All Raise

"It's really simple. If everybody thinks the same way, then everyone's going to like the same thing. And if everyone likes the same thing, the price is super high. And if the price is high, you don't make money. Our job is to make money.” Vanessa Larco took a less traditional path to her seat in venture capital, and that journey gave her the ability to see more broadly and bring a valuable perspective. We celebrate Vanessa's 1 year anniversary of being named to the investment committee at New Enterprise Associates (NEA). Her journey proves tech smarts and a strong network can make a power player VC. Read more about Vanessa and her accomplishments to date: https://lnkd.in/gHrDhwV3

We love to see it! Great work, Pharrell.

She may have retired from tennis, but Serena Williams is still serving up BIG wins. After establishing Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm specifically designed for women and minority founders, she estimates that 14 of the companies in her portfolio have reached “unicorn status,” meaning they’re a privately held startup company valued at more than $1 billion. She shared, “I learned that less than 2% of all VC money went to women, and when I first heard that, I actually thought it was a misquote. I also learned that even less went to people of color.” She saw an opportunity to intentionally elevate underrepresented business owners and took it. Yes, she's investing in companies, but also equality. Real dollars are going toward a more equitable economy and future! I love to see it 👏

Thousands of new venture capital funds have launched over the past few years. PitchBook is tracking over 10,000 funds currently trying to raise money, and 45% of them are emerging fund managers, defined as a firm with less than three funds. Those funds are duking it out for a mere 16% of the total capital that limited partner investors will spend on venture capital, according to PitchBook, down from about 23% for the decade that ended in 2019, before the pandemic-era VC frenzy years. Joanna Drake founded RAISE Global (whose goal is to help emerging managers meet LPs) over a decade ago and wanted “to take a risk on the emerging manager category, but didn’t necessarily have the resources or the energy or time” to do the diligence on their own. “The good news is we’ve been gathering data from both the LPs and the emerging managers for a decade now to show that there is a really exciting new set of managers coming through with a really different profile — geographically and diversity-wise — and LPs are really excited and continue to give back,” Drake said. Raise’s research among 660 emerging managers confirmed that 2023 was not the best year to raise new funds. Data showed that only 20% of emerging managers were raising $100 million, or more, funds. In 2022, that was 29%, and in 2021 it was 26%. About 27% of managers were targeting the $50 million to $99 million range, down from 29% in 2022 and 36% in 2021. Most of the action is taking place between zero and $49 million, where roughly 50% of emerging managers are raising, Drake said. “That’s important because while there’s a handful of emerging managers that are able to raise larger than $100 million funds, it’s really a small percentage of the market,” Drake said. “So, they actually do not have the capital to take the companies to a later stage. They have to work with the larger firms and put together the syndicates. It’s actually one of the most important roles that they play.” #communitybuilding #womeninventure

Congratulations Masha Bucher and the team at Day One Ventures for the launch of their $150M fund III. We're so excited for all that you'll do and look forward to cheering on your wins 👏🏽

Happy International Non-Binary People’s Day to the incredible, boundary-breaking nonbinary, genderqueer and genderfluid community! Thank you for reminding us that there’s no “one way” to be anything, keep shining 🌟 #NonbinaryPeoplesDay #NonbinaryAwarenessWeek #StartOut

Get Ready to Expand Your Professional Network! Our Women Leaders of Octane virtual meeting is happening next week! Don’t miss out on this incredible event on July 17th, from 12 – 1 pm PST. Network with other leaders and engage with your community as we welcome Paige Hendrix Buckner, CEO of All Raise, alongside our stellar committee chairs. Dive into groundbreaking advancements and gain priceless insights from Paige, an award-winning consultant and investor known for scaling tech enterprises. This is your chance to learn from a trailblazer in innovation. Why You Should Attend: - Unlock Powerful Connections: Network with top leaders and professionals in the industry. - Gain Exclusive Insights: Learn from the expertise of Paige Hendrix Buckner, a renowned consultant and investor. - Empower Your Community: Be a part of discussions that uplift and support women entrepreneurs and leaders. - Stay at the Forefront: Access cutting-edge advancements and industry trends. Women Leaders of Octane is on a mission to empower the OC innovation ecosystem by uplifting women entrepreneurs and leaders. Join us and be part of the revolution shaping the future. Make connections that will elevate your career and expand your horizons. The quarterly meetings are free to join; however, you must RSVP ahead of time. 📅 Secure your spot now! https://bit.ly/4cWsuU6 #WomenLeadersofOctane #WLO #WomenInLeadership

“We can’t change what we do not measure. This initiative is fundamental in advancing our shared goal of fostering a more diverse venture and tech ecosystem.” — Paige Hendrix Buckner, CEO of All Raise The Diversity Data Alliance launched as a collective between seven organizations dedicated to diversifying the tech ecosystem: Diversity VC , All Raise , 2Gether-International , BLCK VC , SomosVC , StartOut , and Vets In Tech https://lnkd.in/eGCUcAYb

Last chance to apply! The ninth annual RAISE Global Summit is returning to The Presidio in San Francisco this October. Meet the next generation of venture capital funds. LPs can request an invite here: https://bit.ly/3VMtfbq #GPs #LPs #emergingmanagers #venturecapital

Allison Byers is a trailblazer in the realm of equitable capital distribution. As the founder of Scroobious, her tech company is quickly driving innovation by removing barriers to partnership among diverse founders, investors, and service providers through scalable online education, community, and data-driven curation. Before founding Scroobious, she spearheaded a medical device startup, securing nearly $10M in funding before its acquisition, and encountered firsthand the gender bias prevalent in fundraising. With over 20 years of experience in startup and tech roles, Allison stands as a seasoned entrepreneur and a catalyst for change having co-authored California Senate Bill 54, signed into law, which requires venture funds to report diversity metrics. Her post about yet another 'manel' went kind of nuts we touched base. And one of the best ways to get the message out and fight marginalization is to have a live, interactive and engaging conversation here on Linkedin. We will discuss her business, her advocacy, her mission, and the founder community she's building. Join us on Tuesday at 10:30. Looking forward to this conversation and your thoughts, feedback, and questions.