Welcome to the Great North Ventures newsletter! We have exit news! And for founders, we have a former Googler talking about the importance of being data-driven, and sharing other advice.

Interview with Joe Sriver, Execution is King
2ndKitchen has been acquired by SoftBank-backed REEF Technologies. REEF is the largest operator of delivery kitchens, logistics, and proximity hubs in North America. The existing businesses will combine under the REEF brand.
2ndKitchen’s team will remain fully intact, including CEO Nick Anastasiades, CTO Arik Gaisler, and CFO Jon Elron, and will be operating under REEF’s Hospitality division.
In the latest episode of “Execution is King” we feature Joe Sriver, CEO of 4giving and the first UX/UI hire at Google.
Joe talks about being a designer in Silicon Valley, what he took away from the experience at Google as one of the first 200 employees, and how important being data-driven is to good product design.
Joe offers great perspective as a Midwest “boomerang” who returned from Silicon Valley to found his own successful companies, and gives advice to startup founders.
ICYMI, Glowe’s social wearable is available. The Glowe device is a great gift for any teens who you missed on your holiday shopping list.
Portfolio Updates
2ndKitchen acquired by ghost kitchen giant
3 Minnesota Companies Make the Deloitte 2021 Technology Fast 500 List [Branch]
From printing to coffee, this startup brings office amenities to the remote worker [PrintWithMe]
139 Open Positions
See all open positions on the Great North Ventures careers page
Dispatch is hiring for 80 positions
FactoryFixis hiring for 5 positions
Pitchlyis hiring for 4 positions
PrintWithMeis hiring for 12 positions
Parallaxis hiring for 5 positions
Branch is hiring for 16 positions
Inhabitr is hiring for 2 positions
Clinician Nexusis hiring for 1 position
NoiseAwareis hiring for 2 positions
PartySlateis hiring for 7 positions
Flywheelis hiring for 2 positions
NextGemis hiring for 2 positions
Backhouse Brandsis hiring for 1 position

Demystifying Startup HR

3 Portfolio Companies Make Inc. 5000 + Quicklly & Instacart Expand

3 Portfolio Companies Ranked on The Inc. 5000 List

iraLogix closes $22M + Branch expands with Uber

iraLogix closes $22M Series C

Flywheel lands Gates Foundation grant

Venture Capital Analyst

Executive Assistant – Venture Capital Firm

Orazio Buzza, Founder and CEO of Fooda – on Episode 13, “Execution is King”

$40M Fund II Raised!

Eric Martell, Founder of Pear Commerce: Episode 13, Execution is King

Great North Ventures Raises $40 Million Fund II

Investment Thesis: Fund II Strategy

Investment Theme: Community-Driven Applications

Investment Theme: Digital Transformation Through AI

Investment Theme: Solving Labor Problems

Trends in the Gig Economy + Work in the Metaverse

Portfolio raises $125M + talking fundraising with Branch CEO

Omnia Fishing closes $4M round, joins Great North portfolio!

Atif Siddiqi, Founder/CEO of Branch: Episode 11, Execution is King

Michael Martocci, CEO and Founder of SwagUp: Episode 10, Execution is King

Yardstik new to portfolio, closes $8M Series A

First venture studio startup comes out of stealth!

Una Fox: Episode 9, Execution is King

Start With a Mobile App, Not a Website

Joe Sriver, 4giving: Episode 8, Execution is King

2ndKitchen Acquired by REEF

Newsletter: Do you fit our investing themes?

Anna Mason, Revolution: Episode 5, Execution is King

Mynul Khan, FieldNation: Episode 4, Execution is King

Newsletter: “Podcast Launched: Execution is King!”

“Execution is King” – the Great North Ventures Podcast

Newsletter: Fund II is open for business!

Unlocking the Potential of Anonymized Commercial Real Estate (CRE) Data

Fund II is open for Business!

Mike Schulte Promoted to Venture Partner

New Name + New Venture Studio

Great North Launches Startup Studio

We Don’t Need No [full-time MBA] Education

Building Capacity for Innovation

Minnesota's Resilient Startups

Jumpstart, the Startup School, and Branch Wins a Webby!

Giving in the Time of Coronavirus

COVID-19 Resources for Startups, State-by-State

COVID-19, the CARES Act, and startups stepping up

New Business Preservation Act

Great North Labs’s Startup Summit 2020

Great North Labs's Startup Summit 2020

Top 5 Stories of 2019

7 Places to Spot Us at Startup Week

Talking VC, tech kids, and Forge North’s Horizon

June: Great North Labs’s first fund raised!

MinneBar 14 Recap

Dispatch and 2ndKitchen claim Tech Madness titles

Minnesota Innovation Collaborative

Great North Labs at CES

Carried Interest: Top Posts from 2018

Digital Transformation Summit, July 25th in Minneapolis

Putting the “Silicon” in Silicon Lakes

Digital Manufacturing and Logistics

May: Team Genius, IoT, and the Future of Everything

IoT 3.0

Healthcare Innovation

Great North Labs Newsletter – December 2017

A Letter To My Younger Self

Great North Labs Newsletter

Great North Labs Featured on Tech.mn

Great North Labs Featured in St Cloud Times

Great North Labs – Featured on BizJournals.com
