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CrunchBase is used by millions of consumers, analysts, and investors every month to track what's happening in the fast-paced world of tech startups, and we're growing. The key to our continued success is building a robust and scalable system that can capture and reflect the complex relationships amongst participants in the industry. Right now, we have the unique opportunity to technically and experientially "reboot", taking all the lessons of running CrunchBase up to this point and build a brand new CrunchBase from the ground up. Sound exciting? It does to us.

"Branding as the road to riches The new tech economy, then, is not necessarily about building new technology. It is about capturing a sector with good branding, pots of money to fund growth, and the network effects to spur growth and retention. Holmes argues that half of the value of a company such as Google lies in its brand, in people instinctively thinking of Google when they want to search for something. It is the same for Facebook and social; Amazon and online shopping; and perhaps one day Uber and transportation."

"The authors' work studying leadership over the past six years has led them to develop a framework of distributed leadership. Within that model, leadership consists of four capabilities: sensemaking, relating, "visioning," and inventing. Sensemaking involves understanding and mapping the context in which a company and its people operate. A leader skilled in this area can quickly identify the complexities of a given situation and explain them to others. The second capability, relating, means being able to build trusting relationships with others through inquiring (listening with intention), advocating (explaining one's own point of view), and connecting (establishing a network of allies who can help a leader accomplish his or her goals). Visioning, the third capability, means coming up with a compelling image of the future. It is a collaborative process that articulates what the members of an organization want to create. Finally, inventing involves developing new ways to bring that vision to life."

""We believe very positively on the opportunity of FinTech, particularly marketplace lending" This is a "long wave opportunity" to fund and build other platforms and ecosystems. Canaan is going to continue to invest heavily in the ecosystem."

"Way before thinking about an exit strategy, great entrepreneurs tend to focus on building something that increases in value every year. They work tirelessly to create something relevant that can scale. Their mindset is bent on taking the company as far as it can go for as long as possible."