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Artha India Ventures invests in Kredily, leads Pre-Series A round
By: Aiv Pr Team
Tags: Hrtech, Startup, Funding, Venture Capital, Investors

Kredily is a one-stop platform for managing employees digitally while enhancing their engagement and supporting high-quality data. It streamlines the HR workflow by offering services like data management systems for employees, payroll management, attendance management, video conferencing, and remote working support for its customer base.

After identifying a gap in the HR and Fintech industry, Kredily aims to be the most significant workplace platform that integrates the HRMS and Fintech ecosystems for employees. Kredily offers a digital workplace platform to SMEs and MSMEs through a freemium product. Kredily caters to around 140 million salaried employees in India in a space where the existing HRMS platforms do not cater to 90% of the market.

The decision to invest in Kredily by AIV is backed up with its unique partnership-driven model of offering a full-stack HRMS platform and building revenue from the financial products on the platform. The partnership-driven distribution model ensures a zero CAC (customer acquisition cost) and a zero-member sales team, in comparison to a high CAC and low retention rate prevalent in the HRMS industry. Kredily has also integrated the HRMS platform with the Fintech market, making it a highly scalable model.

The revenue model of Kredily is built on a long-term investment vision and engages with employees beyond HRMS and payroll management. It manages various other heads for its customers’ employees like credit, insurance, and investing.

Devendra Khandegar, Founder & CEO, Kredily said, “We are delighted to have Artha India Ventures on board along with other marquee investors like Rainmatter Capital & Fosun RZ. They bring to the table a deep understanding of Consumers & Businesses in Fintech & SaaS spaces. Kredily has disrupted the HRMS Industry in India by offering a Freemium HRMS & Payroll Platform. This is highly relevant in the current lockdown, where companies are trying to cut down costs & manage remote working. Kredily offers companies an HRMS, Payroll & Payout Platform along with communication & collaboration tools to achieve best in class user engagement.”

Commenting on the investment Ashok Kumar Damani, Director, Artha India Ventures said, “Kredily’s SMB offering is the need of the hour as we restart the world’s 5th largest economy. I believe every employee and employer would want to be on Kredily — not just locally, but globally! We now have a fintech portfolio with companies like Tala and Lenden Club that are cumulatively valued at approximately USD 1 Billion. This is helping our portfolio work with a huge amount of synergy and grow exponentially with internal experience and connections.”

AIV envisions Kredily to develop into one of the most trusted marketplaces for financial products in India with a full-stack HRMS platform offering a complete digital suite of products catering to over 2 lakh SMBs.
What is Fintech? (4th part)
By: Licas Ventures
Tags: Venture Capital, Worldwide, Fintech, Business, Investors

Last week we started to talk about what Fintech is and how it was affected during the Pandemic.

this is the link: https://medium.com/@licasventures/what-is-fintech-how-it-was-affected-during-the-covid-19-and-some-highlights-from-this-year-79088e8a7592 part 1

https://medium.com/@licasventures/what-is-fintech-2nd-part-1a259a9d0f71 part 2

https://medium.com/@licasventures/what-is-fintech-3rdpart-db561af03aba part 3

Growth In Leading Countries

In 2019, fintech companies raised $16 billion across 1,057 companies in the U.S., $5.2 billion across 342 companies in the U.K., $4.6 billion across 199 companies in India, and $3.7 billion across 147 companies in China. Germany rounds out the top five with $1.7 billion raised across 83 companies. Singapore raised $0.8 billion, but with more companies at 106. With the upswing in investments over 2018 and 2019 in financial services, we look at growth by country year-over-year. Fourteen of the top 17 countries grew in investment dollars year-over-year. Countries with year-over-year growth in fintech funding from 2018–2019 between 75 and 100 percent include India, Germany, and the U.K. The countries that grew the most off of a very low amount in 2018 include Vietnam, Sweden, Australia, and Brazil. For the largest two markets in fintech, U.S. funding was up by eight percent year-over-year, and China fintech funding was down 86 percent year-over-year from 2018–2019 — though invested dollars were fairly close.

Active Seed And Venture Investors

With the increased investment activity in 2018 and 2019, we thought it would be of interest to review the most active investors at the seed and venture stages. At the seed stage, Techstars, Y Combinator, and 500 Startups led in the number of fintech portfolio companies invested in over 2018 and 2019. Alongside leading accelerator programs three seed-stage investors top this list along with Global Founders Capital, Seedcamp, and SV Angel.

The most active venture and private equity investors are geographically diverse and represent a mix of leading venture firms, fintech-focused investors, corporate venture, and late-stage alternative investors. Leading by the number of portfolio companies in 2018 and 2019 were Silicon Valley-based Andreessen Horowitz, with a dedicated fintech practice, and Ribbit Capital which invested globally in companies aiming to disrupt financial services. Third on the list was Anthemis Group, which focused on financial services based in London, U.K., and New York-based Digital Currency Group, which invests in blockchain. Silicon Valley-based philanthropic investment firm Omidyar Network rounds out the top five. Sequoia Capital in China, India, and the U.S. are all active investors in fintech, largely in distinct portfolio companies.
Q&A with Vanesa Pazos
By: Noba Capital
Tags: Venture Capitalist, Investors, Startup

We sat down with our Partner, Vanesa Pazos, to find out more about the firm, her passions and how she has spent a strange year.

1. Why did you decide to start the business?

We wanted to do something interesting and make a difference by being involved in things we were passionate about.

This therefore led us to our other main objective for NoBa — building a great team, something that Kevin and I jointly share. I get excited when teams can operate successfully together and strive to build great things!

2. What is most important to you in an investment opportunity?

We want to find things where we can add value vs just participate in an opportunity that someone else is realising.

We don’t want to be passive investors because we think we have a lot to add.

We want to help build something amazing.

3. What areas do you focus on to work with a company on post-investment?

I’m all about the people. I’m there to help build the team, get them working and establish clear processes to help them be as effective as possible. I then become a support for the team to ensure they optimize their interactions with each other and the board.

4. Outside of work, how do you spend your time?

Very different answer nowadays: I am a keen traveller, but given recent times we are living in, that one is pretty much on hold until further notice

Spending time with the family: with a busy house and lots of children anything else I get to spend my time on is a bonus 

I love just about anything sporty (but not team sports). Through lockdown I got a new bike, so this is a new one for me and trying to get out on the weekends and do some cycling routes is definitely starting to become a favourite pastime. Other than that yoga is something I’m really into and helps me keep balanced at times of need.

5. What was the last book you read?

I am guilty for reading 2/3 books at a time — I am not always in the mood to read the same book straight! The last 2 books I read were Educated by Tara Westover. Absolutely amazing read and very inspiring. Would recommend with my eyes closed. The other book is Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo. Which has definitely made me start to think things through in a different way!

6. How has the pandemic and lockdown been for you?

Lockdown was not easy as I’m sure everyone has said. For me personally, it actually had lots of positives. When will I ever spend so much time with the kids as we did during lockdown? The value we all got from it is priceless and I think it has especially helped me appreciate things a lot more and accept things too. During lockdown I tried so many new things — who didn’t! My new go to thing is slowing down and taking the time to get some head space. It was inspirational to see how other companies were putting their ideas out and testing things in such uncertain times.
Successful startup pitch deck
By: Andrei Smagin
Tags: Investors, Pitch Deck, Startup

If you have presented your project to a potential investor at least once, you know for sure: you have only one chance to get this angel investor interested. That’s why, startup pitch deck reminds the classic game of Minesweeper: a step to the left, a step to the right… an explosion. Or the board is cleared (success).

Over the past few years, I’ve presented my projects, probably hundreds of times. Sometimes we became winners, sometimes we failed to convey information to future investors. But we always drew a lesson from it and did better next time.

I’m sure, you will come to an ideal pitch deck by your own experience, but I will tell you a few main life hacks from my experience. It would probably be beneficial.

Numbers

The most important thing. In fact, it’s what investors are interested in. Therefore, you must figure out the numbers that you will present. Don’t be afraid to be confident with your financial calculations, consider different options for the economic development of the company. Try not to overthink. If you get carried away and unreasonably start to overestimate the numbers, an experienced investor will see that just by looking at it and probably decide to refuse you until the end. You could see why: would you invest in something that is hidden from you?

Financial and economic modeling

An additional Excel spreadsheet with a clear financial model of the company’s future would be a great bonus: when we get things done and permit relatively short payback periods. Your task is to show him when — not in an ephemeral future, but in a specific time frame.

Road map

As we said above, any investor must be informed of ideas and lines of company development. All that thing is explained in table, while on the slides it is enough to consider three key periods: a year, three and five years with the most global results.

Team

Let’s not forget that you ask for money for a product that doesn’t even exist. So at first, he invests in the idea (albeit carefully written) and in the team. The last one becomes a key point. Introduce your team, your achievements, let your mentors and accelerators be known. More details about your business skills and experience will demonstrate how well you can handle the project you are presenting.

Brevity

The first rule of any pitch. Don’t oversaturate it with details, even if it looks “cool” for you. For the first acquaintance. Otherwise it will work against you, creating ecess noise. No more than 10–15 slides with short texts of 15 words will be enough to clearly formulate the image of the project and not distract from its essence.

Visual content and personalization

The visual should be specially developed to be bright, precise and unambiguous. If you know exactly an investor you are presenting your project to, rework the pitch for him. Assess him, his business approach and personalize the visuals for him (color effects, gamma, icons, etc.). So you can create a product that will be pleasant to him on an unconscious level, so you are meant to earn additional attention to your startup.
Coins Coins Coins
Tags: Beginner Trading, Cryptocurrency Investment, Investors, Cryptocurrency, Crypto

After Bitcoin and Ethereum market kind of blew up with different kind of tokens some were derivatives of bitcoin and others were born out of Ethereum not to forget those which came out at as joke (doge). I am just kidding but yes doge is a joke. Nonetheless, new comers have a very difficult time selecting the perfect coin for them. A friend of mine bought Matic at 77 rupees and is currently holding it at 125! JACKPOT?

I was sad nothing like that ever happened to me :(

So I decided to bring you guys with some coins I found which do have the potential to grow, I will also show you my buying price and for how long I’ve been holding them. But before we go there “MUTUAL FUNDS ARE SUBJECTED TO MARKET RISKS PLEASE READ THE SCHEME RELATED DOCUMENTS CAREFULLY BEFORE INVESTING”. Yeah, so where were we before this ad. popped up out of nowhere? Oh yes, my coins. My precious.

Vechain

My first coin of preference is Vechain, giving me almost 50% returns in short period of time. As a trader you’d want this.

I bought Vechain around 6 rupees where it was constantly testing the level once it broke the levels of 6.5 rupees I added some more quantities and finally in mid-April it touched 19.5 rupees, doubling my money. Now vechain is back at 9 rupees and it will according to Investopedia it will touch 15 to 17 rupees around in November, if you’re a beginner you may go for it.

I took this screenshot on 6th of August. I am still holding some Vechain and as you can see I am getting 42% returns. Which is not at all bad.

Ankr

Ankr is my second choice and I just came across it recently and it is going through a phase of consolidation and might give a break-out. I am currently holding a small quantity and might add more if price moves up.

Ankr at 7% gain in 3 days.

Zilliqa

According to cryptonews.com and trading beast zilliqa may reach 0.4$ or 29 rupees at the end of 2021. See you won’t become a millionaire through these coins but you’ll have and idea of how market works and how you should trade as a beginner.

Now crypto market is in bullish trend (up-trend) and possibly will remain positive by the end of 2021. People trading on the news and on celebrity calls give market a bad name, “ThIs iS gAmbliNg”. But if you study enough, do your own research , stock and crypto market are the best sources of passive income as of now. Some other coins worth tracking are NKN, Airswap, ADA and Golem.

CoinSwitch

If you’re a beginner and want to start trading, coinswitch is the best app out there with no hidden fees and charges. The transactions are hassle free and you can do KYC in minutes and start trading. I’ll leave the link here and you can leave a comment. :)
Concept of Sales Pitch
By: Vijay Wankhede
Tags: Business Consultant, Motivational Speaker, Entrepreneur, Vijay Wankhede, Investors

Hello from Mr. Vijay Wankhede!

Mr. Vijay Wankhede- an entrepreneur, business consultant, writer, speaker and investor has come again this time with the Concept of Sales Pitch! Read the blog and understand how sales pitch work and how you can boost your sales pitch.

A sales pitch is a presentation of any product or service made by the sales person . Your sales pitch can make or break the deal, so it’s highly advisable to have that nailed down before meeting with your customer. It’s your opening line, your verbal business card, and the first thing your customer will hear when you call or meet with them.

In times like this, you just need a quick burst of inspiration to make the ideas flowing again. With that in mind, here are six sales pitch ideas that can refresh your marketing approach and drive those much-needed conversions.

Starting a pitch is arguably the hardest part. You have to grab your prospect’s attention so that they actually want to hear the value of your product and how it can help their business. But before you can share the product’s value, you have to hook the prospect.

When starting your pitch, integrate the following essential elements.

Start with the problem. Always start with the problem. Unless they know the problem you can solve, they won’t be open to hearing how your product is a solution.

Tailor the start of the pitch to your client’s vertical. No one wants to hear a general pitch that would apply to any business. Research their vertical and use the information you found to personalize the pitch immediately.

Offer Solutions- if they don’t solve the problem using your solution, what do they have to lose? You don’t need to state it in such clear terms — but alluding to the risks at the start of your pitch can help you secure buy-in straightaway.

Hope this guide will be helpful to you for finalising your business idea and to start your business journey. If you still have some doubts about any topic or need any help in your business journey you are free to contact us. We are here to help you to give you complete business assistance and Consultancy and to take your business to new heights.
The One Question To Ask Yourself Before You Sell An Investment.
By: Brian Dickens Barrabee
Tags: Investment, Wealth, Advice, Selling, Investors

This simple question, can be answered with a Yes or No. Your answer will give you clarity that few investment advisors can bring.

Photo by exectium on Unsplash

I don’t think there’s anyone in the world who doesn’t like a bargain. Maybe that’s why it’s so exciting to buy what you feel is a winning investment. With so much excitement and enjoyment associated with buying what may bring possible wealth and success, the other side of the equation is often overlooked.

Whether it’s bonds or bitcoins, buy low and sell high is the basic simple mindset of all humans. It’s probably the deepest groove in most investor’s brain; no matter how sophisticated.

A recent working paper called “Selling Fast and Buying Slow” (Akepanitaware, Di Mascio,Imas and Schmidt,2018) confirms what many investors have long thought: buying stocks is easy but selling them is hard. The same can be said for other types of investments.

You can Google “When to sell your investment” and get as many suggestions as there are investments. Confusing to most who understand the circle of profit is not complete until the sale is made and seek advice when the best time is to take that step.

So, how do you to come to the decision that is at least 50% of the profit equation — selling your investment?

The best answer is in the form of a question.

If you had the cash in your pocket that this investment is worth today, would you take that cash and buy this same investment today?

If your answer is YES, then don’t sell.

If your answer is NO, immediately start the selling process.*

*Check with your investment advisor the tax implications of any possible sale you may be considering.

There’s a tremendous volume of investment advice offered now-a-days from bonds to bite coins. No wonder everyone, including many advisers, are confused.
US Capital Global Finances the Consolidation of Disrupts Media Ltd
By: Jeffrey Sweeney
Tags: Publishing, Newspapers, Tokenization, Fintech, Investors

San Francisco-based private financial group supports the consolidation and growth of international FinTech media company.

US Capital Global has provided financing for the consolidation of Disrupts Media Ltd, a leading London-based FinTech media company. Disrupts Media Ltd is responsible for publishing the world’s first and only FinTech newspaper, The Fintech Times. With over 120,000 online readers and 150,000 print readers, this leading publication chronicles the latest developments in financial technology.

Headquartered in San Francisco, US Capital Global is a full-service private financial group with an established track record in asset-anagement and private client services. The firm focuses on providing lower middle market businesses and investors with sophisticated debt, equity, and investment products usually available only to larger companies and institutional investors.

“We are delighted to have a significant role in supporting The Fintech Times,” said Jeffrey Sweeney, Chairman and CEO at US Capital Global, and a regular contributor to the newspaper. “The Fintech Times is a pioneering publication that shares the ideas and strategies of international thought leaders and FinTech firms, and we believe it has immense potential for further growth.”

As a broker-dealer, US Capital Global embraces new, progressive financial regulations that permit “general solicitation,” allowing investment opportunities to be offered to non-institutional investors who might otherwise never encounter them.

About Disrupts Media Ltd

Disrupts Media Ltd is the London-based publishing company responsible for the publication of The Fintech Times, a multi-media outlet centered on the world’s first and only FinTech newspaper. The publication chronicles the latest in cutting-edge financial technologies, including RegTech, banking transformation, payments innovation, AI, WealthTech, cryptocurrencies, cybersecurity, InsurTech, and much more. With over 150,000 copies of print circulated in London, San Francisco, and Tokyo, and over 120,000 online readers, The Fintech Times is building the voice of the FinTech industry.

About US Capital Global

Since 1998, the US Capital team has been committed to providing small and lower middle market businesses and investors with sophisticated debt, equity, and investment opportunities usually available only to larger middle market companies and institutional investors. The US Capital Global group manages direct investment funds and provides wealth management and capital raise services. Operating with its registered investment bank affiliate, US Capital Global Securities, LLC, the firm acts as a licensed placement agent for companies, funds, and projects, and collaborates closely with its peers in professional banking and investment advisory. www.uscapglobal.com

To learn more about US Capital Global, email Jeffrey Sweeney, Chairman and CEO, at jsweeney@uscapglobal.com or call +1 415–889–1010.
Telegram Looks to Cut Deal With TON Blockchain Investors After SEC Order
Tags: Blockchain, Exchange, News, Telegram, Investors

Telegram Looks to Cut Deal With TON Blockchain Investors After SEC Order AMCgroup Follow Oct 17, 2019 · 2 min read

Telegram has notified investors that the TON blockchain project will be launched later than planned, pushing the deadline from Oct. 30 to April 30, 2020.

In an email to investors reviewed by CoinDesk, Telegram cited its recent run-in with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which obtained a restraining order prohibiting the messenger app company from launching TON and issuing gram tokens. The agency deemed grams to be unregistered securities.

The email, which was sent recently to investors in the second of Telegram’s two $850 million fundraising round from early 2018, says:

“We had intended to launch the TON network in late October. However, the recent SEC lawsuit has made that timing unachievable. We disagree with the SEC’s legal position and intend to vigorously defend the lawsuit. We are proposing to extend the deadline date in order to provide additional time to resolve the SEC’s lawsuit and work with other governmental authorities in advance of the launch of the TON network.”

The additional time will be an advantage for companies working on applications for the TON network, Telegram said.

The deadline can be extended with the consent of investors holding a majority of the tokens bought in the round, the email says.

The two groups of investors, those who bought tokens in February 2018 and those who did so in March 2018, will need to approve the extension separately, and it’s possible that one group agrees to postpone while the other refuses:

“In these circumstances, we propose to make certain limited amendments to the terms of the purchase agreements that remain in place to reflect the fact that fewer Grams will be issued and in circulation on the Network Launch Date.”

…

Source:
Powerful Investor Updates Template
By: Angel Rutledge
Tags: Startup, Entrepreneurship, Investor Updates, Business, Investors

Most investors will tell you that the best time to build relationships with them is when you don’t need to fundraise. This is because they want to take the time to get to know you, your team and your product before they feel comfortable investing in your business.

Knowing this, it only makes sense that the best thing you can do to continue building on your investor relationships once you’ve raised your first round is to send consistent investor reports. Use this information as a guide to build a template for your investor updates that will be easy to maintain.

Timing

The timing for investor reports is often spelled out in your contract with them, but in situations where the language is vague around timing, it’s best to send these updates either quarterly or monthly. Send them monthly if at all possible as the more consistent you are, the more trust you build with your investors. It will make it easier for your investors to know how to lend their support when you need it, and you’ll prevent the one-off check-ins that investors are bound to make if they have to wonder how your company is doing.

Format

There’s no specific formula for investor updates, but there is some standard information they will want to see. Developing a consistent template for the updates will be useful for everyone. It will save you time as you get into a rhythm of collecting the same type of information each cycle, and the predictability of a template will give your investors a level of comfort as they get to know what information they can expect to receive from you.

If you have a simple visual to include, whether it’s a photo of a team building event or a graphic of some key metrics, an image often helps communicate information quickly and powerfully. At the same time, it’s most important to keep the updates simple to create consistently, so leave out a visual whenever one is not readily accessible. Again, the priority is consistent updates, not award-winning updates.

Types of Info for Investor Updates

Mission

While many companies don’t include their mission statement in investor updates, this should be at the top of every report. It may be at the forefront of what you and your team think about, but it won’t be for your investors unless you remind them. Include a sentence or two describing what your product is and what problem it solves for customers as well.

Key Metrics:

Investors love metrics, so keep these towards the top of your update and include only high-level data here. Choose three to five of the most important metrics and keep the same ones from one report to the next. Here are some examples:

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I’m one of the most introverted person I’ve ever met.
Tags: Insecurity, Self-awareness, God, Introvert, Life

I’m one of the most introverted person I’ve ever met.

When I look at the sunsets, I ask myself how happy God must be after painting them. And when I think about God, I think everything in the world works together. I wonder if God splits into a million halves just to refine himself once more.

So when I think of refining it on my own; I’m still trying to understand who I am. I don’t feel good about myself every day. I struggle against insecurity, but I will not force anyone to show me how to love myself. I realised introversion wasn’t a bad thing. That’s the way I’m connected. It doesn’t matter what people say, that’s how I feel about social situations with 95% of the human race.

At the beginning, I was so lonely that each day was like eating my own damn heart. It was good to feel empty, though. I didn’t suffer anymore, but sometimes I heard myself beg to come back. Most of the time, I remain silent in order to remain alone. I was always trying not to put myself out there. Not because I’m unable or unwilling to be social, but if takes a lot of effort, and I don’t want to offend anyone else for my lack of interest.

Have you ever tried to focus all your energy on something that bored you out of your mind?! Sighs.

I have to say that one of my worst characteristics is how easily I slam the door when I can no longer tolerate someone’s toxicity. I could even attempt to erase every trace of that person in my life. For example, when one of my closest friends stabbed a knife deep between my ribs, I tore apart a painting he had given me. Getting rid of whatever reminded me of him was part of my closure process.

Yet, I buried my feelings deeply within my heart. I experienced a great betrayal many times before, so I had to cut it and throw it away. The weird thing is, I thought this was the way it was supposed to be. The people I care about the most have caused me the most pain. As a matter of fact, my melancholy is the truest thing I’ve ever had.

Early in the morning, birds are afraid to chirp. Just the buzzing of distant vehicles going all over the place. Do you sometimes sit down and think, “Wow, every car and everyone has their own world and universe that they are the center of?”. It’s always been a weird thought I get every now and then.
Nightmare for an Introvert …
By: Lal-Ain Anees
Tags: Short Story, Storyofmylife, Humor, Introvert

I am an Introvert, I hate socializing and being the center of attention.

And this is my short story of how Awkward and Embarrassing I ended up like, Just because I had to say hello to our Guests, that had just arrived to our house.

It all started when……………………. skip the causalities.

I was eating dinner, I love food, I’m a foodie. So yeah, I was enjoying my dinner also talking with my dad about how delicious it was, and we were having a light chat while having dinner. Everyone finished after that, I was the only one left, as I was about to finish, we all heard a knock on the door.

And that is when i panicked.

My father answered the door, and turned out it was his friend. Close Friend. I immediately got up, and then my sister’s were getting the dishes and stuff. I came to another room, and sat there, because as I was coming to the different room with so much speed I didn’t realize that Walls Exist. Yup, the wall hit my head. It was hurting. But I was glad that I won’t have to speak and that would save me from being Awkward.

After some minutes of me sitting in my room, I heard my mom call me. She called me to come and greet the guests. Of course it would be rude not to greet, and at the same time risky as a Total Introvert. So I got up and went behind the door, peeked from the corner to see if I should go now or later. My mom saw me and told me come inside….. EVERYONE’S EYES LANDED ON ME , the thing that I hate the most, being the center of Attention.

I stepped inside and said hello with the brightest smile, for which I don’t even have to try. Everything was going smoothly, they were asking about my school and studies. I was talking too. Everything was very fine. Until out of the blue, I don’t know why, but I asked them who are they ?

There was complete silence for some seconds. Then my dad spoke how he knew his friend for a very long time and I was just a little kid back then. Then Everyone started talking again and I excused myself out for some time.
An introvert’s first team building experience
By: Emma Van Eeckhout
Tags: Introversion, Team Building, Social Anxiety, Introvert

I was preparing myself to start a course in my new school when I saw the message and my heart sank, “Monday and Tuesday will be introduction and team building days”. This is something most introverts don’t want to hear, am I right? I know I didn’t.

I woke up extra early, packed my lunch and headed off to RED Academy. The whole journey I kept thinking and worrying about all the people I’d have to meet. “What if no one talks to me?” “What if my appearance scares them?” “Even if someone talks to me, what if they don’t like me?”.

I’m sure these questions haunt a lot of people’s minds when going into a whole new community of people, but at that very moment it doesn’t really occur to you that these are normal things to worry about.

I walked through the door and the academy’s staff enthusiastically welcomed me and made me feel a bit more at ease. Most of the students were already there, conversing with each other and eager to start the introductions. We got called upstairs to go to our classroom where we would spend most of the day. I had not talked to anyone yet and i surrendered to the thought that “This was it, it’s too late to talk to anyone now”.

Spoiler alert: Nothing was less true.

Have you ever seen that meme that says “Introverts don’t make friends. We get adopted by extroverts.”? Or this pie chart? This is exactly what happened.

I sat down in a corner and the seats around me slowly started filling up. Another student immediately noticed this introvert-in-need and started a conversation with me. When they found out which course I am taking, they introduced me to another student who signed up for the same course.

It was a snowball effect from here on.

We started off by briefly introducing ourselves to the other students from where we were seated and later had to tell our story at the front of the class.

I volunteered as one of the first ones to go up there and talk. It was terrifying at first but as soon as my awkwardness got some genuine laughter, I realised that this wasn’t so bad. Seeing other people’s introductions made me realise that even the more extroverted people seemed nervous while delivering their presentations.

Our team building exercises included: the portrait game, pizza making team exercise, crocodile river, etc…

All of these were fun and breaking the ice between all the students. And the best part was: I didn’t experience a single awkward moment!

To all the extroverts out there: thank you for recognising and adopting introverts.

And to all my fellow introverts: sometimes things are only as scary as we make them out to be. You’ll be just fine.
Revival of an introvert
By: Sarah Khechini
Tags: Aiesec, Students, Change, Introvert, Experience

If you are going through the same circumstances as me, this article is for you.

I am a nerd. That’s what everyone called me during my bachelor's degree. Back then, I was going to school, and that’s it. You can say that my full-time job was “a student.” I was also an introvert who wasn’t “fun.” I was constantly faced with harassment, discrimination, or even bullying from my teachers or peers.

That pressure is precisely what made me sometimes hate what I was doing. I think we can all relate to the traditional studying pattern of just going to school, and that is it.

According to a study in the United States, 96% of students in university are involved in extracurricular activities. The other 4% just went to school, and that’s it. The Tunisian case is the opposite of that. I belonged to the majority of Tunisian students that were not engaged in extracurricular activities. How many of you were introverted until you were involved in extracurricular activities?

Watch this if you want to learn more about AIESEC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3cHVnfK0ZQ&ab_channel=Youth%27More

What changed for me was when I started my master’s degree, I joined AIESEC. I joined because the old me wasn’t someone that I liked, and I wanted that change. I mean, we all want to experience life and see new things these days! What I loved is what others learned at school. I learned all that and more in AIESEC, an international organization that works on developing leadership in youth.

My AIESEC family

It taught me more than what I studied in school. I started this journey by learning new skills like how to write an email. I know you’re thinking: this is a basic task. But it was through these emails or sometimes calls; I got the chance to network with important people from Tunisia or internationals. They had a huge impact on me. They taught me new things about their culture, and most importantly, they shared their knowledge and experience.

Also, I learned how to be polyvalent by learning marketing strategies, designing skills, or improving my writing skills. I loved most the ability to lead a team and impact their experience in life, even if it was a small impact.

That is why I encourage people not to stick to what they do in school. In some cases, that can only bring them down and not explore their potential, seeing that in universities, we are subjected to limited knowledge. Also, as I said, it is better to learn through experience since it’s more enriching, and we learn more through them.

So for every student out there, I say: Let’s escape our everyday lives and embark on a new journey together. And most importantly, share your experiences.
The Misconception of Introvert (and Extrovert)
By: Axel Leonardo
Tags: Self-awareness, Personality, Introvert, Self Improvement, Personal Development

Even though introverts need some alone time, that doesn’t mean they hate people. Introverts are humans too, and humans are social creatures. They do love people (well, maybe not all of them, but mostly they do), but they have limited social battery. It gradually decreases by these two things:

Social interactions and overstimulation.

Image from http://still.timothyfulton.com/illustrations/

At the beginning of the day, introverts have 100% “social battery”. Throughout the day, they meet their colleagues, clients, friends, family, random people in the street. Each of their social interaction with them, whether it’s a face-to-face conversation or group gathering, reduces some amount of it.

Overstimulation is a bigger energy-draining source. It includes all of three these things:

1. Being at the center of attention

Being at the center of attention has a lot of versions. Introverts hate all kinds of it. It could be a simple thing. Let’s say introverts were in a cafe. They will not choose the seat in the middle of the cafe and prefer the one in the periphery. It’s because they feel that everyone is watching, which makes them are in the center of attention, while in fact, it doesn’t.

You think that it was absurd, but it just how introverts feel. On a more complex level, public speaking is one of the most common things. It is undoubtedly one of the Introverts’ worst nightmare.

2. Stand in the crowd

A massive crowd somehow give introverts a significant amount of stimulation. It could be parties, concerts, or any other events which involves a lot of people. They will reconsider again and again and again before going to such places.

3. Adapt in an entirely new environment

A new environment means when introverts have to go to the places they have never been before, meet new people, and do new activities. All the new things produce massive stimulation. That’s why they love doing their routine. It makes them safe and lives in peace. On the dark side, it’s harder for them to get out of the comfort zone, compared to the extroverts.

Image from https://www.picklestore.nl/en/pampling-low-social-battery-de-starrykito.html

When the battery goes down to 0% due to two energy-drainer, just like your smartphone, you need to recharge by plugging on your charger. For the smartphone, the charger is the adapter. For the introverts? They charge themselves by being alone.

When they are at 0% condition, they mostly prefer to stay reserved and quiet, desperately waiting that the time passes by until finally, they could go home, craving for solitude. So, next time when you (extroverts) see the introverts are being quiet as fuck, please understand that they need to recharge ASAP.

It goes vice-versa for the extroverts. Their solitude drains their battery, and they feel damn alive when they are meeting people, having a conversation, socializing, or even hanging around near the crowd.
How To Be A Successful Entrepreneur As An Introvert
By: Tom Kuegler
Tags: Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneur, Introvert, Personal Development, Life Lessons

Gary Vaynerchuk is a delight to watch.

For an introvert like me, it’s refreshing to see an entrepreneur so outspoken, daring, and, well.. extroverted!

That’s how entrepreneurs are, right?

Brash. Outspoken. Extremely confident in their abilities.

That’s how Steve Jobs was. Walt Disney and Oprah also come to mind.

But do you need to be extroverted to be successful as an entrepreneur?

Well, have you ever heard Elon Musk talk in public before? It’s cringe-worthy at best. You can tell he doesn’t feel comfortable in the spotlight — and that’s because he isn’t.

He’s an introvert.

Same with Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Warren Buffet.

Courtesy of Teslarati.com

All of these fine gentlemen would probably rather be at home reading a book than be at a social gathering of any kind..

But that’s not a weakness. You don’t have to be the loudest person in the room to run a company.

I’m certainly not the most outgoing person, but that hasn’t stopped me from being a successful solopreneur — building two profitable online courses over the last year and a half that have helped me travel the world.

So how do you become a successful entrepreneur as an introvert?

Follow these steps, and you just might get there.
Top 6 Food Delivery Solutions in South Africa
By: Richard Ananth
Tags: Delivery, Shopping, Food Ordering App, Food Delivery, On Demand

One of the advancements that occurred as of late is the online food conveyance framework. The food conveyance market size keeps on advancing in a consistent space. This area has changed the whole standpoint towards the food business as shoppers currently have the advantage to look over a wide assortment of cooking styles, anyplace, whenever from a scope of eateries recorded on the web. In addition, client adaptabilities as some of the base request esteem and different installment alternatives like web banking, computerized wallets, and money down have also upgraded all customer classifications' comfort.

With a website or mobile app, customers can easily browse all the dishes the restaurant has available, customize dishes to their requirements and place an order. It can also save their favorite orders allowing them to easily re-order that in the future. According to Granviewresearch survey, the food delivery system will leverage its market by a CAGR of 15.4% in 2025.

Let’s see the top 6 online food delivery solution providers in South Africa:

#1 COMEnEAT:

COMEnEAT

COMEnEAT is the white-labeled online food order and takes away platform which is keen on delivering delicious food. This service includes a loyalty program, facebook ordering, wallet, dispatch system, refer & earn and much more. It primely focuses on solutions for Tier-2, Tier-3 enterprises, SME’s, and Startups across different portfolios.

#2 Jumpgrowth:

Jumpgrowth

Jumpgrowth is the online food delivery solution that provides a new experience in food delivery solutions. They facilitate your customers to order their favorite meals from across your favorite restaurants. They provide solutions across different business verticals.

#3 Yumbi:

Yumbi

Yumbi is a custom white-labeled food delivery solution provider that provides the clone scripts of swiggy applications. They provide services across android, IOS, website, iPad, flutter application development.

#4 Foodchow:

Foodchow

Foodchow is an on-demand food ordering and delivery app development service steering the food delivery business. It helps you expand your business with the customized food delivery app development services to reach every individual smartphone user.

#5 Frescofud:

Fresocfud

Fresocfud is an on-demand food delivery app for the food chain, food-based startups, and restaurant aggregators. It helps you leverage your food app development services as it ensures implementing the best strategies and tactics to kickstart your food business.

#6 Arthonsys:

Arthonsys

Arthonsys provides one-tap food delivery and restaurant food development app services to develop several types of on-demand app solutions such as Restaurant app development, online food delivery apps for startups, enterprises, etc…
Our Chillest Launch Yet.
Tags: Delivery, Launch, Food, Technews, Technology

We’re excited to share today that we’ve expanded our Eat offerings to include Frozen Eats, featuring sweet treats from Coolhaus, Chloe’s Pops, Marco, and Dalci, alongside savory foods from Chef Bombay, Nuggs, Cappello’s, and more.

Frozen Eats speaks to our mission of simplifying your life by bringing you the most coveted premium brands we know you will love — FastAF.

To celebrate the launch of the new category and National Ice Cream Day, we’re hitting the streets this weekend (Saturday, July 17 — Sunday, July 18) with the FastAF #ChillSummer Ice Cream Truck Tour. For a $50 flat fee, you can select from three curated assortment of goodies including That’s Bold (artisanal flavors), FastAF Faves, and No Moo (dairy-free, plant-based), all delivered to your door by one of our trucks. Don’t wait, as spots are limited.

You can also order curated and fantastically-themed sundae bundles this weekend via our normal delivery method through the FastAF app, including Vacation Vibes ($25), Coffee Obsession ($30), and the Ultimate Sundae ($35). Each bundle comes with two ice cream pints, toppings, and a kit of add-ons to indulge in.

Just download the app and shop Frozen Eats to enjoy in LA, NY, SF & Miami.

Continue to check the app for the latest Frozen Eats to keep you cool this summer!
Favor Delivery Expands to More Cities Across Texas
By: Favor Delivery
Tags: Delivery, Texas, News, Expansion, Community

Favor Delivery Expands to More Cities Across Texas

At Favor, we know Texans are relying on delivery now more than ever — and we are dedicated to doing our part to serve the communities we love. That’s why we’re excited to announce we’re doubling our coverage across Texas to serve more communities than ever before!

Favor is a Texas-born company, part of the H-E-B family, and the easiest way to get anything you want delivered in under an hour.

For us, “Texans supporting Texans” isn’t just a saying — it’s a core belief we live by every day. No matter what you need, we’re here and ready to help.

Hope to see you soon!

On March 27, we will be expanding to serve:

North Texas

On March 28, we will be expanding to serve:

North Texas

On March 29, we will be expanding to serve:

North Texas

Central Texas

On March 30, we will be expanding to serve:

Southeast Texas

On March 31, we will be expanding to serve:

Hill Country

Panhandle

On April 1, we will be expanding to serve:

San Antonio

Hill Country

On April 2, we will be expanding to serve:

Hill Country

Gulf Coast

Rio Grande Valley

On April 3, we will be expanding to serve:

Hill Country

East Texas

Southeast Texas

Gulf Coast

North Texas

South Texas

West Texas