GS Futures’ Post

From concept to reality: our latest venture takes off 🚀 Exciting times at Camplight | Your Digital Venture Builder! We are wraping up our focused 6-week cycle and gearing up to introduce Fairlight to the market. Fairlight is all about making financial management effortless. Imagine easily managing your agreements, invoices, and budgets with complete transparency. 🌟 Plus, we've got a fresh new logo for Fairlight that perfectly captures our vision for clear and efficient financial operations. But that's not all - stay tuned, as we'll soon unveil our brand-new landing page for Fairlight, designed to offer you an even closer look at how we're transforming financial management. What are your thoughts on our logo? We're excited to hear what it represents to you and your thoughts on financial transparency. #Finance #cashflowmanagement #equities #softwaredevelopment #gotomarketstrategy #cooperatives #venturestudio #startups

CONTINUING TO SCALE UP // “With its strong track record of building great software companies and a broad portfolio of best-of-breed software-as-a-service solutions for the construction industry, we truly think it’s a great home for Clixifix.” Software firm clixifix® Customer Care, simplified software, which is based in Houghton-le-Spring, is eyeing further growth after being bought by Norwegian group SmartCraft ASA. Clixifix, a pioneering cloud-based platform used by construction companies and property owners to manage defects, complaints and repairs, has more than 20,000 users and has enjoyed significant revenue growth over the past 18 months. The firm’s acquisition by SmartCraft not only signifies its robust growth trajectory but also greatly enhances its market opportunities, enabling it to integrate with SmartCraft’s European presence and “provide more leading-edge, scalable solutions” to its ever-growing customer base in the UK. And as Clixifix looks forward to an exciting new partnership, chief executive James Farrell - clixifix® also reflects on its journey since being founded in 2012, having previously been backed by Newcastle-based investment house Northstar Ventures UK. Read more from James and Thomas O'Neill, Northstar Ventures’ investment manager, here: https://lnkd.in/ex8B6zgH #NET #northeasttimes #businessnews #Clixifix #SmartCraft #NorthstarVentures #businessgrowth #acquisition #constructionindustry #northeastbusiness #drivingconversations #makingconnections

Thanks, Romey Oulton for having Steve Dell'Orto on Season 2, Episode 1 of the #CrazyForConTech series! 🎙 Watch the latest episode for insights into: ✅ What led Steve to the world of construction technology ✅ Dealing with resistance or skepticism from construction industry professionals who are reluctant to adopt new technology ✅ 2024 contech trends ✅ And more! Visit the link in the comments to read the full interview 👇 #contech #constructionsoftware #concntric

Mark Leonard worked as a gravedigger, a bouncer, draftsmen, furniture removalist, venture capitalist… and then went on to build an $80 billion conglomerate at Constellation Software. What’s more - he started the business with only $25 million Canadian dollars in 1995, up nearly ~3200x since then. But unlike most amazing compounders, Constellation software isn’t just one company, it’s a conglomerate consisting of over 700 vertical market software businesses. In 2022 - Constellation bought 134 businesses (averaging a deal every 2.7 days). In his time as a venture capitalist in Canada, he realised that he was playing the wrong game. Instead of swinging big and trying to back moonshot outcomes in competitive markets, Mark realised that some markets were simply too small to attract competition. Huge businesses could never be built in these markets, but small, profitable vertical SaaS businesses could… What's more, these 'vertical market software businesses' had switching costs, and pricing power within their niche markets, making them monopolistic within their local markets. His criteria was simple, he would go after businesses that were: - Mid-to-large-sized vertical market software companies (a minimum of $1-million earnings before interest and tax) - Consistent earnings and growth — generally EBITDA/revenue + revenue growth of 20 percent or more per year - Experienced and committed management - An offering price that has been determined Given how small these businesses are, constellation typically acquires companies for ~0.8x revenue, which is incredibly cheap. They are then able to use the cashflows generated by these businesses to fuel further acquisitions, creating a virtuous cycle of growth. Mark Leonard's journey is fascinating - if you want the full breakdown of how he built Constellation into a financial powerhouse, make sure to check out the full article on The Capitalist. Full Article -> https://lnkd.in/gXZKMZBV

So this is pretty fascinating and quite serendipitous. On Monday, I published my latest article, 'Modular construction's conflicting truths', presenting some recent failures, including Modulus. I also questioned when a company vision, which is not yet obtainable, stops being a Big Hairy Audacious Goal and becomes a flat-out lie. I attribute these issues to the influence venture capital has on organisations and their founders.   Well, this Bricks and Bytes podcast with former Modulus employee Chris Spiceley dropped just yesterday. Modulus managed to burn through £10m in 15 months, all pre-revenue. Chris doesn't hold back and is highly critical of how the company was run. Key insights (and I paraphrase):   - Volumetric is often a non-starter due to site access constraints (but less so in the USA) - Trying to have a single solution that can scale globally (to appease investors) is not viable due to location-specific requirements (seismic, termites, etc.).  - Scaling to 60 employees and expanding into other countries when you are pre-revenue and have yet to build a single project is not sustainable. - The founders were dogmatically stubborn in staying true to the original vision, even though the market proved many of their assumptions to be incorrect. - Bad decisions were made to give investors the illusion of progress, even though they were highly detrimental to the project. - Given the discrepancy between what was said versus reality, one wonders how honest the founders were with investors. Worth a listen. And in case you missed it, here is my latest article that I refer to: https://lnkd.in/gtE_5Quj   https://lnkd.in/gszdDdTZ

This Week in Proptech: $100 million was invested across 14 companies at a median funding amount of $2 million. Construction tech was a major theme this week, with companies like Realm, Agave, Metroc, and others announcing funding rounds. New Funded Companies Realm, a US-based home renovation company, raised a $9.7 million Venture Round from Atreides Management, LP.   Agave, a US-based construction tech integrations platform, raised a $2.5 million Seed Round led by Accel with additional investments from Mischief.   Metroc, a FI-based data company for the construction industry, raised a $2.2 million Seed Round from Lifeline Ventures.   Jitty, a US-based real estate search platform, raised a $2 million Pre-Seed Round from 10 investors, including, Sequoia Capital, Atomico, Gradient Ventures, Tiny VC, and more. Learn more & subscribe at https://lnkd.in/gfSnbSM7 Tags: #creti #proptech #fintech #climatetech #insurtech #realestatetech #retech #realestate #venturecapital

Follow with interest the advancements in the field of artificial intelligence in the field of architecture. In the field of artificial intelligence, the dynamic of development is the transformation of robots from thinking to action. So far, electronic calculators, electronic computers, mobile phones, recognition and language, cultural processing... these are all within the scope of thinking. The next step is for robots to replace human movements, which requires accuracy and power. Therefore, artificial intelligence will usher in the development of two key technologies, one is software, and the other is precision joints of robots. This will be a precision joint with ZY multi-tooth meshing technology that greatly exceeds the current level in accuracy and strength.

Happy to share this exciting update from Capboard.io! We have a new pricing model at just $1 or €1 per stakeholder per month, we're making equity management more accessible and scalable for startups of all sizes. Check out our latest offering and see how your company can benefit. Let's grow together! #Capboard #StartupGrowth #EquityManagement

We're thrilled to announce our new pricing model: just $1 or €1 per stakeholder per month! 🎉 At Capboard, we believe in growing alongside your company. Our mission is to support your journey from an early-stage startup to a thriving scale-up. That's why we've structured our plans to scale with your business, ensuring you have the tools you need at every stage of growth. Introducing Our Popular Stakeholder Plan: - Pricing: Only €1/month (or $1) per stakeholder. - 14-day FREE TRIAL - And all features unlocked!! What's Included: - Cap table management - Share certificates - Funding round simulations - ESOP Pools & ESOP Grants & Exercising - Investor Updates & Automated Grant letters - Add company valuations with Contract templates - Admin roles & SSO Google & Microsoft Teams - Option to hide company's valuation - Board management & Shareholder meetings - Unlimited share classes & E-Signature - Track changes & Customer success support - and much more. Whether you're managing cap tables, preparing for funding rounds, or conducting shareholder meetings, Capboard.io is here to make the process seamless and efficient. Pricing page --> https://lnkd.in/d4G7R3XA START YOUR FREE TRIAL TODAY! #esop #captable #equity #startup #fundraising

Thinking of breaking ground in construction? Great! But brace yourself—63.6% of startups hit a wall within five years due to lack of planning and financial woes. Want to beat the odds? Dive into market research, blueprint your business plan, and don't be afraid to ask for help. Here’s where to start. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g8n42C3A