Some interesting links we found across the web this week:

Global Venture Funding and Unicorn Creation In 2021 Shattered All Records
The global venture capital market grew an astounding 92% during 2021, from $335 billion invested in 2020 to $643 billion in 2021. This venture capital data, compiled by Crunchbase and explored in this overview, shows record growth across metrics such as deal volume, funding, and the number of private companies valued at over $1 billion.

2022 Will Be the Great Reckoning for Corporate Purpose
Investors, employees, consumers, and other stakeholders demanded increased corporate responsibility, purpose, and action on environmental, social, and governance matters throughout the past year. This emphasis from stakeholders shows no signs of abating. This article from FastCompany not only predicts how this trend will continue into 2022, but also notes ways a company can engage with these demands.

Business Startup Costs: How to Calculate and Budget
Bringing a startup to fruition requires a realistic idea of the costs needed to execute a business strategy. Each business brings its own unique set of expenses to get up and running, but this Forbes article provides a helpful starting point by reviewing some of the common types of expenses that early-stage companies may encounter.

3 Key Principles of Employee Management
Employees are an essential part of any company, whether early-stage or mature, and effective leadership requires empathic and tactful management of those employees. This type of leadership is especially needed when delivering difficult news to employees or during challenging times. This Entrepreneur article provides advice for how to navigate these types of communications.

Not All Startups Are VC-Fundable Unicorns: Find Funding That Fits Your Business Model and Life
Each early-stage company has a unique set of fundraising needs which evolves over time.  Entrepreneurs need to be able to decide the appropriate types of funding based on those needs. This Buffalo Inno article explains four types of fundraising—bootstrapping, grants, debt, and equity—and illustrates scenarios where each type might be helpful.