Some interesting links we found across the web this week:

Ready to Start a Business? Consider These 5 Tips First.
Young, eager entrepreneurs are eyeing an unprecedented environment for fundraising and getting startups off the ground in 2021. However, many of these brilliant builders underrate the importance of planning and business fundamentals. This article from Entrepreneur outlines the steps one should take, from mapping out a funding plan, to determining when to leave your current job, before diving into the deep end with a startup.

How Effective Employee Communication Boosts Productivity 
No matter what kind of company you run, if you want to grow and thrive, communication among employees within your organization is key. This Entrepreneur article outlines how to boost employee communication using technology as well as time worn techniques, as well as the myriad benefits of communicating well within your company, that will come as a result of keeping good communication at the forefront.

Here’s the Fundraising Roadmap Early-Stage Startup Founders Must Keep in Mind
A number of different routes exist to funding a startup. First, you can put some of your own capital into the business to demonstrate to future investors how much you believe in its potential, and to save time fundraising in the initial stages; then you can engage incubators, accelerators, and the broader VC and angel investor communities as your business grows and you begin to hone in on a product/market fit. This article by YourStory outlines each of those stages, what they consist of, and when the start up founder should focus on them.

Startups are Acquiring Other Startups at an Unprecedented Pace 
Traditionally, venture backed startups have focused on two major categories of exit opportunities: an IPO and a sale to a public company. However, half of the venture backed exits so far this year fit into a third category: being purchased by private, typically venture backed, companies. This Crunchbase article outlines the growing trend of VC backed startups, many of which are not yet profitable and still in their growth stages, purchasing smaller VC backed startups and what this trend means for a startup founder eyeing an exit.