January, 2023

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Charting a Course: Building a Winning VC Fund Strategy [Part II]

The Seraf Compass

In Part I of this article we discussed several key concepts of fund investment strategy and how funds are categorized, whether it be by industry, geography, stage, specialty (e.g. social impact, corporate, etc.) or some other criteria. Now let's take a closer look at capital allocation strategy and the life cycle of a venture fund.

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The Startup M&A Market Fell 94% Year over Year - But One Segment is Thriving

Tomasz Tunguz

The US startup M&A market in Q4 2022 was one of the quietest in the last 20 years. It rivals the dotcom bust & Global Financial Crisis for its paucity. In percentage terms, last quarter dropped the most since 2000, falling 94% year-over-year. US venture-backed M&A fell from $34.6b in Q4 2021 to a paltry $2.1b in Q4 2022. The total quantity of acquisitions demonstrated greater resilience shrinking by 56%, while the median acquisition value tumbled from $81m to $22m (-72%).

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EO Members Share Entrepreneurial Trends for the New Year

Entrepreneurs' Organization

We asked EO members to look ahead in 2023 and identify trends they see for entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship overall. We asked them to share the skills, mindset or tools that entrepreneurs would be wise to adopt to meet the moment. Here’s what they shared. Video pitching. I see an uptick in pitching via pre-recorded video. We used Loom to pre-record our pitch and share it with potential investors.

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Machine Learning and Schools

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

I read last week that the NYC Department of Education has banned ChatGPT from its networks and devices. I understand that reaction and mentioned the issues that AI/ML create for educators in a post a few weeks ago. I attended a dinner this past week with USV portfolio founders and one who works in education told us that ChatGPT has effectively ended the essay as a way for teachers to assess student progress.

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Navigating the Future: Generative AI, Application Analytics, and Data

Generative AI is upending the way product developers & end-users alike are interacting with data. Despite the potential of AI, many are left with questions about the future of product development: How will AI impact my business and contribute to its success? What can product managers and developers expect in the future with the widespread adoption of AI?

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Twitter co-founder Biz Stone joins board of audiovisual startup Chroma

TechCrunch

Chroma , a startup working to build a new type of audiovisual entertainment specifically for mobile devices, is now adding a Twitter co-founder to its board. The company announced today that Twitter and Medium co-founder Biz Stone, previously an angel investor in Chroma alongside Pinterest’s founders, will join the company’s board of directors to contribute his expertise in areas like design, product development, filmmaking, and scaling brands.

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More Trending

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How Versatile VC collaborates with other investors

David Teten VC

In my meetings with family offices, VCs, and others, a frequent topic is how we collaborate with other investors. Here’s a summary of how we do that: – Other investors are frequently coinvestors/ followon investors in our portfolio. Join our AngelList Syndicate here. – We’ve published extensive research on how to build an investment management firm.

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Investing in Seidr

Andreessen Horowitz

We’re thrilled to announce that Andreessen Horowitz is leading the seed investment in Seidr AB who are building the next generation of midcore cross-play games. Based in Stockholm, a hotbed of games innovation, Seidr’s founding team are Adam Schaub … The post Investing in Seidr appeared first on Andreessen Horowitz.

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Learnings of a CEO: Snapdocs’ Aaron King on navigating market cycles

Y Combinator

Welcome to the fourth edition of Learnings of a CEO. You can read previous editions here. Snapdocs is the leading digital closing platform for the mortgage industry. Today, the company touches 25% of all US real estate transactions and is valued at $1.5B. Founder and CEO Aaron King and his team have expertly navigated fundraising and market cycles. We sat down with Aaron to hear his insight into getting a business up and running with minimal outside funding and building through volatile market c

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What Will Happen In 2023

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

I want to focus this post on the macro environment for tech, startups, web3, and climate because that is where my head is at right now. I believe that sometime in the first half of 2023, the central banks around the world will start backing off the tightening that they have been engaged in as inflation continues to ease and the economy continues to cool.

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Your Fractional Finance and Accounting Team

Mighty Financial specializes in supporting the financial aspirations of small businesses and entrepreneurs. With our comprehensive bookkeeping and precise accounting expertise with decades of experience across diverse financial roles, our team offers tailor-made services ranging from essential bookkeeping to strategic fractional CFO support, catered specifically to the unique challenges of technology companies, startups, and SMEs.

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Fintech predictions and opportunities for 2023

TechCrunch

Victoria Treyger. Contributor. Share on Twitter. Victoria Treyger is a managing director at Felicis Ventures. It’s been quite an eventful year. Fintech has fallen a long way from the highs of 2021, and while 2022 was largely about the reset of the funding environment, 2023 is going to be a year of recalibration for fintech companies. The great news is that large enterprise and midmarket companies care more than ever about bottom-line impact.

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What it takes to be an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is a lifestyle not a job. Dont expect to make $1 million easily

Founder Bounty

Startups are hard. I have been through techstars and know just how hard it is to create one. So many thinks can go wrong and you have to be aware of the risks before you venture into the journey. Its not for everyone and takes a certain type of person to build a business from scratch. So why is it so hard? Its hard because so many things can go wrong down the line which you cannot see.

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What To Look for in a Website Builder

Startup Blogpost

From updated knowledge of trends to presenting a checklist upfront, here are the 15 answers to the question, “What are the most helpful things a business owner should look for in a website builder?” Knowledge of Current Trends. Security. Problem-Solving Skills. Mobile Device Compatibility. Simplicity and Data Collection. Brings Their Own Ideas.

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Investing in Cygnvs

Andreessen Horowitz

Cyber incidents have reached a crisis level over the past decade. In 2021, the U.S. saw 1,862 data compromises , affecting nearly 300 million people (a nearly 100% increase from five years ago). Cybersecurity practitioners no longer wonder if they … The post Investing in Cygnvs appeared first on Andreessen Horowitz.

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Digitalization: 5 Tech Updates That Will Help You Survive The Recession & Thrive

Lack of digitalization decreases business competitiveness. To thrive, embracing modern solutions becomes essential. The approach to digitalization often aligns with a company's business model. This shift not only boosts productivity but also automates processes and improves security. The tech market offers a wealth of technologies tailored for management, planning, and forecasting, replacing outdated pen-and-paper methods.

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How Layoffs in Startupland Differ Between B2B & B2C Companies

Tomasz Tunguz

The current wave of layoffs, a difficult component of the innovation boom/bust cycle, differs from the previous years’ dynamics. B2B companies have reduced headcount to a greater extent than at any time since 2020. In the last three years, B2C startups’ ratio of layoffs have dwarfed B2B layoffs. In 2020, B2C companies cut 8.8x the number of B2B employees. 3.8x in 2021, & 6.9x in 2022.

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The Cleanse

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

I’ve never done a cleanse. But many of my friends and family members have done them. There are various flavors of cleanses but the basic idea is you cut back your consumption of food and drink and replace it with mostly liquid nutrition for anywhere from a day to a month. I believe the most common lengths are in and around one week. As I understand it, the theory behind the cleanse is it helps your body eliminate all sorts of toxins that build up over time from a poor diet and other unheal

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The latecomer advantage in startups

TechCrunch

Welcome to Startups Weekly, a nuanced take on this week’s startup news and trends by Senior Reporter and Equity co-host Natasha Mascarenhas. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here. Sometimes, due to the nature of the startup game, we over index on “the new.” Companies want to build for the pain point you never dreamed to disrupt; VCs want to invest in an emerging trend before it becomes a household name; and those breaking into tech are told to lean into their earnestness, because you never k

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What Steps that do you need to start a business from a techstars COO in 2023

Founder Bounty

So that you know we are legit our author of this article has his biography to show he has build and raised capital and been through top tier accelerators and is trying to help show steps from years of trying failing and building businesses and finally building europes first ondemand fuel business and lot of capital for it. Biography: Vlad Kozul Vlad started his career in finance having done a bachelor’s at Cass business school in London and a master’s at ESCP in Paris specializing

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PE Mastery: CAPTARGET's Playbook for Quality Lead Flow

CAPTARGET presents a masterclass in M&A deal sourcing. Learn to cast a wide net, embracing seller self-identification. Consistency is the linchpin: keep the origination process steady for a reliable flow of opportunities. Diversify your tactics, employing various tools and vendors. Tech matters! Understand DNS settings, domain authority, and brand presence for optimal outreach.

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How to Build a Business AI Won’t Kill Overnight

Entrepreneur's Handbook

A sea of VC-backed founders are about to find their “8+ figure” startups wiped out in seconds; here’s how to avoid that fate.

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Investing in PLAI Labs

Andreessen Horowitz

Within every era of technology, the most talented entrepreneurs have taken unsolved problems and open questions and turned them into businesses. In the early 2000s, the biggest open questions were social: how do you take a read-only interface and allow … The post Investing in PLAI Labs appeared first on Andreessen Horowitz.

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The YC Founder Directory (+ New Company Content)

Y Combinator

The YC community is approaching 10,000 founders. Looking at this powerful network, we see people from all different backgrounds – each with a unique journey to entrepreneurship. Today, we are releasing a public YC Founder Directory , a companion to the YC Startup Directory. For prospective founders who are looking for inspiring leaders, here is a way to discover founders who have had experiences that reflect your own and learn more about their founder journey.

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18 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Starting a Business from Scratch

Startup Blogpost

From keeping your mental game strong to getting a mentor to help make decisions, here are 18 responses to the question “What is one thing you wish someone told you about starting a business from scratch?” Keep Your Mental Game Strong Be Prepared For a Long Term Commitment Think of the Cash! Research Social Branding Before Purchasing URL The People You Connect With Are What Really Counts Everything Takes Time Have a Good Marketing Plan You Can Not Be Everything for Everybody Your Star

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How to Stay Competitive in the Evolving State of Martech

Marketing technology is essential for B2B marketers to stay competitive in a rapidly changing digital landscape — and with 53% of marketers experiencing legacy technology issues and limitations, they’re researching innovations to expand and refine their technology stacks. To help practitioners keep up with the rapidly evolving martech landscape, this special report will discuss: How practitioners are integrating technologies and systems to encourage information-sharing between departments and pr

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So much fintech M&A

TechCrunch

Welcome to The Interchange ! If you received this in your inbox, thank you for signing up and your vote of confidence. If you’re reading this as a post on our site, sign up here so you can receive it directly in the future. Every week, I’ll take a look at the hottest fintech news of the previous week. This will include everything from funding rounds to trends to an analysis of a particular space to hot takes on a particular company or phenomenon.

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How Ukrainian Coworking Spaces Keep the Flag Flying

Deskmag

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been going on for more than 300 days. During this time Ukraine defended against numerous missile attacks, genocide and the destruction of the country's culture. How has the coworking industry changed since the beginning of the war? .

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What is Andrew Wilkinsons net worth and how did he make it. A case study

Founder Bounty

Andrew Wilkinson is the founder of MetaLab , a design agency based in Vancouver, and Flow. MetaLab is the design team behind Slack which is now valued at $2.8 billion. Flow is a task management SaaS application for teams which is used by companies like Etsy, Tesla, Adobe, and TED. Andrew Wilkinson is building a multi-million dollar empire. The entrepreneur, who was named one of "Canada's Top 40 Under 40" by the Financial Post in 2018, boasts an impressive list of companies within hi

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Elloe’s Sakawa is Helping Customers Start a ‘Friendship’ with their Favorite Brands

Jason Malki

Did you know that you can start a ‘friendship’ with your favorite brand? That’s just what Owen Sakawa , Founder and CEO of Elloe , is all about. In an age that has seen the fall of the stony-faced corporate brand, and the rise of ever more personalized customer engagement, it makes sense that the future of company-customer relationships is moving closer to something that looks more like a ‘friendship’.

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Statement of Cash Flows vs. Cash Flow Statement

Speaker: Wayne Spivak - President and Chief Financial Officer of SBA * Consulting LTD, Industry Writer, and Public Speaker

The old adages that "cash is king" and "you can’t spend profits" still hold true today. But however well-known these sayings might be, it requires a change in mindset to properly implement a cash flow management system that predicts your business's runaway as accurately as possible. Key to this new mindset is understanding the difference between the Statement of Cash Flows, a historical look at the source and uses of cash, and the Cash Flow Statement, which uses transaction history and forward-l