VC Cafe

MARCH 1, 2024

Digital Wallets – Digital wallets could grow select vertical software platforms’ revenues to $27-$50bn in 2030. Bitcoin Allocation – Growing the role of bitcoin in investment portfolios. Verticalized Video Understanding – machine interpreted video. It’s time to build!

Artificial Inteligence 177

Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Software Review Generative AI 177

Version One Ventures

SEPTEMBER 3, 2014

Each month, we pick an up-and-coming vertical or theme and do a deep dive (with the help of Mattermark … portfolio plug). My favorite part about being an investor is working with our portfolio companies, as well as other investors and entrepreneurs. I never anticipated how helpful or relevant my research skills would be in VC.

Venture Capital 162

Venture Capital Portfolio Vertical Technical Review 162

Hunter Walker

AUGUST 31, 2021

Early adopter verticals — such as software development and tech sales — is mostly in Gen 3. Over the past 12–18 months another theme had started to coalesce in the Homebrew portfolio — Future of Work tools that were built with a combination of IQ *and* EQ. Thankfully I knew there were better options in development.

Software 122

Software Vertical Framework Finance 122

Version One Ventures

APRIL 19, 2016

If you’re not already familiar with the startups and founders making up the V1 portfolio, here’s a summary of some of this quarter’s news clippings. Portfolio companies in the news. Beyond funding announcements, several portfolio companies made the news this quarter. Funding and Follow-ons.

Portfolio 60

Portfolio San Francisco API Software Review 60

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 14, 2009

Over the same 30 years, Venture Capital firms have honed their skills and strategies to match Wall Streets needs to achieve liquidity for their portfolio companies. You have to wonder: does the VC you have on your board today have the right skill set to help you succeed in today’s economic environment? What Do VC’s Do?

Silicon Valley 237

Silicon Valley IPO Technical Review Venture Capital 237

ConversionXL

OCTOBER 25, 2018

Tom Tunguz offers a framework that uses a scale from 1 to 10 to assess demand generation portfolios: 1. Eventually, expansion is necessary for every growing business; it also protects companies from the aforementioned risks of an undiversified portfolio. Expand methodically. Sophistication. That will change over time and by company.

Demand 132

Demand Vertical Campaign Channel 132

Version One Ventures

NOVEMBER 7, 2017

But beyond Shopify, virtually any transactional SaaS product out there has added payments – from horizontal solutions like FreshBooks to vertical SaaS products like Clio and Jobber (both V1 portfolio companies ).

Software Review 115

Software Review Vertical Differentiation Revenue 115

VC Adventure

AUGUST 31, 2017

And as a rule of thumb for businesses in our portfolio we target payback periods of 12 months or less. Verticalization. Sales efficiency was not as good as I expected it to be. I generally prefer CAC payback (vs LTV to CAC ratio) – especially for earlier stage businesses.

IPO 113

IPO Vertical Balance Sheet Valuation 113

VC Cafe

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

According to Pitchbook, “The median return of emerging fund portfolios narrowly exceeded that of their established counterparts, while the top-quartile figure delivered by emerging managers significantly outperformed.” Hunger : A strong drive to prove themselves and help their portfolio succeed.

Management 104

Management Technical Review Venture Capital Generative AI 104

Hunter Walker

OCTOBER 31, 2020

Qualification #1: You know how to do something specific that is valuable and needed often in pursuing a deal or servicing the portfolio. Whatever it is, it helps diligence opportunities, win deals or service the portfolio in ways that make the founders and GPs feel good. Highlighted Homebrew Portfolio Jobs. Things I’m Enjoying.

North Carolina 93

North Carolina Hiring Angel Investor Technical Review 93

Version One Ventures

DECEMBER 3, 2019

Bessemer started the idea of the “anti-portfolio” – the companies that you passed on, but ended up doing very, very well. . After Honey was acquired by PayPal for $4B a few weeks ago, we thought it was a good time to share the Version One anti-portfolio: Honey. We had a chance to invest in a $500K round at a $12M valuation in 2015.

Portfolio 201

Portfolio Cap Table Early Stage Valuation 201

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 16, 2009

It’s an impressive portfolio. Bill and his partner Fred Wilson have invested in ~30 or so companies with 27 still active. They’re putting money into web services/business – most without early revenue. By the time the meeting was over I left wondering whether the Customer Development model would help or hinder their companies.

Customer Development 228

Customer Development Web Developer Customer 228

View from Seed

OCTOBER 18, 2017

When describing the Everyday Economy, it is helpful to talk about some of the verticals that are seeing wholesale redesign and the opportunities within those verticals. We have blogged about a few of the verticals so far, including housing , food , entertainment , and others.

Vertical 166

Vertical Seed Stage Viral Portfolio 166

Feld Thoughts

MAY 26, 2014

Hint – count the vertical lines carefully. Growth Hacker Marketing: A Primer on the Future of PR, Marketing, and Advertising (APenguin Special from Portfolio) : I figured I’d read the cannon on Holiday so this was next. For example, here’s me painting a horse. As with most of my vacations, I read about a book a day.

Dallas 113

Dallas Technical Review Vertical PR 113

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 23, 2009

Both venture firms sought my advice for their portfolio companies. When I told her they not only didn’t want it back, but were trying to see if they could give me more for my next company, she paused for a long while and then said in a very Russian accent, “Only in America are the streets paved with gold.”

Silicon Valley 133

Silicon Valley RSS Venture Capital Customer Development 133

Hunter Walker

MAY 4, 2014

New VCs are vulnerable to fashionable verticals. Our strategy isn’t to necessarily be contrarian but we decided there were certain verticals that we weren’t going to pursue in 2013. Not Understanding Portfolio Management. While not perfect, these experiences helped tune my radar before Homebrew invested Dollar One.

Software Review 103

Software Review Vertical Seed Stage Portfolio 103

Version One Ventures

FEBRUARY 20, 2020

I’m interested in the development of new tests to measure (new) biomarkers for health – whether we sample from menstrual blood to detect glucose levels ( Qurasense , a Version One portfolio company) or the microbiome to evaluate gut health, as examples. Interest 5: Disrupting the status quo in insurance. dental, vision, etc.).

Social Network 100

Social Network Vertical Cofounder Software Improvement 100

David Teten

DECEMBER 3, 2019

However, in private markets, there is more room to optimize across all 11 steps of the investing process: firm management , marketing, fundraising , origination , manage relationships, due diligence, negotiation, monitoring, portfolio acceleration , reporting, and. If you have one, please contact me. 7) Negotiate .

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Software Review Analytics Private Equity 78

Version One Ventures

FEBRUARY 18, 2014

Should an investor really be expected to use the 10, 15, or 20 products in his or her portfolio? As an investor, using a portfolio company is easier when dealing with consumer apps and companies. It’s naturally tougher to be a user for business apps, particularly vertically-focused apps. Investors, really? I say absolutely.

Portfolio 156

Portfolio Product Vertical Email 156

View from Seed

JUNE 23, 2022

Long-term: Influencers across the world with 10K+ followers and across all major verticals (e.g. DC: Short-term: Do-it-yourself (DIY) social media influencers in the United States with 100K+ followers. automotive, home improvement, home & gardening, beauty, health & wellness, etc).

DC 156

DC Cambodia eCommerce Social Media 156

VC Cafe

OCTOBER 22, 2024

For example, our portfolio company HourOne can generate high quality videos of people speaking in a talk show, completely generated with AI. For example, our portfolio company Munch automatically creates short form, vertical clips for social media from any long form video and understands what’ s trending.

Generative AI 78

Generative AI Technical Review Vertical Government 78

Haystack

DECEMBER 29, 2018

As more investors have more touch points with a “Softbank round” in their portfolio, a picture emerges — rounds here often take a long time to close. And, privately, many investors up and down the stack are discussing what the true impact of these mega rounds will be. The fear of them investing in a competitor is real.

Technical Review 165

Technical Review Venture Capital Russia China 165

Steve Blank

JULY 2, 2009

If you were a “with it” VC you needed to have a “Content&# or “Multimedia&# company in your portfolio to impress your limited partners – educational software companies, game companies, or anything that could be described as content and/or Multimedia.

Silicon Valley 120

Silicon Valley Technical Review RSS Software Review 120

Version One Ventures

JANUARY 21, 2015

One of the best parts about having a strong portfolio filled with smart people is the wise advice that founders share with each other. In this case, one of V1’s portfolio companies has been looking to hire a VP of Sales and I asked Jon Zimmerman ( @jpzimmerman ), CEO of Front Desk , to share his experiences and insight on the matter.

Sales 60

Sales Hiring Vertical Portfolio 60

techcrunch.com

AUGUST 12, 2012

The fund views its portfolio startups as fulfilling one of the three layers of the “Big Data stack”: 1. The top layer of applications and services that use the innovations of the first two layers to transform vertical markets (e.g,

Early Stage 70

Early Stage San Francisco Los Angeles Southern California 70

David Teten

JANUARY 9, 2018

Many VCs focus on specific verticals, usually based on the sector in which a VC initially made her reputation. That said, one limitation in early-stage investing particularly is that 2022’s growth sectors probably don’t fit neatly into a vertical we can define today. – Portfolio company diversity.

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Private Equity Silicon Valley Differentiation 60

David Teten

JANUARY 9, 2018

Many VCs focus on specific verticals, usually based on the sector in which a VC initially made her reputation. That said, one limitation in early-stage investing particularly is that 2022’s growth sectors probably don’t fit neatly into a vertical we can define today. – Portfolio company diversity.

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Private Equity Silicon Valley Differentiation 60

Mucker Lab

OCTOBER 12, 2016

Vertical integration of different funding risks. I also believe that the ebb and flow of the venture investment cycle has been exacerbated by the recent vertical integration of early, growth, and even late stage venture funds. The investment thesis wasn’t wrong — it’s just that they bet on the wrong horse.

Harvest 60

Harvest Vertical IPO Early Stage 60

Austin Startup

FEBRUARY 21, 2011

ATI has served the entrepreneur community for over twenty years and focuses on the IT, Wireless, Clean Energy and Bioscience verticals. The current portfolio ranges from 60 Ghz chip sets (Nitero) to enterprise 2.0 ( InXero ) to family media ( Famigo ) companies.

Technical Review 70

Technical Review Intellectual Property Incubator Due Diligence 70

mashable.com

OCTOBER 27, 2010

You can also get great recommendations from your existing network; just be sure to research portfolios, websites and references thoroughly before making a decision to work with a particular developer. Here, developers and dev shops are organized by vertical so you can find a shop that has expertise in the kind of app you want to build.

Small Business 104

Small Business Technical Review Social Media Software Review 104

View from Seed

AUGUST 13, 2014

Pros of taking their angel money include the feeder system to venture financing of the next round and the vast network of portfolio CEOs which can be tapped into for connections and help. Cons of an investment from a Super Angel include potential lack of “value-add” because his or her time is spread so thin amongst many portfolio companies.

Angel Investor 334

Angel Investor Syndicate Syndication Early Stage 334

View from Seed

OCTOBER 14, 2021

It showcases our personality, while simultaneously showcasing the accomplishments of our portfolio. It’s easy to focus on the accolades and accomplishments of today, but what did the NextView portfolio companies look like when they first started their journeys with us? The new website is colorful, it’s exuberant.

Seed Stage 296

Seed Stage Portfolio Curation Vertical 296

Lightspeed Venture Partners

FEBRUARY 3, 2012

Shoedazzle*, Bonobos*, J Hilburn, Warby Parker, IndoChino etc) are vertically integrated. Vertically integrated companies can take a lot of the costs out of the system and provide a much more compelling value to the consumer while still making an attractive margin. Lightspeed portfolio companies. apparel Ecommerce'

Vertical 114

Vertical eCommerce Portfolio Channel 114

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 23, 2011

He is starting to see this occur in sites that are verticalizing content. An example is Metacafe, a Highland Capital portfolio company. It has become a short form premium destination that is verticalizing content in category channels. He does think there are opportunities in vertical search. 37:00-40:30). 44:00 -49:30).

Vertical 265

Vertical Curation Boston Burn Rate 265

Version One Ventures

SEPTEMBER 3, 2014

Each month, we pick an up-and-coming vertical or theme and do a deep dive (with the help of Mattermark – portfolio plug). My favorite part about being an investor is working with our portfolio companies, as well as other investors and entrepreneurs. At Version One, we aim to be as thesis-driven as possible.

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Portfolio Vertical Technical Review 60

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 4, 2021

Anthony Ulwick and Ted Thayer of Strategyn have a set of unique and valuable insights: Rather than defining markets as existing, adjacent or new markets – or by verticals, technology, demographics, et al. Others define markets around verticals, e.g. the financial services market or the healthcare market.

Customer 427

Customer Marketing Lean Vertical 427

Genuine VC

JANUARY 23, 2012

At NextView Ventures, we have a number of companies in our portfolio which are “marketplace” businesses, where buyers and sellers meet to exchange a good or service. Often this focus can be on a specific geography or vertical. Attract would-be buyers with research/learning about purchasing … suppliers will follow.

Engineer 201

Engineer Vertical Portfolio Seed Stage 201