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VC News
A few bullet points on new fund announcements, Twitter controversies (lol), fundraising rounds, and more.
Financial models for early-stage startups: to have them or not? Everyone is arguing over this tweet by legendary early-stage investor Jenny Fielding. reply to this email for my take (would love to hear yours)
DoNotPay’s CEO announces they’ve paid dividends to their investors joining Sahil of Gumroad as founders who are paving the way.
GGV rebrands to Notable Capital; one of my favorite venture funds and two of my favorite investors Marcello & Laura.
From spend to stress to side hustles & Gen AI, here are 13 noteworthy stats from Forerunner's Consumer Trend Report Survey.
Sakib Jamal (VP at Crossbeam) published a book dedicated to breaking into VC. Click here to check out the young VC’s handbook!
Enhance your dealflow with Mercury
Mercury recently launched Investor Connect - a platform to connect active investors to vetted, high-quality, thesis-relevant founders.
Once approved to join, you’ll select your investment criteria in your portal. You’ll receive a curated, monthly drop of relevant fundraising founders, all pre-qualified by a panel of volunteer investors. With one click you can connect directly with the founder, or track the company over time.
VC Theses
I’ve long admired many of these folks, and their thoughts have shaped how I synthesize my perspectives on consumer investing. Please reply to this email with any long-form or short-form content you’ve made so I can read it and feature it in this section going forward.
who: Eugene Wei
why: the BEST piece that makes the business case for social networks and somehow explains all the complexities of navigating our social lives
who: Rex Woodbury
why: this is one of my favorite breakdowns on the behavioral trends that are core to gen z and how we spend
who: Terri Burns
why: a crystal clear explanation on what Terri invests in and why
who: Alex Pattis
why: a newsletter on angel-investing via a syndicate and why it matters. this specific piece is about influencer’s raising capital for their SMBs.
who: Meera Clark
why: meera + team analyzed 100+ unicorns in hopes of debunking the generally accepted stereotypes surrounding what traits define successful consumer founders — super informative piece
Investor Feature: Bryce Johnson
How did you break into VC? There are so many paths into VC and it’s a mixture of tons of preparation and luck. I was fortunate to work at two funds in college (cold calling + networking) and then after a few years of working in consulting (wanted to learn abt finance), was able to get connected to VC partners through founder friends. It’s important to be very direct in your pursuit (geo, sectors, partners) as well as have people advocate for you.
Why did you want to become a VC? I fell in love with tech as a kid (coding nerdy things like Minecraft mods + supporting Kickstarter campaigns like the Pebble watch) and went to Stanford thinking I’d be a software engineer. I randomly went to hear a VC speak at Stanford’s Engineering department one year and became fixated on the idea of constant learning and helping build cool things alongside founders. I want to help fuel the next wave of innovation from a different lens.
What’s your investment philosophy in 5 words? Back founders I’d work for.
Strangest place you’ve met a founder? At a pop up clothing sample sale.
#1 tip for folks trying to break into VC? Don’t be afraid to reach out to anyone and everyone! So much of recruiting is a networking game and if you can tell your story and source of drive, it resonates.
#1 tip for new VCs? It’s cliche but be yourself - whether it's in meeting investors or founders, I think it’s best to develop your own style and not go with the grain - especially if you’re in spaces where nobody looks like you.
Investor you admire most? Robert Smith! Although he's a PE investor, his founding of Vista has inspired the next generation of fund managers, and I admire his goal to uplift his communities through philanthropy.
Break into VC: Jobs
Full-time Investor
Capital Factory is hiring an associate. Apply here (Dallas) and here (Austin).
What If Ventures is hiring an investment associate. Apply here (DM him)!
Flourish Ventures is hiring an investment associate. Apply here!
Riverside Acceleration Capital (RAC) is hiring an Associate. Apply here!
GingerBread Capital is hiring an investment associate. Apply here!
Full-time Platform
Chapter One is hiring a Research Analyst Intern (apply here) and Part-Time Content Creator (apply here)!
Internship
Bankless Ventures is hiring an intern to start April-July. Apply here!
Fellowship (Resume Builder!)
Palm Venture Studios is hiring a summer fellow. Apply here!
Conviction is hiring a summer intern. Details here & email [email protected]
Events (for VCs)
Breaking Barriers in VC (panel discussion) hosted by: Laurent
Consumer Founders & Investors Dinner hosted by: Zehra & Amber
