How to hire for your start-up
I recently read a great article about Google’s recruiting machine that described in some detail how Google’s hiring success is based on 4 elements: “data, money (lots of it), sophisticated programming, and an army of young, eager recruiters.” And while Google plays in a league by itself (and can throw tons of money at the problem), every […]
New investment: Jobber, SalesForce-like software for handymen, gardeners
In the past few years, a few Canadian companies have emerged as category leaders in the SaaS space and I am excited to announce a new investment in a start-up that has the potential to become one those category leaders as well. Jobber is a business management software for the field service industries that allows […]
Urgency and confidence
We have all seen numerous times how a good call to action can increase the conversion rate of a website. And we have also learned that trust elements (like a clear return policy) are equally important for conversions. Both work because consumers react best to the two underlying concepts: urgency and confidence. Interestingly enough most […]
What does a Venture Partner do?
Most people know me as an early-stage investor in now over 30 internet companies through w media ventures and more recently, as a co-founder of the Vancouver-based start-up accelerator GrowLab. Lesser known is the fact that I also work as a venture partner for Munich-based Acton Capital. So what does a venture partner actually do? […]
An amazing year
2011 was an amazing year – made 10 new investments (most ever!), sold one company (Sparkbuy to Google) and started GrowLab with an exceptional team of co-founders. But more importantly, it was an amazing year for Canada’s start-up ecosystem – there is a new generation of angels and VC’s emerging in this country, more and […]