The increased risk profile of start-ups
Start-ups, by definition, are risky. But traditionally, start-ups have looked for the least risky position in the value chain. And for many, this is being a platform. Successful platforms build an ecosystem of contributors that create content for the platform. Or, they build a marketplace where sellers decide which products might sell or not. In […]
Learn from our nightmare: tips to prevent getting hacked
Here at Version One, we had two nightmarish weekends in early February when our accounts were hacked by pretty sophisticated and aggressive hackers. As we’ve since learned, hackers love weekends, because it’s a time when targets may not realize the hack right away and the customer service at service providers is limited. But thanks to […]
Building Strong Local Communities
We at Version One are becoming increasingly convinced that stronger local communities can help solve many of the problems we are currently facing. When you think about it, most things that people truly care about are local issues. Do we have access to good schools? Is our neighbourhood safe? Do we have access to good […]
How to survive today’s volatility? Focus on what you can control
The world seems more volatile than ever before. There’s an explosion in the number of issues, combined with an ever-accelerating news cycle to cover each issue 24 hours a day. Much of today’s uncertainty can impact start-ups… When will the US government shutdown end? Are we heading into a US-China trade war? Will both of […]
3 tips to turbo-charge your hiring
Hiring is key to the success of any business, but it can especially critical for startups. Most founders appreciate the importance of making good hires; however, when a startup is scaling rapidly, process often gets left behind. In our experience, successful recruiting is a combination of process discipline and checks and balances. Here are three […]