Impact Hub Minneapolis - St. Paul’s Post

In this just-released clip, I explain why treating pre-seed and seed stage startups like the Series A companies they will become has all sorts of benefits Ubiquity Ventures

Should a seed-stage company bother with regular board meetings? Do you as a VC require it from your companies? It's a surprisingly controversial topic... There are many, many Seed VCs who think "too much governance" is actually distracting or downright harmful for an early-stage founder. "Wire the money, get out of their way, and let them go build," they say. Let the Series A investors worry about the Board (if this company even gets there) My guest Sunil Nagaraj has been championing a very different course of action for all the deals he leads: Do away with the 3-hour BoD every 3 months and instead opt for 20-minute 'board stand-ups' with founders every month. Personally, I like that approach a lot. And given Ubiquity Ventures' industry-leading *90%* seed-to-Series A graduation rate... it really feels like Sunil's approach is working. But it's not without its detractors -- dig in with me on VSC Ventures latest episode of CLIMB to learn why:

📢 Exciting announcement! Apply now to join the Dream Ventures Summer Accelerator launching June 26th co-led with Kelley Arena Golden Hour Ventures! Ready to take your business to the next level of growth & tap into a new ecosystem of connections 🚀? Apply using link below! https://lnkd.in/ee5PNxm5 What's included?: 7 weeks of weekly virtual sessions covering the topics below, plus one big, fabulous celebration day in NYC with your fellow founders, angels investors, and early stage VCs. Only takes meeting that one person to change your life 💫 Bonus! Lifetime access to our community, content, ongoing events and webinars with exited founders, VC's, angels & experts that peel back the curtain and share "The How" behind it all. We cover: ✅ Capital Foundations ✅ How much to raise? ✅ Demystifying terms and valuation ✅ SAFE v NOTES v Priced Rounds ✅ Key players in the ecosystem ✅ How to market your fundraise ✅ Alternative Sources of Capital ✅ Systems, tools, and tricks ✅ How to execute a community based fundraise ✅ Bootstrapping, Growth Hacking and Scale

🎙 Excited to share the latest episode of Venture Unlocked! This week, I had the pleasure of speaking with TX Zhuo , co-founder and general partner of Fika Ventures I've always enjoyed the humility and hustle that he and the team have brought, and was so pleased that we finally got to record the pod together given his authenticity and openness to discuss hard things, including: 1) How it was so hard to raise their first fund, and what they learned from that experience (he came from Karlin which was backed by a single SFO) 2) Evolving decision making frameworks as a VC, and his thoughts behind consensus and non-consensus driven partnerships. 3) What does founder first mean to Fika, and how they strive to live this, not just say it. Tune in the comments to check out the latest (and if you like the content I have please subcribe to my newsletter)

We are thrilled to announce that DOUBL founders Jessica and Bryn have been selected to be a part of the Dream Ventures Winter Accelerator 2024 Cohort led by the amazing and talented Annie Evans and Kelley Arena!  During the kickoff yesterday we had the privilege of hearing the Hot Smart Rich Maggie Sellers share her investor insights. Safe to say we are obsessed and wanted to share some of our key takeaways: 1. Strategic Partnerships: Understanding the pivotal role of cultivating strategic partnerships, especially in early stages. Collaborations create strong relationships with other founders and build community around a brand which often unlocks new opportunities. 2. Uncovering the Viral Hook: Identifying that magnetic element that captivates and retains users is a transformative revelation. Thinking outside of the box can lead to PR gold.  3. Authentic Investor and Founder Engagement: Building genuine connections with investors and fellow founders by actively supporting their content to enrich our network. Authenticity is the cornerstone of meaningful relationships! 4. Confidence and Innovation: Confidence in our vision, coupled with thinking outside the conventional boundaries, to propel us to explore innovative solutions and calculated risks. 5. Starting Small, Thinking Strategically: We've learned that not everything needs immediate scalability. By prioritizing conversion, pinpointing our hero product, and nurturing our evangelists, we can enhance our foundational strengths. A heartfelt thank you to Maggie Sellers for her mentorship. We are very excited to implement these strategies moving forward, and continue to promote our message.

Thank you to SC Moatti of Mighty Capital for sharing her best takeaway’s from this month’s #SuperVenture gathering in #LosAngeles and including the #venture panel I moderated in her synopsis: “Another insightful panel led by Michael Ashley Schulman from Running Point Capital steered a conversation on #seedstage #investing amidst a new tech wave. A critical insight highlighted was the differentiation between mere technological features and the foundation of sustainable businesses: not every appealing company guarantees a profitable investment. Key to this investment strategy is identifying entrepreneurs who exhibit a blend of vision and adaptability, ready to absorb wisdom from seasoned mentors.” ~~ Disclosure: The opinions expressed are those of Running Point Capital Advisors, LLC (Running Point) and are subject to change without notice. The opinions referenced are as of the date of publication, may be modified due to changes in the market or economic conditions, and may not necessarily come to pass. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Forward-looking statements cannot be guaranteed. Running Point is an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. More information about Running Point’s investment advisory services and fees can be found in its Form ADV Part 2, which is available upon request. RP-24-66

#sparkfestival Venture Captal Night Panel Preethi Mohan - NiceTo Kylie Frazer - Flying Fox Ventures Jonathan Chow - Carthona Capital Mike Abbott - Antler Raaj Rayat, CFA - Airtree Mitchell Bissinger - Folklore Ventures ⁉️What do you like about a founders pitch 💥Kylie:- Likes Quality thinking - founder should set the agenda 💥Mitch :- a standout was when I was asked why founder should accept his money! 💥Founder sharing their failures, learnings and pivots ⁉️How do you get expertise 💥Mike- Antler :- we use our ecosystem of venture partners who have the experience in the relevant field 💥We often rely on founders deep knowledge and we do the business support 💥Raaj - Airtree - feels comfortable being the dumbest guy in the room (David Shein :)) ⁉️VC in 2024 - the tailwind ⚡️Revenue Operation ⚡️Vertical SaaS ⚡️Not AI ⚡️Digital Health ⚡️Vertical Software ⁉️Founder or product 😂Founder definitely founder definitely definitely founder #referron (a shameless plug )

Beyond excited about the caliber of applicants for our Dream Ventures Winter Accelerator launching January 9th co-led with Kelley Arena Golden Hour Ventures! Ready to take your business to the next level of growth in 2024 & tap into a new ecosystem of connections 🚀? Apply using link below! https://lnkd.in/ee5PNxm5 What's included?: 7 weeks of weekly virtual sessions covering the topics below, plus one big, fabulous celebration day in NYC with your fellow founders, angels investors, and early stage VCs. Only takes meeting that one person to change your life 💫 Bonus! Lifetime access to our community, content, ongoing events and webinars with exited founders, VC's, angels & experts that peel back the curtain and share "The How" behind it all. We cover: ✅ Capital Foundations ✅ How much to raise? ✅ Demystifying terms and valuation ✅ SAFE v NOTES v Priced Rounds ✅ Key players in the ecosystem ✅ How to market your fundraise ✅ Alternative Sources of Capital ✅ Systems, tools, and tricks ✅ How to execute a community based fundraise ✅ Bootstrapping, Growth Hacking and Scale

What's a venture studio? What are the different structures? How do you measure success? Elliott Parker of High Alpha Innovation explains, as part of our continuing series on venture studios and venture building: https://hubs.ly/Q02jVbkR0

Super valuable insights from Zain Memon, Fred Destin, Margot Blanc on the ins and outs of venture fundraising at Stride.VC's stunning offices last night hosted by Kristina S. Subbotina, Esq. Thanks Haz Hubble for sharing in your events roundup! Key takeaways for founders: - VCs are motivated by both loss aversion + greed, which makes the narrative + momentum so so important. - As well as returning the fund, VCs also want to back people who want to change the world. They want to sit at the kitchen table and chat about the amazing founder they've invested in. - Finding balance amidst the chaos is so important - Margot shared that she does an annual 10 day Vipassana retreat, Zain reminded us how important the little things are like walking your dog to find balance. I particularly loved Fred's lesson on finding the inner calm from the Art of the Samurai through negative visualisation. Link for more on that in the comments. Great to meet new people Oli Bates, Surya Varatharajan, Christian Fayolle building amazing new ventures.