Posts by Shopie More
Skills Assessment AI Draws $5M as Hiring Proof Shifts
Hiring on a small team means guessing whether someone can actually do the work, and a startup just raised money to remove that guess. On July 16, DeweyLearn announced in a PR Newswire press release that they raised a Series A funding round of $5 million. The oversubscribed round, as noted in the press release,…
Read MoreSolopreneur Math: 4 Numbers Behind the Solo Startup Boom
The solopreneur path stopped being a fallback and started becoming the default, and Forbes contributor John Werner laid out the numbers on July 18. His argument is simple. AI dropped the activation cost of starting a company so far that the old risk map no longer works. I used to tell founders that a corporate…
Read MoreFed Rate Decision Nears as Inflation Cools This Summer
The next Fed rate decision arrives late this month, and this week’s data gave policymakers plenty to weigh. Inflation cooled again in June, retail sales edged up, and business prices softened. Taken together, the reports point to an economy that is slowing without stalling. For founders, the meeting is more than a headline. Interest rates…
Read MoreConstruction Robots Go Mainstream as Monumental Raises $32M
If you run a business that depends on building anything, you already know the ache of a project stalled by a labor shortage. This week brought a sign of where relief may come, as Dutch startup Monumental raised $32 million in Series B funding to scale its construction robots across Europe and into the United…
Read MoreGen Z Entrepreneurs Are Turning Franchising Into a Career
A new report on Gen Z entrepreneurs shows a shift I love to see: young founders are treating franchising as an entry-level path into business ownership, not a fallback. Instead of waiting decades to buy in, they are starting now, with a proven playbook under them. I used to tell first-time founders that ownership meant…
Read MoreAI ROI Reality Check: Why Most AI Spending Falls Short
A recent Gartner analysis of AI ROI delivers a sobering message, sharing that only a mere “one in 50 AI investments delivers transformational value.” The analysis also shares that just a fifth of these investments yields meaningful returns. For founders being told to adopt AI everywhere, that is a useful reality check. The point is…
Read MoreHow Product-Based Businesses Are Innovating, Creating, and Smashing the Competition
While digital is here to stay, people still need tangible products in their everyday lives. Product-based companies create innovative options for health, home, wellness, body, convenience, and more. When they stay creative, customers know they can get just what they need from the brand. By partnering with third-party manufacturers, getting clear on customer expectations, optimizing…
Read MoreSeed Funding Signal: Monogram Raises $40M for AI
Consumer AI startup Monogram just emerged from stealth with a $40 million seed funding round, and the raise is turning heads for a simple reason. As PitchBook reported, the company is led by Eren Bali, Cofounder of Udemy and Carbon Health before this. I used to tell founders that a huge seed round is validation.…
Read MoreAI Tools for Small Business: Pie Raises $23.7M for Main Street
A startup called Pie just raised $23.7 million to bring AI-powered growth to Main Street businesses. The round targets a clear gap. Big companies already use AI to win customers, while local shops and service firms often get left behind. That gap is closing fast, and AI tools for small business are now within reach…
Read MoreHow to Sell Online Without Building a Website
If you have ever wanted to sell something online but froze at the words build a website, this is your moment. A new wave of tools is rewriting how to sell online, and Hostinger just launched a platform that turns a single product photo into a working checkout link in minutes, with no website required.…
Read MoreGermany’s Startup Ecosystem Sets a New 2026 Record
Germany just proved that a startup ecosystem can still break records, even in a cautious economy. A new report shows 3,053 tech companies were founded in the first six months of 2026, the strongest half-year on record. More than a third of them, 1,038 in total, are built around artificial intelligence. For founders and marketers…
Read MoreWhat the Most Successful Entrepreneurs Know About Turning Tragedy Into Strength
I’ve interviewed hundreds of successful entrepreneurs, CEOs, and investors over the years — for Forbes, GOBankingRates, and my own podcast. And I’ve noticed something surprising: The companies that change lives often start because something changed the founder’s life first. Very few successful entrepreneurs tell me they simply spotted a gap in the market. More often,…
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