Bedy Yang

This part of my conversation with Joao Barbosa, co-founder at the world’s leading wellness platform Gympass (now Wellhub) valued at $2.4 is a testament to the fact that nothing big actually started big 👇 It took Gympass 5 pivots and 2 near death experiences to find the business model that works and is scalable across the globe What I found really interesting is the framework that the team had around pivots - the tripod approach towards creating value. This approach could benefit many founders especially in marketplace kinda businesses Head over to our channels on Spotify, Apple and YouTube to watch / listen to the full conversation link in comment 🔗 The J Curve #thejcurvepodcast #podcastrecommendation #gympass #pivot #entrepreneurship #founder #venturecapital

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On May 2, 2024 REFASHIOND Ventures: The Industrial Transformation Fund convened people from around the world for Supply Chain & Industrial Transformation: The Next Generation (Silicon Valley 2024) at the JP Morgan Chase Palo Alto Technology Center in Palo Alto, CA. In this showcase Constanza Gomez demonstrates how Sortile enables the sorting of post-consumer waste textiles and apparel using near infrared spectroscopy. Sortile is a startup in our portfolio at REFASHIOND Ventures: The Industrial Transformation Fund. Our Thesis: REFASHIOND Ventures: The Industrial Transformation Fund invests in early stage startups refashioning legacy industries through Data & AI, Advanced Materials, Advanced Manufacturing, & Next Generation Supply Chains; Defensible through economic moats. More in the video below. #SCITSV2024 #SCITSV2024Showcase

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Red eye flights are cool, three learnings from the VC Platform Global Summit, and a special curtain call. I had the opportunity to spend the last few days with 500+ #VCPlatform professionals from around the globe. Sandwiched between my son’s basketball tournament (GO GOLD!), a red-eye to Miami, and my daughter’s 4th grade play, the VC Platform Global Community Annual Summit is an event I look forward to every single year. The growth of this community is something that is so special to have witnessed since I joined in 2017. We’ve gone from a small handful of people in a single conference room to a multi-track event touching all aspects of Platform. I walk away feeling as though I learn as much as I share. And while these lessons aren’t specifically Platform specific, they are things that I walked away with in order to be a better manager (and human being)! Here are some of the highlights: ❤️ Lesson 1: Take a moment to be empathetic: Up until this very moment, everybody has a unique journey to where they are in life. No two people see things the exact same way. This fact impacts how they perceive everything in front of them. What is logical to you could be unfathomable to someone else. Take a moment to try to understand what could be unfathomable to you, but is a valid and very real perspective for them. This is applicable in both my professional and personal lives. (A million thanks Julie for helping me remember this.) 🤫 Lesson 2: Thriving as an introvert: In what is seemingly an industry built for extroverts, finding your own way to thrive is nobody’s job but your own. Unbeknownst to me, Dominic and I have taken similar approaches to finding ways to thrive by applying data to our work. What I do with Scale Studio and Go-to-Market scaling, he does with Talent. (Introverts Unite!) 🤝 Lesson 3: Genuine relationships matter: It’s really easy to scan a QR code and connect with someone on LinkedIn, but those aren’t the relationships that truly matter. Sharing the struggle of being a parent, tips on visiting Disney, and talking about a shared passion for fitness are what makes us who we are and open up the doors to build trust and openness in a professional context. Creating these genuine relationships, and continually working on them, have helped me create the network that I come to rely on everyday. (Thanks to my dinner mates Allen, Huff, Stephen, Saydeah, Carolina, Julie, Jindra) Special thanks to the rest of the board at VC Platform (Joshua, Keji, Annie, Cory, Arabella, Brianna, Casey, Cliff, Elyse, Erica, Samantha) for putting this amazing event together. And yes, I made it back for the performance.

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‌I recently returned from spending a week in São Paulo, where I had the pleasure of visiting friends and loved ones. In addition to reconnecting, I engaged in productive discussions with founders, fellow venture capitalists, and other asset allocators. ✈ 👨‍💻 👊 The trip was filled with great meetings, offering valuable insights and market perspectives on early-stage venture capital and the fintech ecosystem in Brazil. 🎯 🌎 💡 #VCs #earlystage #investments #networking

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On May 2, 2024 REFASHIOND Ventures: The Industrial Transformation Fund convened people from around the world for Supply Chain & Industrial Transformation: The Next Generation 2024 at the JP Morgan Chase Palo Alto Technology Center in Palo Alto, CA. Lisa Morales-Hellebo and I want to extend our deep gratitude and appreciation to everyone who joined us for the event, and especially to; Melanie Hilton, Michelle Covey, Jess Urriola, Amy Reiter, and Vivian Tai from GS1 US for sponsoring that event, and our other event on May 3 in San Francisco. Kristopher Duarte, Executive Director, JPMorgan Chase & Co., and his colleagues for hosting us, and working with us to create a top notch experience that we have been told far exceeded the expectations of the people who attended. Kris moderated a dynamic panel discussion that was followed by a very robust Q&A session with the audience. Our Panelists; Daniela Caserotto-Leibert, US Head of Ecosystem, Cathay Innovation, Mario Veraldo, Founder & CEO, MTM Logix - Former Head of Maersk for Mexico and LatAm, and Claudia Pellerano, President of the Free Trade Zone Association of the Americas (AFZA) & Chairwoman of the Board, Las Americas Industrial Free Zone, DR. The panel discussion centered on: Lessons Learned in Corporate Venture Capital and Corporate Innovation, and; Emerging Trends in Supply Chain Logistics between LatAm and North America. Our Startup Showcase Presenters - * indicates a startup in the REFASHIOND Ventures portfolio; Moin I., Shipday (Local Commerce)* Will Drewery, Diagon (Sourcing & Procurement for Manufacturing)* Constanza Gomez, Sortile (Trustless Fibers)* Jens Tellefsen, GeoFlow (Industrial Knowledge Graphs)* Hari Menon, Firstsfift.ai (Autonomous Supply Chain Planning)* Karyl Fowler, Transmute (Supply Chain Interoperability)* Matias Troccoli, GYBE (Tech for Frontline Workers)* Willson Deng, Arcstone (Manufacturing Execution & Supply Chain Visibility)* Michael Young, Photon Commerce (AI for Payments Data) Michelle Peters, Supplino (Expert Marketplaces) Karthik Balakrishnan, Actual (Capital Planning for Sustainability) Gentry Lane, Nemesis Global (RADAR for the Cyber Domain)* Pilar V. Ceron, CEO of Xtrategy US who organized the delegation of corporate executives and government officials from across Latin America and Spain in collaboration with the Free Trade Zone Association of the Americas for giving us the opportunity to explore the role technology and innovation in Supply Chain & Industrial Transformation can play as an engine for economic development across the Americas over the 2 days we spent together. Jessica Straus Fuchs, Christa Mekki, and the rest of the team at the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center in San Francisco where we held our Executive Salon on the State of Textiles and Apparel Supply Chains in the United States on Friday, May 3. And last but not least; Thanks to Sam Graydon for the video and photography. Here’s a brief snippet from the May 2 event. #SCITSV2024

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Incredible positive leadership by Marcelo Claure and his team; we share his conviction for delivering outsized returns by leveraging diversity. In fact, we believe the time is now because in a world where AI can easily summarize and draw insights from the world’s information, we will increasingly commoditize conventional ideas and will pay a higher premium for non-conventional thinking. This non-conventional thinking will have to come from uncommon entrepreneurs and will be fueled by diversity of thought. This is why diversity in entrepreneurship will be an even more important driver of outsized venture returns.

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I have a unique list of places to visit, ranging from natural landscapes to tech centers and research facilities. One place at the top of my list was the Sirius synchrotron light source in Campinas, Brazil, the second brightest in the world. I recommend you read this recent piece (https://lnkd.in/dcfucTcr) about Sirius, on how AI turbocharges the particle accelerator and green hydrogen in the capital of science. Reading the piece about Campinas, a city 100 km from São Paulo, reminded me of its remarkable tech-oriented and science-dense economy. Home to one of Brazil's top universities and numerous deep-tech companies with global ambitions, Campinas offers a unique blend of globally-minded tech entrepreneurship and world-class science. Big science projects like Sirius are essential for advancing knowledge and driving innovation. At the GFCC | The Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils, we highlighted this in the "Leveraging Extreme Innovation" report (https://bit.ly/3Wes9a5), analyzing 17 transformational tech projects worldwide, including Sirius. These projects push the boundaries of science, technology, and business, leading to market innovations. Sirius is part of the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), a major science infrastructure with global relevance. Notably, CNPEM operates as a private non-profit, showcasing the importance of institutional innovation. Innovation in institutions is crucial for emerging nations, especially in Latin America. Hugo Resende, a favorite author of mine on LinkedIn, shares valuable insights on innovation. We agree on three key points (right, Hugo?) innovation is poorly understood in Brazil, it's primarily about business and the economy, not just science and technology, and Brazil needs to improve its business environment and modernize its institutions to foster innovation. Even operating under the Brazilian business environment and institutional constraints, CNPEM’s innovative model provides a template for what is possible to do in the country regarding science and technology, and even innovation. But real change will only happen when Brazil trains and empowers a globally-minded generation of Brazilians at scale. Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), a key player in training talent, has produced companies like the Nasdaq-listed CI&T showcasing successful examples of research-industry partnerships. Interestingly, CNPEM harbors ILUM (https://ilum.cnpem.br/), a highly innovative, project-based higher education program. Federal universities in Brazil need reinvention, and ILUM's innovative setup could serve as an inspiration. It reminds me of what my friend João Jornada achieved during his tenure at Inmetro, combining cutting-edge research with education, creating the opportunity for students to work with cutting-edge science tools, in globally relevant projects. Any thoughts BR colleagues? If you are not Brazilian: to these points resonate with your reality? Comments?

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After not being on a podcast for a few years, I’m happy to be back! It's also great that we discussed something I’m passionate about — venture capital. Breaking into VC is hard and people in the space (and those interested in the space) need to believe in the value of diverse experiences, networks, and skills to make better investment decisions and achieve better venture outcomes. So, check out my conversation with Sydney Wong, MBA, on her podcast about my journey, thoughts on the industry, and how to create opportunities as you grow professionally. Link in the comments and I would love to hear what was a highlight for you. #venturecapital #venturemindset #podcast

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Wing Venture Capital is excited to unveil today the "Angels' Share 100", an exclusive list of the most active angel investors in the most promising startups in B2B technology. This project's mission is to serve as an information and relationship platform for the founder and angel community. Building a successful B2B technology company is hard work, and as early-stage investors and long-term company builders ourselves, we know we need all the help we can get! An important source of help has been the individual investors we work with. Individuals investing alongside us have consistently made powerful contributions to ultimate success. So we set out to study these “angels” in our midst. Who are they? Where did they come from? What allows them to make a difference? https://lnkd.in/gfFs4-bu

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On May 2, 2024 REFASHIOND Ventures: The Industrial Transformation Fund convened people from around the world for Supply Chain & Industrial Transformation: The Next Generation (Silicon Valley 2024) at the JP Morgan Chase Palo Alto Technology Center in Palo Alto, CA. Lisa Morales-Hellebo and I want to extend our deep gratitude and appreciation to Melanie Hilton, Michelle Covey, Jess Urriola, Amy Reiter, and Vivian Tai from GS1 US for sponsoring that event, and our other event on May 3 in San Francisco. In this clip from Thursday, May 2, Melanie, Senior Vice President, Community Engagement at GS1 US tells our guests about GS1 US and welcomes them to the gathering. Our Investment Thesis: REFASHIOND Ventures: The Industrial Transformation Fund invests in early stage startups refashioning legacy industries through Data & AI, Advanced Materials, Advanced Manufacturing, & Next Generation Supply Chains; Defensible through economic moats. About GS1 US; GS1 US® helps companies power their supply chains to deliver safe, consistent, authentic, and trusted experiences. Best known as the recognized source for UPC barcodes, GS1 is a not-for-profit, global data standards organization that creates the common language that helps companies and their trading partners identify, capture, and share trusted data that links their physical and digital supply chains. Millions of businesses around the world power commerce with GS1 Standards. More than 300,000 members across 25 industries turn to GS1 US® for help with improving operations, addressing today’s industry challenges and changing market conditions, and positioning their businesses for tomorrow by leveraging GS1 Standards. #SCITSV2024

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The next great VCs in Latin America are being founded today. If this is the best time to invest in startups, it’s also the best time to launch a new VC firm. Unlike the easy money of 2020-2021, today’s climate demands grit and ingenuity. To make things harder, everyone is raising in Latin America, from established firms to emerging GPs. Back then, it was easier to raise a first fund but also, a terrible time to deploy capital. Today, if you can bring a fresh perspective, assemble a stellar team, and raise $5-10M, this is your moment. Excited to co-invest with these bold VC founders!

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The SomosVC 2023 Annual Report is out! Key findings of the report include: 👉 79% of venture funds over $100 in AUM have no Latino/a investment professionals at all. 👉 Latino/a's represent only 1.6% of all investment professionals at funds over $100M in AUM 💪 Latino/a led firms are more likely to invest in diverse founders - 48% of portfolio company founders identify as underrepresented people of color. 💪 Latino/a-led firms in the SomosVC community have played a pivotal role in job creation, with investments leading to an estimated 51,612 new jobs. Learn more about the report in this Axios piece! https://lnkd.in/e4d58sNd

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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

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In the past months, I've interacted and seen a lot of Ruben Sanchez Souza, a guy who: - launched & developed Modelo & Corona in China almost 20 years ago 🍺🇨🇳 - founded ADL Visor and sold it to Creditas 🚀💰 - recently launched his new startup, Conducco 📊📈 A Mexican-Brazilian, or Brazilian-Mexican, who grew up in San Diego and now lives in the cidade maravilhosa, in Rio de Janeiro. 🌴🌊 Hear more of his story in the links below: 📹 Youtube 👉 https://lnkd.in/dY4_S2ex 🎧 Spotify 👉 https://lnkd.in/dT-d54Je LIVING & WORKING IN RIO DE JANEIRO 🌅 In his times as an investor, he would have meetings with portfolio companies on the beach, enjoying agua de coco...he even set up a rowing team to make the most of the Lagoa! 🏖️🥥🚣‍♂️ A COLDISH EMAIL TO LAUNCH MODELO IN CHINA ✉️🌏 After going through his MBA at INSEAD, Ruben started reaching out to people in search of an exciting job. One of those went to the CEO of Grupo Modelo, whom he convinced to launch and let him lead Modelo & Corona in China. 💼👔 ACCURATE AND RELIABLE DATA FOR PROVIDERS 📊✅ With Conducco, companies are able to select what sets of data they want to share with providers so they can seamlessly cover their needs to keep operating, and get the best deals out of it. 💡🤝 BEING CRAZY ENOUGH TO DO IT AGAIN 🔄 Starting another company is crazy, but if you're going to do it, you'd better do it differently. For instance, doing simpler things, with more evidence of a need, especially one that is repeated over and over again.. 🔍 A BIG VISION WITH SMALL STEPS 🏞️👣 Making things happen takes more time than expected. Taking small steps is a must if you want to go far without compromising the vision. 🌟🚶‍♂️

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Among the many inefficiencies weighing on the heavy construction sector, equipment maintenance management is one of the more costly, particularly for heavy equipment dealers who bear the primary responsibility for managing the maintenance of the equipment they sell. We are pleased to have Digital Iron join C2V's portfolio. Ditial Iron seamlessly integrates machinery manuals, CRM data, and customer ERP systems to create a centralized source of equipment specifications, maintenance parameters, and field usage data and provides a natural language interface for researching these issues (the gen AI piece). Once dealers have established the cause of each issue, Digital Iron will automatically check dealer inventory and third-party suppliers for availability, lead time, and price of the necessary parts. This information can then be instantly shared with customers for approval and immediate order of needed parts. In addition to saving hours (often days) identifying and sourcing replacement parts, Digital Iron’s AI models also compare equipment usage information to manufacturer useful life/replacement recommendations for each component and prompt dealers to proactively suggest parts replacements to customers, allowing them to monetize all of the additional (and substantial) post-sale revenue for each piece of equipment they sell. https://lnkd.in/e2QJeQut #ai #construction #investing

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Harvard Innovation Labs 2024 demo day! 🎇 I had the opportunity to participate in the current run of the Harvard Innovation Labs, assessing 26 startups as a potential investor. I can't share details about these companies, but I can tell you what I appreciate about this event. 1️⃣ First of all, I would like to emphasize the digital format of this event. You can choose your location and time when ready for a big load of innovation. However, after you watch a 3-minute pitch, you can't go back and must decide immediately whether you want to proceed with contact with the startup or not and move to the following startup pitch. 2️⃣ All of these startups share a common trait - they have big ambitions to solve, if not a global issue, at least a significant problem for a certain continent. Thank you to Aneta Klímová & Hi for giving me this opportunity 🙏

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In Episode 6 of the New Light Ventures podcast, I had an inspiring conversation with Samara Mejia Hernandez, Founding Partner of Chingona Ventures. An institutionally backed pre-seed fund with $60M AUM and over 40 investments in tech startups across the U.S., Chingona is fueling the next generation of badass founders. 🌟 3 Key Takeaways: 1. Leveraging Experience to Build a Firm - Samara applied learnings from her time at Goldman Sachs and MATH Venture Partners to intentionally structure Chingona Ventures for the long-term. 2. Owning Your Authentic Strategy - Samara emphasizes the importance of fund managers developing a thesis that makes sense for them and confidently communicating how it will work. 3. Implementing Processes for Scale - As a solo GP, Samara has put frameworks in place around sourcing, diligence, and portfolio support to enable her small team to operate effectively. "From the beginning, as I've mentioned before, I consider myself a fiduciary of people's money. I raise money from others to invest, and I feel there is a huge responsibility that comes with that." Whether you're an emerging manager, aspiring VC, or founder, Samara offers valuable perspectives on building an institutionally-backed firm while staying true to your unique approach. 🎧 Listen to Samara's full story now - link in comments!

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Great insights from James Song and Letícia Doniak on the thriving creators' economy in Brazil! I was thrilled to contribute to the discussion and share my perspective on this dynamic sector. #creatoreconomy #creativeindustry #venturecapital #empreendedorismo #entrepreneurs

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Proud to be partnering with Sara Beykpour, Marcel Molina, and the Particle team as we announce today that Lightspeed is leading the $10.9M Series A financing! Particle's founding team helped build some of the internet's most innovative consumer products, including Twitter, Vine, Periscope, and Secret. At Twitter, they discovered the power of LLMs and became determined to reinvent news and media using these new AI superpowers 🦸 AI is reorganizing the way media is both created and consumed on the internet. Particle’s initial content focus is news – a category that is increasingly broken due to misaligned incentives between publishers and readers. But we believe AI can help to maximize value for both… 🗞️ The vision for Particle is to become the go-to destination people visit to be quickly yet deeply educated about any topic or story – with a highly personalized, efficient, and interactive experience, powered by amazing journalists ✍️ Michael Mignano & I are excited to be on this journey with the Particle team –and we can't wait to have you onboard as well! Head over and join the waitlist now ahead of our official launch ⬇️ particle.news

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