1️⃣ This Vietnamese trading app’s deck won it US$1.2 million

Anfin, a Vietnam-based fintech startup, enables users to buy and sell stocks listed on the largest stock exchanges in the country. The startup used this pitch deck to raise US$1.2 million in its third round of seed funding earlier this year. The deck is straightforward and easy to read, with a good balance of scripts and visuals. It highlights Anfin’s solution and platform execution as well as its go-to-market strategies.
 

3️⃣ An AI map startup’s pitch deck helped it score US$6.2 million from Microsoft’s venture fund

NextBillion, a Singapore-based startup, provides AI mapping solutions to enterprises that allow them to expand in emerging and developed markets. Last year, the company used this pitch deck to secure a series A extension round from M12. The deck is well designed and introduces NextBillion’s mapping platform and its additional capabilities. It also provides case studies that reveal the traction that the startup has gained.

1️⃣ Should you hire a chief ESG officer?

Companies like C. H. Robinson, Royal Caribbean, and Verizon are looking to appoint chief ESG officers, as the pressure to address environmental, social, and governance issues grows. But does every company need such a role? This article on Harvard Business Review lists three questions company leaders should ask themselves when considering it.
 

2️⃣ Europe’s VCs need more female partners

While European VCs are making strides in gender parity among junior and middle positions, female representation has dropped sharply in senior roles, according to a new report. In fact, across the top 22 funds in the region last year, only two women were made partners, compared with nine male partner appointments. Read the full findings of Sifted’s analysis on the topic in this article.
 

3️⃣ Would you charge founders to critique their pitch decks?

Earlier this month, Mexican-American investor Lolita Taub mentioned on a Twitter Spaces chat that she was taking payments in exchange for critiquing founders’ pitch decks, drawing heavy backlash from the startup community. Read the full account of the events and its aftermath in this article on The Business of Business.
 

4️⃣ Tech firms are getting desperate in the wake of The Great Resignation

Ever since lockdowns turned working from home from an abnormality into an expectation, employees have been resigning en masse in favor of joining more flexible companies. This has led to desperation among tech firms hunting for talent, with some even offering money to potential hires just for an interview. Read the full story on Wired.
 

5️⃣ Are you rushing or dragging?

Union Square Ventures’ Fred Wilson is a fan of taking things at a steady pace - not too fast, not too slow. But over the last two years, he’s observed the VC industry operates at an exhausting pace. Read his thoughts on the matter in this blog post.

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