Venture Cooperative

At Laconia, we're on a mission to simplify venture capital. 💼 Venture capital can be confusing, but with The Venture Cooperative, we’re making it transparent. We’ll share our investment strategy, dive into our processes, and show you how we run our venture firm. Our goal is to: 1. Empower future leaders to start their own funds or companies. 2. Expand our reach globally, with over 1,000 fellows making it easier for the founders seeking us to find us. Apply for our upcoming Fall cohort here: https://lnkd.in/gHAXPgTk

What started as a small internship program has evolved into a dynamic and scalable fellowship initiative! With a surge of interest, we transformed our program into a comprehensive community experience. Now, we offer cohort-based programs and public Ask Me Anything sessions, giving aspiring talent a unique look into the venture capital world and a chance to engage with industry leaders. 🔍 Why Join? You get access to exclusive educational content and community support, as well as being able to participate in interactive sessions that unveil the inner workings of VC. Sign up here for our upcoming cohort today! https://lnkd.in/gHAXPgTk

🌟 We love keeping up with our fellows and hearing how our program has helped them succeed! Whether it's launching startups, expanding businesses, or achieving personal and financial growth, our fellows continue to inspire us with their incredible endeavors. We're proud to support and celebrate their ongoing journeys. 💪 Interested in signing up for the Venture Cooperative? Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gHAXPgTk

Why did Laconia decide to start the Venture Cooperative? The venture capital industry has traditionally been exclusive, favoring those with access to social and financial capital. This has left many early-stage founders without the resources they need, resulting in a homogeneous industry. We believe that empowering both builders and investors is crucial for a vibrant startup ecosystem. As regulatory changes and tech innovations lower barriers to investing, bridging the knowledge gap is essential. The Venture Cooperative aims to dissolve the insider-outsider divide, making it easier for anyone to get involved. If successful, it will lead to more startups, more jobs, more co-investors, and higher returns. If you're looking for a mentorship program, apply to the Venture Cooperative today! https://lnkd.in/gHAXPgTk

The Venture Cooperative was created to harness the power of mentorship and promote continuous growth. Our commitment to our fellows extends beyond the program, as we celebrate their achievements and progress. In our Q2 newsletter, we're thrilled to highlight the accomplishments of James Irvine, Karen Sheffield, MBA, Dr Jenny Binetter, and Boris Berenberg 🦦. Congratulations on all your exciting endeavors! Interested in signing up for the Venture Cooperative? Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gHAXPgTk

The Venture Cooperative is the most accessible onramp for venture capital. We cultivate a vibrant community and provide free educational resources to make Laconia's investments, processes, and learnings accessible to the next generation of early-stage investors. As a participant, you will: 🔵 Financially share in our success 🔵 Participate in our investment processes 🔵 Collaborate with us on due diligence 🔵 Gain insights from industry leaders 🔵 Share your expertise within the community 🔵 Collaborate with early-stage founders Applications are open on a rolling basis for Cohort 7 (Fall 2024). Don't miss out—submit your application today! Not quite ready to make the leap? Join our public sessions and stay updated by following us on LinkedIn and Twitter. 🔗 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gHAXPgTk

Excited to share some key insights from Geri Kirilova’s recent conference presentation deck! Over the past decade, the startup funding landscape has dramatically shifted. Here's a snapshot of the trends: 📊 By Count: - In 2013, 60% of pre-seed and seed funding rounds were below $1M. - By 2023, only 30% are below $1M. - Rounds below $1M have dropped from over 40% of deal counts to just under 20%. 📈 By Volume: - By 2023, rounds below $1M barely register on the chart. - A whopping 60% of "pre-seed and seed" dollars now go into rounds larger than $5M. - This trend isn’t driven by a few outliers; it's a widespread shift in allocation. 💡 Impact on Valuations: - Naturally, these changes have a significant impact on startup valuations and asset class-wide return potential. How has your experience been with the changing funding landscape?

Our Q2 newsletter is almost here! Interested in the latest trends in venture capital? Our newsletter dives deep into Q2 data and the current state of the industry. And that's just the start... Discover our exciting new investments, get a recap of our NYC Tech Week events, and join us in congratulating Jeffrey Silverman on becoming an Adjunct Professor. Don't miss out! Sign up for the full update here: http://eepurl.com/gCqVy9

Thank you to Chris Walch for her wonderful testimonial about our Venture Cooperative program 🙏 We take pride in offering information that our fellows can use beyond the program and into their professional careers. Thank you for sharing your success story with us. We're thrilled to have been a part of your journey!

Our Venture Cooperative Fellows have ventured into a range of exciting paths. Some have become investing leaders, heading angel syndicates or starting their own funds. Others run founder communities or secure full-time investment roles at funds, family offices, and corporate innovation teams. Interestingly, some fellows have returned to us expressing gratitude for the program, realizing that venture capital isn't their true calling—a valuable insight that saved them time and effort in their career journey. This diversity highlights the broad opportunities available, whether in startups, VC, or entirely different fields. The program not only offers valuable content but also a chance to learn from a vibrant and varied group of individuals. Ready to sign up for our next cohort? Apply here: https://lnkd.in/e7_kJzUS