Ahmad Thomas

One month left to apply!!!! Apply to NETI's Climate Tech Bootcamp Cohort 3.0, a pre-accelerator program powered by Riffle Ventures, Climate Tech Bootcamp, OHUB and Greater New Orleans, Inc. – GNO, Inc. part of H2TheFuture, a Build Back Better Regional Challenge of The Economic Development Administration. This bootcamp is a 10-week pre-accelerator program for climate tech and new energy entrepreneurs in the United States that have an interest in building in or expanding to South Louisiana. ‍ Five (5) founders from the program will pitch for a $100,000 (US) investment on the terms of their current round. Application is in the comments and here's a quick overview as well: - 📆 When: September 3 - October 31, 2024 - ⏰ Deadline to Apply: August 27, 2024 - 💻 Location: Virtual - 🆓 Cost: Free. The $5,000 per person fee is waived thanks to GNO, Inc. and The Economic Development Administration's Build Back Better Regional Challenge. - 💰 Funding: Up to $100,000 US (equity investment) in current round to the top startup selected at the end of the cohort. - 🈺 Cohort Size: 25-30 entrepreneurs - 🌍 Cohort Geography: United States - 📈 Stage: We welcome applicants from multiple stages, though having a minimum viable product is ideal.

76

2 Comments

I echo and a firm believer of Laurel Mintz take on Diversity - "Diversity in thought, diversity in boards, diversity in public companies, diversity in all of this is what creates a better culture. It's what creates better outcomes, both financially and emotionally. Ultimately, it's just a better approach to creating a more well-rounded society.” #ImpactInvesting #VentureCapital #PurposeDrivenInvestors

15

6 Comments

Today, Two Chairs announces $72M of new funding to continue building a world where everyone has access to exceptional mental health care. Since late 2017, when Maveron led the Two Chairs Series A, the need for mental health services has grown considerably as our society has become lonelier and more isolated than ever. At the same time, our culture’s willingness to openly acknowledge these challenges is greater than ever. Sadly, the rapid growth of Two Chairs affirms the fact that our society is in desperate need of better mental health support. Two Chairs has built a business that believes clinical quality is the defining characteristic of success. Alex Katz has always emphasized the paramountcy of measurement-based clinical outcomes, which the team works tirelessly to achieve. In the process, Two Chairs has illustrated that embracing the ‘move fast and break things’ mentality doesn’t always work. Instead, Two Chairs opted for a different approach: they went slow to go fast. They built a proprietary algorithm that matches patients with the perfect therapist at the onset and hired a team of W2 clinicians oriented toward providing the highest quality care available. Even as the Two Chairs team has grown, their culture has remained small. This has enabled more intimate relationships within the team and between clients and clinicians. Reflecting on this milestone brings me back to the founding of Maveron and the values we hold dear. In 1998, my friend Howard Schultz and I founded Maveron to help entrepreneurs build companies that improve the lives of everyday people—their employees and their customers. There is perhaps no better example of this than Two Chairs. *** Thank you to TechCrunch's Marina Temkin, CFA for the great write-up. https://tcrn.ch/4aMt7yG

256

18 Comments

Prime Coalition has long taken a different tack to climate finance compared to its for-profit brethren. It makes the usual venture-style investments in startups through Azolla Ventures and also helps philanthropists direct their money to climate-related projects that it deems high impact. Trellis Climate follows the latter model with a focus on middle stages, where capital has grown scarce. #climatetech #climateVC #climatefinance

14

🌍💡 Embracing Interoperability: The Evolution of Carbon Markets 💡🌍 The landscape of carbon markets is rapidly evolving, with a significant shift towards fungibility and interoperability. What does this mean? We (at the SoHo Global Climate Fund) spoke with leading climate fund manager, Charles Bedford of Carbon Growth Partners, to shed light on this important trend in the carbon markets. It's about creating seamless connections between compliance and voluntary markets, allowing for the exchange and recognition of carbon credits across borders and sectors. This trend marks a pivotal moment in our collective efforts towards combating climate change. By enabling carbon credits to be fungible and interoperable, we're fostering a more efficient and scalable approach to carbon pricing and emissions reduction strategies. Companies and organizations now have greater flexibility to participate in markets that align with their goals. #CarbonMarkets #ClimateAction #Fungibility #Interoperability #Sustainability #Innovation #GlobalImpact

30

We took the pulse of emerging fund managers about what it's been like for them during these post-ZERP, venture-capital-winter years. #venturecapital #veteranventures

7

NY Climate Tech Founders! 1) YES PLEASE save the date to join us at #techweek (6/3!), and 2) YES PLEASE share your top NY resources to complete our NY INSIDER GUIDE, in collab with NYCEDC!

11

In a recent episode of H/L Ventures' For Starters, we pointed out that 70% of unicorns have at least one founder from an underrepresented group. As we said then, it highlights how having diverse viewpoints involved can spark innovation and growth. Despite this, new research shows a major funding gap for diverse women and minorities. Racially diverse, all-female startup founding teams with minorities spent the longest time fundraising in 2023 at an average of 25 weeks, a 67% increase from 2022. By comparison, all-male teams secured more funding and at a faster pace. What can be done to address this gap? #Investing #Diversity #Startups

59

8 Comments

Last month, Uncork Capital celebrated its 20th anniversary with a jubilant gathering attended by 420 guests, marking two decades of success in the venture capital realm. Over the years, the firm, alongside industry peers like First Round Capital and Felicis, has witnessed remarkable growth, now managing billions of dollars in assets. This expansion reflects the flourishing landscape of venture capital, with the industry experiencing exponential growth in investment. Moreover, positive shifts in VC norms, such as the evolving attitudes towards board seats, underscore a commitment to providing tailored support to startups, enhancing their growth prospects. Amidst discussions surrounding sectors like AI, optimism prevails, emphasizing a steadfast dedication to investing in innovative ventures with lasting impact. Read More Here: https://lnkd.in/efN6-Spd Branded Hospitality Ventures Jeff Clavier Susan Liu Ashley Cravens Tripp Jones Sarah Du Andy McLoughlin Amy Saper #innovation #technology #management #venturecapital #startup

6

From Morningstar Upfront Ventures Provided by PR Newswire May 28, 2024 8:08am Upfront, Maverick Systems, The Studio Home, and Billions Join Equity Angels' First #Proptech CohortUpfront, Maverick Systems, The Studio Home, and Billions Join Equity Angels' First Proptech Cohort PR Newswire BELLEVUE, Wash., May 28, 2024 New accelerator focuses on supporting real estate technology startups with diverse leadership BELLEVUE, Wash., May 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Equity Angels, a social impact organization dedicated to fostering fair access to innovation and opportunity, names the 2024 cohort for its first-ever accelerator program. Upfront provides innovative financial solutions for agents and brokers, The Studio Home leverages Web3 visualization for curated home furnishings, Maverick Systems optimizes big data analytics for agent acquisition and retention, and BILLIONS specializes in streamlining operational solutions for high-performing teams. The founders of these startups include some of the most seasoned and unique tech entrepreneurs in real estate today. One such founder is Diana Zaya of Maverick Systems, whose father was raised in a minimalist "mud hut" in Syria, but with hopes of finding a more fulfilling life. After receiving his degree in engineering, he immigrated to the U.S. to start his family. Raised with this dedication to achievement, Diana has established a performance-based system for recruiting and retaining real estate agents. She is positioned to dramatically improve how the industry optimizes big data analytics to enhance brokerage growth strategies. "With such a diverse and seasoned group of founders, we're all learning so much from one another," remarked Equity Angels Founder Kenya Burrell-VanWormer. "We're honored to work with such inspiring founders and look forward to helping grow their businesses through our accelerator program." Upfront Founder Mukund Venkatakrishnan is a recent Harvard graduate who launched his first tech company at 17 and a real estate brokerage by 20. His co-founder Pierre Calzadilla brings extensive real estate expertise, having built and scaled growth teams at Trulia, RealScout and Local Logic. Together, they are leveraging their combined experience to create innovative solutions that financially empower agents and brokers in the real estate industry. The Studio Home Founder Nicole McGuire's passion for modernizing the homebuilding industry stems from her experience working with her family's 80-year-old construction company. She partners with homebuilders to offer curated furniture collections seamlessly integrating with their home designs. Leveraging Web3, she creates aspirational living experiences that buyers can easily envision, personalize and purchase with just a few mouse clicks. ******** We at The Dandy Horse, Inc. have a #proptech solution that increases the cash flow. #VIDAT it. #CO2 avoidance verifying and secured bicycle parking that impacts LEED V 4.1 U.S. Green Building Council #startup

2

Throughout the year, Buyouts gathers intel about the most talked about emerging funds in the market from our networks of LPs and fundraisers. Emerging managers, including first-timers, remain of interest even in the tough fundraising markets. In a Probitas Partners survey last year, 75% of 69 institutional investor respondents said they were interested in exploring new firm spin-outs. Only 2% of respondents had no interest in first-time funds. The updated list includes around 45 names of funds in market that have gotten the attention of investors, including Otro Capital, Iron Path Capital, 5th Line Capital Century House Partners, Dynasty Equity, Citation Capital, Broad Sky Partners, Allied Industrial Partners, and Highland Rim Capital. #Venturecapitalists #Emergingfunds #EmergingManagers #Limitedpartners #Generalpartners #Investments #fundraising #Newfunds #Buyouts #LPs #GPs #VCs #Funds

17

1 Comment

His career started when someone said to him, “well, have you thought about venture capital? We don’t think that you’d be any good at it.” The rest is history. Today’s Alt Goes Mainstream episode features one of the legends of the venture capital industry. Peter Barris joined New Enterprise Associates (NEA) in 1992 after a storied operating career as President and COO at Legent Corporation and an executive at GE Information Services. He served as Managing General Partner and Chairman of NEA from 1999 to March 2024. Under Peter's leadership, NEA saw tremendous success, growing into one of the world's largest venture capital firms and raising the largest-ever venture capital fund a number of times. Today, NEA's AUM stands over $25B. Peter was responsible for investing in a number of foundational and industry-transforming technology companies, including Salesforce, UUNET, Groupon, WebMD, Workday, CareerBuilder, Tempus AI, and more. We had a fascinating discussion about the early days of venture capital and how the industry has evolved. We covered: * The inside story of how almost every other Partner said no but Peter's investment turned out to be a 75x return. * What's the “best characteristic and the death characteristic” of an entrepreneur? * In today's hypercompetitive market do VCs have enough time to make good decisions? * Why the world of venture capital is about influence. * What does it mean to earn an entrepreneur’s trust as a VC? * Why VCs with operating backgrounds can bring unique value to startups. * How NEA came up with the term "Venture Growth Equity." * How can a VC tell that a founder is good at experimentation and that they have the good judgment? * Why specialization and domain expertise are prerequisites in today’s venture industry. Thanks to Ultimus Fund Solutions for sponsoring this episode of the Alt Goes Mainstream podcast. Thanks Peter for coming on the show. It was an honor and a pleasure to hear your views on the evolution of an industry and for you to share your wisdom and experiences. https://lnkd.in/eEJGEFWe

16

Coming soon on Aug 1: "Transformation to a Fresh Tomorrow." This is theme of our 3rd Annual Web3 Investor Day, as we welcome the innovators and investors convening in Chicago for these discussions around the next generation Internet. Our theme reflects the optimism, determination and commitment investors and innovators have solidified off the depths of the bear markets to drive success in the bull markets. Broader investor optimism suggests that fresh institutional funds into Web3 across both tokens and equity may endure.  Across adoption metrics, customer interest and developer activity, Web3 seems to have normalized. It’s refreshing to see the transformation and next evolution of Web3 and it’s refreshing to meet many of you on August 1.  And yet, even with the improved optimism from last year, there still remain open questions in the development and adoption of our next generation Internet:  1. the balance of speculative versus productive investor capital in this current cycle 2. the productive role of liquid trading capital in fostering Web3 innovation 3. the attractiveness of venture investments in follow on financings 4. the role of policy and regulation that may enhance innovation 5. the continued developer activity to improve the underlying infrastructure 6. other Web3 recovery characteristics in target customer use cases. We remain committed to navigating regulatory shifts, fostering investor optimism, and building the customer use cases for Web3.  Physical spaces enhance our innovation conversations.  In person relationships foster our collaboration.  Relationships drive breakthrough innovations.  Reach out to Rizza Torres at Decasonic if you would like to join us! #web3investorday #web3 #venturecapital

20

6 Comments

I really enjoyed recording this episode of The Digital Industrial Podcast with Ty Findley. We talked about common misconceptions for deep tech, the "Why Now" for the category, and differences between investor diligence for deep tech and traditional tech. https://lnkd.in/eKtwjauu

19

4 Comments

Check out how our Rethink Education portfolio companies are transforming the future of education and work in our 2023 Impact Report!

27

It's been a whirlwind of a few months going through the Venture Institute program. I’ve enjoyed learning more about the VC ecosystem and meeting peers through the program too. Some of the standout moments include: - learning from VC lawyers and new emerging fund managers from VC Lab - diving into the mechanics of investing, fund economics, and venture accounting - VC modeling tools This program has helped demystify the world of VC and democratize access for more diverse individuals to understand the landscape. It gave me more resources and context to activate innovation in health tech. #VC #venturecapital #investing #startups

69

Honored to have represented Good Karma Partners and to have been part of this important milestone for the impact investment industry. Impact investors often express concern about “impact-washing” and “cherry-picking” in impact reports. To help address this, over the past 18 months Impact Frontiers, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, has facilitated a consensus-building initiative for investors in private markets, focusing on establishing shared expectations for impact performance reporting. The result of this initiative has just been published — Version 1 of the Impact Performance Reporting Norms.   As a voluntary “social contract,” the Reporting Norms are designed to guide the creation of impact performance reports shared privately by fund managers with their capital providers, as well as the creation of public impact reports.   More information is available at https://lnkd.in/dbsvBVaJ. #impactinvesting #impactreport #impactmanagement https://lnkd.in/decqQ_st

28

2 Comments

Thanks for inviting me TEN Capital Network and Hall T. Martin to talk about some of my favorite topics - climate tech investing and how we are building an energy transition economy in New Mexico.

12

1 Comment

⛳ Emerging fund managers pulse check. PitchBook tracks over 10,000 funds that are raising money, with 45% being emerging fund managers (defined as firms with less than 3 funds). Despite a dip in available capital—down to 16% from the pre-pandemic 23%—these managers are finding creative ways to stay competitive, like partnering with larger firms. 💼 Joanna Drake (founder turned investor) shared how "wildly different" it is raising a fund versus for a startup. One key datapoint she shared on the fund side was how little feedback you get along the way (and the years you can wait for it). The “long-winded and challenging process to raise capital” inspired Drake and Ben Black to create RAISE Global, a community for emerging fund managers and the “forward-thinking LPs” who back them. (A decade later, several hundred emerging managers with AUM under $200m are on the platform) They've found the newest emerging managers are more diverse and geographically dispersed than Silicon valley, and more were able to crack the ceiling and raise larger $100m funds (although this is still a small % of the market, requiring partnership with larger funds at the late stage). ▶ And not a hugely surprising datapoint: A lot of action is in the sub $49 million range, where roughly 50% of emerging managers are raising. Theresa Sorrentino Hajer, Head of U.S. venture capital research at Cambridge Associates warns that past success isn't actually a strong indicator on it's own to assess emerging managers. We've had a valuation reset. And newer managers with investments during the 2019-2021 "party days", need to build relevant track record and play to their strengths. A lot of emerging managers are specializing (70% who applied for Raise had a thematic focus), and betting on getting in as early as possible in the startup's lifecycle (Raise: 31% at accelerator/ pre-seed stages, and 47% at seed stage). “Emerging managers have to compete on a different dimension,” Nick Moran from New Stack Ventures. You're no longer just dealing with capital. Emerging VC's need to be as innovative and nimble as the startups they invest in, having a unique thesis and insights. They also play a role at the top of the deal-flow funnel: helping larger firms find promising companies, so finding a thesis, sector or philosophy aligned partner at a larger firm is helpful. Onwards! #EmergingManager #Startups #VC

24

1 Comment