Nova Advantages, a B2B medical health insurance platform, has reportedly secured $1 million by means of its newest seed spherical, which was led by Multiply Ventures, Higher Capital and Titan Capital. Based in 2020, Nova Advantages claims to be the one cease tech platform for offering the “finest” well being and wellness advantages to workers.
“Our product contains the next (1) Advice engine to assist corporations choose one of the best well being advantages for his or her workers (2) Worker expertise portal to entry their advantages Nova is constructed by founders from IIT-Bombay and IIT-Delhi, who’ve been a part of Y-Combinator, Accel, Samsung Korea & BCG. We’re backed by high VC traders from the nation.”
Saransh Garg, Co-Founder and CEO of Nova Advantages, shared extra particulars in regards to the firm with Mint:
“By course of enhancements like doing a doc deficiency test on the time of submitting a declare, we’ve diminished the typical (insurance coverage) declare settlement time by a number of days. For human useful resource professionals, inside organisations, Nova eliminates redundant processes like month-to-month addition and deletion of workers by integrating with the human useful resource administration techniques like Darwin Field, Greytip, Keka, ZohoHR and several other others.”
Funds from the funding spherical can be used to proceed the expansion and growth of the Nova Advantages’ platform and merchandise.
For buyers, these phrases have precipitated a variety of black eyes over time. However they do level to a elementary fact within the funding world:
Timing is every little thing!
So at present, let me let you know why the timing would possibly lastly be proper for one particular sector.
After which I’ll present you 3 ways to faucet into this chance for the largest potential earnings.
The Final Time Round…
Just a few years after the dot-com meltdown, enterprise capital (VC) corporations like Kleiner Perkins, DFJ, and Khosla Ventures made some huge bets on an rising sector: cleantech.
That explains why annual funding for this sector soared from about $300 million in 1996, to $1.7 billion in 2006.
However then a number of marquee cleantech firms like Solyndra and Fisker went stomach up. And VCs received so burned that they stopped investing on this sector virtually fully.
However Brook Porter, a former cleantech investor with Kleiner Perkins, believes he is aware of why issues didn’t work out again then. As he stated lately, the “applied sciences weren’t fairly prepared.”
In different phrases, the timing wasn’t proper.
So, is it totally different now? Let’s have a look.
This Time Round
To start with, to acknowledge the elephant within the room, not everybody “believes” in local weather change.
However no matter your beliefs, the perspective that one thing must be carried out to guard our planet has definitely gone mainstream.
And this viewpoint is mirrored within the monumental {dollars} flowing into the sector at present. To point out you what I imply, take a look at this chart, courtesy of PitchBook:
As you’ll be able to see, enterprise funding into the sector is on a rocket ship, hovering from about $1 billion per yr in 2010, to greater than $7 billion final yr. And 2021 is on observe to set a brand new file.
Let’s have a look at a few of the foremost causes behind this shift:
Dramatic advances within the constructing blocks of cleantech have introduced down prices dramatically. So startups at present can innovate with far much less capital.
Cleantech at present encompasses not simply battery tech and renewables, however meals, transportation, and lots of different thrilling sub-sectors.
The success of electrical automobile firm Tesla — which has soared from about $three to as excessive as $900 in a few decade — may be contributing right here, too.
The political winds are at our again, with an enormous a part of President Biden’s new infrastructure plan specializing in decreasing greenhouse emissions.
With so many cleantech startups attracting capital and a spotlight, there’s sure to be some huge “winners” to maintain this sector sizzling for years.
So, are you able to dive into the sector, too?
Three Cleantech Startups You Can Put money into Immediately
Listed here are three startups elevating funding from buyers such as you:
Airthium makes batteries that may retailer 100x extra vitality than conventional opponents. It’s earned a number of awards, and counts Y Combinator as certainly one of its early buyers.
LPPFusion has achieved the very best confined temperature of any fusion experimental machine in historical past — over 2 billion levels. That’s adequate for hydrogen-boron fusion, which can be utilized to create protected, clear, limitless, decentralized vitality.
Named certainly one of America’s “Most fundable firms,” Flower Generators manufactures small wind generators. This firm has been awarded a number of patents, and has accomplished DreamIt Ventures’ first Urbantech Accelerator.
Proceed Cautiously
Consider — I’m not recommending that you simply run out and spend money on these startups. Earlier than you take into account investing, it’s worthwhile to do your analysis.
And like Wayne and I all the time let you know, if you spend money on startups, you’ll be able to’t simply spend money on one — it’s worthwhile to construct a diversified portfolio of many of them.
That’s the way you cut back your danger and enhance your probabilities of hitting a house run.
However backside line: we lastly imagine the timing for cleantech is true!
Joyful Investing
Please be aware: Crowdability has no relationship with any of the startups we write about. We’re an impartial supplier of schooling and analysis on startups and different investments.
Greatest Regards, Matthew Milner Founder Crowdability.com
In 5 or ten years, there won’t be any distinction between buying and selling shares and buying and selling crypto. The 2 asset courses are converging in methods we couldn’t have imagined only a few years in the past.
Greater than 9.5 million Robinhood clients traded crypto within the first quarter this yr. Robinhood is mostly identified for giving on a regular basis buyers wider entry to the inventory market. On Robinhood (and Charles Schwab), buyers don’t have to purchase complete shares of corporations anymore. They will purchase fractional shares, that are simply small items of particular person shares. Fractional shares had been popularized by crypto. In truth, crypto was designed for fractional possession.
Every Binance Tesla token represents a Tesla share (future tokens will characterize shares of different shares). The token is backed by a depository of underlying securities. And it’ll behave very like Tesla inventory. As the worth of Tesla goes up, so will the token’s value. And because the value of Tesla goes down, so will the token. In accordance with Binance, “inventory splits might be revered,” and dividend funds might be honored. The entire objective of the inventory token is to take part within the financial improvement of the underlying asset.
The tokens might be bought and settled within the Binance USD stablecoin. And Binance isn’t charging a fee to commerce the token. That provides Binance customers the identical “inventory funding expertise” as people who use Robinhood, Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade and E*Commerce (amongst others). And buyers should buy fractional shares of the token, identical to they might another crypto.
The inventory token is a significant breakthrough for buyers. It simply gained’t assist American buyers — but.
There’s no purpose for American buyers to purchase a Tesla token after they have entry to precise Tesla inventory — together with fractional shares. In truth, American buyers aren’t even allowed to purchase Binance’s Tesla token proper now.
However the token is immensely helpful for folks outdoors of the U.S. that wish to spend money on Tesla. Tesla is fashionable all through the world. Thousands and thousands wish to spend money on it. However they’ll’t. Tesla is simply listed on the NASDAQ. And investing in shares outdoors of your personal nation could be costly and extremely troublesome (and in some locations, unimaginable). Mix that with the truth that Tesla inventory is extremely costly (fractional shares aren’t in every single place but) and also you get an enormous pool of buyers with no publicity to Tesla.
Binance’s new Tesla token modifications all of that. It offers folks outdoors of the U.S. an opportunity to realize publicity to Tesla.
Investing in Tesla via Binance’s inventory token additionally gives a comfort issue that shouldn’t be underestimated. The power to trace your whole investments on one platform is a giant win for all buyers. And buying and selling platforms comprehend it. It’s why Robinhood permits its customers to purchase bitcoin.
Ultimately, inventory tokens will make their method to the U.S. — both via Binance or one other firm. The market alternative is just too huge to disregard. Proper now, most American buyers are locked out of shares that commerce abroad like Samsung, Aramco, Volkswagen, Nestle and so forth. Certain, you may be capable to get publicity over-the-counter or through ETFs. However inventory tokens are a a lot better choice — nearly pretty much as good as investing within the inventory itself.
In a number of years, I believe buyers will be capable to purchase shares, inventory tokens, crypto, ETFs and different funding devices all on the identical platforms. And it’s probably that a number of platforms might be competing for our enterprise — which ought to result in extra innovation, extra funding alternatives and higher customer support.
Cross River, a financial institution that delivers superior monetary and compliance merchandise/providers to the fintech trade, introduced on Wednesday it has joined forces with monetary well being startup SeedFi. Cross River reported it is going to be powering SeedFi’s new Credit score Builder and Borrow & Develop plans by means of its banking and tech platform. The corporate will even present a $50 million debt financing by means of its Strategic Direct Lending Group.
“Cross River and SeedFi are offering clear and reasonably priced monetary merchandise that assist people in underserved communities construct credit score, enhance financial savings and entry cash once they want it, enabling them to chart a greater future.”
Cross River additional revealed that SeedFi’s Credit score Builder and Borrow & Develop Plans are notably designed to allow higher entry to credit score whereas additionally constructing financial savings. Whereas sharing particulars concerning the partnership, Rahul Jha, Head of Strategic Direct Lending at Cross River, said:
“Our lending group goals to supply capital to revolutionary fintech corporations who share Cross River’s ambition of maximizing monetary inclusion, and SeedFi is a wonderful instance of precisely that type of firm. We’re proud to assist SeedFi’s progress with this credit score facility, and we’re excited to play a task in bringing accountable monetary merchandise to customers in want.”
Jim McGinley, Co-Founder and CEO of SeedFi, added:
“Cross River totally helps and believes in SeedFi’s mission to assist People break the cycle of debt and notice their monetary potential. The partnership will enable us to extra effectively ship an distinctive suite of economic merchandise to our prospects.”
Based in 2008, Cross River describes itself as a fast-growing monetary providers group that merges the established experience and conventional providers of a financial institution with the forward-thinking choices of a know-how firm.
It’s no secret that the lifeblood of any Kickstarter or Indiegogo marketing campaign is an excellent pitch video that works to inform the story of your product.
The video component is the very first thing potential backers will encounter after they go to your marketing campaign web page, so it’s vital that you simply get this major advertising materials proper.
And that every one begins with a killer script.
On this article, we’re supplying you with all the most effective insider suggestions as to write a crowfunding video script that results in conversions, straight from a copywriter who has constructed scripts for a lot of profitable campaigns.
It’s time to embrace your internal screenwriter.
Let’s get began!
Establish Your Model Character
In terms of writing your crowdfunding video script, you wish to preserve your branding messaging constant.
The video units the tone for what’s to come back in your Kickstarter or Indiegogo web page, so that you wish to use it as a possibility to introduce your distinctive model persona.
Ask your self a few inquiries to get this course of began:
How do I would like folks to really feel after watching this video? (e.g. playful, involved, excited, awestruck)
In case your product might speak, what would it not say? One thing humorous? One thing sensible? One thing stunning?
When you’ve obtained an thought of the message that you simply’re attempting to ship, you can begin brainstorming matter concepts.
Come Up With A number of Concepts
You need choices to select from earlier than getting down to truly write your video script.
Which means taking what you realized from figuring out your model persona and developing eventualities, circumstances, and characters that convey the story behind your undertaking.
Give your self permission to get inventive with the ideation course of — you possibly can all the time discard an thought for those who don’t prefer it. However by pondering exterior of the field, you’ll create a gradual stream of potential choices that contribute to the eventual cohesive story that you simply’re searching for.
Examine Different Campaigns in Your Area of interest
It’s all the time a good suggestion to review different profitable campaigns in your area of interest, and may be particularly useful within the brainstorming course of.
By figuring out what strategies / tales those that have come earlier than you have got used, you possibly can garner a greater understanding of what kinds of tales promote on the platform.
Watch as many as you possibly can and take notes as to what you want. Put your self within the footwear of the customer:
What in these movies compels you and provokes an emotional response?
What’s falling flat?
How lengthy are their movies? Is your consideration maintained all through the period of the video? (We advocate your video to land someplace between 2.5 – four minutes)
You’ll probably uncover that the most effective movies discover a approach to stability narrative and product options, utilizing written on-screen textual content or voiceover along with a bigger story.
Begin Writing Your Video Script
Now that you simply’ve:
Recognized your model persona
Brainstormed concepts on your video
Studied different campaigns in your area of interest
You’ve obtained your idea nailed down, and it’s time to decide to it. Don’t let this scare you. You’ve finished your analysis, put actual thought into the story you’re attempting to inform, and you realize your product.
You’re prepared for this!
Your script ought to adhere to this common construction:
The Starting: Seize your viewers consideration and current an issue
The Center: Facilitate a connection between the issue and your product
The Finish: Current an answer and reveal why that answer is exclusive
We additionally recommend that you simply make an inventory of high-level product options that you simply wish to be sure you embody in your pitch.
Keep in mind: folks purchase with emotion (storytelling), and justify the acquisition with logical data (product options).
A simple approach to arrange your script for clear messaging and collaboration is thru the creation of a desk.
Right here’s a primary instance of what this might appear like:
By organising your script on this format, you possibly can ensure that you’re:
Telling a cohesive story
Staying on-time
Figuring out focal factors
Organizing the separate parts of your video
After You’ve Written Your Script
Now that your crowdfunding pitch video script is written and able to go, it’s time to get somebody to shoot the video.
You are able to do this your self, when you have the capabilities, however extra probably than not you’ll should rent an company to make sure an attractive, skilled execution of the script.
Take into account that the script is topic to alter — and that’s okay.
For instance, simply since you outlined the video to final precisely 2 minutes and 45 seconds doesn’t imply it’s going to end result that manner. Embrace adjustments and be versatile — simply don’t sacrifice the product message and emotional response you are attempting to evoke.
Key Takeaways
We hope that this text has been useful for you as you got down to write your crowdfunding pitch video script on your upcoming Kickstarter or Indiegogo undertaking.
Have enjoyable with it! And keep in mind to do these items:
Provoke an emotional response from the customer
Justify that emotional response with logical data
Current an issue then give an answer
For those who do these items, you’ll have success.
Searching for extra customized instruction of the crowdfunding video script writing course of?
Guide a training name with me. I’ve labored with tons of profitable campaigns from video script writing to constructing marketing campaign pages to pre-launch, and I’m prepared so that you can be my newest success story!
I even have an awesome e book — The Kickstarter Launch Method — that goes in-depth on all the pieces it takes to construct a marketing campaign that smashes your funding purpose.
Good luck along with your script writing and marketing campaign as an entire! And keep in mind, Crowd Crux is right here for those who want us!
The reserve financial institution within the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has issued a license to Al Maryah Group Financial institution with a purpose to supply companies within the Center Japanese nation.
Al Maryah is notably the very first all-digital financial institution to have been given approval to start offering monetary companies within the UAE.
On Monday (April 11, 2021), Mohamed Alabbar, Emaar Properties‘ ex- Chairperson, additionally revealed a plan to introduce the digital financial institutionZand which can intention to supply fashionable monetary companies to people and native companies. The launch is topic to customary regulatory approval.
Al Marya Group Financial institution acknowledged that purchasers might open new accounts and reap the benefits of “good banking” companies developed utilizing AI-enhanced know-how that’s built-in with the UAE authorities’s good companies.
As first reported by MSN, the financial institution’s monetary merchandise are meant for people and small companies. The brand new companies will primarily concentrate on monetary administration, aiding financial savings and investments for native Emiratis and expats.
A group financial institution goals to offer loans to small companies or private loans to particular person debtors. It channels the vast majority of its loans to the neighborhoods the place its depositors might reside and work (with a purpose to make sure that native communities are well-supported).
Tarek Ahmed Al Masoud, Chairperson at Al Maryah Group Financial institution, acknowledged that the UAE Central Financial institution’s progressive imaginative and prescient ought to go a protracted option to serve and assist the digital banking necessities of the nation’s residents.
Al Masoud added:
“I consider this initiative will successfully contribute to assembly the wants of shoppers by using a gaggle of specialized monetary specialists who will work to enhance the monetary capacities of people and SMEs and promote the group’s sustainable improvement in a scalable and simple means via the good software that shall be launched quickly.”
As reported just lately, Fintech Unicorn Stripe has entered the MENA area markets with its Dubai, UAE launch, following its huge $600 million funding spherical.
In a major endorsement of town, Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) has opened an workplace in Birmingham, UK – a group that has been selling itself as an alternative choice to tremendous expensive London.
Goldman Sachs said that Birmingham provides entry to a deep expertise pool, wonderful tutorial establishments, and a rising know-how sector. The simple proximity to London is alleged to be a bonus as properly. Goldman stated that engineering would be the first division to construct out in Birmingham and so they anticipate to have a headcount of a number of hundred throughout a variety of divisions over time. Past its funding banking enterprise, Goldman additionally operates its digital financial institution Marcus within the UK.
In a report from final 12 months, the regional representatives stated that Fintechs already employed about 24,000 individuals in Birmingham.
Neil Rami, Chief Govt of West Midlands Progress Firm, the official funding promotion company that helped to safe the funding, on the importance of the financial institution’s main new presence among the many West Midlands’ Enterprise Skilled and Monetary Providers (BPFS) sector commented on the information:
“Goldman Sachs is without doubt one of the world’s most prestigious funding banking establishments, famend for its laser-focus on recruiting the perfect and brightest expertise and the pre-eminence of its data-driven, customer-centric applied sciences. We’re delighted that Goldman Sachs has chosen Birmingham as the house of its main new presence, the place it is going to harness the area’s entrepreneurial expertise to develop its mission-critical digital experience, creating tons of of jobs. Because the funding banking panorama continues to innovate within the face of fast Fintech transformation, the West Midlands Progress Firm put ahead a compelling appraisal of the area’s digital engineering workforce, tutorial services and long-standing affect within the subject of banking and finance. The area boasts the most important and most high-value Monetary & Skilled Providers sector exterior the capital and is super-charging the UK’s revolutionary potential by SuperTech; the UK’s first and solely devoted skilled services-tech accelerator.”
Rami added that the world is already residence to different monetary providers companies resembling HSBC’s UK headquarters and Deutsche Financial institution. He stated that the West Midlands is efficiently recasting usually London-centric banking buildings, providing a premium however far less expensive base for revolutionary companies.
“That is only the start of a surge in momentum in international funding right here, with the 2022 Commonwealth Video games and Coventry’s Metropolis of Tradition standing opening up new worldwide avenues to strengthen commerce and funding flows into the area. We sit up for supporting Goldman Sachs’ lengthy and affluent journey right here within the West Midlands,” stated Rami
Richard Gnodde, CEO for Goldman Sachs Worldwide, said:
“Establishing a brand new workplace in Birmingham will diversify our UK footprint and provides us entry to a broad and deep expertise pool within the native space. We see large alternative to boost our UK presence and proceed delivering for our international purchasers.”
Arweave, which goals to supply a “novel” knowledge storage blockchain protocol enabling “a everlasting serverless net and creating actually everlasting knowledge storage for the primary time,” has launched its Q1 2021 Ecosystem Replace, titled, NFTs, The Guardian, a brand new net pockets, new gateway (& far more).
Arweave builders declare that this quarter has been “astronomically” busy for the complete Arweave ecosystem. In March 2021, the community reportedly dealt with greater than 1 million transactions, and the storage endowment “grew to over $550,000.”
“The newest incubator program, the Open Internet Foundry, got here to a detailed final week with over 500 contributors. Plus, we’ve a raft of improbable updates to share from the colourful community of founders, together with: Arweave’s distinctive providing for NFTs …, the creation of atomic NFTs, ArConnect — a brand new MetaMask-style AR net pockets from the Verto group, and far, far more.”
Whereas commenting on its Revenue Sharing Group Updates, the Arweave group revealed the next:
The Verto.Alternate group: Main profit-sharing token change
Launch of ArConnect, “a easy and safe pockets administration instrument, together with an ‘allowances’ characteristic offering a modern, environment friendly net pockets expertise.”
Introduction of an Ethereum<>AR bridge on Verto.Alternate
Launch of Verto House, “an software to browse and commerce NFTs with built-in consideration rewards powered by the Koi protocol.”
Completion of Verto’s pre-seed fundraising spherical. Congratulations to the group!
Introduction of $QUAD.imaginative and prescient, “a social community protocol centered on encouraging and rising significant social interactions on the permaweb. Learn the way and why this was created from Verto Founder Tate Berenbaum.“
$QUAD.imaginative and prescient “additionally supplies a mechanism for group votes to point which model of a permaweb Dapp a website ought to level to.”
group.XYZ: The revenue sharing communities hub
Over 70 revenue sharing communities, and over 1000 atomic NFTs now name cXYZ house!
Radical enhancements in loading pace and UX, “together with considerably decreased charges and elevated usability and transparency.”
Launch of ArDrive net model 1.0.1, together with cell help
Launch and approval of the primary ArDrive Group Enchancment Proposal
Group dimension rising to 10 full-time and part-time core ArDrivers
Collaboration and integration with Masks Community
Cited within the World Financial Discussion board Finest Blockchain Use Instances 2020
Shaped a partnership with 247rack.com to host ArDrive gateway and node servers
ArVerify: The ‘blue tick for the permaweb’
Launch of the ArVerify instrument, offering a ‘blue tick for the permaweb’
An explosion of exercise post-launch of ArVerify, “resulting in over 5,500 verifications to date”
Over $15ok in earnings distributed robotically “to holders of ArVerify’s revenue sharing token to date this yr:
Implementation of ArVerify “with the ArConnect pockets from the Verto group”
(Notice: for extra particulars on these updates from the Arweave Undertaking, examine right here.)
As reported in March 2020, blockchain startup Arweave, a everlasting storage answer supplier, secured $8.three million in funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Coinbase Ventures, others.
As coated in November 2019, Andreessen Horowitz, Multicoin Capital, Union Sq. Ventures led Arweave’s $5 million funding spherical.
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