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Venture Capital News
Saastr
1w
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Is a Bigger Booth at Events Really Worth It? The Latest SaaStr Data
- According to the SaaStr data from SaaStr Annual 2024, bigger booths at events have a higher number of activations.
- Doing some sort of giveaway at the booth can also help to move the needle.
- Most marketers believe that bigger booths are better if affordable, but all booth categories can work.
- However, it is important to spend within your budget and not do more than you can afford.
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Medium
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222
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Sexism in Venture Capital: Why ‘Penis’ Is OK, But ‘Vagina’ Is Taboo
- Sexism in Venture Capital: Why ‘Penis’ Is OK, But ‘Vagina’ Is Taboo
- In the world of venture capital, women VCs and founders are marginalized by 'VC bros'. Men receive more capital even in femtech, despite being worse investors on average. This is a form of raw sexism that shouldn't exist.
- There is a funding gender gap in femtech, and the VC bro club remains exclusive. However, there are small investment victories in women's health and femtech, showcasing the rise of champions in the field.
- Despite challenges of capital starvation, social taboos, and inequities in funding, progress is being made towards an inclusive future for women's health. The hope is for a future where daughters can thrive on equal rights and merit.
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Medium
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315
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Space, DaaS and the Return of Hardware
- Hardware, driven by the demands of advanced applications, like artificial intelligence (AI) is now emerging as a new kind of infrastructure. Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) complements hardware beautifully by offering a recurring revenue model that scales effortlessly across industries. Space technology is the backbone for essential services we rely on without even realising it, enabling GPS navigation, weather forecasting, telecommunications, and global internet access. The proprietary hardware ensures a controlled, high-frequency data pipeline, while the DaaS component makes the data accessible to a wide array of clients without the burden of managing hardware.
- The rise of IoT, edge computing, and the need for real-time data analysis are all pushing hardware to the forefront once again. Companies like Nvidia have seen significant growth by providing the specialized hardware needed to power complex AI models. The combination of falling technology costs and a broader understanding of space’s impact on Earth has opened this once-exclusive domain to private investors.
- The power of this hybrid model, combining hardware and DaaS, is magnified in the space industry, where the need for precise, real-time data is essential. Space operations involve high-stakes applications, from defence and telecommunications to environmental monitoring and space tourism. By owning the data-generating hardware, companies create defensible, high-quality data streams, while the DaaS model ensures that the data remains accessible, monetisable, and scalable across multiple sectors.
- In the same way that marketplaces and platforms enable economic resilience and connectivity on Earth, space-based DaaS and hardware provide a foundation for critical services in an increasingly connected world. As industries like defence, telecommunications, and environmental monitoring grow more reliant on real-time space data, the demand for reliable space infrastructure will only increase.
- The space sector has become a high-potential investment frontier, enabling private capital to play a transformative role in an industry once dominated by government resources. With high-quality, real-time data becoming indispensable across sectors, companies that provide this foundational layer in space are positioned to capture significant market share, creating long-term value in a high-growth market.
- The renewed demand for hardware isn’t limited to AI. The combination of hardware and DaaS in space will play an essential role in building the next generation of digital infrastructure. For investors focused on foundational infrastructure, investing in space DaaS and hardware is an opportunity to support the infrastructure of tomorrow’s economy.
- Hardware to the forefront once again. Processing, storing, and analysing data can no longer rely solely on cloud-based solutions. Companies need proprietary sensors, processing units, and satellite systems to collect, process and transmit data with unprecedented speed and accuracy.
- Space technology underpins not only consumer conveniences but also critical operations in agriculture, environmental monitoring, and emergency response, playing a key role in improving productivity, forecasting extreme weather, and coordinating disaster relief. In the same way that B2B marketplaces and platforms serve as digital infrastructure, the convergence of hardware and Data-as-a-Service is now emerging as a new kind of infrastructure, one that’s poised to shape everything from AI to the space industry.
- The space industry has evolved far beyond government-led exploration and experimentation, emerging as a thriving sector with real-world applications that profoundly impact our daily lives. Today, space technology is the backbone for essential services we rely on without even realising it.
- Satellite-based infrastructure enables GPS navigation, weather forecasting, telecommunications, and global internet access. Furthermore, space assets are indispensable for national security, powering intelligence, surveillance, and secure communications for defence agencies worldwide. These applications demonstrate that the space industry is not limited to research and exploration; it is fundamental infrastructure supporting both the economy and public safety on Earth.
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Medium
1w
46
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VC spotlight with 7% Ventures
- 7% Ventures is a transatlantic fund that invests in Moonshots.
- The team at 7% Ventures focuses on deploying scalable and known solutions quickly.
- They are currently doubling down on technologies and markets that show potential for growth.
- In terms of market predictions, 7% Ventures expects significant developments in the next 1 to 2 years.
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VC Cafe
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244
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Finding Product Market Fit is More Than Just Checking Boxes
- Product/Market Fit (PMF) is the holy grail for startups; it’s the point where you’ve built something people want so much that they can’t imagine living without it.
- Achieving and maintaining true PMF requires balance and judgment.
- Startups in this quadrant have a strong product vision that resonates with customers and demonstrates a deep understanding of their needs and priorities.
- It’s also harder to tell the difference between fake and real PMF when it comes to revenue centric startups.
- Product-market fit (PMF) is often described as a milestone, but in reality, it’s more like discovering a hidden frequency that suddenly puts you in perfect tune with your market.
- The textbooks will tell you to look for these indicators to tell if you’ve achieved PMF:
- Magnetic Customer Retention, High retention, Your churn rate drops significantly, and when customers do leave, they provide detailed feedback instead of simply disappearing.
- Organic Growth on Steroids, Strong word-of-mouth: your users become your most passionate salespeople.
- Beyond the Checklist: The Real Signs, At the heart of PMF, is a deep understanding of the users for your product.
- Effortless Customer Conversations, When nearing PMF, conversations shift from convincing to responding to demand.
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Medium
1w
93
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The Art of Pitching to VCs: What Startups Need to Know
- Venture capital has become a vital source of financing for startups globally.
- When pitching to VCs, founders must present compelling metrics and a compelling narrative.
- Market validation is crucial before approaching VCs.
- Successful pitches require storytelling and data-driven insights.
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Saastr
1w
214
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Dear SaaStr: Should We Allow Refunds in a Multi-Year SaaS Contract Paid Upfront?
- Allowing refunds in a multi-year SaaS contract paid upfront can be a controversial decision for startups.
- Sales, finance, and customer success teams may not be in favor of refunds due to various reasons.
- However, for startups with less than $10-20 million ARR, allowing refunds might be worth considering to close the deal and prioritize cash flow.
- While the risk is low, it's important to stand behind the product and minimize dissatisfaction among customers who prepaid for multiple years.
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Medium
1w
117
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Mood-boosting beer without the alcohol?
- Collider, a self-proclaimed beer that delivers a first-of-its-kind mood-boosting buzz while maintaining top taste
- The beer is made using special yeast strains, malt profile alteration and temperature control methods that allow only 0.5% of alcohol
- Collider's unique offering - the first non-alcoholic beer in the world to contain both adaptogens and functional mushrooms
- Collider's unique proposition is resonating well with customers with excellent reviews and 85% of them said they'd buy the beer again
- Collider's key ingredients include Ashwagandha, L-theanine and Lion’s Mane, which are all found to be effective in promoting cognitive ability improvement
- Non-alcoholic beers are gaining massive popularity in the market with consumers looking for more alcohol-free options
- The beverage category has historically held steady during recessions with many categories outperforming other personal consumption expenditures
- Collider is well-positioned to attract potential acquirers in the future with its unique product positioning and macro market tailwinds
- dmg media's vast consumer reach can benefit Collider greatly, given the brand's wide appeal to consumers
- The early-stage investment from dmg ventures will help Harry Cooke take on the giant opportunity in front of Collider
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7 Likes
Medium
1w
408
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Raising a VC fund successfully in the current tough market: lessons learned and insights (part 3…
- Acuris PE’s Private Equity Fundraising and Investor Relations team has run an advice series on fundraising in these challenging times, with the last piece covering ways they successfully raised their latest vehicle, Acuris III, surpassing its €150m target despite the challenging conditions.
- With Acurio III not in a position to hold any single close, the fund opted for a rolling onboarding process with 13 closings i.e. each close taking place at the end of a calendar month.
- Acuris III’s legal documentation included a temporary moratorium on equalization payments for investors joining within two months from the first close to encourage early investment commitment.
- The second to last close was significant for Acuris III, as it attracted large institutional commitments.
- Returns aside, providing high quality service pays off as half of Acuris III investors are existing investors who have supported the company from both its direct and funds of funds strategy.
- The company was also able to attract high-quality new investors from Spain and abroad, exceeding expectations on institutionalization and internationalization of the investor base, ending up with more than half of Acuris III being contributed by institutional investors.
- Acuris III attracted one of the world’s most prominent endowments – a first for a Spain-based VC.
- The company brought in partnerships with more than 30 family offices, as well as relevant corporates and pension plans and insurance companies.
- The themes that sustained their fundraising effort were gaining momentum, building credibility and securing the necessary capital to actively invest from the outset.
- Acuris III includes 116 investors which set new foundations for future funds.
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24 Likes
Medium
1w
3.4k
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How To Succeed In Startup Fundraising ?
- Startup funding involves raising capital from various sources to support the growth and development of a new business.
- Startups require funding for reasons like product development, marketing, hiring talent, and scaling operations.
- Timing, preparation, and prioritizing spending wisely are essential in startup fundraising.
- Creating urgency through FOMO tactics and maintaining strong investor relationships can enhance fundraising success.
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13 Likes
Medium
1w
353
3 AM Thoughts: What My First Startup Really Taught Me
- Building a startup is a messy and challenging journey that tests your resilience and adaptability.
- The author shares their experience of building their first startup and the lessons they learned along the way.
- They highlight the importance of truly listening to customer needs and avoiding the trap of retrofitting solutions to match investor expectations.
- Despite the failures and hardships, the author embraces the startup journey and encourages other founders to keep trying and believe in their vision.
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21 Likes
Medium
1w
117
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Unlocking the Power of Ethereum Restaking: The Future of ETH Staking with XBANKING
- The article introduces the concept of Ethereum restaking, how it works, and the role played by the XBANKING protocol.
- Ethereum restaking is the process of reusing staked ETH to earn additional rewards without having to unlock it or wait for staking periods to end.
- By restaking, ETH holders can use staked tokens for liquidity provision, yield farming, or even as collateral on lending platforms.
- Ethereum restaking is enabled through the use of liquid staking solutions and protocols that wrap staked ETH into a liquid token.
- With XBANKING, users can stake and restake a wide variety of liquid staked ETH tokens, including stETH, rETH, cbETH, and more.
- XBANKING makes Ethereum restaking simple by allowing users to participate in restaking pools that are tailored to different liquid staked assets.
- Ethereum restaking offers a more dynamic way to manage a crypto portfolio and cross-protocol benefits.
- Restaking allows users to optimize their capital and maximize their returns.
- As the Ethereum network evolves, more Defi protocols are expected to be built on it, which will expand the opportunities for restaking.
- Ethereum restaking enhances the staking experience by making staked ETH more productive.
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7 Likes
Medium
1w
303
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Navigating Peru’s Tech Startup Ecosystem: A 2024 Overview
- A new wave of micro-VCs is emerging in Peru, filling the funding gap for early-stage startups.
- Peru's startup ecosystem is fueled by government support, venture capital, and a passionate community.
- Cities like Arequipa, Trujillo, and Piura are emerging as significant tech talent centers.
- Peru's climate tech sector is thriving, attracting investments in innovative solutions to protect the environment.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries in Peru, offering opportunities for startups to address local challenges.
- EdTech and FinTech are key sectors in Peru's startup scene, with a focus on online learning and financial inclusion.
- Peruvian startups are on the rise, showcasing innovative solutions across various sectors.
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18 Likes
Medium
1w
239
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Would You Walk Away From 23 Billion Dollars?
- Wiz, the world’s largest cybersecurity unicorn, turned down a $23 billion takeover offer from Google's parent company, Alphabet.
- Wiz recently reached $500 million in annual recurring revenue and has a current private valuation of $12 billion.
- The decision to decline Google's offer was described as the toughest offer ever by Wiz CEO Assaf Rappaport.
- Founded four years ago, Wiz has raised $1 billion in investments and is backed by notable investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital.
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14 Likes
Medium
1w
409
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Creators: The New Class Of Founders - How Are VCs Adapting?
- The shift towards creators as founders raises questions about the role of venture capitalists (VCs).
- VCs are reimagining their value by exploring flexible funding models, creator-centric success metrics, and platform support for creators.
- Creators need funding options that allow them to retain control while scaling up.
- Successful creator-led businesses focus on loyalty, engagement, and community strength as key metrics.
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