Jeb Spencer

🌟Innovative VC Firm Overcomes Exits Drought with Secondary Sales🌟 ⛵Navigating a challenging landscape where exits are scarce, Santa Barbara Venture Partners (SBVP) has pioneered a novel approach to sustain its growth and attract investors for its second fund: secondary sales. Instead of waiting for traditional exits like IPOs or acquisitions, SBVP opted to sell shares of its portfolio companies, demonstrating its ability to generate returns for investors and stand out in a competitive market. 🎤According to Dan Engel, founder and managing partner of SBVP, these secondary transactions have been a game-changer, sparking investor interest and bolstering the firm's credibility. By leveraging its recent successes, including a lucrative stake in sports-betting company DraftKings Inc.' acquisition of digital lottery app Jackpocket, SBVP seized the opportunity to return profits to its limited partners (LPs) and pave the way for its second fund. 💡Engel highlighted the challenges faced by young VC firms in raising subsequent funds, particularly amid a downturn in exit activity and heightened investor scrutiny. With traditional exit routes becoming increasingly elusive, the pressure is on for firms to demonstrate tangible returns and establish a track record of success. ✨"For us, secondary sales have been a game-changer. They've helped us return profits to our LPs and attract investors for our second fund," said Dan Engel. 💰For SBVP, the decision to pursue secondary sales was driven by the need to provide liquidity to LPs and validate its investment thesis in the eyes of prospective investors. By strategically offloading portions of its holdings in high-performing portfolio companies like Bark Technologies and Rad AI, SBVP not only generated substantial returns but also bolstered investor confidence in its ability to deliver results. ⚠Despite the complexities and potential stigma associated with early share sales, Engel emphasized the importance of prioritizing investor returns and seizing opportunities to unlock value for stakeholders. With a focus on profitability and transparency, SBVP remains committed to its mission of delivering sustainable growth and maximizing returns for its LPs. 🔍 "Returning profits to our investors is our top priority. By strategically selling shares, we're proving our commitment to delivering results and driving value for our stakeholders," added Engel. As SBVP continues to explore secondary transactions and expand its investor base, the firm stands as a testament to innovation and resilience in the face of market challenges. 🚀 ✅ Looking to raise capital for your #fund and increase the international pool of your LP #investors?   🤝 Need warm #LP introductions?   📝 Selling #secondaries to increase liquidity?   🧐 Looking for co-investments?   ▶ G+QUANT's link for inquiries and fund decks: https://lnkd.in/gjC_EuTE #VCInnovation #SecondarySalesSuccess #InvestorReturns #ValueCreation 

2

Is your startup is considering a Series A round? Our founder Jeff Burkland explores the 7️⃣ critical factors to consider to ensure the best possible outcome. Burkland helps startups navigate critical fundraising milestones with expert guidance and strategic financial planning. Get in touch to learn more about how we can support your startup’s next investment round. https://lnkd.in/gQnCTaf3 #startups #venturecapital #seriesA #startupfinance

7

A few Friday thoughts... After several days in Chicago surrounded by 200+ LPs at the ILPA Members' Conference covering everything from AI to NAV facilities, I'm headed into the weekend energized by what's to come. That may come at a surprise after the week we've had as an industry. The decision from the U.S. Fifth Circuit on the SEC's Private Fund Advisers rules was handed down just moments before we kicked off ILPA’s AGM on Wednesday. All along, ILPA has viewed the PFA as addressing areas that pose risks to both LPs and the industry around transparency, governance and alignment of interest. It was disappointing—albeit not a shock—to see the PFA vacated. But ILPA is choosing to turn our energy to the compelling opportunity before us as an industry. Together, we can chart the path for how we'll work better together, on our own terms. Particularly around transparency. Just days prior to the ruling, we had debuted the next evolution of ILPA reporting templates on fees and expenses and performance for industry feedback. The templates were developed by a broad industry coalition over a three-month period, partly to comply with the PFA quarterly statements rule implementation deadline, but largely because this work needed to be done. We've temporarily paused the comment period. Now we have the benefit of more time to ensure that these minimum reporting standards have cross-industry buy-in to ensure wide support and adoption. Will you join us in this effort, in paving the way forward as an industry? https://lnkd.in/e-6hspU4

70

Maven Ventures , a seed-stage venture capital firm celebrated for its early investments in companies like Zoom and Cruise, has recently launched a new $60 million fund. This fourth fund raises their total assets under management to $200 million, with a continued focus on pioneering startups in the consumer technology sector. 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗦 👉 https://lnkd.in/d_9Y84Ri Robert Ravanshenas Nick Stanley Jim Scheinman Sara Thomas Deshpande Naomi Scheinman #startups #fundingnews #investmentfund #venturecapital #privateequity #finance #investors #siliconvalley #consumertech #innovation

36

There’s a whole world of small farms and small businesses being powered by offgrid renewable energy. Understanding the business models that make it possible is critical for this bold new world. At the #GlobalSouthSouthSummit, innovators from across Africa and Asia will learn from each other to advance a sustainable world free of poverty.

15

In conjunction with Cooley's Q1 2024 Venture Financing Report, we sat down with Chris Ahn of Haun Ventures to get his take on the state of venture capital investing, including insights on: 💥 The significance of up rounds representing 65% of deals. 💥 His approach to risk management and mitigation strategies when investing. 💥 The most effective monetization models for community-based ventures. Read the full conversation on #CooleyGO with the link below. #CooleyGO #venturecapital #VC #investing

9

📣 Last Call: Our webinar on tech startup fundraising is tomorrow! Tune in to learn how to land your pitch with financials and forecasts. Forecastr's Jeff Erickson will share: ✅ Expert insight on fundraising strategies ✅ How to craft compelling financial projections that resonate with investors ✅ How to navigate investor dialogue and address key concerns 🔗Register for FREE: https://fndrs.net/3UsES83 #venturecapital #startupfunding #tech #startups

18

2 Comments

🎧 Tune in to the latest Wharton Fintech episode to hear all about Plaid's journey and how we're building faster, safer, and more seamless financial experiences.

50

In our newest blog post, Nine Four Ventures General Partner Kurt Ramirez shares some of his thoughts on the current environment of startup shutdowns and valuation resets, and if these are natural consequences of an earlier period of frothy investment and easy money. Some key points are around how:  ·        Startup failures are common and expected, especially after a period of high funding.  ·        The recent increase in shutdowns should be viewed relative to the outsized number of startups funded in the boom years of 2020 and 2021 and reaching their make-or-break moment now.  ·        Some of these startups may have been funded based on unrealistic expectations of future growth, leading to valuation drops. Read the full post on our site, Substack, or by clicking below to learn more. Please reach out with any questions or comments on trends, companies, or anything else. https://lnkd.in/dZm6vfis Cc Jeffrey Elowe, Kurt Ramirez, Paul La Londe, Sophia Ghadamian Kier, Avi Pradhan #VentureCapital #Startup #Valuation #Tech

13

Why choose between equity and debt when you can leverage both? We offer a hybrid financing model for SaaS founders. Start with our venture debt financing and explore our equity fund for continued capital and support. Learn about River SaaS Capital’s approach. https://lnkd.in/gvGUH_gY #HybridFinancing #SaaSFinancing #EquityFund

17

Catch another episode of This Week in Startups where Upfront Managing Partner Mark Suster interviews Max Altman and Ben Braverman, two of the three co-founders of Saga Ventures. With Saga’s new $125 million fund, the trio talk about: ➡ Fundraising challenges the co-founders faced as a first-time fund and the playbook of how referrals can be the best leads for increasing the chances of success ➡ Nuances of determining a fund size to maintain competitive advantages in deal strategies ➡ Ben’s learnings from working with Ryan Peterson at Flexport as well as Max’s experience and unique advantages working with his brothers Jack and Sam Here's a short clip below about the attributes of successful founders that they look for, including those willing to take unconventional risks 👇

20

Per PitchBook, PE managers' returns to LPs are still in decline. The data speaks for itself. Clearly the past few years have seen a significant decline in realizations. However, one of the biggest mistakes continually made in investing is to take recent data and simply extrapolate it into the future. The article makes the statement: "The decline is a sign that PE realizations have yet to bottom out, as GPs navigate unfavorable market conditions for exiting their often long-held investments." I wouldn't be so sure. The data might actually be pointing out that the decline has bottomed out - and we simply have not yet recognized it. The investing markets are a pendulum, constantly swinging back and forth between wide open capital markets and markets closed tight. We have been in a closed market for some time now. Don't be too surprised if what we are experiencing now is the early innings to a thaw. Only time will tell... Endeavor Colorado #privateequity #venturecapital #innovation #entrepreneurship #founders #startups #investing https://lnkd.in/gCCWN9_D

2

After their most recent fundraise in March, Carputty CEO Joshua Tatum weighs in on venture debt in 2024 🗞 "Especially as a fintech with lending products, the ideal capital structure calls for a mix of equity and debt. Venture capital is funding our operational growth. Venture debt, on the other hand, is essential for us to fund our loans. The combination of the two is essential to keep the train moving steadily." Read full article ⬇ #venturecapital #startups #venturedebt #ceo #portfolio

1

1 Comment

"Use your financial model as an operating plan not just a financial plan." We were nodding our heads in agreement during our recent chat with one of our VC partners, Phil Boyer from Crosslink Capital. Check out the full convo to hear more about what VCs care about leading up to a successful fundraise ➡ https://lnkd.in/gKhKrP58

18

13% of Venture GP's don't plan to raise another fund due to LP pullbacks and a tough fundraising environment. In 2024, Weraise Ventures is redefining how founders and GP's raise capital - if you're apart of the 87% of GP's actively fundraising, let's chat! #venture #capital #markets #vc #gp #lp #fundraising #business #crypto #fund #founder #startup

4

Ron Miller from TechCrunch has hit it out of the park in his latest article covering Loft, vCluster, and our $24M Series A funding led by Khosla Ventures. "Investors have traditionally liked startups built on top of popular open source projects because they provide a ready top-of-sales funnel. But such startups must come up with a way to monetize that popularity. Loft Labs has done both." Since we released the open source version of the product, #vCluster, in 2021, it has surpassed 40 million image pulls which suggests that a lot of people are interested in this concept and we released vCluster Pro to monetize the idea in a novel way. Link to the full article in the comment below. #kubernetes #platformengineering #Growth #Innovation #SeriesAFunding #DevPod #gpu #gpus #ai #genai

26

1 Comment