallup research, 48 percent of employees are actively looking to make a change, and according to Personio research, nearly 1:4 will do so in the next six months. Those looking for new opportunities will find ripe opportunities; in June the U.S. hit an all-time high of 10.1 million job openings.

Some of America’s largest university endowments unveiled eye-popping annual gains in the past week. Duke University reported a 56% return for the fiscal year ended June 30. Washington University in St. Louis generated a 65% gain.

These top-performing endowments can thank alternative assets—in particular, venture capital—for the banner year, which is said to be the best since 1986. But that short-term success could prove to be a double-edged sword.

One of the most important skills for every entrepreneur is timely and effective decision making. In a startup, any decision is better than no decision. One of the primary roles of every founder is to solve problems, make a decision, and manage the decision to results. The best entrepreneurs relish this role, while others struggle mightily and ultimately lose their health and their company.

Image: https://blog.startupprofessionals.com

TOPLINE Most vaccine hesitant people changed their minds about getting a Covid-19 shot over time, according to new research published in JAMA Network Open Friday, offering hope as officials struggle to boost flagging immunization rates amid soaring cases, hospitalizations and deaths.