Nextdoor is backed by some of the largest and hottest VCs in Silicon Valley, including Benchmark and Greylock, which share LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and Uber as recent hits among them. Nextdoor is growing steadily and has raised some $200 million in capital. Nothing about this company isn’t a Silicon Valley and startup success story.

And yet, amid the current climate, Nextdoor is an outlier in almost every other way. It has grown slowly, not just relying on building local city-by-city network effects like an Uber or Postmates, but building neighborhood-by-neighborhood network effects.

It’s essentially vying to be another great social network, while Twitter and Pinterest struggle to grow, LinkedIn has already sold, and even Faceb...

This guest post is by one of Clarity’s top experts when it comes to pitching your idea – whether it’s to investors, the press or potential customers he knows all the tricks of the trade to help close the deal. Tyler Crowley (@steepdecline), Founder at Skweal, whose extensive background includes:

• Assisting over 500 startups and almost a 1,000 individuals with perfecting pitches through TechCrunch50 and the LAUNCH conference
• Has been the “pitch doctor” for notable startups like Dropbox, Yammer, Mint, Fitbit, Powerset, Redbeacon, Space Monkey, Brilliant and Room 77

Let me start with a question… What was the last PowerPoint or pitch deck you saw? Can you recall what was on slide 5?

Let me ask you another question… Ever see the movie Top Gun?...

The benefits of being productive are obvious:

What Is Startup Funding?

Startup funding — or startup capital — is the money needed to launch a new business. It can come from a variety of sources and can be used for any purpose that helps the startup go from idea to actual business.

What are the top sources of startup funding?

While we often hear about venture capitalists and angel investors when it comes to startup funding options, it turns out that’s just one of the six top sources of startup capital. Of the $531 billion raised in startup capital each year, $185.5 billion is from personal savings and credit, $60 billion is from friends and family, $22 billion is from venture capitalists, $20 billion is from angel investors, $14 billion is from banks, and $5.1 billion is from crowdfunding....

The success of your campaign depends on the number of people you can reach, engage and motivate during your campaign and the weeks leading up to it.

This is a tall order for an already busy entrepreneur. Many campaigners are now realizing the most effective way to run a crowdfunding campaign is by utilizing a Virtual Assistant—Like the ones at Zirtual.

Tim Ferris recently said: “The #1 resource we found for outsourcing is Zirtual… Do not run a Kickstarter campaign (or your life) without…”

By delegating crowdfunding work to your VA, you can focus on what’s important.

Your VA works behind the scenes and allows you, your product, and your launch to shine.

So, how exactly do you use a virtual assistant to boost your crowdfunding campaign effort...

When you’re looking at grants for nonprofit startups, you’re looking at an area that’s crowded with a lot of competition. But, if there’s one thing startup entrepreneurs are known for, it’s tenacity.

The reason there’s so much competition is, a) there are a limited number of grants and, b) grants — unlike other forms of funding — don’t have to be paid back. Sounds appealing, doesn’t it?

But if there’s one field that’s very familiar with grants, it’s the nonprofit field. Here’s an overview of how to secure grants to start to nonprofit startup, as well as a few types of grants for starting a nonprofit.

What is a nonprofit?

A nonprofit is an organization that puts their social mission before profit. In contrast, a social enterprise is a for-p...

It’s true. Startup accelerators are awesome.

In fact, the right accelerator for your startup can not only provide some much-needed cash but also connect you with a network that will help your company grow. But, how can you figure out which accelerator is right for you and your startup?

Zack Weisfeld, head of Microsoft for Startups and founder of the Microsoft Accelerator says the first step to locating the right startup accelerator happens before you even google “startup accelerators.”

“Have clearly defined goals,” Weisfeld tells Startups.co “Envision what your startup is trying to achieve and have clear ways to measure your achievements. Then, find an accelerator that is aligned with your startup’s value and goals.”

In other words, don’t ...

In this digital age it can be easy to convince yourself that all your business needs can be met online, from the comfort of your home office. But the reality is that meeting people face-to-face will never go out of style. Be sure you’re making the time and taking the effort to meet new people and keep in touch with your existing social and professional networks.

We’ve combed through various studies and surveys to share with you some of the most revealing stats about networking, as well as our top tips for making every networking event a success. Check out the infographic below to learn more about the impact networking could have on your business!

Have any other tips to share? Give us a shout out at @startupsco.

A few years back I was having lunch with a fellow Founder who had started a company that was #1 on the Inc 500 list. He had launched the startup from the basement of his girlfriend’s house with zero capital and had built into a massive company.

We were eating lunch at an exclusive country club he had just joined and were walking out to the parking lot where his shiny new Ferrari was parked. Clearly things were going well for him.

I asked him a simple question “What do people say now when they see you in that new Ferrari?”

He said “They say: ‘It must be nice.’”

Ahhh! “It must be nice” – The most popular refrain us Founders get when the outside world sees what we have – without seeing what it took to get there.

This isn’t for the people who h...

"What's your plan for selling this business? What's your exit plan?"

Ah, the popular refrain from investors, employees, advisors and just about anyone else that's banking on our stock to make them a few dollars. We all know that there's a possibility of selling our company, but how much planning can we really do to make that happen?

Does it matter if I don't "prepare to sell?"

While it's possible to consider specific acquisition targets, that's really only a small part of the plan.

The real plan simply maps back to the execution of our idea. Knowing that we might be a good fit for a big company is great, but unless our product has incredible value (that came through execution) then "preparing to sell" doesn't mean much.

What if I don't wa...