STARTUPS CENTRAL

Sendivo says it deliberately refuses business from accounts that pose compliance or deliverability risks, focusing instead on lower-risk partners who need reliable, lawful text messaging. The company pairs reduced per-message fees with personalized help registering application-to-person (A2P) traffic and assigns real people to assist clients through approval and day-to-day issues. Carriers and regulators have tightened rules for commercial texting, making approval for A2P cam

CapV is expanding a new communications unit and expects to bring on roughly two dozen specialists by the end of the third quarter to help companies get narrative and leadership positioning ready for public markets. The private-equity firm is staffing up its team with people who’ve worked on investor messaging, market communications and executive branding. Among the hires are professionals who previously served at Nasdaq, ICR, Brunswick Group and Burson, as well as an adviser

Many local business owners have added AI tools to their toolboxes — now they’re figuring out how to make them actually help the bottom line. AI use among neighborhood businesses has surged in the last year, according to a new industry survey: adoption climbed from about 11 of 20 businesses to roughly two-thirds, and roughly seven in ten owners reported revenue gains after bringing AI into operations. Time savings were nearly universal, with nearly 23 of 25 respondents saying

At many colleges and offices, AI and automation are not enabling mass layoffs — they’re cutting down the little chores that eat up an employee’s day. Front-line staff report being able to close out their inboxes sooner, respond to inquiries faster and focus on decisions that require human judgment rather than on paperwork. One admissions director I spoke with estimated that about one in four daily activities on their team were rote and easily automated, and that trimming thos

A May 2025 Fiverr poll of 6,000 small-business owners found roughly three in four already rely on AI for work or personal tasks, and more recent platform data shows certain AI services are surging in demand. Small operators say they lean on AI to handle routine chores that pile up after hours — drafting posts, answering customer queries or sorting product data — because hiring full teams is often unaffordable. Fiverr’s June 2026 Business Trends Index, which compares activity

A tight plan can guide a startup — but refusing to alter it as rules, partners and markets shift can do far more harm than good. Entrepreneurs often treat their initial roadmap like a contract with fate: the market will bend to the plan. The opposite is usually true. When regulators tighten rules, banking relationships dry up or costs spike, pressing ahead with the original timetable can squander capital, damage customer trust and stall long-term growth. Changing the plan doe

For a neighborhood real estate firm, reframing know-how as a tool for making choices — not as a lecture — produced a dramatic uptick in attention and followers. After moving away from feature lists and toward content that prompts a clear action, the company drew roughly 818,000 impressions and expanded its audience by about one-quarter in four months. The lesson: create materials that help people decide, and they’ll stop scrolling and start responding. Start by handing the au

Businesses are pouring money into advertising and content and still not turning that attention into sales. Often the problem isn’t the size of the media buy but the path a prospect travels after the first click. Marketing can create awareness without creating demand, and that disconnect costs companies time and money. Before you hand more dollars to your agency, map what happens from the first sign of interest to the moment revenue is collected. Start by separating broad visi

A small medical-supply company that began with a single credit line and a founder doing every task now employs long‑time staff and has outgrown multiple spaces — a reminder that early hands‑on work can shape hiring and spending choices down the road. When Joey Stiver launched MedLab International, he tapped an $8,000 credit card to pay for a basic website and the first inventory shipment. With no outside capital and bills coming due, there was no cushion to hire help. The pre

Everyday patterns — not dramatic bursts of hustle — often determine which small-business leaders endure. Here are five modest practices that successful founders use to guard their focus, steer smarter decisions, cut needless resistance and protect the energy needed for the moments that matter. Too many early-stage leaders treat speed of reply as a virtue. But top performers treat incoming requests as a limited commodity and ration it. They answer what moves the needle and let

For many neighborhood businesses and community organizations, being visible no longer guarantees loyalty. Turning casual recognition into genuine support requires shaping moments that connect emotionally, prompt repeated engagement and inspire people to recommend you to others. Local owners and community leaders increasingly report that simply putting a name in front of people isn’t enough. I talked with shopkeepers, marketing consultants and a hospital fundraiser who all des