Corporate venture funds have the opportunity to fill the gap in funding for seed-stage startups, writes Kyle Fugere of dunnhumby Ventures. These types of investments come with clear benefits, as this stage "is where the greatest innovation is happening," Fugere notes.

The startup ObjectiveEd aims to create digital solutions for K-12 students with visual impairment. The company is working with schools for the blind to build educational games that can be played by both the vision-impaired and their peers, using features such as Apple's VoiceOver rotor.

Following her high school years in Kentucky, Angie Lienert joined the Air Force and eventually launched IntelliGenesis, a cybersecurity and analytics firm that works with the Department of Defense. The company has already opened offices in Georgia and Maryland and is eyeing a potential location in San Antonio.

Your software-as-a-service company could be missing out on its potential if you are failing to onboard new customers or ensure that they are a good fit for your business, writes Anna Talerico. "Training salespeople to spot the right customers and being completely transparent about what your product can and can't do will not only help your churn rate, but will also save your customer support team a lot of headaches," she notes.

More and more investor funds in North America are investing exclusively in startups led by women. They now number about 57 with capital exceeding $1.5 billion.

Finding people with the right attitude and values is key for building a cohesive team as your business grows, writes Firmin Zocchetto, CEO of PayFit. "Hiring employees who are hungry to learn and contribute will get you much further than zeroing in on candidates who have the right pedigree," Zocchetto explains.

The lab-testing company uBiome used stock photos of people in customer testimonials without identifying them as such, according to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal. The company said the testimonials and photos have been taken down.