The following are some of the more common and problematic legal mistakes made by small and growing companies.

Generally speaking, a sole proprietorship requires no legal documentation, fees or filings other than state and local business permits.

Generally speaking, a sole proprietorship requires no legal documentation, fees or filings other than state and local business permits.

A general partnership is sometimes chosen as the legal form of business entity if there are multiple founders.

A general partnership is sometimes chosen as the legal form of business entity if there are multiple founders. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1580142612.4140797/15-Big-Legal-Mistakes-Made-by-Startups?ref=audio_experience

AlphaCredit, a Latin American-focused fintech platform that specializes in consumer lending and financial solutions for SMEs, has signed an equity round for up to USD$125 million.

The round was led by SoftBank’s Latin America Fund.

The deal is subject to, among certain customary conditions to closing, the approval of Mexico’s competition authority (COFECE) and certain third parties.

The company intends to use the funds to consolidate its market position in Latin America.

Co-founded by Co-CEOs Augusto Álvarez and José Luis Orozco, AlphaCredit provides credit lines to individuals and small companies in Mexico and Colombia via a programmed deduction system, which have low default rates thus allowing for low interest rates. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1580140806.5162416/AlphaCredit-To-Raise-Up-To-USD$125M-in-Funding?ref=audio_experience

What’s perhaps less apparent is the region’s lack of infrastructure for making real-time payments.

Real-time payments are transactions that are completed almost instantaneously between two parties.

In the United States for example, real-time payments are hosted by The Clearing House (TCH).

Through the blockchain cloud platform, Minka hopes to increase connectivity and facilitate real-time payments.

Likewise, to support its solution, Minka raised an investment last October with Carvajal Tecnología y Servicios for an undisclosed amount for its blockchain solution. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1580139008.8413906/Colombian-Minka-aims-to-disrupt-fintech-scene-with-blockchain?ref=audio_experience

They’re more widely known in the west as Chinese meditation balls, hand-exercise balls, or Chinese medicine balls.

Baoding balls are used in a contemplative exercise which involves rotating two or more balls, repeatedly, in the hand.

They work similarly to Western “stress balls.”Mind Trip’s baoding ball simulator “Zen Meditation Spheres” is a fun and accurate simulator offering many of the same health and wellness benefits found in the traditional balls.

As the only baoding ball simulator on the Google Play store, Zen Meditation Spheres is already gathering considerable praise from users, with 4.7 star rating overall.

You can find Zen Meditation Spheres from Mind Trip here. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1580137208.7075636/Baoding-Ball-Simulator-by-MindTrip-Studio-is-world’s-first.?ref=audio_experience

Mixing Personal and Business FinancesIf you don’t separate them, it’s all too easy to overlook a business deduction or erroneously treat personal income as business revenue.

Keep a separate business bank account and use a separate business credit card to ensure you keep business income and expenses clear.

Not Claiming the Qualified Business Income DeductionThis personal deduction (also called the Section 199A deduction) for owners of pass-through entities is based on business income.

Not Understanding the Differences in Federal and State Tax RulesSome tax breaks on federal returns are limited or barred for state income tax purposes.

Not Staying Up on Tax DevelopmentsChanges in the tax law may entitle you to new tax breaks on your current return. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1580135412.2659454/Top-20-Small-Business-Tax-Mistakes?ref=audio_experience

There are many things that can go wrong, from natural disasters that could destroy important business infrastructure to global recessions; even the simple changing of trends can ruin a business.

One of the most effective ways to do so is to buy insurance policies.

So, what insurance policies should your business prioritize for maximum protection?

Workers’ Compensation InsuranceIf an employee is injured during the course of fulfilling his or her duties to the business, a workers’ compensation insurance policy could help shield you from a costly claim.

A worker cannot file a workers’ compensation claim for injuries sustained during the pursuit of leisure. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1580133610.0556343/Insurance-Policies-That-You-Need-To-Keep-Your-Business-Safe?ref=audio_experience

This is one pain point Mexican startup Kueski seeks to relieve via artificial intelligence (AI).

Related article: Mexican startup Kueski raises Series B in equity and debt comboAI-powered credit assessmentsKueski is a fintech that provides micro-credits for anyone who needs equity on the spot.

And last, but not least, it uses AI for fraud prevention by identifying unusual patterns from someone requesting a loan.

In order to do so, Kueski uses various sources of information.

While Kueski focuses on individuals and micro-credits, AI and loans can prove to be dynamite at a larger-scale for consumers. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1580131807.0072038/Fintech-Kueski-uses-AI-for-an-end-to-end-loan-solution?ref=audio_experience

Uber Eats India last month created an augmented reality (AR) game for Instagram Stories that saw more than 1 million players vying for a chance to win a year of free food.

The AR game relied on the app’s face-scanning features to tell when entrants blinked to score points — and when they blinked at the wrong time, which counted against the limit of three lives.

The prize of free food was another key incentive in driving engagement with potential customers, while helping to build an Instagram following for Uber Eats India. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1580130015.0482824/Uber-Eats-India-witnessed-1M-players-of-Instagram-Stories-AR-game?ref=audio_experience

Belgian startup SettleMint, a BPaS ‘Blockchain Platform as a Service’ company, has today announced that KPN Ventures has participated in its €1.9 million investment round.

These new funds will be used to accelerate the startup’s global expansion and commercialise its award winning enterprise blockchain solution in Europe, MEA and APAC.

In addition to KPN Ventures, funding was also provided by existing US-based investor Medici Ventures bringing SettleMint’s total funding to €5.5 million.

Together with SettleMint, KPN intends to boost the adoption of mature blockchain innovations.

We’re pleased to contribute to SettleMint’s growth and expansion as they continue to innovate in the enterprise blockchain space.” | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1580128209.2977877/Leuven-based-SettleMint-raises-€1.9-million-to-boost-its-blockchain-and-distributed-ledger-tech?ref=audio_experience

The platform will also enable credit access for women on its networkDelhi-based women community startup SHEROES is now expanding its product portfolio with the addition of social commerce product— SHECO.

Besides being a peer-to-peer social commerce network, SHECO will bring credit access to the sellers on its network.

Under SHECO, women can source consumer products from SHEROES, and market them within their network and beyond using social media apps.

By 2020, SHEROES aims to become a 100 Mn women network.

SHEROES has made several acquisitions such as Gharkamai, an online platform assisting women to find work from home, health counselling platform LoveDoctor and women health app, Maya. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1580126409.5641322/SHEROES-Enters-Burgeoning-Social-Commerce-Market-With-SHECO?ref=audio_experience