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In Case You Missed It: Launch Links - Week of June 23, 2019

  • 6.28.2019

Some interesting links we found across the web this week:

How to Drive Growth -- With or Without VC Funding
For the early-stage founder, accepting venture capital can be enormously appealing, from the large check and experience that venture capital firms can bring to social validation and brand credibility. However, with these benefits come outside expectations, pressure and influence that may not be in the best interests of the company. This article, written by a co-founder and investor, discusses the “slow creep of VC dependence” and advises founders to assess the whether they genuinely need more funding or whether lean operations would be more effective for long-term growth.

4 Fast Ways to Fund Your Business (Without Venture Capital)
So, if do you choose to forego venture capital, or if venture capital is not available to you, where do you turn for the money you need to expand your business? The author of this article, who raised almost $600,000 in three days upon launching a campaign, discusses four less traditional alternatives to venture capital: (i) , (ii) equity , (iii) debt and blockchain and (iv) investors—four alternatives that can provide the capital you require without the same constraints, and demands as traditional venture capital firms.

How to Build a Confident Team that Steps Up to Any Challenge
As your company grows, so too will the size of your team and the reality that you will not be involved in every decision your team is making. So how do you create a reliable and independent team that takes ownership and steps up to the plate? Read this article for five helpful tips for building a confident team, from screening for independence to setting expectations and asking the right questions.

How to Stop Meetings From Killing Your Startup
Anyone who has spent time in the business world can appreciate the fact that meetings are sometimes unproductive, consuming large chunks of your day and interfering with your ability to get work done. And , where meetings are often creative, inspiring and fun, can too fall victim to what this article calls “bad meetings.” This article discusses several causes of bad meetings, such as a missing agenda or note-taker, and proposes structure as a solution.

**Launch Links is taking a break next week for the July 4th holiday. We’ll see you in two weeks.

Links compiled by Elizabeth Brasher.