Ujwal Sutaria’s Post

One reason 🇮🇹 tech is starting to take off: the country's many family offices are starting to invest in local tech 💰 A few examples: Exor Ventures: the venture arm of the family holding company of the billionaire Agnelli family. In 2022, Exor Ventures set up a new seed investing vehicle, Vento, to focus on Italian-founded companies. Edoardo Alessandri leading tech investments for his family’s holding company, Wellness Holding. The company is increasingly interested in backing Italian-founded companies + is actively hiring for a Milan-based investor. Berlusconi’s family office: with two tech investing arms — Ithaca investments, which backs seed stage companies, and H14, which invests at growth stage and in venture capital firms. Ithaca was an early backer of most of Italy’s most promising companies — including Scalapay, Everli, Young Platform and Jet HR. Sifted understands that the family office of one large Italian fashion brand is close to finalising a new VC fund to back Italian founders. Amy O'Brien has more here https://lnkd.in/eag3PxKq

As per PitchBook, approximately 3,200 private venture-backed U.S. companies have gone out of business this year. Those companies had raised $27.2 billion in venture funding. PitchBook said the data was not comprehensive and probably undercounts the total because many companies go out of business quietly. It also excluded many of the largest failures that went public, such as WeWork, or that found buyers, like Hopin. We do have a similar situation in India and I have been part of conversations about zombie companies and shut downs. While failures and shut downs are expected and part of venture capital, the amount of capital that was deployed in these startups and the valuations has been quite drastic. While funded startups face the challenges of raising more capital, and are starting to focus on business & financial metrics and tested business models, a large number of entrepreneurs and startups with untested models and ideas still think that they will attract capital at unreasonable valuations. They need to realize that the party got over a long time ago, and it is time to go home and recover from the hangover. Just like every cycle, this cycle has also produced its share of founders who generated enough personal wealth for themselves. For investors, portfolio management is one of the most important responsibilities, and that also includes guiding and advising companies that are not likely to be successful towards a graceful exit, which includes shutting down. Better than hoping that a miracle will save zombie companies that are part of investor portfolios. It saves time and resources. One set of businesses that do well during these down cycles are companies/consultants that specialize in bankruptcies and shut downs. Some of these are legacy firms that continue to grow and are profitable! #startups #venturecapital #angelinvesting #venturefunding #entrepeneurship #startupinvesting #failure #shutdown #bankruptcy #peachtreecapital #peachtreeadvisors

If you could look back in time and learn how to identify Unicorn Startups at an earlier stage, what would you do with that information? @shastaventures already did! They found a number of key traits in common, and most of them may surprise you! #startups #founders #venturecapital #unicorns #thefundraisingangel

Exciting news! 🎉 We've just published an article shining a light on the groundbreaking work of York-based business development startups who are leading their industries in the UK. 🇬🇧 Check it out now! 👇 https://lnkd.in/gM8gsCjj Featuring: Highbeam - Innovating the fintech industry with an online platform for understanding, investing, and expanding businesses. MelodyArc - Founded by Ashley Moser and James McHenry, this startup propels internet businesses by championing innovative consumer experiences. Operator Partners - A dedicated firm investing in early-stage technology companies and founders. Metrodora Ventures - Launched by Chelsea Clinton, this venture capital firm emphasizes health and learning businesses. Momence - The brainchild of Matteo Carroll and Vojta Drmota, providing cutting-edge internet services to help businesses thrive online. Primetime Partners - Co-founded by Abby Levy and Alan Patricof, this venture capital fund focuses on investing in companies that transform the quality of life for older adults. Avid Ventures - Pioneered by Addie Lerner and Tali (Vogelstein) Miller, this venture backs exceptional founders building transformative fintech, consumer internet, and software companies. Meritus Gas Partners - Providing insurance and finance services to packaged gas and welding supply distributors. Fortinbras Enterprises LP - Operating under the expertise of Ben Black, providing strategic business development and financial services. These startups exemplify tenacity, drive and innovation. Make sure to follow their journey! #Startup #BusinessDevelopment #Innovation #UKStartups #YorkbasedStartups

Tech startups and high-growth companies are pushing ahead with #IPO plans after hitting the pause button last year—but why? And how can organizations looking to tap public markets build a solid foundation for future growth? In a recent TechCrunch piece, Gary Klintworth, CPA, Senior Managing Director at CBIZ ARC Consulting, LLC, discusses the forces driving renewed interest in IPOs. As it turns out, going public may be the best course of action for many startups in today’s tough economic landscape. Check out the article to learn what steps companies can take to maximize success as they return to the IPO game 🔽 https://okt.to/wLVM7q #goingpublic #startups #venturecapital

As an investor in 2 funds and 70 startups, and from speaking to dozens of investors and founders since Jan, this is what I'm seeing in the market, and what I expect from the next few years. Am I seeing a warped version of reality, or do you see this too? 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻. Many companies aren't buying or hiring (especially those with venture backing). This is affecting the entire ecosystem. If you sell to "high-growth" companies especially, your business is suffering big time. 𝗠&𝗔 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗹. IPOs and buyouts are very few and far between, and no longer speculative. To get a deal done, sellers need a water-tight value prop. and a low multiple. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘆. Deals are delayed, managers can't return money to LPs, and LPs aren't backing new funds. Emerging managers are disappearing by the day. 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲. With no exits for founders and early-stage investors, there's a lot less capital available for new startups. Fewer deals are closing, and at lower valuations. •— 𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵? 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀. Founders and individual investors alike are realising that venture funding is not, in fact, the goal. A healthy business ecosystem relies on smart people building companies that deliver value to customers consistently, get to "default alive" quickly, are staffed by capable and motivated employees, leverage the latest technologies, and put their customers first. This wave of entrepreneurs are not trying to "build unicorns". These founders are not prepared to "do or die". Instead, venture-hungry entrepreneurs will give way to more rational founders, who want to build sustainable businesses that provide a good return, over a realistic time frame, to their investors, their staff, their families and themselves. Some might even enjoy the journey. Most founders will (quite rightly) forget billions and focus on millions. They will raise and exit at lower valuations, use less external capital, and build healthier, more resilient and longer lasting businesses. This has been a long time coming. •— #rationalstartups #startups #earlystageinvesting

Tech startups and high-growth companies are pushing ahead with #IPO plans after hitting the pause button last year—but why? And how can organizations looking to tap public markets build a solid foundation for future growth? In a recent TechCrunch piece, Gary Klintworth, CPA, Senior Managing Director at CBIZ ARC Consulting, LLC, discusses the forces driving renewed interest in IPOs. As it turns out, going public may be the best course of action for many startups in today’s tough economic landscape. Check out the article to learn what steps companies can take to maximize success as they return to the IPO game 🔽 https://okt.to/hquWE3 #goingpublic #startups #venturecapital

The journey from a brilliant idea to a thriving business is often paved by capital in the entrepreneurial world. Startups typically progress through various funding rounds—Series A, B, C, and beyond—each offering fuel for growth and expansion. Let's demystify these crucial stages: 🌟 Series A Funding: The Optimizer Imagine a startup, "EcoInnovate," with a promising eco-friendly packaging solution. After bootstrapping and possibly a seed round, they've proven the market's interest. Series A is where venture capital firms like Sequoia might come in, investing to optimize product lines and market fit. 🌟 Series B Funding: The Scale-Up Now, "EcoInnovate" has a working business model and solid customer feedback. In Series B, firms such as Benchmark could fund them to scale operations, expand their team, and capture a larger market share, boosting their distribution capabilities. 🌟 Series C Funding: The Expander With a successful and stable business, "EcoInnovate" seeks Series C funding for significant scaling. This could involve international expansion or strategic acquisitions. Here, late-stage investors like SoftBank Vision Fund might step in, drawn by strong performance indicators. 🌟 Series D and Beyond: The Growth Continuers or Pre-IPO As our example the company continues to grow, it might opt for further funding to navigate market changes, invest in new tech, or lay the groundwork for an IPO. This stage can involve private equity firms, hedge funds, or banks that offer a financial cushion for these ambitious moves. Each funding series serves a strategic purpose, aligning with where the company stands in its life cycle and where it aims to go. It's a nuanced dance of growth, risk, and strategy that can turn startups into industry stalwarts. Follow for more insights into the venture capital world and how it powers innovation across industries. #startupfunding #venturecapital #growthstrategy #businessexpansion #startup

Tech startups and high-growth companies are pushing ahead with #IPO plans after hitting the pause button last year—but why? And how can organizations looking to tap public markets build a solid foundation for future growth? In a recent TechCrunch piece, Gary Klintworth, CPA, Senior Managing Director at CBIZ ARC Consulting, LLC, discusses the forces driving renewed interest in IPOs. As it turns out, going public may be the best course of action for many startups in today’s tough economic landscape. Check out the article to learn what steps companies can take to maximize success as they return to the IPO game 🔽 https://okt.to/KPUWvL #goingpublic #startups #venturecapital