Some interesting links we found across the web this week:
Startup Funding Deals Fall to Lowest Level in Four
Years
The Q1 numbers came in this week and they're not pretty,
showing the fewest total venture deals in four years and favoring
late-stage companies over riskier, early-stage investments.
It's no secret that venture capital is looking for more
conservative ways to invest in the startup market, and that the
SEC is
increasingly skeptical of unicorn valuations, so early-stage
founders should take a few lessons from others'
failures and focus on sustainability just as much as
growth.
Drone startups fly high, but regulatory concerns
are a drag
That said, one area where investors seem willing to take
considerable risk is autonomous hardware, from consumer drones to
driverless cars. Drones in particular are already under scrutiny by
Federal Aviation Administration regulators, as this piece explains.
Watch this space!
FTC Releases New Guidance For Developers of Mobile
Health Apps
Elsewhere in the regulatory world, the Federal Trade Commission
wants to help healthcare app developers understand how various
federal rules apply to their products, given the privacy issues
inherent in collecting customers' personal health information.
The new guidance is worth a look even for those not directly part
of the healthcare industry but still collecting users'
biometrics—for example, the makers of wearable tech.
Fifty Billion Reasons Why You Should Care About
the Encryption Debate in Congress
And speaking of wearables, don't lose sight of potential
Congressional action on encryption and its impact on the
ever-expanding market for the Internet of Things. With an estimated
50 billion connected objects in our daily lives by 2020, the safety
of these devices should be paramount to founders in the space and
consumers alike. (Bonus link: a nice little guide
for early-stage IoT founders!)
Links compiled by Jared Brenner.
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