Are Micro VCs Still Making Waves in 2021?

The number of small venture capital funds being raised and deals being struck has been steadily increasing since 2008, but they face major competition from more lucrative funds with teeth. PitchBook data presented by Forbes suggests that Micro VC Funds (and their little cousin, Nano VCs) made up 51% of funds closed in 2020, down […]

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SPAC to the Future: Will The SPAC Boom go Bust?

SPACs are exploding in 2021. As of June 8, 2021, SPACs have raised capital in 333 U.S. IPOs in 2021 alone, compared to the 248 SPAC IPOs in all of 2020. Recent high-profile SPAC launches like BuzzFeed and Virgin Galactic are making waves, and when Richard Branson was asked why he went the SPAC route, […]

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What is Venture Debt?

Today’s guest blog is by Mark diTargiani of Pacific Western Bank’s Venture Banking Group. He explains how startups can take advantage of venture debt, what options for venture debt financing there are, and the typical terms involved. Traditional middle-market lenders generally require tangible assets to collateralize loans and/or a track record of operating cash flow […]

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Is Your Finance Solution Prepared to Scale With Your Startup?

An overwhelmed financial team is not able to help you identify inefficiencies in your spending and one of the major drivers of why 90% of all startups fail.

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Private Equity’s Role in COVID-19 Recovery For Mid-Market Businesses

Analysts paint a cheery outlook for Private Equity Funds in 2021 and beyond as the industry is helping mid-market businesses weather COVID-19.

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How to Start a Venture Capital Firm

You have the vision to become the next mover and shaker in venture capital - now for the not-so-insignificant task of making it a reality. Here’s how.

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Choice of Business Entity in a Post-COVID World

Now that you have decided to start a company in a post-COVID world, the first decision you will make as an entrepreneur is the form of business entity to select.

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The Silicon Valley Startup Guide to Attract VC Funding

Attracting VC funding for startups is one part financial data and one part successful storytelling. Muddle in some ice. Shake and serve.

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How Outsourced Accountants Spare You The Worst of Audit Fees

No matter the size of your business, financial audits are time-intensive, expensive, and intrusive - but many are far more painful than they need to be.

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How a VC Consultant Amplifies Your Firm’s Success

All early funds can use a helping hand. A venture capital consultant can help support your fund in a variety of ways, some of which we'll go over today.

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Private Equity’s Pet Peeve – A Poor Finance Team

Looking to get acquired by a PE firm? There are many things that PE companies look for. One of the most important things is a competent financial team.

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SaaS Revenue Recognition: ASC 606 and IFRS 15 Explained

ASC Topic 606 or IFRS 15 aims to clarify the standards around recognizing revenue and cost guidance for SaaS businesses.

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5 Priorities for a Startup’s Accountant In The New Year 2021

As startups enter 2021 and are looking towards financial strategy, we’ve compiled several key bookkeeping and accounting tasks to be tackled for a strong start.

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Why 2021 is The Year to Outsource Accounting

Since accounting firms touch so many different industries and businesses, they are in a prime position to help similar businesses like yours recover from the pandemic.

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8 Key Qualities of a Successful Investment Fund Manager

We’ve worked with plenty of investment fund managers - and have identified 8 key qualities that all successful managers have in common.

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6 Tips For Startups to Build Strong Working Capital

All startups need a strong eye on their working capital to make smarter decisions and better financial modeling.

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Tax Checklist: Don’t Miss a Thing When Preparing Your Business Tax Return

We’ve put together a tax checklist for C-Corps that our CPAs use when managing corporate income tax returns for our clients.

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Your 2021 Year-End Payroll Checklist

We put together a comprehensive year-end payroll checklist for HR and finance professionals to make sure you’re set up to start 2021 on the right foot.

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5 Key Priorities For CFO Planning in 2021

As we enter 2021 and the end of pandemic lockdowns are within view, we’ve identified 5 priorities for the strategic CFO in the new year.

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Checklist For An Annual Business Insurance Policy Review

We explore policies you should be reviewing, how you should assess your business needs, and provide you with a business insurance policy review checklist.

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6 Things Private Equity Firms Look For When Choosing Acquisition Targets

For businesses seeking PE capital, here are seven factors that private equity firms use to assess businesses as a part of the private equity acquisition process.

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Private Equity vs. Venture Capital – How Do They Operate?

Both private equity and venture capital can be vital sources of investment. This piece outlines the major differences between the two types of funds.

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The Value of CFO Consultants in VC Due Diligence

Any venture capital acquisition is going to involve risk, but proper due diligence by a CFO helps dramatically mitigate that risk.

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5 Ways a CFO Consultant Can Enhance Your Business Model

It helps to have the valuable and financially-minded perspective of an outsourced CFO at the table when you’re rethinking your business model.

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The Role of The Financial Controller in Strategic Planning

As the CFO role is shifting, it falls to the controller position to assist with or lead on strategic tasks that previously would not be in their purview.

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Startup Tax Strategy – Avoid Getting Getting Dinged

As an entrepreneur finding your wings, a tax strategy should be near the top of your list as your startup grows so you don’t pay more than you have to.

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8 Mistakes to Avoid in M&A Pipeline Management

70%-90% of M&A fail because they don’t effectively plan to successfully integrate and enhance those acquisitions. We share 8 tips to prevent M&A pitfalls.

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The Strategic Role of the Fractional CFO in Venture Capital and Private Equity

Portfolio companies require the strategic financial insight of a chief financial officer. We explore the role of the fractional CFO in venture capital firms and private equity firms.

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COVID-19 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Silicon Valley Startups

Silicon Valley startups, and other startups worldwide, are faced with unprecedented challenges in the midst of the pandemic - but also opportunities.

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Accounting 101: What Does a Controller Do?

A Controller is a CPA who is a leader of the accounting and finance function in small and large companies alike. Learn more about their role and responsibilities.

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7 Lessons From Working With Top VC Firms

We’ve done accounting and consulting for over 200 VC firms, and have distilled some of our collective wisdom in this blog post.

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Top 10 Accounting Practices for High-Growth Companies

With over 20 years of experience working with startups in Silicon Valley, Greenough Group has compiled our list of the top 10 accounting practices all high-growth companies should implement ASAP.

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Forensic Accounting – Our Approach to Fraud Review

Fraud can be uncovered out of nowhere and affect any business at any time. Learn about our forensic accounting practice and how we can help your organization.

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6 Technical Accounting Tips For Rapid-Growth SMBs

High-level accounting guidance for rapid-growth businesses to ensure accounting issues are addressed well before they could ever derail your growth plan.

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How to Choose The Right CPA Firm For Your Business

All CPAs are accountants, but not all accountants are CPAs. When choosing a CPA firm for your business you should check for key capabilities that are backed up by case studies and references.

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CFO vs. Controller – Who Should Run Your Finances?

The roles and responsibilities of a CFO and Controller, the advantages they bring to an organization, and why many businesses are outsourcing their financial leadership.

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The Role of The Fractional CFO in COVID-19 Recovery

Fractional CFOs are used to coming into organizations and getting their hands dirty and have lots of experience managing the finances of other similar organizations during this trying time.

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The Nitty Gritty of Starting a Micro-VC Fund

Launching a micro-VC fund is challenging and requires a long-term mindset. We present some advice on how to start a micro-VC fund.

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What Are The Advantages of Outsourced CFO Services?

The simple answer is: Strategic financial insight and maneuvering that leads to increased revenue, without the need to pay a full-time CFO salary. Click for more details.

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Switching to Accrual Accounting and its Impact on Cash Flow and Taxes

Switching from cash-basis to accrual accounting is inevitable in the growth cycle of any business. Learn how debits and credits affect both cash flow and taxes.

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Untangling the Complexities of Private Equity Fund Accounting

Private equity structure and long-term investments make finances tricky. We examine how to wrangle the complicated beast that is private equity accounting.

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2020 Funding Trends For Silicon Valley Tech Startups

As COVID-19 affects tech startups all around the U.S., learn what trends we are predicting for Silicon Valley startups and funding rounds.

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When Should I Look Beyond Pilot or Bench For Accounting?

Pilot and Bench are excellent solutions when you’re in pre-seed funding or initial seed funding stage, but you can quickly outgrow these online bookkeeping services.

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Lumina – How Greenough Group’s role evolved

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Startup Accounting: Overcoming the GAAP Trap

A startup can only fly so far on the wings of continual capital raises and a desire to be acquired. Learn why GAAP accounting is a must for startups

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CFO Services Support a Startup’s Series A, and Beyond

Here’s why startups in an early round of funding that rely on CFO services have a higher likelihood of survival.

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Greenough Powers Oceanshore Ventures’ Portfolio Companies

Some companies wait until an impending transaction, or until they reach a certain size, to get their financial house in order. Not Oceanshore Ventures. The partners in this early-stage fund recognized that sound financial practices needed to start at the outset. Early on, they brought Greenough Consulting Group on board for its specialized expertise in […]

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Greenough Powers The Operations of VC 500 Startups

Dave McClure, founder of incubator and venture fund 500 Startups, says his firm helps its companies succeed in ways other venture firms do not. Unlike other incubators, 500 Startups offers seed investments and a new micro-fund model along with design, data, and distribution expertise via its network of mentors with strong ties to prominent Silicon […]

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Folloze – A study on how to partner with your Accounting Firm

Folloze, Inc. is a multinational, venture-backed start-up headquartered in the Bay Area. Quickly becoming a leader in the B2B marketing SaaS space, Folloze faced a myriad of challenges brought on by rapid transatlantic expansion.    In a situation familiar to many other start-ups, Folloze faced the difficult task of capitalizing on growth opportunities, while struggling […]

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Startup Accounting Basics: Build a Solid Financial Foundation

90% of all startups fail, and financial missteps are some of the biggest culprits. This article outlines the accounting basics all startup founders should follow.

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Transparency is More Important Than Ever in Private Equity Investor Relations

With eyes fixed firmly on funds across the U.S. in 2020, Limited Partners are demanding more transparency from their investment funds.

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Webinar Recording: Your PPP Loan: What’s Next?

Webinar recording from June 9, 2020 in which business accounting and financial experts discuss the PPP Loan forgiveness process. We unravel the confusion about the ever-evolving processes, how to calculate your forgivable amount, what supporting documentation you need, and more.

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Managing The Top Challenges Facing VC Fund Managers in 2020

This article explores the management of timely issues faced by VC fund managers in 2020, including considerations related to COVID-19.

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CFO Strategies to Help Businesses Weather COVID-19

This article explores both short and long-term CFO strategies you can implement to come out on the other side of the pandemic in a strong position.

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The CFO Digital Shift – Turn Your Data Into Gold

CEOs are looking to CFOs to leverage company data and take on a more strategic and analytical role within their organization.

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SMB Guide to Managing Finances, Tax, & Payroll During COVID-19

MBs like yours are facing unprecedented hardship due to COVID-19. Learn how to navigate The CARES Act, PPP Loans, FFCRA Credits, and more.

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California Business Owner’s Guide to Debt Restructuring Under The CARES Act

For businesses impacted by COVID-19, learn how you can restructure your debt without falling under the category of a Troubled Debt Restructuring.

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Pilot Bookkeeping vs. Bench Accounting – Their Features and Limitations

Many startups look to bookkeeping and accounting solutions like Pilot and Bench. This post explores their features and limitations, and when to seek a CPA.

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Outsource Your Services and Focus on Providing Value

Wearing two hats is manageable, but three or four? As your business grows, bringing in outsourced admin, HR, and finance services saves you time and money.

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7 Reasons to Get Off The Fence on Hiring an Accounting Firm

7 ways that an accounting firm can leverage their decades of collective experience to help you save valuable time and effectively scale your business.

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Do You Want To Get Full Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness? Here is how!

Do you want to get full PPP Loan Forgiveness? We review the terms of the Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness application process.

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Do You Have Coronavirus-Related Human Resource Questions? Yes, we do too!

You have HR questions as it relates to the Coronavirus Crisis. Should you layoff your employees or just furlough them during the Coronavirus crisis?

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Interim CFOs Help Maintain Your Momentum During a CFO or Controller Leave of Absence

How an experienced interim CFO or company controller from a financial service firm helps benefit large organizations, venture capital firms, and portfolio companies.

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Venture Capital Accounting: Key Considerations For Hiring an Accounting Firm

This post explores when you should consider onboarding a venture capital accounting services firm and the services they provide.

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Greenough Outsourced Services Help Supercharge Starvox

For Greenough Group, the most complex challenges are often the most enjoyable. GCG was brought into Starvox, a voice and data communications provider, at a pivotal time for the company. Newly-appointed CEO Tom Rowley was tasked with raising capital through a reverse merger into a public shell, putting Starvox in a position to acquire other […]

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The Virtual CFO: Expert Financial Service That’s Friendly to Your Budget

Is your small business or startup growing and requires financial expertise? A Virtual CFO can help you scale up your systems and make intelligent financial decisions.

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Avoid The Mistake That Costs Startups Plenty of Time and Money

As a startup owner, are you stretched too thin working on back-office functions? It may be time to delegate your finances to an outsourced accounting firm.

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How CFO Consultants Roll With The Punches in Any Startup

90% of startups fail due to financial mismanagement. Bringing in an interim CFO provides you with a solid foundation on which to build your business.

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5 Tips For Choosing a Fractional CFO: Strategy and Sensibility

A Fractional CFO may be part-time, but the impact they will have on your business is immense. Use these 5 hiring tips to seek a successful CFO consultant.

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Bookkeeping vs. Accounting – A Success Guide For Your Business

Any rapidly growing business looking for financial success needs both bookkeeping and accounting. This post examines the difference between these key roles.

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Gemini Mobile Technologies – From Bootstrapped Startup to Multinational

Gemini Mobile Technologies, Inc., a mobile messaging and “Big Data” leader, has relied on Greenough Group’s trusted counsel and hands-on expertise for almost six years as Gemini has developed and evolved its business operations. When GCG first started working with Gemini, the company was a fast-growing, “bootstrapped” business with emerging multi-national operations. With significant market […]

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Should accountants be worried about the bot bookkeeping invasion?

Our survey unveils how many accounting software companies have true automation and answer the questions: Should CPAs be worrying about AI taking their jobs?

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AR companies have grown 50% since the end of 2017

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How to Give Employee Feedback that Works

We provide a few guidelines for Human Resources professionals and managers who need to effectively communicate feedback to employees.

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Lumina Networks raises $10 million from Investors

Lumina Networks said it raised $10 million of Series A financing from investors including Verizon Ventures, AT&T and Rahi Systems. Press release: Lumina Networks Closes $10 Million Series A Financing Fast-growing open source networking company will use funds for new products and geographic expansion SAN JOSE, Calif. – May 24, 2018 – Open source networking company, Lumina […]

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Our Approach to Fund Administration Services

We provide outsourced accounting, reporting, audit management, portfolio management, due diligence for investment decisions and tax compliance support.

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Westlake Ventures & Greenough Group Form Strategic Partnership

Westlake Ventures and Greenough Group event panel

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SKYDIO R1 AUTONOMOUS DRONE REVIEW: CRUISE CONTROL

The world’s first fully autonomous consumer drone is a peek at the future of robotic aviation By Nick Statt@nickstatt  Apr 5, 2018, 9:00am EDT Photography by Vjeran Pavic SHARE The purpose of a consumer drone remains nebulous these days. Depending on who you ask, you’ll get a different answer. Drones are great for sophisticated aerial photography […]

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Important 2018 Tax deadlines for startups

It’s that pesky time of the year again where we start thinking about tax compliance. Whether your business made any money or not, you must comply with filing requirements set forth by the IRS. Here are a handful of key dates to remember. If you have any questions about any of these filings reach out […]

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GCG Alumni makes cover of Time magazine for all the right reasons. Congratulations to Noelia Corzo, one of the Avengers!

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Year-End Housekeeping

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California Health Care — What’s Next?

SB 562 Healthy California, a proposal for a single-payer health-care plan, was passed in June by the California Senate. The state Assembly still needs to approve the plan, as does the governor. A budget will need to be developed and a board of nine health-care experts will need to be in place for authority and […]

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GCG supports DACA

GCG proudly joins nearly 800 entrepreneurs and business leaders from across the country by signing an open letter calling on Congress to immediately pass the bipartisan Dream Act or legislation that provides Dreamers raised in our country the permanent solution they deserve.   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 20, 2017 Contact: press@fwd.us NEW: Growing List of […]

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A startup created by ex-Google engineers is raising $40 million to make drones that fly themselves

Business Insider Article Skydio is building “the world’s most advanced autonomous flying camera,” according to job listings. Screenshot/Skydio A three-year-old startup created by ex-Google engineers is raising approximately $40 million in venture funding to make the world’s most advanced consumer drone, Business Insider has learned. Skydio is looking to raise roughly $40 million for its Series […]

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Documenting Performance Matters: Best Practices

I recently attended a labor law conference by Ogletree Deakins, one of the largest labor and employment law firms in the country and recently named Law Firm of the Year by U.S. News & World Report.  I like attending this particular conference, because it’s four days of nonstop education conducted by attorneys who are experts […]

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How to Use Executive 360-Degree Reviews Effectively

We believe a well-rounded performance evaluation plan should include executive 360s, for both leadership development and a pulse on employee satisfaction.

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PATH Act Tax Savings

R&D tax credits can save startups $250k this year - find out how. 

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Useful and Useless Due Diligence

Making Due Diligence Count

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Client Updates – BGV’s 3rd Fund and InfoScout’s Exit

Two exciting updates this week from our clients – BGV has closed on their third fund with $80M in funding. Good work team! http://benhamouglobalventures.com/2017/06/28/bgv-closes-third-fund-makes-new-investments/ Also, Infoscout has been acquired – a huge win for the team and investors. Congratulations to both teams!

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Pain-Free Performance Reviews

Perform better in your performance reviews - and have fun along the way!

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Client Update: Algolia raises $53 million for its search engine API

We’re proud to say another client of ours has reached a new milestone – French startup Algolia just raised a $53 million Series B round led by Accel, a couple of years after raising $18.3 million with… Accel also leading the round. So it looks like it’s a love story between the VC firm and the software-as-a-service […]

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Understanding your QBO ProAdvisor

The new ProAdvisor Program brings together the previous ProAdvisor and Cloud ProAdvisor programs, and it’s FREE to join. If your main focus is serving desktop clients, you’ll still be able to purchase a membership with all the desktop benefits you’re used to – including valuable QuickBooks desktop software, desktop certifications and U.S.-based desktop support – now with two options to choose from: Premium at $549 /year, which is the same as ProAdvisor Program with no changes, and also Deluxe at $349 /year, which is a lighter version of ProAdvisor designed to narrow support for desktop software.

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EasilyDo Brings Its Powerful Email App To Android

EasilyDo’s simply named “Email” application is one of the most popular productivity apps on iOS, because it closely resembles the look-and-feel of Apple’s default Mail app, but comes with more powerful features. Essentially, it feels like you’ve given the Mail app an upgrade. Now EasilyDo’s Email has made its way over to Android, bringing the same core functionality to a new platform, including its one-click unsubscribe to newsletters, undo send option, package tracking, automatic organization of your expenses, shopping, travel information, and more.

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Kelvin Kwong Leaves Jawbone For Product VP Role At Big Health

As Jawbone continues to work towards a pivot, the Up device maker also continues to talent that may not be core to its future. In the latest departure, Kelvin Kwong, who had been the Jawbone’s director of product management, has joined Big Health, maker of the Sleepio sleep improvement program, as VP of product management. Alongside that, Dr Jenna Carl is now the startup’s medical director.

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San Francisco Equity Partners Acquires Red Monkey Foods

San Francisco, CA – January 17, 2017 – San Francisco Equity Partners (SFEP), a private equity firm exclusively focused on expansion-stage companies in the consumer industry, announced today that it has acquired a majority stake in organic spices and seasonings company Red Monkey Foods.  SFEP will partner with Founder and CEO Jeff Brinkhoff and his team to capitalize on the strong momentum in the business.

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Slack Invests In 11 Bot Startups To Seed Its Platform

Slack announced today that it has invested in nearly a dozen new bot startups to bolster its Slack App Directory. The team collaboration chat app has invested in 25 startups thus far with money from the Slack Fund, an $80 million investment fund backed by venture capital firms like Index Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz. The group … Continue reading Slack invests in 11 bot startups to seed its platform

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DriveScale Raises $15m Series A

Pelion Venture Partners, Nautilus Venture Partners and Foxconn’s Ingrasys Invest in DriveScale; Company Founders Include Elite Server and Storage Veterans Responsible for Multibillion-Dollar Data Center Product Lines for Sun and Cisco

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Pivothead a big hit at Microsoft Build

Saqib is a core Microsoft developer living in London, who lost the use of his eyes at age 7. He found inspiration in computing and is helping build Seeing AI, a research project that helps people who are visually impaired or blind to better understand who and what is around them. The project is built using intelligence APIs from Microsoft Cognitive Services (www.microsoft.com/cognitive).

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GCG Ranked #36 Of Top Accounting Firms By SF Business Times

GCG is proud to announce that we have been ranked #36 of top accounting firms by SF Business Times. We thank all our clients for putting their trust in our hands and look forward to continued support of their financial well being.

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