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From Ashes to Riches: How Startups Secured $3B in Venture Debt Revival

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) sent shockwaves through the venture debt market, plunging it into a deep abyss. Venture debt, a lifeline for many startups, saw a staggering $7.7B decline in the first half of 2023 compared to the previous year. Early-stage and pre-seed to seed startups faced the brunt of this downturn, with venture debt plummeting by a whopping 57% and 59%, respectively, according to the Wall Street Journal. But like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the venture debt market staged an incredible comeback in the second half of 2023. According to Pitchbook, banks and non-bank lenders provided U.S. startups with a staggering $3B more in venture debt compared to the first half of the year. The catalyst for this revival was a recovery in public equities and a growing belief that interest rate hikes might plateau. With economic conditions stabilizing, banks regained their appetite for […]

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The State of VC Funding for Women-Founded Startups in Europe: A 2023 Overview

The State of VC Funding for Women-Founded Startups in Europe: A 2023 Overview

How much are venture capitalists (VCs) actually investing in women? In 2023, startups across Europe founded or co-founded by women have raised a noteworthy €5.9 billion in venture capital (Dealroom). While this figure represents 9.6% of all venture capital raised in the region, it underscores both progress and stagnation in funding gender diversity. The proportion of venture capital flowing to women-founded startups has experienced significant growth over the past decade, doubling to its current share. However, this growth narrative meets a plateau, with the investment share hovering around 10% since 2017. Despite the stagnation, the landscape of women entrepreneurship is far from static. The past decade has witnessed a tenfold increase in the number of women-founded unicorns in Europe, reaching a total of 35. This milestone not only showcases the scalability and market relevance of these enterprises but also aligns the current number of women-founded unicorns with the total number […]

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2023: A Year of Strategic Hiring and Record Layoffs in Tech Startups (Carta)

2023: A Year of Strategic Hiring and Record Layoffs in Tech Startups (Carta)

In 2023, the startup ecosystem experienced a significant shift in hiring practices, marked by increased scrutiny from founders on new hires. This change was part of a broader trend that saw the tech industry grappling with a record number of layoffs, leading to an overall contraction in the asset class over the previous 12 months. This development represents a stark departure from the explosive growth during the boom period of 2021 and 2022, when Carta companies alone added more than half a million new employees. The past year’s hiring statistics present a clear picture of the changing dynamics. Carta startups saw only 268,000 new hires, a substantial decrease from the previous years, while 286,000 employees departed, whether by choice or through reductions in force (RIFs). It’s important to note that these figures primarily track employees receiving equity, which increasingly represents a majority within tech startups. What Led to the Shift?Two […]

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European Startups Navigate Funding Landscape: AI and Climate Tech Lead the Charge

European Startups Navigate Funding Landscape: AI and Climate Tech Lead the Charge

In 2023, European startups secured approximately $60 billion in venture capital (VC) funding, showcasing the continent’s dynamic innovation landscape. This funding performance, detailed in a report by global law firm Orrick, highlights the shifting tides of investment preferences and strategic adjustments startups are making in response to broader market conditions. Sector SpotlightThe artificial intelligence (AI) sector commanded a significant portion of the total VC funding, securing a 17% share. This indicates the growing importance of AI technologies across various industries. However, climate technology (climate tech) emerged as the frontrunner, overtaking AI in terms of investment popularity. The focus on climate tech underscores Europe’s commitment to sustainability and the growing investor interest in environmentally-focused innovations. Changing Dynamics in FinancingThere was a noticeable downturn in later-stage financing, attributed to founders exploring alternative financing routes or pivoting their business models towards profitability. This shift reflects the strategic adjustments companies are making in a […]

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Navigating Funding Challenges: Seed-Stage Startups Turn to Alternative Sources

Navigating Funding Challenges: Seed-Stage Startups Turn to Alternative Sources

The venture capital (VC) funding landscape has undergone a significant shift, with the economic downturn now affecting seed-stage startups—a group previously deemed somewhat immune to such financial squeezes. According to data from Carta, these startups are increasingly exploring alternative funding avenues to weather the storm. Seed Funding TrendsThe final quarter of 2023 marked a notable low in new seed investment rounds on the Carta platform, recording only 462 new rounds. This is the lowest quarterly figure since the first quarter of 2019, illustrating a stark downturn from the peak of 902 transactions observed in Q4 2021. Alongside the decline in transaction volume, median round sizes have also seen a reduction, falling from $3.5M in 2022 to $3M in 2023. Despite these challenges, there’s a silver lining with median seed stage valuations, which rose to $13.3M in Q4 2023, an 11% year-on-year increase. This suggests that while fewer deals are closing, […]

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2023 in Review: How Pre-seed and Early-Stage European Startups Outperformed in a Tough Year

2023 in Review: How Pre-seed and Early-Stage European Startups Outperformed in a Tough Year

In 2023, pre-seed and early-stage European startups showcased resilience and growth, defying the broader fundraising downturn. According to a recent Pitchbook report highlighted by TechEU, these startups not only survived but thrived, with pre-money valuations for pre-seed and early-stage ventures climbing by 4% and 2.5%, respectively. This growth comes in contrast to the overall cautious atmosphere pervading the investment landscape. The data reveals an intriguing trend across the startup lifecycle. While the median deal value for pre-seed, seed, early-stage, and late-stage startups recorded increases of 8.4%, 5.3%, 2.8%, and 11.7% respectively, seed-stage startups experienced a 9.2% year-on-year decline in valuations. This decline underscores the varied impact of market conditions on startups at different stages of development. Particularly noteworthy is the stark contrast faced by startups in venture growth stages, where both deal value and valuations witnessed declines of 4.7% and 26.6%, respectively. The report also sheds light on the exit […]

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Revolut and SumUp are profitable European unicorns

Revolut and SumUp are profitable European unicorns

Revolut and SumUp are the only two confirmed profitable companies among the 10 most valuable unicorn startups in Europe according to Pitchbook. In total, there are about 140 unicorn startups in Europe in terms of euros. Most of them became unicorns because they chose a hypergrowth strategy. As a result, most of them are operating at a loss. There are only two exceptions in the top 10. The first one is the British Revolut, which announced EBITDA of £45 million ($54 million) in Q4 2023. The second is mobile payment company SumUp, which reported a pre-tax profit of £1.2 million ($1.5 million) in its 2022 declaration.

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Bay Area is a paradise for pre-seed

Bay Area is a paradise for pre-seed

Carta specialists analyzed all the facts of attracting investments that were formalized with the help of SAFE or convertible bonds. We are talking about investments that took place before any significant venture rounds. That is, the sample includes both pre-seed and later seed. According to Carta, in 2023, 34.6% of all pre-seed funding rounds went to Bay Area companies. However, the picture changes slightly if we look at the deals themselves and their number rather than the capital. Small angel rounds of less than $1 million have become much more dispersed across the US geography.

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Unicorns in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence grew better than others in 2023

Unicorns in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence grew better than others in 2023

The value of unicorn startups in the cybersecurity and artificial intelligence sectors grew by 24.4% and 22.9%, respectively, last year. This is evidenced by the Morningstar Pitchbook Global Unicorn Vertical Indexes. Almost half of the new unicorns (44%) belonged to the artificial intelligence and machine learning sector. The pace of unicorn creation dropped almost threefold over the year, but the cumulative value of all unicorns backed by venture capital funds increased by 12.77%. There is a simple explanation for the growth in the value of unicorns in the two industries: a few companies set the tone for the entire sector. For example, the growth in the valuation of unicorn startups in the cybersecurity sector can be explained by the fact that Wiz is close to a $10 billion valuation. The artificial intelligence sector received a rising tide that lifted all boats, thanks to Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI ($10 billion) and […]

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Capital is still flowing to the earliest startups (Carta)

Capital is still flowing to the earliest startups (Carta)

Carta has published another interesting report on the distribution of investor interest depending on the stage of startup financing. The starting point was 2021, after which the increase or decrease in investor interest was analyzed. The graph clearly shows two trends. SAFE and Convertible note are becoming an attractive form of investment, particularly for new investors. It is fast and cheap – low entry barrier.

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Results of 2023: 95 new unicorns

Results of 2023: 95 new unicorns

Last year, 95 startups from around the world received a valuation of more than $1 billion. This is the lowest number since 2016. Most of the new unicorns – 20 of them – specialize in artificial intelligence. Fintech, cleantech, and energy accounted for 14, 12, and 9 startups respectively. Geographically, there is a significant advantage of American companies – 41 of the new unicorns were from there. 24 companies are from China, and three each are from India and the UK. Today, there are more than 1,500 unicorn startups in the world with a collective valuation of more than $5 trillion. In total, they have already raised more than $900 billion from investors.

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LP income from venture capital is falling

LP income from venture capital is falling

In Q4 2023, the income distributed by US venture capital funds to LPs fell to its lowest level in 14 years. The peak value was 32% in Q2 2022. Since then, the average distribution of US venture capital funds has been declining every quarter. The exception was a slight increase in Q1 2023. The main reason for the drop in yields is the lack of exit options. This directly affects the balance of funds that can be reinvested in other venture funds. With such results, LPs are less inclined to invest in new structures and venture capital companies with a poor history of profitability. Preference is given to funds with high DPI and a long history. The increase in the number of IPOs projected for 2024 should help improve the situation.

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American VCs are in no hurry to spend money

American VCs are in no hurry to spend money

According to Pitchbook, at the end of 2023, American venture capital companies had $311 billion in dry powder. The capital of the so-called “dry powder” reached a record level. American venture capital firms were able to spend only half of the $435 billion raised from investors between 2020 and 2022. Investors are in no hurry to spend money given the current economic climate. The main reason is that you shouldn’t invest if you can’t make money on it. Last year, investors were able to distribute only $21 billion to LPs. As a result, there is growing pressure from investors to either waive management fees or return some of their capital. Sequoia Capital has already begun to waive fees for unused capital. Some investors, including Lightspeed, are transferring portions of their portfolios to a new continuation fund, from which LPs can withdraw at any time.

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US investors reduce their focus on Europe

US investors reduce their focus on Europe

According to Pitchbook, US investors participated in 1,863 European deals in 2023. The activity decreased by 40% over the year. In 2022, U.S. VCs financed 23% of the total number of deals in the region. At the same time, despite the decline, the level of participation remained the third highest in the last decade. US investors are increasing their participation significantly each year, up from 11% in 2013. The main reason is the overall growth of the European startup market. American investors are likely to focus on their core domestic markets. But there are those who are increasing their presence. IVP and Andreessen Horowitz are opening offices in Europe. In addition, last October, General Catalyst acquired La Famiglia, a German early-stage venture capital firm.

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Investors focused on financial efficiency

Investors focused on financial efficiency

Kruze Consulting has found through a survey that investors have begun to pay more attention to revenue performance. Startups that received Series A funding in 2023 showed four times more revenue growth than those that failed. Investors want to see Series A startups that are not only growing rapidly, but are also efficient in terms of capital utilization. While revenue growth is important, investors believe that gross profit margin is much more important, as several seed startups with impressive revenues have failed to raise funding in Series A rounds. Around 90% of seed-stage startups that raised subsequent Series A rounds had gross margins of more than 50%. On average, the most successful companies that passed Series A had gross margins of 80%. Startups that successfully raised Series A rounds had an average loss ratio of 3 times. Startups that failed had a 10x multiple.

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Tough year for M&A: 31% drop in venture-backed startups in 2023

Tough year for M&A: 31% drop in venture-backed startups in 2023

Acquisitions of venture capital-funded startups hit an eight-year low in 2023 as strategic buyers and private equity firms decided to hold off on spending, expecting startup valuations to decline further. Only 1,738 venture-backed startups were acquired globally in 2023, the lowest number since 2015 and a 31% decline from 2022. In the U.S., the number of deals also fell to a ten-year low, with 824 deals in 2023, down 30% from the previous year. Large deals were rare, but some significant deals still took place, including the $4.9 billion acquisition of Scopely by Savvy Games Group. Expectations for 2024 vary, but many are hoping for a revival in deal activity, especially in the cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, semiconductor, and artificial intelligence sectors.

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Carta: Every fifth investment round in 2023 is a Down Round!

Carta: Every fifth investment round in 2023 is a Down Round!

Another report reveals the difficulties startups faced in attracting investment in 2023. This time, the Carta service has revealed the down-rounds figures. A down round is an investment round in which the company’s valuation decreases compared to the previous one. That is, companies are forced to raise funds on deteriorated terms, but these are the realities of the market: take the money or die. The chart shows that companies at later stages of development have been disproportionately affected by this trend. As a rule, their valuation has fallen by a larger percentage. Experts disagree on how to interpret the drop in company valuations. Some see it as a market problem, while others see it as a path to recovery. Carta is inclined to the second opinion.

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Reality Check: European Tech Funding Drops by 42% in 2023

Reality Check: European Tech Funding Drops by 42% in 2023

In 2023, the European technology landscape faced a significant reality check, as evidenced by data published by Sifted. Funding for European startups throughout 2023, up to December 5, experienced a notable 42% decline when compared to the previous year, 2022. The most substantial decline was observed in Series C and beyond funding rounds, where the total funds raised were reduced by half, marking a decrease from $61.4 billion in 2022 to $30 billion in 2023. Across all European countries monitored by Sifted, there was a consistent decrease in the total funding amount when compared to the previous year, with the exception of Denmark, which managed to match the €1.4 billion it raised in the preceding year.

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2024 Seed Round Environment: A Challenging Terrain for Startups

2024 Seed Round Environment: A Challenging Terrain for Startups

The Crunchbase article, “Lower Valuations, Higher Bar: What It’s Like To Raise A Seed Round In 2024,” discusses the current state of seed-stage startup investing. Main ideas:Aftereffects of 2021’s Boom: In 2021, startups raising seed funding faced a more forgiving environment with higher valuations. However, the scenario has since shifted, leading to lower valuations and stricter criteria for funding. This change was influenced by the previous year’s overvaluation and the need for startups to prove their worth more convincingly to attract investors. Changing Dynamics in Seed Funding: Despite the lower valuations, seed funding hasn’t seen a significant drop from its peak. The bar for securing seed funding has risen, especially for first-time founders, who now need substantial traction to raise funds. The trend shows a shift towards larger seed rounds, with fewer but more sizeable deals being the norm. Implications for Future Funding: The seed stage has become a more […]

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US Seed Investment: Resilient in Downturn, Bright Prospects for 2024

US Seed Investment: Resilient in Downturn, Bright Prospects for 2024

US seed funding has remained strong despite a decline in startup investments worldwide. This is promising for the future in 2024. US seed funding increased by almost 10% in 2022, but then dropped by 31% in 2023. However, it still remained more stable than funding at other stages. This downturn, while significant, was less severe compared to the broader investment landscape, with seed funding still above pre-pandemic levels. Investors are positive about the growing startup environment, with lower company values and more skilled workers, which could benefit early-stage companies in the future. In the last ten years, seed funding in the US has increased significantly, reaching a peak of over $16 billion in 2022 before dropping to $11.5 billion in 2023, which is still higher than the investment levels of 2019 and 2020. The current market dynamics have led to more selective investment practices at the seed stage, with a […]

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Funding for Web3 in 2023 fell sharply

Funding for Web3 in 2023 fell sharply

Web3 startup investments dropped by 74% in 2023, totaling less than $7 billion from 1,564 deals (Crunchbase). This is a significant decrease compared to the previous year, which saw $26.6 billion invested across 2,891 deals. This is the lowest level of investment since 2020, marking a sharp decline in investor interest in the sector. In the fourth quarter of 2023, only $1.1 billion was raised in 221 deals, down 21% from the third quarter and 65% from the same period in 2022. During the year, only eight Web3 startups were able to raise $100 million or more in funding, a significant drop from 118 such rounds in 2022. Bitcoin has recovered significantly and regulatory developments, like the SEC’s approval of spot bitcoin ETFs from 11 companies, suggest a potential return of interest in the sector, despite the overall downturn. However, investor interest is shifting to AI, leaving Web3 facing the […]

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Warm Latin America also has a cold venture capital winter

Warm Latin America also has a cold venture capital winter

In 2023, VCs invested $2.9 billion in Latin American startups. Crunchbase calculated the funds and tried to determine the reasons for the negative trend. The above amount means that venture capital funding in the region has fallen by 63% compared to 2022. The drop of 84% compared to the record-breaking figures of 2021 is even more impressive. Latin America has been experiencing the fastest decline in venture capital funding for two years in a row. Crunchbase’s experts think that the negative trend is not only due to regional specifics and political conditions. There are multiple reasons for it. The problems are primarily economic. This is a multiplier for the global decline in venture capital funding. Brazilian startups are doing better than others in the region. Lending provider QI Tech raised $200 million in Series B, and online real estate platform Loft received $100 million in new funding. Despite the overall […]

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How much does a startup cost? Data from Carta

How much does a startup cost? Data from Carta

One of the signs of the next “venture winter” is a drop in valuations of companies that are attracting investment. Carta has analyzed the clients of its service over the past three years. In 2021, a study revealed that the median valuation of a new Series D company was over $800 million, making it very close to achieving unicorn status. In 2023, the average company at the same stage was valued at $222 million. The decline is also visible at other stages, but the percentage difference is very different. Compared to 2021, Series A valuations are down 8%. Series D valuations are down 73%. Carta experts believe that in 2024, we should not expect a rapid return of valuations. Interestingly, they call it a return to “full health”. Or maybe it’s the current valuations that are healthy?

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Prolonged Fundraising Periods Challenge Venture Firms in 2023

Prolonged Fundraising Periods Challenge Venture Firms in 2023

In a significant shift within the venture capital landscape, 2023 has marked the longest fundraising period for venture firms in over a decade. According to recent data from Pitchbook, the median time required to close funds has expanded to 15 months, a stark contrast to the previous year’s decade-low average of 9.3 months. This notable increase, representing a 46% surge from 2022, signals a shift in the investment climate. The change is primarily attributed to a more cautious approach from limited partners (LPs), who have pulled back their investments in response to multiple economic stressors. Key factors include a decline in technology stock prices, rising interest rates, and a noticeable reduction in initial public offerings (IPOs). The current economic environment has prompted fund managers to adopt new strategies to attract LPs. These strategies include offering more favorable terms, such as side letters and co-investing rights. However, the fundraising landscape is […]

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A16z is the most active investor in 2023

A16z is the most active investor in 2023

Crunchbase continues to summarize the results of the past venture capital year. it’s time to identify the most active investors. Andreessen Horowitz took part in 79 venture capital deals and became the first. Lightspeed Venture Partners and Bpifrance took second and third place in the list with 57 and 55 deals respectively. A16z also ranked second in the ranking of the most active investors leading or co-leading deals. Microsoft became the leader thanks to its $10 billion investment in OpenAI and $1.3 billion in chatbot startup Inflection AI. Interestingly, A16z’s leadership came despite the fact that they closed 43% fewer deals compared to 2022. This trend is even more pronounced given the fact that last year’s leaders – Tiger Global Management, SoftBank Vision Fund, and Sequoia Capital – are not on the 2023 list. Among Seed stage investors, the leaders have not changed: Techstars, Y Combinator, and Antler. Source: https://news.crunchbase.com/venture/active-investor-ranks-a16z-lightspeed-eoy-2023/

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DocSend Report: Investors have less and less time, but that doesn’t stop founders

DocSend Report: Investors have less and less time, but that doesn’t stop founders

In recent years, DocSend has become one of the recognized standards in communication between startups and investors. Entrepreneurs use it to share presentations of their companies, tracking interest statistics. DocSend regularly releases reports that use general data without disclosing company names. This allows you to see trends that characterize communication between the parties. The company has just released another report describing the state of affairs in 2023. The 26-slide presentation with the report can be found here: DocSend report. We will share a few interesting slides from it. Less engagement vs. More pitch decks?! Team + Problem + Market size Show me your money! More contacts. Less meetings. Is winter coming?

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U.S. App Startups See Decline in Funding as Investors Shift Focus to AI

In a notable shift within the U.S. venture capital landscape, the once-dominant app startups are now seeing a marked decline in funding. This year, venture capitalists have poured approximately $3 billion into app startups, a significant decrease compared to previous years, according to data from Crunchbase. This change is particularly striking given that in 2016, app startups accounted for 14% of all U.S. funding. However, fast forward to 2023, and their share of the capital pie has dwindled to a mere 2.5%, despite the ever-growing popularity of applications. The investment trend for U.S.-based app startups reached its zenith in 2021 with a massive $19 billion inflow. Yet, this momentum was short-lived as the sector experienced a steep 64% plunge in funding the following year, closing at just $6.7 billion. This downturn isn’t just a one-off event; the trend of declining investments continues, with many investors now turning their attention and […]

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AI Startups in Europe: A Surge in Funding with Mistral AI Leading the Charge

AI Startups in Europe: A Surge in Funding with Mistral AI Leading the Charge

In an unexpected twist in the tech world, funding for AI startups is skyrocketing across Europe, a region traditionally not known as a hotbed for AI innovation. This surge is headlined by the French generative AI startup, Mistral AI, which recently secured a staggering $487 million in funding. This investment round, spearheaded by the renowned Andreessen Horowitz, catapulted Mistral AI’s valuation to an impressive $2 billion, placing it firmly at the top of Europe’s AI startup scene. This funding frenzy isn’t isolated to Mistral AI. To date, 16 other European AI companies have collectively hauled in over $1 billion, signaling a robust interest in AI technologies across the continent. Notably, Synthesia, another major player in this burgeoning field, has clinched the second spot on Crunchbase’s list of most-funded European AI startups. Following a $90 million Series C funding round led by Accel, Synthesia achieved unicorn status in June, further emphasizing […]

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3,200 startups failed this year

3,200 startups failed this year

Pitchbook data was analyzed by The New York Times and Entrepreneur. They found that the startups that failed raised a total of more than $27 billion in venture capital funding. This is almost the same as the $29.8 billion total investment in startups in the third quarter of 2023. One of the main reasons is that it is increasingly difficult for companies to attract investment. Venture capital funding for startups decreased from $183.9 billion to $104.5 billion between the first nine months of 2022 and the same period this year. Tom Loverro, general partner of IVP, eloquently described this period as a “mass extinction” of startups.

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Duncan Davidson (Bullpen Capital): In Silicon Valley failure is a feature, not a bug.

Duncan Davidson (Bullpen Capital): In Silicon Valley failure is a feature, not a bug.

Duncan Davidson is General Partner at Bullpen Capital. He is a serial entrepreneur known for many successful projects. He served as the SVP of Business Development at InterTrust and led the IPO in 1999 and the secondary in 2000. He spent four years as a managing director at VantagePoint Venture Partners where he focused on digital media and telecom investments including Widevine (acquired by Google) and Livescribe. Prior to Bullpen, he co-founded one of the first mobile social app companies, Xumii, later sold to Myriad Group. At Bullpen he focuses on SaaS and IoT investments, and is an advisor to or sits on the boards of Grin, Hologram, Ripplematch, Wheels, GoodTime, Barn2Door and Skywatch. How did it all start? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? I had several startups in the 1990s and two of them went public. Another 2 of them were bought. Obviously, the […]

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Gilman Louie (Alsop Louie Partners): The most powerful thing about venture capital is that it is filled with optimistic people.

Gilman Louie (Alsop Louie Partners): The most powerful thing about venture capital is that it is filled with optimistic people.

Gilman Louie is a Partner at Alsop Louie Partners. He is the former CEO of In-Q-Tel, a strategic venture fund created to help enhance national security by connecting the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. intelligence community with venture-backed entrepreneurial companies. He built a career as a pioneer in the interactive entertainment industry, with accomplishments that include the design and development of the Falcon F-16 flight simulator as well as being the person who licensed Tetris, the world’s most popular computer game, from its developers in the Soviet Union. He has served on a number of boards of directors, including Wizards of the Coast, Netwitness, Ribbit, Zephyr Technologies, the National Venture Capital Association, the CIA Officers Memorial Fund. How did it all start? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? It started because I was an entrepreneur. And as an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley in the 80s, particularly […]

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Ashesh Shah (The London Fund): Be Brave!

Ashesh Shah (The London Fund): Be Brave!

Ashesh Shah is the Founder of The London Fund. He has 20+ years of global operational experience in building, integrating, and managing enterprises from concept through IPO. He has managed a venture capital portfolio of over $1.5B AUM and returns in excess of 30%. As a serial entrepreneur, he has overseen the high-profile exits of solo sciences, Good & Co, Black Duck Software, Draft.com, Frigo RevolutionWear, and StarStreet among others. He is an active participant in the global entrepreneurial community and specializes in sourcing transactions often unavailable to the broader investment community and ahead of institutional exposure. He holds patents in intellectual property, licensing, consumer loyalty, couponing, and payment technology. He has served on a Presidential task force for the CIA, holding top secret and special clearances, and as a VP of R&D for Razorfish. He was on the Advanced Research Board at Partners Healthcare and is a graduate of […]

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Wal van Lierop (Chrysalix): We are more than just a financial investor; we are a very active contributor to scaling up companies.

Wal van Lierop (Chrysalix): We are more than just a financial investor; we are a very active contributor to scaling up companies.

Wal van Lierop is the Executive Chairman and Founding Partner at Chrysalix Venture Capital, one of the most respected and recognized venture capital firms that focuses on energy technology and industrial innovation, and is located in British Columbia, Canada. Prior to founding Chrysalix in 2001, Dr. van Lierop had a number of positions in the energy industry, from being a university professor to corporate executive to international consultant and founding New Ventures BC. Especially passionate about the cleantech space, he has won numerous awards from Canada’s Clean50 and Clean16 contests, contributed to Forbes, and participated as a speaker at events like the Cleantech Forum, Energy for Tomorrow, and many more. At Chrysalix, he continues to actively support startups by investing, advising, and scaling up companies with breakthrough solutions for the energy transition. How did it all start? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? I’ve been involved […]

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Warner Philips (Rubio Impact Ventures): Don’t just do it because you think there is a market opportunity, do it because you believe it solves a problem that is close to your heart.

Warner Philips (Rubio Impact Ventures): Don’t just do it because you think there is a market opportunity, do it because you believe it solves a problem that is close to your heart.

Warner Philips is a Managing Partner at Rubio Impact Ventures, an impact fund based in Amsterdam and focused on passionate entrepreneurs who can change the world through a commercially scalable business model. With over 25 years of experience in ImpactTech and startups, Warner has been both a VC investor and an entrepreneur, investing in or starting over 50 companies. In all of them, he was a founder, shareholder or an active board member. How did it all start? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? When I graduated from law school in 1996, I was looking for a job and had never heard of venture capital, but I ran into some people who were active in venture capital. I decided to speak to a fund, and managed to get into it. And ever since I’ve been in start-ups! But I started off on the venture capital side […]

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Brett Martin (Charge Ventures): This is my dream job – being an entrepreneur and being an investor.

Brett Martin (Charge Ventures): This is my dream job – being an entrepreneur and being an investor.

Brett Martin is General Partenr at Charge Ventures. He is the founder of Sonar and also helps AppFund, a NYC-based, seed stage incubator build game-changing mobile technology companies. Prior to AppFund, he co-built an automated social media monitoring platform for SMBs after he spent a year researching resource allocation in early stage start-ups as a Fulbright Fellow in Milano, Italia. Before that, he worked at an IPTV startup as an internet marketing associate and at an investment bank as an equity research associate. How did it all start? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? Aside from a brief stint on Wall Street after college I’ve either been building or investing in early-stage companies my entire career. Even when I was in college I took Venture Capital classes and won the business school playing competition. My buddies and I always talked about business ideas to start. When […]

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Peter Harris (University Growth Fund): When you do the hard things, it’s very impressive because VCs know that those things are hard and it will give them more conviction to back you.

Peter Harris (University Growth Fund): When you do the hard things, it’s very impressive because VCs know that those things are hard and it will give them more conviction to back you.

Peter Harris is Founding Partner at University Growth Fund. He assists in the deal sourcing, due diligence, and portfolio management of the fund. He also spends much of his time recruiting, training, and mentoring students in the program. Prior to UGF, he was a principal with University Venture Fund where he participated in funding several companies including Instructure, Lineagen, and Workfront. He has also worked as an international business consultant, helping launch over 10 microfranchises around the world. He has been a loan committee member for the IRC Refugee Loan Fund and a frequent guest lecturer at several local universities. How it all started? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? Growing up, I really wanted to be an engineer, like my dad. When I was at the high school, he left engineering work at Lockheed Martin and started doing some real estate investing. When it happened, […]

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Scott Nissenbaum (Ben Franklin Technology Partners): We do encourage companies to look at the social aspects – what is the social good of this business, how does it make the world a better place, how can you measure this good by whether it is hiring people from my disadvantaged background or curing a disease.

Scott Nissenbaum (Ben Franklin Technology Partners): We do encourage companies to look at the social aspects – what is the social good of this business, how does it make the world a better place, how can you measure this good by whether it is hiring people from my disadvantaged background or curing a disease.

Scott Nissenbaum is President and Chief Executive Officer at Ben Franklin Technology Partners. Prior to this position, he served as its Chief Operating Officer through 2020, and previously served as its Chief Investment Officer and Executive Vice President, where he led the organization’s investment group, making seed and early-stage investments across IT, Digital Health, Life Sciences, and Advanced Manufacturing. He has raised capital for six different funds, served as a board member for 14 private and public companies, and was the Chairman of Philadelphia Game Labs. He has been recognized as a leader by Philly Tech’s “Thirty under 30” Award, Philadelphia Business Journal’s “40 under 40” Award, American Carbon Registry Innovator Award, and the Eastern Technology Council. How did it all start? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? I started my VC career somehow luckily when I was 25 years old and just finished my MBA […]

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Fabian Sacharowitz (EIT InnoEnergy): the energy transition is one of the most important and striking megatrends that we are seeing right now globally

Fabian Sacharowitz (EIT InnoEnergy): the energy transition is one of the most important and striking megatrends that we are seeing right now globally

Fabian Sacharowitz is the investment director at EIT InnoEnergy Germany, a company aimed at accelerating sustainable energy innovation through investment in startups and curation of a strong industry network. After originally starting out as an entrepreneur, he made the shift towards investment when he transitioned into his job at InnoEnergy. InnoEnergy’s investments are partially funded by the EU and are mostly centered around sustainable energy.  How did it all start? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business?  It was strongly dependent on the job that I took here at InnoEnergy. I was not from the very beginning in the investment arena. I was more on the other side – I started as an entrepreneur, I founded a company together with my brothers. It is still existing, but I left the company in 2013 due to organizational reasons. It was at this time a small company with three […]

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Emanuele Levi (360 Capital): Our history of finding successful companies that we have been able to support since their very early days and have worked with for many years speaks for itself

Emanuele Levi (360 Capital): Our history of finding successful companies that we have been able to support since their very early days and have worked with for many years speaks for itself

Emanuele Levi is General Partner at 360 Capital. He started in Venture Capital in January 2000 in Milan and has since made over 30 investments in France and Italy, mostly in the digital industry as well as in the e-commerce sector. Emanuele has held board positions in various companies such as Aramis Auto, Bergamotte, Cubyn, Leetchi, Quitoque, Regate, Tediber, Venere.com, Withings, Yellow Korner, and Yoox. Since 2007, he has been living in Paris and has invested almost exclusively in France. He started his career in 1993 at Unicredito Italiano Group in London where he spent 4 years on cross-border M&A advisory. How it all started? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? It was back in January of 2000 when the Dotcom wave from the US came to Europe. I used to work at Lazard investment bank and I decided to join Pino Venture, one of the […]

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Renana Ashkenazi (Grove Ventures): To be a good VC, you have to be curious and comfortable with making decisions when there are more unknowns than knowns.

Renana Ashkenazi (Grove Ventures): To be a good VC, you have to be curious and comfortable with making decisions when there are more unknowns than knowns.

Renana Ashkenazi is a General Partner at Grove Ventures, a technology-oriented venture capital based in Israel. Renana has a strong technical background and unique experience in global innovation, strategic marketing, and technology spheres. Prior to joining Grove Ventures, she worked at Applied Materials in managerial and technical positions. Currently, Renana is also involved in several companies, supported by Grove Ventures, as an investor or an observer. How did it all start? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? That was actually not that trivial. I’ve started my career at Applied Materials. My Bachelor’s degree is in Engineering, so it’s a pretty natural decision to make. After a few years in Applied, where I started in R&D, I moved to Chicago to do my Master’s in Electrical Engineering. I also worked at the Center for Innovation and Global Health Technology, developing diagnostic devices for poor-resourced countries. After a […]

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Harry Haeck (SmartFin): We prefer to have a limited number of investments we can support decently rather than a large portfolio.

Harry Haeck (SmartFin): We prefer to have a limited number of investments we can support decently rather than a large portfolio.

Harry Haeck is Investment Manager at SmartFin. Before joining SmartFin, he worked for several years in the Private Equity team of BNP Paribas Fortis, where he focused on both direct and indirect investments. Before that, he participated in the Senior Talent Program of BNP Paribas Fortis where he worked on various strategic projects across different business lines of the bank. He started his career as a business lawyer at Liedekerke and Deloitte Legal (formerly Laga), focusing on banking and financial law. How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? Since I was young, I’ve always been fascinated by technology – both hardware and software. Nevertheless, I decided to study law and finance, and actually started my career as a business lawyer. After a few years, I decided that I wanted to be closer to the entrepreneur – rather than the legal department of a company – and went […]

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Kai Chen (OceanIQ Capital): Investing is the ability to participate in the success of an entrepreneur without being in the trenches

Kai Chen (OceanIQ Capital): Investing is the ability to participate in the success of an entrepreneur without being in the trenches

Kai Chen is the Founder and Managing Director of OceanIQ Capital, an SEC-registered global multi-family office that specializes in both, venture capital and equity investments. After graduating from UCLA with a BA in Business Economics, he spent 15 years working at Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management and Credit Suisse, focusing on asset allocation and investment strategies, before starting his own firm.  How did it all start? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business?  I was really interested and fascinated by the world of finance in general and finance investing. I love reading about Warren Buffet, Charlie Munger, etc., even back in college. So I just felt that it would be nice to work in a space that I truly enjoy and get paid at the same time. I studied Business/Economics as an undergrad at UCLA and one of my first jobs was working at Goldman Sachs in […]

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Rishi Garg (Mayfield Fund): We’ll try to be the most trusted, consistent, and powerful partner that our companies have.

Rishi Garg (Mayfield Fund): We’ll try to be the most trusted, consistent, and powerful partner that our companies have.

Rishi Garg is Partner at Mayfield Fund. He co-leads Mayfield’s Consumer investment practice, after a career helping to build many great consumer platforms. As Global VP of Corporate Development and Strategy at Twitter, he executed its most active M&A program, including the acquisitions of Periscope, TellApart, Niche, Zipdial, and others, greatly expanding Twitter’s technology and product platform. As an early executive at Square, he was the first Head of Corporate Development and earlier, served as Head of Strategic Partnerships, working across the company on a wide range of M&A and business development projects during the company’s hypergrowth phase. Earlier, he co-founded FanSnap, a leading venture-backed live event ticket search company acquired by Nextag. He also served in impactful Business Development roles at Google and MTV Networks. Rishi has been a personal investor and advisor to several companies including Opendoor, Netsil/Nutanix, and others. You ask to ask you about growing up […]

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Jacek Łubiński (Market One Capital): listen to your potential clients a lot to nail the value proposition and provide an experience which is ten times better than what they have right now.

Jacek Łubiński (Market One Capital): listen to your potential clients a lot to nail the value proposition and provide an experience which is ten times better than what they have right now.

Jacek Łubiński is Principal at Market One Capital, a Pan-European early stage VC firm that specializes in digital platforms and marketplaces. Jacek has been a venture capital investor for more than 8 years. How did it all start? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? I was always interested in technology and started my professional career as a software engineer. Later on, having interest in finance as well, I switched to a more corporate finance role, and I tried this for a couple of years. When an opportunity to join a VC firm arose, it seemed like a place where I can combine my passion for both tech and finance, so I jumped on the occasion and it’s been a blast for me ever since. What was the most unusual startup you have ever supported? Or, maybe, your favorite one? It’s difficult to name just one, because […]

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George Spencer III (Seyen Capital): You go to a war with these guys, and I just love the battle!

George Spencer III (Seyen Capital): You go to a war with these guys, and I just love the battle!

George Spencer III is Founder and Senior Managing Director at Seyen Capital. He has over 30 years of experience in the venture capital industry. Before founding Seyen Capital in 2007, he spent seven years as a Partner at Adams Street Partners (“ASP”) where he helped to architect the spin-out from Brinson Partners. At ASP, he was a key player in the direct investing group as a lead IT investor. After leaving Adams Street Partners in late 2006, he continued to serve as a Senior Consultant to ASP, managing his prior investments with the firm. He was also a co-founder and Executive Member of JK&B Capital, a Chicago-based venture firm. How it all started? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? I got a job in venture capital in 1990, when I get out of Business School.  Just like that? Yes, I work in VC since my Business […]

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Adrian Lloyd (Episode 1 Ventures): We want to see people who clearly could get extremely highly paid jobs in other technology firms, but have chosen this one.

Adrian Lloyd (Episode 1 Ventures): We want to see people who clearly could get extremely highly paid jobs in other technology firms, but have chosen this one.

Adrian Lloyd is Founding Partner at Episode 1 Ventures. He has a management and strategic consulting and entrepreneurial background in Europe and Asia and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. After his MBA he spent 2 years working on on- and off-line startups before founding Episode 1 Ventures with Simon Murdoch and Damien Lane. Immediately prior to his MBA, he established Marakon Associates’ presence in China. He speaks Mandarin fluently. He is also a mentor at TechStars London. How it all started? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? In my early career, I worked as an advisor to large multinational corporations, mostly European and American, on their long-term strategies, organisational design – all the kinds of things a consulting firm would advise on. I felt that all this world was far too removed from the coalface of what was really going on in those […]

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Peter Redford (Band of Angels): Talking to investors is not that easy – you need to be on different levels of abstraction when you talk to them than what you normally operate on.

Peter Redford (Band of Angels): Talking to investors is not that easy – you need to be on different levels of abstraction when you talk to them than what you normally operate on.

Peter Redford is Partner at Band of Angels. He is a veteran Silicon Valley tech CEO, Xerox PARC alumnus and IP litigation expert. His patents are licensed by most of the world’s top computer, consumer-electronics and media companies, and are used everyday by billions of consumers worldwide. As the inventor of the 2nd screen concept, now called AirPlay (used in AppleTV), he is often referred to as the “Father of the 2nd screen.” His technology credits also include all of the original patents for AutoPlay (used in all DVD players, Blu-ray players, video game consoles and Microsoft Windows), the personal computer sound card (CreativeLabs), Flash (Adobe), the LeapPad (most popular toy ever sold), and one of the original patents for the graphical user interface (GUI). How it all started? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? Since I was a child, I was always entrepreneurial. When I […]

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Christie Pitts (Backstage Capital): People who are not actively doing something about their networks to include diversity will be left behind.

Christie Pitts (Backstage Capital): People who are not actively doing something about their networks to include diversity will be left behind.

Christie Pitts is General Partner at Backstage Capital. She is an experienced early stage investor. She is also a co-founder of Backstage Studio. She joined Backstage in August 2017, and went on to assist in sourcing and investing in more than 80 startups led by underrepresented (women, people of color, and LGBTQ) founders, helping to bring the firm’s total investment portfolio to more than 170 companies. She built and led the Backstage Accelerator program, with a global cohort in London, Detroit, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Prior to Backstage, she led a multi-faceted career at Verizon, where she was a manager on the Verizon Ventures team, patented a connected IoT device, and led marketing and sales operations for a $4B P+L. How it all started? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? I started in venture capital through a corporate VC firm, at Verizon. I worked there for […]

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Neeraj Vohra (Naples Technology Ventures): The biggest surprise is the number of interesting companies you can see in a week, and some weeks it could be non-stop.

Neeraj Vohra (Naples Technology Ventures): The biggest surprise is the number of interesting companies you can see in a week, and some weeks it could be non-stop.

Neeraj Vohra is Chief Investment Officer at Naples Technology Ventures. A forward-thinking seasoned executive and board director with 20 years of strategic, financial management, and capital markets experience and a record of success achieving company objectives. He demonstrates the ability to create shareholder value through organic and inorganic growth as well as cost and earnings improvements. He is a founding member of FBR’s technology investment banking practice and leader of the FinTech/Tech Services group. Chief Investment Officer – this is not something very usual, what is the difference with CFO? CFO is more internal looking, controlling the financials of the fund – paying the bills, making sure you are in compliance from a regulatory perspective, doing the financials, and reporting to the LPs. Chief Investment Officer is a little bit unusual in the venture community but it’s very typical in the public market community. My role is pretty much like […]

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Warm and cold introductions: how it works

Warm and cold introductions: how it works

If you ever wanted to find funding or maybe a company to invest in, you definitely thought about introduction and communication. Unicorn Nest analytics did a massive survey to understand introduction principles and ready to share them.  A startup needs to know that there is no one most efficient way: all funds have different ways of getting an introduction for a startup. For instance, 22% of responding funds get the most introductions through colleagues from the other funds; close acquaintances and portfolio startups are also popular options picked by 18% of the respondents. But what about other sources? Workplace, schools, cold emails? Well, a small teaser is “it all works”.  But let’s check how. Fraternities and sororities  There is a pretty popular opinion that sharing the same college or school can seriously influence your future because of networking and close relationships while being young. According to the provided survey, sharing […]

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Thomas Wisniewski (RosePaul Investments and Newark Newark Venture Partners): Every company is unique but the situations and things they are going through are 90% the same.

Thomas Wisniewski (RosePaul Investments and Newark Newark Venture Partners): Every company is unique but the situations and things they are going through are 90% the same.

Thomas Wisniewski is Partner at RosePaul Ventures and Newark Venture Partners. His professional career began as a programmer at Morgan Stanley in IT, followed by several years in investment banking. After business school, he joined a start-up management consulting firm, the Mitchell Madison Group (MMG) which was a spin-off from McKinsey. At MMG, he focused on the intersection of Strategy/Operations/IT for financial services, tech, private equity/VC clients (1993 to 2000). Following MMG, Tom joined Walker Digital, an internet incubator run by Jay Walker, founder of Priceline. During much of the next decade, he advised VC and PE firms on portfolio company turnarounds and evaluating new investments. On two occasions, Tom joined the management team of the companies he was serving, to lead turnarounds and major company expansions. How it all started? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? I don’t know, it was so much of a […]

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Amos Ben-Meir (Sand Hill Angels): As an entrepreneur or investor, it’s always better to be transparent and honest

Amos Ben-Meir (Sand Hill Angels): As an entrepreneur or investor, it’s always better to be transparent and honest

Amos Ben-Meir is an active venture & angel investor and a Board Director at Sand Hill Angels group, based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to entering the investment world, Amos was involved in six startups, either as a founder or as an early employee; four of them have had successful outcomes, and two failed. Currently, he takes different board observer and advisor roles in some of the companies he invests in and offers mentorship for entrepreneurs. Amos is passionate about the intersection of technology, business, and innovation; as of 2021, his portfolio includes over 300 companies. How it all started? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? I had a long career in the high-tech industry, most of it here, in the SF Bay Area, California. Most of my career was spent at startups. I was either an early employee or a founder in six […]

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David Gardner (Cofounders Capital): We have a joke that if we don’t understand something in the first 2 minutes, we won’t invest.

David Gardner (Cofounders Capital): We have a joke that if we don’t understand something in the first 2 minutes, we won’t invest.

David Gardner is General Partner at Cofounders Capital. He is a serial entrepreneur, writer, adviser, and early-stage fund manager with over thirty years of experience in creating and building software technology companies. He was the founder or co-founder of seven companies including PeopleClick and Report2Web. He served as the Executive VP and Thought Leader for Compuware, a Fortune 1000 Corporation. He is author of a popular book on entrepreneurship called The StartUp Hats. Among other firsts, David is credited with founding and launching the first software-as-a-service venture in North Carolina. How it all started? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? I’ve never planned to be an entrepreneur. I studied philosophy. I often say that the best thing higher education did for me is that it left me with absolutely no marketable skills, so I was kind of forced to figure out how to pay back student […]

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Lee Greene (HealthInc): The health industry is very complex – we call it “tripod”, that has to have 3 legs in order to stand up.

Lee Greene (HealthInc): The health industry is very complex – we call it “tripod”, that has to have 3 legs in order to stand up.

Lee Greene is Managing Director at HealthInc. His specialties are Startup growth acceleration, corporate startup collaboration, investment, digital health, coaching, startup advisory, internationalization, pitching ideas, developing strategic partnerships, networking, innovation management, impact tech and life sciences. How it all started? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? I am a serial health entrepreneur for many years. I started my career at age of 18 by buying a restaurant. Then I sold that and I created one of the first telepathology companies, uSCOPE.com, back in the late 90s, then sold it as well. I stand in Digital health for my entire career creating several more companies along the way. In 2015 I’ve created a telehealth company Steward. At that point, I decided that I wanted to go on outside of startups because I had a long career there. Fortunately for myself, I had some exits, so I was […]

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Steve Berg (Lytical Ventures): I would sadly say that I haven’t really invested in crazy or exotic things, but my normal world and companies there are super interesting.

Steve Berg (Lytical Ventures): I would sadly say that I haven’t really invested in crazy or exotic things, but my normal world and companies there are super interesting.

Steve Berg is Partner and Managing Director at Lytical Ventures. Prior to joining Lytical Ventures, he was the General Partner of Antecedent Ventures and was part of the RTP Ventures investment team. He has held positions in strategy and corporate development at Emulex (NYSE: ELX) and as a sell-side analyst covering technology at Punk, Ziegel & Co. How it all started? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? I would see that there is no single glide path – there are so many different ways into venture capital. My career started as a sell-side analyst on Wall Street is covered storage in storage networking companies. I am CFA and MBA, so the time value of money doesn’t come hard to me at this point in my career. I then run corporate development for a public company for a number of years and started doing some mezzanine stage, […]

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Neil Callahan (Pilot Growth Equity): You need to put your own money and time into your company because you make better decisions and you are more focused.

Neil Callahan (Pilot Growth Equity): You need to put your own money and time into your company because you make better decisions and you are more focused.

Neil Callahan is Founder and CEO at Pilot Growth Equity. He has over 25 years of technology investing and operating experience and is a successful bootstrapped software entrepreneur. He has advised many of the world’s leading technology companies on strategy, product management, sales & marketing, infrastructure and operations. Prior to Pilot Growth, he was Co-founder and CEO of Sitaro LTD., which was acquired by CoActive Marketing Group. At CoActive, he was a member of the executive team as the President of the Digital Business Unit and as the EVP of Business Development where he led M&A and strategic partnership initiatives and completed several acquisitions. He Neil was also a Vice President of Marketing Technology & Strategy for Young & Rubicam / Wunderman where he created integrated digital and media investment strategies for AT&T, Citibank, IBM and Sony. How it all started? How did you decide to enter the venture investment […]

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Sonia Nagar (Pritzker Group Venture Capital): Start building relationships with investors as soon as possible and build those relationships over the long term.

Sonia Nagar (Pritzker Group Venture Capital): Start building relationships with investors as soon as possible and build those relationships over the long term.

Sonia Nagar is Partner and VP at Pritzker Group Venture Capital. She founded a mobile shopping app called Pickie. After much success, the app was acquired by Retail Me Not, where she became the vice president of product and head of mobile apps for the coupon shopping site — and earned a Webby Award for Best Shopping App! Upon relocating to Chicago she was preemptively meeting with VCs about future potential investments when one thing led to another and she was offered a position that was too good to refuse. Today, she is the Vice President at Pritzker Group Venture Capital and is responsible for sourcing the firm’s investments in consumer enterprise and emerging technology. How it all started? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? I took a very meandering path to get in VC, it was non-linear. I started off as an engineer – I […]

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Christian Lassonde (Impression Ventures): We’re looking for businesses that have built version 1 of their technology, which works, and they had acquired their first customer.

Christian Lassonde (Impression Ventures): We’re looking for businesses that have built version 1 of their technology, which works, and they had acquired their first customer.

Christian Lassonde is Managing Partner at Impression Ventures. He is a tech founder and CEO, having built and sold Virtual Greats, a luxury online IP rights broker, and Millions of Us, a digital agency. He has also taught high-growth technology entrepreneurship at The Next 36 to over 30 companies. He spent a decade in San Francisco selling and building software for Second Life, LucasArts, and Electronic Arts to customers Sony, Nike, Warner Brothers, General Motors, Coke, Intel, and many more Fortune 500 companies. How it all started? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? I am 4 times a founder and a software developer by training. I’ve spent 10 years in the Bay area where I’ve built 2 out of those 4 companies and raised pretty good venture capital at the time. Then I moved back to Toronto and had my “unemployed years” which weren’t really unemployed – […]

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Bilal Mekkaoui (JOBI Capital): To be a good VC you need the mindset that you have to help the business you’re investing in, to help founders to achieve their goals.

Bilal Mekkaoui (JOBI Capital): To be a good VC you need the mindset that you have to help the business you’re investing in, to help founders to achieve their goals.

Bilal Mekkaoui is Co-Founder & Managing Partner at JOBI Capital. He has 17 years of Investment Banking and Investments experience. He was Head of Investor Relations at Delivery Hero, responsible for evaluating the possible IPO and securing on-going financing, and Managing Director at Rocket Internet, raising over $3B of private capital over 3 years. How it all started? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? I’ve always focused on tech to a certain degree when I started my career in investment banking, where did M&A TMT focusing on the tech sector. I ended up joining UBS for equity capital markets, which is looking at companies, preparing them for IPO, and going public. I really shifted in the tech space in 2012, when I joined Rocket. It was kind of going into incubating tech businesses and going into the VC space. Having done that and working for Rocket […]

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Amy Coveny (Quake Capital Partners): The founder needs to have the right kind of emotional intelligence to sustain being a founder and getting through all of the trials and tribulations.

Amy Coveny (Quake Capital Partners): The founder needs to have the right kind of emotional intelligence to sustain being a founder and getting through all of the trials and tribulations.

Amy Coveny is Managing Partner at Quake Capital Partners. She has extensive experience building revenue, products, and market strategies for startup companies. Since the beginning of her career at the newly-launched Fox News Channel, she has contributed to six acquisitions, three IPOs, and two early-stage fundraising cycles. During her tenure as the Global Head of Audio for Rubicon Project, she worked with Spotify to extend programmatic audio to international audiences. Her years as Vice President of Catch5 saw her develop a video content syndication model in the health and wellness space in order to customize brand experience. Amy has been an adviser to Quake Capital since the launch of its accelerator program in 2017, providing market insights and tips to companies including eSports One, DataGran, and Frenzy. How it all started? How did you decide to enter the venture investment business? I’ve been an operator before in my career and […]

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