Category: Apprentice VC

Grab acquiring Uber’s data trove is a major red flag. Here’s why

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

Grab acquiring Uber’s data trove is a major red flag. Here’s why:

Plus, as pointed out by Michael Smith Jr., a Partner at SeedPlus, Uber users are not being automatically transferred to Grab. Once the Uber app deletes in Southeast Asia, people will need to manually onboard to Grab.

“I personally think Uber should be asking customers if they are okay with the data transfer or not . As I know they are not automatically porting my account over so why should my Uber data be sent to Grab without my consent?” he asked.

The Salesforce/Mulesoft Acquisition is a Bellwether for the 2018 M&A Market

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

Gonna be interesting to watch how they manage this one.

The Salesforce/Mulesoft Acquisition is a Bellwether for the 2018 M&A Market

From Axios:

Why it’s the BFD: This is the largest-ever acquisition by Salesforce, which is beginning to look at bit more like Oracle with each passing day. Plus, it’s a 164% return for those who bought into MuleSoft’s IPO one year ago this week.

Kyklo is bringing the billion-dollar electromechanical industry into digital sales

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

Been sitting on this news for a bit and super excited to have it out.

Congrats to Kyklo and team for the fundraise and for putting Thailand on the global startup map.

SeedPlus is excited to lead our first deal in Thailand and to fund a company that uses Bangkok as a base to build a global startup.

I am hoping to see more and more of these regional and global plays from SEA cites like Bangkok.

Kyklo is bringing the billion-dollar electromechanical industry into digital sales | TechCrunch

Singapore needs to push its startups beyond seed funding | Singapore Business Review

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

Great to get a mention but I am hoping SeedPlus does more than crowd the scene:

New players such as 500 Startups and SeedPlus are similarly joining the party to crowd the initial investment scene whilst some are opting to provide higher but still initial financing levels like Golden Gate Ventures and Rakuten Ventures who graduated from providing seed to Series A funding.

Singapore needs to push its startups beyond seed funding | Singapore Business Review

I salute the doers

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

I wrote this post some time back when I was struggling away at a yoga retreat.

https://seedvc.blog/2017/04/09/more-struggle-less-hustle/

When I read all this crazy stuff about Theranos, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/03/shes-a-criminal-who-should-be-in-prison-vcs-trash-elizabeth-holmes-theranos-and-shareholders, I am reminded again of the scene. For the record I think the CEO if Theranos should be in jail and it may actually happen if people who were tricked by her begin to sue.

Being in the startup industry I see all of the stages of companies but I remind myself that as a whole we all only see what is being written about, what is being put on social media or what we grok at an event. For the rest of us we either feel what we are doing, see the folks around us or hear first hand tails retold by those who know.

However most of the time we only know about our personal struggles, losses and wins – and maybe those close to us. I urge everyone to listen more closely to those around you while digging into your own journey a bit more.

Your own markers for success probably won’t come with a press release and may even go unnoticed by others but you have to dig down and enjoy them for what they are. You will also have to deal with many of your losses on your own and figure out how best to course correct and learn from them.

The startup journey is never easy and mostly doesn’t end for founders they way they hoped it would.

I have been writing things down more than usual hoping I can look back to celebrate the small successes while making sure I try and learn from the bumps and bruises all the way.

I salute the doers – wherever you are. Enjoy your journey.