Despite cannabis (also known as weed or marijuana) being illegal in a large part of the world, the global cannabis market was worth US$28.26 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow to US$197.74 billion by 2028. Gone are the days when venture capital firms would dismiss cannabis companies as problematic investments.
When it comes to financing and budgeting, most of us have to learn everything all by ourselves. From figuring out the right kind of investments to learning how to manage your spending habits, we all need to know more about handling our personal finances.
India is becoming the land of unicorns, with more and more startups achieving billion-dollar valuations. The country’s burgeoning entrepreneurial ecosystem is producing some of the most innovative and successful businesses in the world. Many Indian startups have joined the unicorn club, including Flipkart, Ola, Snapdeal and Paytm.
So you want to invest in a startup? Great! But, before making any decisions, be sure that the company is worth it. There’s no guarantee that the company you are going to invest in will succeed. There are many factors that can make or break an investment opportunity with high risk-reward potential, including team, product vision and roadmap development along with financials.
Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, or SWIFT, is a secure messaging system between banks across international borders. It is the principal mechanism for facilitating international trade.
Aspiring entrepreneurs love the American business reality show Shark Tank, where entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to sharks (aka investors with experience leading successful businesses) to seek investment. The show gives you insight into new companies that are entering the market (some even within your specific realm of interest), how they pitch their ideas and the kind of expectations one needs to enter the board room with.
So you want to get in on the crypto craze. Well, who wouldn’t? After all, it’s a market worth over US$3 trillion! But before you get started, you need to acquaint yourself with token economics. In crypto, tokens represent assets or utilities that your company offers investors in return for their investment. They differ from coins in the sense that tokens are built on an existing blockchain, like Tether on Ethereum, whereas coins are the native tokens of a blockchain, such as Bitcoin.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine threw the stock market into a frenzy. Oil prices shot up, with one barrel costing over US$100 for the first time since 2014. The cost of food grains, including wheat and soybean, rose, as did the fear among investors. While gold prices surged, many others fell sharply, thus resulting in investors losing huge sums of money. Where many saw—and experienced—losses, some saw opportunity. They decided to buy the dip.
Even the best companies are not devoid of software glitches. In fact, recently, Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company Tesla had to recall nearly 12,000 cars due to a software glitch. While building a company without any technical glitch seems utopian, open source companies get close because they involve the efforts of not just their employees but also their user communities.
In one way or another, all of us have been exposed to popular tech buzzwords, like non-fungible tokens (NFTs), the metaverse and Web 3.0. As of 2021, the NFT market is worth US$41 billion; several metaverse tokens, such as Axie Infinity Shard and SAND, have been climbing the crypto ranks.
As a startup new to the crypto space, you might be overwhelmed by the different ways to raise funds—initial coin offerings (ICOs), initial DEX offerings (IDOs) and more. Crypto fundraising has gained momentum as there are fewer barriers to entry and greater access to a larger pool of investors. So, all things considered, you don’t want to miss out on this opportunity. If you’re not sure how to get started, try using a crypto launchpad!
Imagine having numerous individuals not just believe in your idea but also sponsor it. That’s what crowdfunding is all about. In crowdfunding, you raise funds for your business venture from the public by campaigning. As of 2020, there were over six million global crowdfunding campaigns. What’s more? As per a Statista report, the crowdfunding market size will amount to nearly US$26 billion in 2027.
Making money through crypto doesn’t seem that hard, right? All you have to do is invest and sell when you can make a decent profit out of it. But it’s actually not all that simple. There are several hidden fees that go into every single transaction that you make.
On December 31, 2021, decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem platform MRHB DeFi raised US$5.5 million through an Initial DEX Offering (IDO). The IDO allowed global investors to participate directly in the funding rounds with no third-party mediator. From raising capital through an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) to launching an IDO—cryptocurrency has made possible new ways for startups to raise money with fewer hurdles. Here, we take a look at what an IDO is and how your startup can get started with one.
The global startup ecosystem has been expanding since 2009, and as of 2021, the global startup economy is worth US$3.8 trillion in ecosystem value. With the startup ecosystem performing so well, who wouldn’t want to make the most of the explosive growth? Whether you are a budding entrepreneur or a seasoned veteran in the startup world, you would want to set up your next venture in a city which would get you the right returns.
Earlier this month, the owner of Bored Ape non-fungible token (NFT) number 3547, Maxnaut, made a disastrous error by listing the NFT for 0.75 Ethereum (ETH) instead of 75 ETH, which was how much Maxnaut wanted to sell it for. In doing so, Maxnaut lost US$250,000. The NFT was picked up really quickly, with the buyer paying a heavy gas fee of 8 ETH.