Cockroaches vs. Unicorns
Platitudes and PowerPoint Make VCs say “No”
If you want VCs to turn you down, here’s what you do: Sell hard, appear desperate, compare yourself to Uber.
November 23, 2016There’s a $30 Billion Opportunity in Indian Healthcare Tech
Current funding doesn’t match need, due to perceived low returns and lack of glamour in investing in service-based startups.
September 22, 2016Startups Need to Change Their Cultures in Cockroach Era
Unlike mythical unicorns, cockroaches don’t require palatial offices, onsite chefs, and playgrounds consisting of pool tables and arcade games.
June 9, 2016Toronto Diversity Strengthens the “Cockroach Nest”
A study by the BBC says that while Dubai has 83% of its population hailing from abroad, Toronto has a far wider spread of nationalities – 230 in all. Why Diversity Matters, a report by management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. reveals a strong correlation between diversity and financial success: companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to have above average returns.
May 25, 2016What Do You Call a Canadian Unicorn?
A narwhal. While this medium-sized, carnivorous whale – distinguished by its single tusk – is an actual creature as opposed to a mythical one, try to find someone who’s seen a narwhal in the flesh. The animal's scarcity makes it an appropriate metaphor.
May 12, 2016Cockroaches Rise, Unicorns Fall as Venture Capital Plays Moneyball
Now that sobriety has set in, the tech world sees in hindsight how a nearly indestructible creature, able to live on dust, would be more attractive to investors than something that doesn’t exist – like profits among some the most well-known tech plays of the past few years. Think Pinterest, Yelp, etc.
May 3, 2016When did the Cockroach Crawl into Tech Sector Parlance?
The earliest published reference we could find was from Dave McClure, founding partner at venture fund and seed accelerator 500 Startups in a Wired UK article from 2013. In the piece, McClure calls out entrepreneurs for “trying to build audiences without knowing how to monetise them."
May 2, 2016Where Did the Term Cockroach Come From?
With the glitter of tech unicorns fading, venture capitalists and investors are looking for decidedly less glamorous startups to back — and those companies have a name to…
May 2, 2016Toronto is a Cockroach Nest
Toronto distinguishes itself as Canada’s financial center, the fourth-largest metropolis in North America, and its namesake university ranks in the world’s top-20. Toronto is also one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world, a metric that McKinsey & Co. says supports corporate success. So where are the Toronto-bred unicorns?
May 1, 2016