Some interesting links we found across the web this week:

SPAC Transaction Explosion Drives SEC Enforcement Focus
Over the past year, with a global pandemic and volatile markets, the volume of SPAC transactions has increased exponentially. As expected, increased regulator interest has followed this boom in SPAC transactions. This WilmerHale client alert discusses how SPACs work, enforcement risks for SPAC sponsors, and enforcement risks for the combined public company.

North America Startup Funding Was on Fire in Q1 
The first quarter of 2021 saw increased startup funding with totals being roughly double from last year and investors putting $72.7 billion into seed through technology growth-stage rounds for North American startups. This Crunchbase article outlines late-stage, early stage and seed funding, as well as public offerings and M&A deals, for the first quarter of 2021.

The Most Important Lessons Startup Founders Learned During COVID
The relationship between co-founders is critical in the future success of a company. However, there remains a lack of information regarding managing between co-founders. This article from Fortune highlights questions and issues to consider before co-founders commit to one another.

Raise Capital or Exit? How to Decide 
All entrepreneurs, at some point in their business, must decide between raising capital or exiting. With such a complex question, it is important for entrepreneurs to consider all of the factors in making a decision. This article by Crunchbase provides some of the many consideration that should be taken into account.

SPACS Bring More Opportunity—and Competition—to the Private Equity World
By February, United States SPACs had raised $58 billion. However, while SPACs grew in the US, Europe has been slower to embrace the trend. This Crunchbase article explains why Europe lags behind the US in SPAC funding but also highlights how investor demand for European SPACs is quickly catching up.