Michael Lisovetsky

2,725 venture firms disappeared over the last two years. To be better than average, you need to be different than average. To make money, you need be right when others are wrong. The same applies to choosing fund managers, and understanding the fund models you’re investing in. Inception funds and pre-seed institutions are a different product for allocators than early stage VC funds. Different underlying math. Different nuances to understand. https://lnkd.in/eu5j4Dr4 #venturecapital #vc #familyofffice #fundoffunds Antler

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Don't pitch unprepared ❌ Follow this template for a successful pitch every time: 1. [Company] is a [offering] that [value prop]  Example: "Acme Inc. is a SaaS platform that cuts IT costs by 50%" 2. Targeting the [market] market, which reached [market size] last year  Example: "Targeting the cybersecurity market, which reached $200B last year" 3. Competing with [competitor1] and [competitor2], but [key differentiator]  Example: "Competing with McAfee and Norton, but our AI-powered threat detection is 10X faster" 4. Achieved [current state]  Example: "Launched our MVP, have 10 pilot customers, and are closing a $1M seed round" 5. Seeking [the ask] to [goal]  Example: "Seeking intros to Series A investors to scale to $10M ARR" Clear, concise, and covers all the essentials. No more long-winded pitches. Cut the fluff. Keep it concise. Credit: Chris Tottman ---------------- Follow me ( Zamir Shukho, MBA ) for more and subscribe to ‘Siliconnector’ Telegram channel for insights and news from Tech world and Silicon Valley: https://t.me/siliconnector

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The state of venture capital is wild right now. We are witnessing a surge of innovation across the spectrum: - Funds merging - VC doing PE - PE doing VC - Secondary funds - Buyout funds - Spin-out funds - Debt funds - Continuation funds - Infrastructure funds - GP turnover - Hard Tech surging - Family Office uptick

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Alternative Resources for founders, geared for startups with generous free tiers: 1) Papermark - Docsend alternative. 2) Tally - Typeform alternative. 3) Cal.com, Inc. - Calendly alternative. 4) Supabase - Firebase Alternative. 5) Sender.net - Mailchimp Alternative. What else are people using and loving in the founders stack?

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Big rounds are back. VC Funding is flowing. In April, there were 28 fundraising rounds announced with >$10M in funding. We've seen private market (pre-launch) deals valued >$3B recently. Private Markets are hot. Public Market comps (FDVs) are hot. But who will buy our multi-billion dollar bags? Deal Flow Digest April w/: - Recap of largest web3 funding rounds - Airtable with ALL the data - Hackathons & Demo Days - VC Fundraises Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g7V4KrAj

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So you missed the 83(b) election, which is holding you back from raising VC money? Here's what you can do: Unfortunately, you can't file a late Section 83(b) election because the Internal Revenue Code requires it to be done within 30 days from the Board consent approving the stock grant subject to vesting. There are no perfect fixes, but here are a few things you can try: 1. Cancel the Stock Grant and Issue New Stock: You can cancel the original stock grant and give yourself new stock instead. Just make sure to avoid any funny business like backdating the grants, and be careful not to raise any red flags with the IRS. To make the new grant different from the old one, you could give out stock options instead, change the vesting schedule, or adjust the number of shares. 2. Remove the Vesting Schedule: Another option is to scrap the vesting schedule from the stock agreement altogether. I like this option, but remember that when you're trying to get venture funding, they might want to put a new vesting schedule in place. That's pretty standard. But before that happens, there's a risk: a founder with stock that doesn't have a vesting schedule might just up and leave, holding onto their stock. It's a real risk especially when there are multiple co-founders. While missing the 83(b) election deadline does come with some tax risks, these options could help you minimize future tax problems. It's always a good idea to talk to a tax lawyer. #startuplawyer #startupfounder #83b

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First time founder and raising? I've shared this recently too, and like 🎯 Pawel Maj says: This is the only book you'll ever need on fundraising, as a first-time founder. It's a lot of pages, but will save you tremendous amounts of time and more importantly, get you a bigger chance for the results you're looking for. All credits to the Hustle Fund 👀⤵️ #firstdegree  #founders  #investors #alwaysbelearning  #sharingiscaring #changethewaywework

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Tons of new business owners are missing out. You can get up to $100,000 in AWS credit (as in, no-payback) to build a proof-of-concept if you have an idea and a website. AWS Activate is the program. If you're a founder and you're looking to build cost-effectively before you have paying clients, check it out.

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How to pitch: The company has zero traction —> “We’re early” You only have 2 customers —> “We’re working with design partners” You currently have no revenue but hoping some pipeline finally closes —> “we’re on track to exit this year at $3M ARR” You’re in the natural kill zone of a FAANG —> “We view them as partners rather than competitors” There’s no way the tech can actually work —>“We’re manifesting the future” And of course: One of your developers uses Co-Pilot to write some front end code —> “We’re an AI company”

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Sending your first fundraising email can be scary. Before you even think about it, ask yourself this question: 𝗜𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗩𝗖-𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲? VC is all about SCALE and SPEED:  - Spot an early trend with a massive TAM  - Validate technical and market feasibility  - Know your unfair advantage to achieve big milestones in record time. If your business doesn’t meet the above, VCs might not see an opportunity to fund you. ❌ Bad fundraising narratives:  → “We need money to figure out our business model”  → “I want to extend the runway to have peace of mind” ✅ Good fundraising narratives:  → “We know we can reach X DAU, and we need $Y to achieve this milestone in Z months instead of N years.”  → “We’ve lowered CAC by X% in Y distribution channel in less than Z months; we’re seeking $X to optimize even more and scale even faster.” See where I’m going? VC is not for every business out there. It is possible to build a multimillion-dollar business without VC. It’s also possible to make life-changing money relatively fast without VC. Agree? 💬 #startups #founders #venturecapital #entrepreneurs #vc #investors #scale

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21 Ways to Kill Your Company Day 9: Poor Fundraising Strategy This means two things - be realistic about the benchmarks you need to unlock your next raise and then raise enough money to hit those milestones. Be great (and realistic) with financial planning. Don't forget those extra five months you typically need to raise. #21waystokillyourcompany #fundraising #venturecapital

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A few spots left for this awesome workshop with Justin Gray of In Revenue Capital. Every successful founder I know learns to develop and maintain high performing relationships. This is a skill like anything else and can be developed. Founders, if you want to build a high-growth company, learn to build high-performing relationships. This workshop will help you do that. Hope you can join us.

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Over the last ten years, I’ve made 50+ Venture Capital investments (from 1000+ deal opportunities). My track record: 25% - Big winners (greater than 3x w/ 4 making unicorn status) 15% - Small winners (1x to 3x) 10% - Written off as a loss 50% - Still invested Most are SaaS, but I’ve branched into core AI, Data Science, Space, and Real Estate. My original objective (due to risk management) was to enter the seed or pre-A round. Then, exit (partial or in whole) at the A or B rounds with a solid return. In the short term, it provided valuable lessons learned and additional cash flow to redeploy. Yet I found this was a huge mistake, given the potential upside I missed out on, and necessary tax hit with gains. In my early investments, I looked for four non-negotiables: • Visionary teams • Unique, innovative ideas • High growth potential • Disruptive technology Then, exiting at series A/B felt safe. It seemed logical. But here’s what I missed by playing it safe: • Maturity: Early ideas evolve into companies with solid product-market fit and cash flow. • Growth: The real gains often materialize post-Series B, as companies scale and expand. • Timing: I learned that timing is everything. Exiting too early means missing out on a potential unicorn or IPO. So, what now? My strategy has evolved. It's not just about a ‘quick’ exit. It's about seeing the potential and hanging on for a few more years. Here's why staying invested pays off: 1. Higher Exits: From Series C onwards, valuations spike. You're in for larger exits. 2. Decision Power: Influence major strategic decisions. As companies grow, your impact grows. 3. Long-Term Value Creation: Benefit from the full value creation journey. It's a lesson in patience, vision, and the courage to stay the course. Investors, I'm curious: Do you take the same approach?

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How many companies in a single screenshot are ready for #disruption by a savvy #DLT #startup? I count 2. If a company has 1/5 stars from the majority of customer ratings, how is that still an A+ BBB rating? If Escrow(.com) is so universally bad to such a wide variety of customers, how long before a half way competent #fintech comes to eat their lunch? I can't help but think there's a better way, and it probably has something to do with distributed ledger technology. Ideally on a trusted network with adults at the helm like Hedera. In #2024 with such technological marvels left and right; why should any company be able to get away with this?

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Founders diving right into tech specs or minute differentiation in the first few minutes of a first meeting with a VC miss the entire point of that meeting. Your job is to get the investor *emotionally* invested, which is the first step in getting them financially invested. You have one goal on that first call: get your prospect emotionally invested enough to take a second call.

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Episode #102 Fireside with a VC speaking with Tige Savage who cofounded Revolution with Steve Case, founder of AOL – America Online, one of the biggest internet companies in history reaching a peak market cap of $200bn dominating email, internet connectivity, online news, and chat. Tige discusses all things venture capital with a wealth of multi-decade experience covering a wide area of topics on how to run a high-performing VC fund year over year and best practices on investing, governance, legals, portfolio construction, sectors, overall strategy, and today’s exit market. Discussing the organization of Revolution with 1) Revolution Rise of the Rest – their $150m pre-seed fund, 2) Revolution Ventures – the $150m VC fund Tige manages with a concentrated 15 portfolio companies per fund, and 3) Revolution Growth which continues to invest in Series B and beyond. Discussed the pioneering thesis of investing across the US rather than being concentrated in the Silicon Valley, New York, Boston, or other highly evolved tech corridors and why Washington DC matters. Find the full episode on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gyB-yjvG. Find this and all full episodes for Fireside with a VC on your favorite podcast platform here: https://lnkd.in/gtzuxjJh. https://revolution.com/ https://lnkd.in/gyCbq7jy https://www.7bc.vc/ https://lnkd.in/gFa_AAZ7 Join our Newsletter - Fireside with a VC: https://subscribe.7bc.vc. Join the conversation, leave comments, and tell us what you think about these topics and this episode.

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🔑 Maintaining Momentum in Fundraising: 3 Strategies for Success Fundraising is easy when you're consistently hearing "yes" and have plenty of momentum. But what happens when you're starting from scratch or your pipeline is running dry? In my latest video, I share 3 strategies to help you build and maintain momentum: 1. Find the easy yeses 2. Update the maybes 3. Ramp up outreach

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