The hottest Venture Capital Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Business Topics

Join New Wave

Venture Prose • 519 implied HN points • 11 Jan 21
💼 Business Venture Capital Investing Entrepreneurship Startup funding
  1. Seed investments are taking on the role of traditional Series A funding, leading to a shift in investment strategies.
  2. Collaboration and partnerships with angel investors and operators are crucial for the success of seed funds like New Wave, focusing on founder-centric approaches.
  3. Teamwork and partnerships are emphasized in the journey of launching and growing an initiative like New Wave, highlighting the importance of collective effort for long-term success.

Why I am starting a hardcore tech company in my 50s

I Am Not a Robot • 55 HN points • 26 Jul 23
💼 Business Technology Startups Entrepreneurship Venture Capital Consulting
  1. Started a tech company in 50s due to interest in AI and experience in information retrieval and coding.
  2. Focused on building stable and reliable AI systems, despite current trend of fast-paced development fueled by VC money.
  3. Plans to start as a service provider in AI to build resilient systems and eventually create a product, prioritizing problem-solving and teamwork over money.

What do funding rounds look like for AI startups?

Entry Level Investing • 33 implied HN points • 18 Oct 23
💼 Business Funding Rounds AI Startups Venture Capital Framework
  1. Every subcategory of Company has its own KPIs and benchmarks for venture funding rounds.
  2. Application Layer AI companies are assessed similarly to traditional Enterprise SaaS solutions but with some leeway on revenue targets.
  3. Tooling Layer businesses tend to fundraise one stage behind Application Layer businesses due to higher capital investment and time requirements.
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Equal Ventures is Hiring Associates

Equal Ventures • 19 implied HN points • 04 Dec 23
💼 Business Venture Capital Investment Startups Consulting Banking
  1. Equal Ventures is hiring two Associates for its investment team in New York to work on industry research, investment analysis, and portfolio support
  2. Candidates with 2-4+ years of experience in consulting, equity research, private equity, or investment banking are encouraged to apply, along with those who are intellectually curious, passionate about startups, professional, self-directed, and friendly
  3. Potential applicants are required to email their LinkedIn profile, resume, and answer specific questions related to industry sectors, investment opportunities, contrarian beliefs, and personal passions, with responses expected within 2 weeks

Series A activity: Week of August 14, 2023

Magid and Co • 39 implied HN points • 21 Aug 23
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. The post shares data on Series A deals done in the last week.
  2. The data focuses on worldwide Series A deals excluding China, with an amount raised greater than $5M and companies not focused on therapeutics.
  3. Readers are encouraged to subscribe to receive new posts and support the author's work.

The Deals That Change Your Life

Equal Ventures • 99 implied HN points • 19 Sep 22
💼 Business Venture Capital Startups Investing Entrepreneurship Finance
  1. Focus on seeking out deals that can genuinely change your life, rather than getting caught up in every potential investment opportunity.
  2. Identify life-changing opportunities through exceptional founders, significant market potential, and passionately pursued theses.
  3. Invest time and effort in deeply understanding and cultivating potential life-changing deals, even if it means less deal flow and a more time-intensive process.

The Changing Nature of Pre-Seed Syndication

Venture Reflections • 6 implied HN points • 11 Mar 24
💼 Business Investing Funding Startups Venture Capital
  1. The landscape of pre-seed investment is shifting, making it more challenging for founders to raise pre-seed rounds.
  2. Certain categories like defense tech and AI are skipping pre-seed investment due to high capital requirements.
  3. Many pre-seed investment partners are now focusing more on larger rounds with companies that have traction, resembling seed rounds.

Tidal Waves in Venture Capital

East Wind • 17 implied HN points • 11 Dec 23
💼 Business Venture Capital Data science Investment Trends Market Dynamics Future Predictions
  1. Venture capital is facing challenges like the curse of scale and lower returns, making the industry more competitive.
  2. Data science and AI are reshaping VC investment processes, improving deal sourcing and evaluation.
  3. VC is becoming higher frequency, with firms leveraging AI to move faster and secure deals in a more competitive landscape.

30 Top Angel Investors in Cyber

The Security Industry • 26 implied HN points • 15 Oct 23
💼 Business Investing Venture Capital Entrepreneurship Cybersecurity Startups
  1. Angel investors play a crucial role in startup funding by taking significant risks and often waiting years for returns.
  2. To reduce risk, angel investors make multiple investments in various companies.
  3. Top angel investors in cybersecurity, such as Shlomo Kramer and Ariel Maislos, have impressive track records and investments in key companies.

James Wise: Why We Need More Entrepreneurs

Danielle Newnham • 19 implied HN points • 23 Nov 23
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Investing Venture Capital Technology Health tech
  1. James Wise emphasizes the importance of having more entrepreneurs for the greater good.
  2. Balderton Capital, where James is a Partner, focuses on investing in European startups and has a strong track record.
  3. James Wise prioritizes investing in artificial intelligence, sustainability, health tech, and supports founder wellbeing in entrepreneurship.

Why Tech and Crypto Stocks are so extreme [Finance Fridays]

Technology Made Simple • 119 implied HN points • 22 Jul 22
💰 Finance Tech Stocks Venture Capital Investing
  1. Blitzscaling in tech leads to high valuations and rapid growth without immediate profitability, creating potential for massive crashes when unsustainable models are exposed.
  2. Tech companies often lack clear paths to profitability, growing on funding alone. When market conditions shift, these companies can implode quickly, impacting investors.
  3. Investing in tech involves a game of passing the hot potato, where VCs aim for profitable exits even if the invested companies are unsustainable. This dynamic can lead to losses for unsuspecting retail investors.

Niche is the Next Big Thing

Equal Ventures • 59 implied HN points • 29 Dec 22
💼 Business Venture Capital Competition Market Analysis Business Strategies Startups
  1. Competition in the tech industry has intensified, making it essential for companies to find a sustainable advantage to generate long-term profitability.
  2. Focusing on niche markets can lead to less competition, higher profits, and sustainable growth compared to chasing large markets with intense competition.
  3. Dominating a niche market allows for the development of early competitive advantages, market dominance, and long-term profitability, providing a foundation for future expansion and success.

Absurd Seed Rounds Arguments

Venture Prose • 359 implied HN points • 05 Jan 21
💼 Business Venture Capital Entrepreneurs Investment Startups
  1. Ownership percentage isn't everything. What matters is belief in your venture and ambition from investors.
  2. As a founder, maintain control of your cap table. Choose investors based on their value, not just their reputation.
  3. When raising a large seed round, consider working with multiple institutional investors to manage risks and dynamics effectively.

Bill Ackman's DEI Rants Spotlight a Need for Gender Parity in VC Portfolios

James Ledbetter's FIN • 10 implied HN points • 14 Jan 24
💼 Business Diversity Startups Investment Venture Capital
  1. Bill Ackman's criticism of DEI initiatives highlights a need for gender parity in VC portfolios.
  2. There is a concern about the backlash against diversity efforts and the impact on financial and cultural equity.
  3. Increasing investment in women-founded and co-founded startups is crucial for achieving gender parity in VC portfolios.

Series A Activity: June 2023

Magid and Co • 39 implied HN points • 05 Jul 23
💰 Finance Investment Funding Venture Capital Founders
  1. There was a significant decrease in Series A deal activity from June 2022 to June 2023, with 290 deals in 2022 compared to 146 in 2023.
  2. It's crucial for founders to closely monitor individual firm actions rather than just market-level statistics, especially when major players from previous years are less active.
  3. Founders seeking funding should focus on understanding which investors are actively writing checks and building relationships with these firms, even if they are less known or harder to reach.

Where Has All The Money Gone?

Superfluid • 39 implied HN points • 28 Jun 23
💼 Business Venture Capital Startup Ecosystem Market Dynamics
  1. In the past, startups received large amounts of capital at early stages like Pre-Seed, which led to a funding freeze at Series B stage.
  2. Decrease in later-stage technology funding and changing market dynamics have implications for the entire startup ecosystem.
  3. Founders are facing pressure to survive with short runways, need to focus on revenue generation, cost control, and strategic decision making.

9. Describing Agency Problems in Serfdom, Employment and Entrepreneurship

Insight Axis • 39 implied HN points • 17 Apr 23
💼 Business Employment Entrepreneurship Venture Capital Investment Relationships
  1. Serfdom involved extreme inequality but had direct mutual interest between lords and serfs for protection and survival.
  2. Employment dynamics often have high inequality and may involve agency problems if the employer is not a significant shareholder, highlighting indirect mutual interest.
  3. Entrepreneurship with venture capital introduces extreme inequality similar to serfdom but adds an agency problem where venture capitalists may not have a direct stake, calling for more equitable investment models.

Commerce Flows vs. Capital Flows

Equal Ventures • 39 implied HN points • 02 Mar 23
💼 Business Ecommerce Venture Capital Retail Investment Brands
  1. The strategy of focusing solely on DTC (direct-to-consumer) is no longer a sustainable path for most brands.
  2. There's a significant mismatch between the amount of venture capital flowing into ecommerce businesses and the actual share of commerce that DNVBs (digitally native vertical brands) hold.
  3. More investment is needed in areas like brick-and-mortar retail, off-price channels, and wholesale, where the potential for economic growth far exceeds current VC interest.

SVB: Conflicts of (Insider Loan) Interest

Nongaap Investing • 37 implied HN points • 22 Mar 23
💼 Business Corporate Governance Venture Capital Conflicts of Interest Risk management
  1. Silicon Valley Bank faced a significant spike in insider loans, raising concerns about VC conflicts of interest and Director independence.
  2. Approximately 38% of SVB's reported incremental venture debt went to start-ups affiliated with Directors, prompting questions on underwriting transparency.
  3. The lack of disclosure in the Proxy Statement and the concentration of loans to insider-affiliated start-ups suggest potential VC conflicts of interest impacting risk management.

Dilution from Mega-Seed Rounds

Magis • 36 implied HN points • 19 Jun 23
💼 Business Startup funding Venture Capital Financial Strategy Investor Relations Entrepreneurship
  1. Startups can raise large upfront rounds to de-risk future fundraising and take advantage of money's present value.
  2. Founders should benchmark their equity dilution against similar funding rounds to understand ownership implications.
  3. Raising more capital than necessary can lead to giving away equity at a discount, especially for capital-efficient startups.

Patience, Patience, Patience

Superfluid • 39 implied HN points • 01 Mar 23
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. In the world of venture capital, patience is key for both founders and investors.
  2. Technological revolutions take around 50 years to fully proliferate through society.
  3. Investors should be cautious about backing startups in trendy spaces and focus on patient and sensible deployments of capital.

Series A activity: Week of October 09, 2023

Magid and Co • 19 implied HN points • 16 Oct 23
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. The post shares data about Series A deals completed in the last week.
  2. The summary statistics focus on Series A deals globally (excluding China) with fundraising exceeding $5M and companies not in therapeutics.
  3. Readers are encouraged to subscribe for free to receive more posts and show support.

WindBorne Systems

next big thing • 34 implied HN points • 22 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Climate Climate tech Venture Capital Tech startups
  1. Accurate weather data is crucial for making informed decisions and mitigating costs associated with severe weather events.
  2. Improvements in weather technology are needed due to gaps in weather observations globally.
  3. WindBorne Systems received a $6M Seed round investment led by Footwork for their work in providing detailed weather observations to improve forecasting and reduce carbon emissions.