Archive: remote work
Data Is Eating the World
By Vin Narayanan on March 23, 2022
For more than 10 years, “software is eating the world” has been an article of faith among startup investors. Marc Andreessen — co-founder of both Netscape and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) — wrote these famous words in a blog post in August 2011. And his thesis was pretty simple. My own theory is that we are in the middle of a dramatic and broad technological and economic…
Keeping an Eye Out for Startups That Automate Work
By Vin Narayanan on March 8, 2022
The labor market is tight. The American economy added 678,000 non-farming jobs in February as the unemployment rate fell to 3.8%. New jobless claims are at their lowest levels since the start of the…
The Biggest Problem Remote Working Startups Need to Solve
By Vin Narayanan on February 15, 2022
Remote work isn’t going away. Workers want it — even if the companies that employ them don’t. And because companies are competing hard for top talent, they have to offer some flexible working options. That doesn’t change the fact that it’s HARD to collaborate remotely. It’s…
Two Ways Startups Are Benefiting From the Great Resignation
By Allison Brickell on January 26, 2022
Headlines about the “labor shortage” have become a near daily occurrence. Millions of Americans are quitting their jobs and looking for better offers. But in reality, there isn’t a shortage of people who want to work. It’s just that more people are rejecting the low pay…
New Pick: Connecting Developers and Companies at an Explosive Rate
By Andy Gordon on August 12, 2021
Upstack — the outstanding company I’m presenting to you today — finds, vets and provides companies with software developers from all over the world. It makes money from charging its clients an hourly rate that is about 37% more than the rate it pays its developers. …
Startup Insider: To Zoom or Not to Zoom?
By Early Investing on June 14, 2021
In Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book, The Bomber Mafia, the author explores the concept of revolution. Revolution typically doesn’t happen because of one person, Gladwell writes. It happens because of a community. And the community works best when people are in close proximity. But in…
Don’t Count On More Explosive Growth in Remote Work
By Andy Gordon on May 5, 2021
I just returned to the office this week. It was a strange thing. Before working at home during the past year, I spent most of my 40-year career in offices. And I’ve missed the water-cooler chats… the unstructured interaction with my fellow employees… going out to…
The Biggest Change to Venture Capital Since Crowdfunding
By Adam Sharp on December 4, 2020
Note: In May, I wrote an article titled “The New Work From Home Economy.” Then in August, I wrote a piece called “Tech Companies Flee California (Finally).” I recommend reading those first if you haven’t.
Invest in Connecting With Customers
By Andy Gordon on July 30, 2020
DEAL DETAILS Startup: goDeskless Security type: Crowd note Valuation (cap): $7 million Discount rate: 20% Minimum investment: $100 Where to invest: MicroVentures Deadline: August 17, 2020 Conversion provisions:…
Startup Founders Leaning Into COVID-19 Economy
By Andy Gordon on June 24, 2020
It’s been surprisingly difficult to pigeonhole the effects of COVID-19 on startups. I’ve reached out to many startups to see how they’re doing in the current market. And much to my surprise, many founders have told me that COVID-19 is a “net positive” for their companies. None have…