I’m a bit late to the game but as I was in the process of updating this site, I wanted to ensure that I included this fun interview. Toufic Gebran (@TouficGebran) is a great interviewer and host of Alhurra’s startup-focused show called iTech.
We're excited to announce that AMD sponsored Runway’s Virtual Reality startup teams with AMD FirePro 32GB W9100 cards. I asked our teams to give their insights about how such a high end card powers their development:
We’re excited to launch our new Hardware Hub in partnership with Silicon Valley Bank. Runway is home to 83 startups, including 9 startups building the future of virtual reality and augmented reality, and 4 startups building hardware and electronics products - with more new companies joining every day.
Someone asked me last week about the basis for pricing venture deals. It’s surprising how much I hear this question. Since it’s so fundamental to the equation of venture investing, perhaps it’s surprising how much it doesn’t come up more often.
With over 72 million Americans not having any form of savings, and a generation of Millennials who do not trust most major banks, the concept of personal saving and investing can be daunting. This is what the creators of Dobot hope to change. With over 70 years of collective experience in the financial services industry, founders John Longley, Brad Pope, and Brian Davis are utilizing their immense experience to create Dobot, a personal mobile financial advisor.
It’s been a good month at Runway. In addition to launching Michelson Runway, our new edtech accelerator focused on higher education and lifelong learning, we are proud to announce that we have partnered with Silicon Valley Bank in creating the Runway Hardware Hub. The Runway Hardware Hub is our commitment to supporting hardware companies at Runway with 3D printers, desktop CNC machines, tooling equipment, and more. We are also partnering with Seeed Studio, China’s premier maker space and manufacturer of hardware prototyping products, to bring in more maker equipment and put on classes and seminars for entrepreneurs and everyone interested in the hardware journey. In the same area, we’re bringing in AR and VR equipment so AR and VR companies can show off their content to investors, partners and everyone who is interested.
I returned last week from a little time in Cuba and Mexico and have been diving back into the good work at Runway. On my way back, I stopped by SXSWedu for the launch of our edtech accelerator program. (You can learn more at michelsonrunway.com.) We’re focusing on challenges in higher ed and alternative education space, and I’m pleased with how the program is shaping up.
This week, Joe Vasquez and I are headed to Austin for the SXSWedu conference from March 7-10. At the conference, we will be launching the opening of the Michelson Runway EdTech Accelerator. The focus of the accelerator, Runway’s first, is higher education and lifelong learning. Specifically, we are interesting in funding and supporting startups that are looking to close the socio-economic equity gap in higher education, increase engagement in the classroom and create tools for outcome-based education.
I was meeting with a friend of mine recently and our conversation turned to the commercial real estate market, something I know next to nothing about. He’s been in the field for several decades and has been thinking about long term trends lately. He was very curious to know more about some of the trends in the early stage startup ecosystem and how they might affect his world.
I’ve been reading a lot about startups needing to cut down on burn this year as a result of downward pressure on follow-on financing rounds. When a market is entering into a bear cycle, there’s always an increased focus on costs as cash becomes more scarce. This one is no exception.
