Martyn Holman’s Post

I'm a pretty honest guy, so I lean into and share my failures (learnings) a lot. But the other day, my mate Bobbi Montgomery Heath dropped me a voice note that went something along the lines of: "It's awesome that you share the lessons you've learned and where things have gone wrong, but maybe take the time to share what's gone well too, because clearly they have!" And she's right. I think lots of us are shy of celebrating successes, it feels like we're bragging or maybe being too salesy. But the reality is that whilst our failures may inform us, it's our successes that define us. So as we head into the last stretch of 2023, here are a few of mine, EmergeOne's and our clients' over the last few years: 📈 Runrating 7 figure top line. 🧑🏼💻 Built a growing team of 27 tech and venture CFOs, FDs and finance pros. 🚪 Took Go Instore (Now Emplifi) through an exit for a BIG number. 💸 Current client AutogenAI just raised ~$20m from Blossom Capital. 💰 And Continuum Industries bagged $10m led by Singular. 💵 Whilst Log my Care raised >£3m. 🧠 With QV Bioelectronics raising £2m + >£800k in grants. 🏦 And raising £750k debt for LDSK (LiveDOOH Signkick). 🚀 We've launched a fractional fund CFO offering to help emerging VC funds. 🎙️ Interviewed 100+ awesome VCs, angels, founders on Nothing Ventured. ✍🏾 Launched a newsletter with over 1,100 organic subscribers. 🍸 Sponsored our first ever event for the London Venture Capital Network. 👱🏻♀️ Hired the brilliant Karla McNeilage to boost our presence cross platform. And I'm just getting going 🚀 A massive thanks to all our customers and the VCs that continue to put their trust in us we love working with you and your amazing teams 💪🏾 A huge shout to all of you BioCorteX, Volta XR, Edgify, Titanbay, ROLI, Bodyswaps, Creature Comforts, Really Clever and more 🙏🏾 Drop your wins into the comments, let's all celebrate something today 🥳 #tech #venturecapital #finance #startups

In 2018, Sarah Johnson left a promising career at Goldman Sachs and took a bold leap into the world of FinTech by applying to Y Combinator. Despite being a solo founder and submitting her application late, she made it into the accelerator. Demo Day was a tough sell; every venture capitalist she pitched turned her down with the same skepticism: "The big banks will just do it themselves." It seemed logical. After all, banks have vast resources, extensive customer bases, and deep pockets. The outlook was daunting, but Sarah wasn't deterred. She managed to secure $800K from angel investors and operated on a shoestring budget. Her perseverance paid off, and by 2021, BlueRidge reached $2M in annual revenue. Then, the tide began to turn. Venture capitalists who once dismissed her were now eager to get in on the action. BlueRidge has since expanded to serve over 3,000 clients and raised $90M in venture funding. Sarah's response to the common VC question, "Why won’t the big banks just do it?" isn’t the right question: "You’re not really competing against the entire bank. You’re competing against a product manager there. They have more bureaucracy and less skin in the game." Last month, Sarah and her team at this Fintech unveiled a groundbreaking AI-driven risk assessment tool that outperforms similar offerings from JPMorgan and Citibank. This story mirrors many in the startup world. Often, the giants do step into the arena, but as Sarah proved, being first and being nimble can lead to success that outshines larger, slower competitors. BlueOcean Partners AlphaFund #vcinvesting #founders #startups

I take every news about the looming #VC crisis with a mixed emotion. On the one hand, there is a major trust issue: When you reject good companies because the don't fit "VC model" but throw millions at "unicorns" that are as illusive in reality as they are in fairy-tales - don't come crying when reality comes round to bite. On the other hand, #VC has fuelled so much of the exponential tech growth we have seen in the past decade, and it is scary to think what lays ahead for founders and entrepreneurs without this incredible source of capital. All in all, I think once the correction is over, #fundmanagers will come to realise that their prime goal is not to deliver x1000 returns, but to deliver better than other asset class returns, while safeguarding their investors' funds and offering real support to founders. Goodbye Stride.VC - best of luck in the future. PS - #Cazoo was never going to fly https://lnkd.in/eA7Awsrd #venturecapital #angelinvesting #capitalraising

Honored to be a Business Insider Rising Star of Venture Capital in 2023 ⭐ • In 2006, I was a bank teller behind bulletproof glass • In 2023, I am a founding GP of a venture capital fund Anything is possible over a long period with patient and persistent dedication. Honestly... it is still a dream that I get to work in VC for a living! On this list, there are many friends, peers, and leaders whom I greatly admire. Shoutouts to Elana Dickman, Boyoung Kim, Nurzhas M., Angela Zhu, and more!!! Congrats to you all!! 💫💫💫 Thank you to my day-one partner, Antonio Key, who is in the trenches with me every day as we build our vision of Sunset Ventures 🌅 Thank you to the BI team!  Madeline Renbarger, Leena Rao, Ben Bergman, Darius Rafieyan, Vishal Persaud, Melia Russell.   It means a lot for you to share my story! 🙏 I hope it inspires the next generation VCs. I hope it shows that anyone can break into VC, even those with an uncommon background. -- "Hoffman began his career as a bank teller in 2006 at a local bank in downtown Anaheim. He used his wages to pay for college and eventually built a music production studio, and eventually worked in equity research at Morgan Stanley. Hoffman got the startup investing bug and joined Samsung Electronics's innovation and VC firm, Samsung Next, where he helped lead investments in Ready Player Me, Yuga Labs, and Wonder Dynamics. Last year, Hoffman broke out on his own with Sunset Ventures, an early-stage fund that got the backing of Bank of America and Alexis Ohanian Sr.'s Seven Seven Six 7️⃣7️⃣6️⃣. Hoffman says the best way to break into investing is by getting "hands-on experience doing the work of a VC." "Start by joining VC communities and programs that offer intern, fellow, or scout opportunities," said Hoffman. He said he started angel investing with small amounts on AngelList and then built an angel community. He also volunteered as an intern at Harlem Capital in 2018 when their first fund was being launched." #venturecapital #startups #vc #tech #entrepreneurship #investing

Did you know? About 1 in 5 venture capital financing rounds is experiencing a dip these days, a whopping 4x surge from just two years ago. But why the hushed tones and nervous glances? 🕵️♂️ Jackie Carmel, Managing Director of Endeavor Catalyst, advocates embracing down rounds as a natural element of a thriving private market. She unveils why these rounds are a normal facet of a thriving private market and shouldn't send investors and founders running for cover. It's time to face the music and redefine success beyond the surface. 💡 Did you know that even giants stumble? In 2009, Facebook (now Meta) underwent a down round, slashing its valuation by a third from $15 billion to $10 billion. Fast forward to today, and it's a powerhouse at $800 billion! 🚀 And there's more: Klarna, the 'buy now, pay later' sensation, faced an 85% valuation drop in 2022. Michael Moritz from Sequoia Capital spills the beans, revealing how investor sentiment took a U-turn despite Klarna's rock-solid business standing. A reminder that valuation isn't always a reflection of a company's true worth. 🔄 Change is in the air! Some forward-thinking companies are proactively adjusting their valuations. It's not about waiting for a funding round to dictate terms; it's about seizing control and unlocking hidden financial potential. Dive into the full article and reshape your perspective! 👉 https://lnkd.in/gFMq-h2z #InvestingInsights #VentureVisionaries #RedefineSuccess #FinancialUpside"

Supporting Ben on this journey and keen to speak to any interested investors. #InvestInBX #ImpactInvesting #ClimateSolutions #InvestmentOpportunity #CommunityPower #investing #climatetech #farming #tech #agtech #data #investment #community #support #investmentdeck #startup #scaleup #HNW #familyoffice #VC

Interesting FT article highlighting alternative approaches to value creation in the early-stage venture market involving majority control and turnaround strategies. But it's not new: Bloc Ventures has been executing against a range of value creation strategies for several years now, in the UK and European deeptech sector. Investors shake up VC market by raising money to buy out start-ups https://lnkd.in/e4Wg76va

I have been reading Mark Suster for the last 10 years. He is a friend and an OG. “Of 1200 Unicorns in 21/22, 1000 of them will never achieve an exit value of $1BN.” “We're 2 years into a correction. I think it's gonna take another 5.” “If you're betting on generative AI for the first time now, good luck making returns.” My 7 key takeaways 👇 1. How to Make Money as an Investor You have to believe in something others don’t – and you have to be right. Betting on gen AI & crypto is too late for returns now. We’re doing things LPs aren’t hearing from other people right now. 2. Everyone is a Sheep When Investing People invest most when markets are about to hit their peak. People sell most when markets start plummeting. I started buying in Q4 2008 and I’ve never been more stressed. 3. Three Criteria for Reserves Deployment  We look at 3 things: Do I still believe in the market? Do I still believe in the team? Do I still believe in the valuation? One of our best companies went from $15M to $500M valuation But it didn’t have enough traction so we didn’t write a check. 4. Venture Returns Will Come Down Because PE is the Only Exit Now IPO markets are shut. M&A markets are shut. Returns will come from PE & they will buy from venture funds. BUT they will be paying reasonable prices. 5. 60% of 1200 Unicorns were Funded by Four People; Tiger, Coatue, Insight and Softbank 1,000 of 1,200 Unicorns funded in 2021/22 won’t hit $1BN exit value. 60% of these are marked up by investors. This creates zombie companies. 6. Why Now is the Best Time to Be Investing in Space The cost of launching rockets in space has fallen by 90%. There are more than 100 spin outs from SpaceX & over $10BN raised. A majority of them are based in LA. 7. Why the Woke Left Worries Me The far left are radicalizing against Jews. There are only 15m Jewish people in the world. Anti Semitism is rising in the US and we need to stop it. (links in comments) #founder #funding #business #investing #vc #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup #seed #funding

Congrats to the Gynger team for raising a $20M Series A funding round and closing on a $100M debt facility! We're thrilled to be participating in this round, led by PayPal Ventures, with co-investment from Gradient Ventures, Velvet Sea Ventures, and Deciens Capital. Gynger is an innovative SaaS platform revolutionizing the way technology transactions are made via their seamless embedded financing platform built for both buyers and sellers of technology. By making capital more accessible, Gynger enables companies to purchase software and hardware with flexible payment terms that fit their budget and growth trajectory. We are particularly excited about Gynger for several reasons: 🧠 Experienced Team: Gynger is led by Mark G., who has 20+ years of SaaS experience and a successful multi-billion dollar exit. The team also includes individuals with strong backgrounds in product development, GTM execution, B2B SaaS, and FinTech, including risk/compliance and fraud. 💡 Product and Idea Innovation:The SaaS “spend optimization” trend is here to stay, even as overall tech spend continues to grow exponentially. IT spend is the second biggest expense line item for businesses after headcount and Gynger is poised to help users optimize those costs as well as serving as a “discovery” channel for SaaS providers. 📈 Market and Traction: The global enterprise software market is expected to grow significantly, and Gynger is well-positioned to capitalize on this growth. The company is on track for a strong ARR growth by the end of the year. Gynger's combination of experienced leadership, an innovative product, and proven traction aligns well with our investment thesis. We are confident in Gynger's ability to drive significant growth and deliver exceptional returns. Our angel collective looks forward to being part of their journey, alongside such a strong group of co-investors! #SaaS #SpendOptimization #FinTech #startups #VentureCapital #Tech #SeriesA #embeddedfinancing #angelinvesting #founders https://lnkd.in/gArM6KTQ

Most VCs don’t add as much value as they think https://lnkd.in/gKXfFKMZ - 33% of founders said that they felt VCs simply weren’t honest about the expertise they could offer - 65% said VCs missed mark delivering beyond cash  - Female founders rated value-add as twice as important than males - Value-add includes connections to partners, customers, talent, sharing knowledge Lean AI startups are new black get so get grants + angels + perhaps one right VC for pre seed for MVP for initial traction then with CVP after crossing $100K MRR raise seed at 2.5x valuation of pre seed then get to $10M ARR in 2 years with $100M valuation with awesome cap table where VC's own 20% max. Cheers.....Steve AI startup advisor 'force multiplier'  https://lnkd.in/g38mWcs