MAINNEWSBLOGEVENTSMILESTONESMAGAZINES FEATURED ENTERPRISE How to Ace Your Series A Fundraise: Lessons from 20+ Years in Venture Capital Founded a company and thinking about raising a Series A? Matt Howard has led 22 Series A investments over the past 20+ years as a VC through five recessions. Most of these investments occurred well before the product launched and were largely based on one or two founders with 15+ PowerPoint slides! We take pride […] 01 / 03 IN DEPTH TREND WATCH INDUSTRY OUTLOOK Future of Food Part I: Post COVID Realities For Food Supply Chain INVESTMENT FUNDING NEWS Habu Data Clean Room Collaboration INVESTMENT GROWTH EQUITY Investing in a Category Changing Brand: Babylist MARKETING INDUSTRY OUTLOOK How to Build an Iconic B2B Brand: The Gong Case Study INVESTMENT FUNDING NEWS Anomalo – Preventing Data PTSD INVESTMENT FUNDING NEWS Citcon – Enabling Digital Wallets with a Single API INVESTMENT FUNDING NEWS Praxis Labs: Using Virtual Reality to Build Empathy and Inclusion INVESTMENT FUNDING NEWS Elevate: Benefits Just Got a Digital Makeover PEOPLE & CULTURE NORWEST NEWS Hello, My Name is Lisa, and I’m an Imposter BEST PRACTICES NORWEST NEWS Sales Leadership Tips From a Veteran INVESTMENT FUNDING NEWS ICON and The New Way to Build Homes at Scale INVESTMENT FUNDING NEWS Enable: B2B Rebates Done Right INVESTMENT GROWTH EQUITY Partners in Scaling and Impact: Norwest and supplier.io INVESTMENT FUNDING NEWS A Fork in the Road for Warehouse Robotics: Third Wave’s Smart Forklift INVESTMENT FUNDING NEWS Norwest Invests in Treeverse, the Company Behind lakeFS MARKETING INDUSTRY OUTLOOK How to Fast-Track Your Path to ABM Maturity INVESTMENT FUNDING NEWS Abodu: Backyard Homes Can Help Americans With The Housing Crisis INVESTMENT TREND WATCH Our Classy Investment Shows That Investing and Impact are Not Mutually Exclusive MARKETING INDUSTRY OUTLOOK The New Rules of Digital Advertising INVESTMENT FUNDING NEWS Forum Brands: A Technology-Led Approach to Amazon Acquisition Platforms INVESTMENT TREND WATCH Why CBRS is the Biggest Thing Since Wi-Fi INVESTMENT CONSUMER HEALTHCARE Talkspace: Making Therapy More Accessible and Affordable PEOPLE & CULTURE DE&I TOPICS Our DEI Efforts and Commitment Continue INVESTMENT TREND WATCH Measuring Social Impact in Your Software Business INVESTMENT FUNDING NEWS Buy a Home with Ease with Flyhomes INVESTMENT FUNDING NEWS Homeward’s Home Financing Platform Empowers Today’s Homebuyer INVESTMENT FUNDING NEWS Reunited and It Feels So Good: Norwest Leads Uptycs’ $50M Series C Financing MARKETING BOARD ROOM How to Gain the Confidence of Your Board INVESTMENT FUNDING NEWS Save on those Miami moving costs! Find your local oasis on Swimply INVESTMENT HEALTHCARE Curing the Uncurable Through Gene Editing INVESTMENT FUNDING NEWS Productiv Raises $45M Growth Round to Help CIOs Conquer SaaS Sprawl MARKETING GROWTH EQUITY Gateway Learning Group becomes Kyo, Expands Services Nationally INVESTMENT GROWTH EQUITY Why Do You Get So Many Investor Cold Emails? INVESTMENT ENTERPRISE Into the Blue Again – The Next Wave of E-commerce INVESTMENT CONSUMER Training on the Front Lines: Announcing our Investment in Learn to Win BEST PRACTICES INDUSTRY OUTLOOK How to Get Your Company Acquired, Not Sold INVESTMENT ENTERPRISE Harness: Get Ship Done BEST PRACTICES NORWEST NEWS Norwest’s Top Five Blogs of 2020 PEOPLE & CULTURE DE&I TOPICS Announcing Our Partnership with BLCK VC BEST PRACTICES ENTREPRENEUR VIEWS The 20 Best Pieces of Advice from Founders in 2020 OUTLOOK INDUSTRY OUTLOOK Looking Forward to a Bright 2021 INVESTMENT CONSUMER Opendoor – a Masterclass in Visionary Company Building TREND WATCH GROWTH EQUITY Software Consolidators: What 430+ Transactions Can Teach Us About M&A BEST PRACTICES GROWTH EQUITY Why the End of a Turbulent 2020 is the Best Time to Partner with Growth Equity TREND WATCH INDUSTRY OUTLOOK Venture Capital Advice for Aspiring Food Tech Startups BEST PRACTICES GROWTH EQUITY Revisiting Customer Retention in Times of Uncertainty PEOPLE & CULTURE INDUSTRY OUTLOOK Remote Recruitment During a Pandemic: 5 Lessons Learned INVESTMENT ENTERPRISE ZineOne: Real-Time Hyper Personalization at Scale INVESTMENT CONSUMER Announcing Norwest’s Investment in Faire INVESTMENT HEALTHCARE Neocis: Transforming Dental Surgery with Advanced Robotics OUTLOOK HEALTHCARE Taking on COVID-19 PEOPLE & CULTURE The Keys to Scaling Talent As You Grow PRODUCT ENTERPRISE Kiss the SaaS Spreadsheet Goodbye INVESTMENT GROWTH EQUITY Seizing on the E-Bike Moment: Welcoming VanMoof to the Norwest Family OUTLOOK GROWTH EQUITY A Digital-Led Recovery for Emerging Brands INVESTMENT ENTERPRISE Machines, AI, & Future of Customer Service — Our Replicant Series A BEST PRACTICES GROWTH EQUITY When and How to Hire a CFO OUTLOOK CONSUMER The Future of Social for “Millennials on Steroids” INVESTMENT ENTERPRISE Meet Qualified – PS Skip This if You Have Enough Leads INVESTMENT CONSUMER Tempo – The Future of At-Home Personal Training OUTLOOK TREND WATCH Food Industry Changes – a Long Time Coming MARKETING TREND WATCH Practical Advice for B2B Sales & Marketing Post COVID INVESTMENT ENTERPRISE Spiff: Simplifying Sales Commissions Calculations BEST PRACTICES GROWTH EQUITY How to Build & Optimize Your Board PEOPLE & CULTURE DE&I TOPICS A Day of Reflection PEOPLE & CULTURE Thoughts and Guidance on Workplace Reopenings PEOPLE & CULTURE DE&I TOPICS Our Pledge to Take Action INVESTMENT ENTERPRISE Behind the Scenes: How One Meeting at the Dog Park Led to the Founding of BlueJeans Network BEST PRACTICES GROWTH EQUITY Partnering with Growth Equity in a Volatile Market BEST PRACTICES GROWTH EQUITY Best Practices for Partnering with a PE Partner BEST PRACTICES Time to Develop Your COVID-19 Operating Plan OUTLOOK GROWTH EQUITY 5 Common Finance Mistakes SMBs Make BEST PRACTICES CONSUMER Three Lessons Learned from Udemy BEST PRACTICES ENTREPRENEUR VIEWS Advice for Future Founders OUTLOOK ENTREPRENEUR VIEWS 7 Startup CEOs and Founders Share Their Biggest Surprises OUTLOOK BOARD ROOM Demystifying the Boardroom – What to Expect Once You’re On a Board OUTLOOK TREND WATCH A Rare Opportunity – Memphis Meats Serves up Real Meat without the Compromise INVESTMENT ENTERPRISE FloQast: The Cloud’s Closer for Company Books OUTLOOK TREND WATCH Our Tech, Consumer & Healthcare Industry Predictions OUTLOOK GROWTH EQUITY Jon Kossow’s Top 7 Predictions MARKETING INDUSTRY OUTLOOK 5 Demand Generation Success Secrets from the Experts INVESTMENT ENTERPRISE F5 Networks Acquires Shape Security TREND WATCH CONSUMER Our Holiday Gift Guide INVESTMENT ENTERPRISE Aporeto: Minding the Security Gap OUTLOOK GROWTH EQUITY Keeping it 100: A Better Way of Assessing SaaS Performance than “Rule of 40” INVESTMENT NORWEST NEWS NVP XV Our $2B Fund MANAGEMENT ENTERPRISE Workato’s “Recipe” for Success INVESTMENT ENTERPRISE Go On, Get Productiv! INVESTMENT CONSUMER Dave vs. Goliath INVESTMENT ENTERPRISE Enterprise 5G – Delivered by Celona INVESTMENT ENTERPRISE Robot Winter No More INVESTMENT HEALTHCARE Ringing the Bell with Health Catalyst INVESTMENT GROWTH EQUITY Our Investment in Clarus Commerce MARKETING INDUSTRY OUTLOOK Highlights from the 21st Annual “Top Tech Trends” Churchill Club’s Event OUTLOOK ENTERPRISE Mist Systems Joins Juniper Networks to Transform the Network Experience through AI INVESTMENT ENTERPRISE Our Investment in InfluxData PRODUCT ENTERPRISE What’s Next for Enterprise Tech? INVESTMENT CONSUMER Fly Birdies Fly – Announcing Our Investment in Birdies OUTLOOK CONSUMER Plaid and the Modernization of Fintech INVESTMENT ENTERPRISE From Concept to Customer, Propel is Transforming the Product Lifecycle Management Market PEOPLE & CULTURE CONSUMER Glint Joins LinkedIn to Create a World Where People Love Their Jobs OUTLOOK ENTREPRENEUR VIEWS Jeetu Patel on Achieving Product/Market Fit, Structuring Stellar Teams & More INVESTMENT GROWTH EQUITY Graduation Day for The Learning Experience MANAGEMENT ENTREPRENEUR VIEWS Findings from Our CEO Journey Study BEST PRACTICES ENTERPRISE Top M&A Strategies for Startup Founders & CEOs OUTLOOK NORWEST NEWS Adaptive Insights & Workday Join to Fuel “Future Of Work” MARKETING BRANDING What It Takes To Build An Enduring Brand: Insights from Casper, Allbirds and Red Antler MANAGEMENT GROWTH EQUITY Mo’ Betta, with Avetta! INVESTMENT ENTERPRISE Avere Systems’ Journey to the Top of the Cloud INVESTMENT NORWEST NEWS Introducing NVP XIV: How Our Largest Fund to Date Will Help Us Support Tomorrow’s Big Ideas OUTLOOK ENTERPRISE The (Future) Death of “Visualization BI” and the Emergence of “Actionable BI” PEOPLE & CULTURE ENTREPRENEUR VIEWS Legion CEO Sanish Mondkar is on a Mission to Improve Workforce Engagement INVESTMENT CONSUMER Meet Common: Driving the Newest Trend in City Living MANAGEMENT HEALTHCARE The Rise of the Consumer as the New Strategic Payor PEOPLE & CULTURE ENTERPRISE Rallyteam: A Better Way to Tap the Talent Pool BEST PRACTICES HEALTHCARE Science Exchange Makes R&D More Efficient and Effective PEOPLE & CULTURE ENTERPRISE Why Legion Will Transform Hourly Workforce Engagement INVESTMENT ENTERPRISE The Robots Are Taking Over MANAGEMENT ENTREPRENEUR VIEWS CognitiveScale CEO Akshay Sabhikhi on AI and the Road Ahead BEST PRACTICES ENTREPRENEUR VIEWS Gusto CEO Josh Reeves Talks Problem Solving and His Leadership Philosophy PEOPLE & CULTURE NORWEST NEWS Scott Beechuk joins Norwest PEOPLE & CULTURE ENTREPRENEUR VIEWS Highlights from Our Female Founders Panel Event OUTLOOK HEALTHCARE Qventus: The Startup Making Hospitals Smarter, Safer & More Efficient BEST PRACTICES INDUSTRY OUTLOOK The M&A Acceleration Effect OUTLOOK TREND WATCH The Edtech Revolution and its Drivers – NVP Edtech Trends Report OUTLOOK HEALTHCARE Using Technology and Design to Tackle Chronic Disease OUTLOOK CONSUMER How Button is Transforming the Mobile Economy MANAGEMENT ENTREPRENEUR VIEWS 5 Lessons from Two Cloud Leaders: Aaron Levie and Jeetu Patel MARKETING INDUSTRY OUTLOOK Sales Compensation Leading Practices: Tips for Entrepreneurs Building Recurring Revenue Businesses INVESTMENT CONSUMER How an Artist Created a 3D Technology Startup INVESTMENT HEALTHCARE AnalyticsMD, AI-enabled “Air Traffic Control” for Healthcare MARKETING HEALTHCARE Digital Healthcare Innovation Summit: The Maturation of a Space MARKETING BRANDING Creating Brand Cheerleaders through Loyalty Hacking MARKETING CONSUMER Getting from Seed to Series A PRODUCT INDUSTRY OUTLOOK 3 Proven Strategies Startups Can Use to Achieve and Maintain Product/Market Fit CONSUMER The Jet Journey MANAGEMENT ENTERPRISE CognitiveScale Transforms Customer Engagement MARKETING ENTREPRENEUR VIEWS New York’s Top Consumer Startups Share Insights Into Building an Enduring Brand Online MANAGEMENT GROWTH EQUITY Why Every Company Needs An Independent Board Member, and Where to Find Them PRODUCT INDUSTRY OUTLOOK Achieving and Maintaining Product/Market Fit PRODUCT ENTERPRISE Mist Reinvents the Wi-Fi Experience PEOPLE & CULTURE HEALTHCARE Consumer Behavioral Health Companies are Democratizing Access to Mental Health Professionals PEOPLE & CULTURE ENTREPRENEUR VIEWS Five Ways to Build Your Team for Sustained Success PRODUCT ENTERPRISE Making Email Safe PRODUCT ENTERPRISE Web Isolation – a Paradigm Change in Enterprise Cyber Attack Defense TREND WATCH GROWTH EQUITY This Will Be the Year Online and Offline Retail Converge TREND WATCH CONSUMER Norwest Portfolio Companies Showcase the Latest in Consumer Internet Innovation TREND WATCH ENTREPRENEUR VIEWS Entrepreneur’s Corner: The Clarus Commerce Story PRODUCT ENTERPRISE The Latest on Security Analytics, Startups and Investing MANAGEMENT INDUSTRY OUTLOOK Promod Haque looks back: 25 years with Norwest Venture Partners PEOPLE & CULTURE INDUSTRY OUTLOOK Recruiting and Retention: Marrying the “Wide Net” of Social Media with the Intimacy of Personal Referrals OUTLOOK CONSUMER Modsy Makes Aspirational Design a Reality MARKETING NORWEST NEWS Building your Team of Demand Generation A-players BEST PRACTICES ENTERPRISE Quotas & Sales Cycles: A Little Alignment Goes a Long Way OUTLOOK NORWEST NEWS Norwest Raises New $1.2B Fund to Support its Growing Network of Portfolio Companies PEOPLE & CULTURE INDUSTRY OUTLOOK Employer Branding to Candidate Engagement: What’s Your Killer App for Recruiting? BEST PRACTICES GROWTH EQUITY Accelerating Brand Growth – The Modern Franchise Opportunity MANAGEMENT HEALTHCARE TigerText Promises to Transform the Workflow of Healthcare OUTLOOK HEALTHCARE The Positive Disruption Happening in Today’s Healthcare World PEOPLE & CULTURE NORWEST NEWS Norwest Female Founder Series: Building and Leading a Strong Board MARKETING INDUSTRY OUTLOOK Harnessing the Power of Demand Generation INVESTMENT HEALTHCARE Omada Health: Leading the Digital Therapeutics Revolution OUTLOOK NORWEST NEWS Data + Data = Insights OUTLOOK ENTREPRENEUR VIEWS Investing in Big Data – the 1010data Journey BEST PRACTICES INDUSTRY OUTLOOK Three Examples of How Capital Efficiency Leads to Major Growth TREND WATCH INDUSTRY OUTLOOK Bridging The Gap Between Education and the Future Workforce MARKETING INDUSTRY OUTLOOK Udemy – a Transformational Company MARKETING NORWEST NEWS Congratulations to the Apigee Team! MANAGEMENT NORWEST NEWS HoneyBook is Sweetening the Event Planning Experience OUTLOOK CONSUMER Sellers Will Make or Break Your Online Marketplace OUTLOOK CONSUMER Have You Heard of Jet Yet? MANAGEMENT HEALTHCARE Crossing Over to a New Model of Health Care MARKETING NORWEST NEWS Perseverance Pays Off: The Lending Club Story MARKETING UNCATEGORIZED Keep it Simple, Stupid! Simplicity in IT Infrastructure BEST PRACTICES CONSUMER Marketplace Wrap-up INVESTMENT CONSUMER Newly Minted MARKETING BRANDING Building a Women-Focused Brand Online PEOPLE & CULTURE NORWEST NEWS Promotions at Norwest MANAGEMENT GROWTH EQUITY EdTech: An ‘Educated’ Perspective OUTLOOK INDUSTRY OUTLOOK Online Security: Lessons we can learn from the seat belt of the ‘60s MARKETING INDUSTRY OUTLOOK The Rise of the Omni-channel Retail Experience MARKETING ENTREPRENEUR VIEWS Thriving as a Women-Focused Business OUTLOOK NORWEST NEWS MobileIron’s Path to an IPO MANAGEMENT NORWEST NEWS NVP Raises New $1.2B Fund OUTLOOK INDUSTRY OUTLOOK Five Must-Haves of A Successful Online Marketplace BEST PRACTICES GROWTH EQUITY How to Effectively Compete in eCommerce PEOPLE & CULTURE ENTREPRENEUR VIEWS The Secret Sauce of Successful Entrepreneurs? It’s All in Their Head. PEOPLE & CULTURE INDUSTRY OUTLOOK Tips for Women Considering a Career in Private Equity/Venture Capital MANAGEMENT GROWTH EQUITY The Rise of Vertical-Specific SaaS Vendors ICYMI Opendoor – a Masterclass in Visionary Company Building I first met Opendoor co-founder and CEO Eric Wu in 2016 when he called me for a reference check on an executive he was considering hiring. In the course of our conversation, I asked Eric about his company. Eric proceeded to tell me about his vision for Opendoor, and I was hooked. He had me […] READ MORE Thoughts and Guidance on Workplace Reopenings It’s safe to say that none of us expected the year 2020 to roll out the way that it has. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered life as we know it not only in the U.S., but across the world. Like most things in life, the pandemic’s effects are multifaceted and intersectional. How much of it […] READ MORE Best Practices for Partnering with a PE Partner What to Look for in a Private Equity Partner and When to Bring Them On For established and profitable companies, partnering with a private equity firm is more often than not a prudent move IF you can find the right partner. Bringing on a private equity partner can provide substantial advantages including wealth diversification to […] READ MORE Food Industry Changes – a Long Time Coming If nothing else, 2020 has been a year of accelerated change (and, shockingly, it’s only July). In many ways, it is the year of 2020 hindsight – in which subtle, yet existing trends are thrown into stark relief as a pressing reality accelerates long term, profound change. Nowhere is this more true than in the […] READ MORE Partnering with Growth Equity in a Volatile Market I know. The overall economic outlook isn’t exactly rosy right now. The market shocks are very real, and companies and management teams are working through a lot of disruption. Companies with liquidity issues are just trying to make payroll and anyone tied into global supply chains is scrambling; it’s a good time to be working […] READ MORE A Rare Opportunity – Memphis Meats Serves up Real Meat without the Compromise “We shall escape the absurdity of growing a whole chicken in order to eat the breast or wing, by growing these parts separately under a suitable medium.” – Winston Churchill, 1931 We are thrilled to announce our Series B investment in Memphis Meats, a pioneer in the cell-based meat industry. The company’s vision is to […] READ MORE