Nicholas Adeyi’s Post

An open question to investors and startups... Is 2024 going to be better for venture capital investing? I just dug through an interesting LP report done by Daniel McDermott team at Brighton House Associates. It appears institutions are still working out portfolio rebalance.   This report notably suggests that institutions will reduce their allocation to venture in 2024. Fund of funds and Endowments/foundation is one of the few with a “Leading Strategy” that includes venture. 18% of respondents are planning to increase Venture allocations. 12% to emerging managers. The top challenge is “Lack of Liquidity,” which I assume is a pressure point from portfolio rebalance. 45% of investors plan to increase private market allocations. Specifically Private equity and debt. After reading this report, our friends at Axonic Capital will do well. Contact Christopher Greenwell if interested in credit investments. Venture deals are not bad. Higher interest rates are driving a rebalance away from VC, which makes VC seem bad. For those startups in the #FoodisHealth market, many seeing positive growth (And MOIC > 1.5), you have great value and opportunity. But in this market, you are unlikely to raise capital. VC funds are under pressure to return capital and hold off capital calls. In short, it means figuring out how to last at least 12 months with less money. But it also means thinking differently. Institutions are not allocating to VC, but individuals are. Alumni Ventures is doing well. Many family offices are allocating. Our LPs at iSelect Fund fund are allocating. Making it tougher, while some of us are allocating, the rest of the syndicate is not. If we want #FoodisHealth, and drive venture returns, 2024 is about investors who are not institutions and who see the opportunity. What opportunity? We spend $1.7T on food in the US, $1.9T on the healthcare cost of poor nutrition. A $3.6T opportunity to fix nutrition and health in the US. $20T globally. If you are an emerging manager, startup or LP in #foodishealth, we still have hard work ahead to bring capital to this opportunity. It will be tough, but the opportunity is not going away. And there are many great companies growing.   Thoughts? Link to Brighton House Associates report: https://lnkd.in/gPipPs_p

SERAC VENTURES FEMALE FOUNDERS REPORT At Serac Ventures, we look for founders with big ideas who often lack traditional inroads to venture capital. We embrace founders from all backgrounds and walks of life. What matters most to us is clarity of vision and the entrepreneurial grit to make it a reality. While all of that is “good,” we want to be great. So, we asked ourselves how we can improve as a firm to ensure the makeup of our deal flow and portfolio includes those who have traditionally been left out of the venture capital ecosystem. One of the ways we intend to do that is by increasing the number of female founders in our pipeline who are building companies within our target investment areas. To chart a path forward for how we improve, we first needed to know where we were at. If we don’t know where we are we can’t possibly figure out where we want to go. Therefore, we created a report that highlights what’s happening with female founders in the VC industry writ large and how our firm compares to industry averages.  Our number one goal with this report is to be better and hold ourselves accountable. We also want to demonstrate to the industry our intentionality and desire to build an inclusive firm and have a positive impact on the VC industry. To access the report, please download it here: https://lnkd.in/gjs_ufDH Lastly, I want to give a HUGE shout out to Brayden Vanover who lead the charge on researching, writing, and putting this report together. Great work, Brayden! #FemaleFounders

Robert Lucas – “The consequences for human welfare involved in questions [on economic growth] are simply staggering: Once one starts to think about them, it is hard to think about anything else.” Since I read my first development economics book in high school and learned that poverty is not destiny but can be eradicated, I began to think about questions about economic growth. As Lucas described, it had become hard for me to think about anything else. Therefore, my passion has formed around understanding what drives economic growth in emerging & frontier markets. This passion ultimately took me across the emerging world to places like Lagos, Nairobi, and Jakarta for my job postings or Baghdad, La Paz, and Dhaka for my personal travel. Over the past few years, I have had the privilege of meeting some of the most inspiring founders the emerging world has to offer. Almost all of them took significant risks and invested enormous efforts to solve some of the most fundamental issues: For example, improving inefficient food supply chains, finding ways to integrate renewables into the grid, or democratising access to quality education. I truly look up to each and every one of the founders I met, as they represent to me the hope and aspiration their home countries so rightfully deserve. After meeting my Syndicate Co-Lead Rabii Malik during one of my trips to Karachi in 2022, we decided earlier this year to join forces and think about ways to channel our common interest in the venture ecosystem in Pakistan and the emerging world more broadly into a valuable contribution. Through KVP, we aim to formalize our shared cause by building a platform that encourages global investors to deploy capital towards emerging & frontier markets entrepreneurs striving to make a difference in some of the most challenging environments. If you share our interest and want to stay up to date on our research products, sign up under the link in the comments below. For anyone interested in learning more about KVP, please feel free to contact me via email at finn@khybervp.com or through LinkedIn and WhatsApp.

Anything that provides more insight and transparency into our private fintech portfolio is greatly appreciated by our investors, and public markets more generally. Hence loving this piece of in-depth research on VEF portfolio company Abhi (YC S21) by the research team at KVP. Abhi - A VEF rising star. Read Enjoy Invest Omair Ansari Hedda Lindselius Éire Smith

That was well put by Sam Lessin. Nothing not-too-obvious, but he depicts the current affairs of Seed well.. esp part 1/2 of ppt I like the Mcd comp to what happened for the past 10 years, called the “Venture Factory Line”.. I think one thing to add using the climate tech narrative. By design, we see a lot of vertical SaaS businesses, which from first sight (usually) look to have sub-optimal TAM for venture returns (still applies - tell me your fund size, and I will tell you your strategy), but think they can be excellent outcomes (still) as long as: a) they are capital-efficient b) they can win a big piece of the market they play with a) in place c) which by design implies - a great product, with not so obvious network effects in place If they win their niche product vertical, then they can grow into platforms (via new product expansion horizontally via build or via acq) and then aim for >1B outcomes. But again, they have to be capital-efficient for seed funds to be well rewarded (no crazy dilution) This implies - looking for non-so-obvious areas where there is not so much competition.

🚀 Proud to represent #Ukrainian corporate venture branch in the report “Navigating Corporate Venture Capital” by Mountside Ventures and Love Ventures 🇺🇦 Sigma Software Labs is represented as the only Ukrainian CVC alongside over 100 global CVC investors managing over £20 billion in assets. The report provides insights into investments in over 1,200 startups each year. 🌍 Key points: — The majority of CVCs use a hybrid investment structure, while Labs’ is focused on strategic investments with perfect match with umbrella company goals&infrustructure — 90% of CVCs plan to invest the same amount or more in early-stage companies over the next three years — Direct investments in startups are the most common (95%), with Series A being the most common stage (90%) — B2B and AI are the top sectors, accounting for about 40% of investments 🔗   Read the full report on global startup ecosystems.  Click here: https://lnkd.in/d8MtPBb2

🔈 New Article Release! �� 👷♂️ I'm excited to share my latest article on Real Estate & Construction Unicorns 🦄 , created in collaboration with Dimitri Kremp and Justine Gounel from Axeleo Capital (AXC). We've identified 51 unicorns globally, including 2 decacorns, with the majority concentrated in North America 🇺🇸 🚀 Our deep dive reveals intriguing insights into Proptech and ConTech, particularly why several unicorns in these sectors have struggled to maintain their status. We've analyzed the current macroeconomic environment's impact on these companies to uncover the challenges they face and the factors influencing their valuations. Key Metrics ✨ 💰 US$1.27B raised on average  ⚖ US$3.7B average valuation  ⏳ 6.3 years average time to become a unicorn In this article, we spotlight companies like Airbnb, Esusu (a Plug and Play portfolio company), or WeWork, emphasizing the critical importance of robust operational and financial management skills in navigating the complexities of these industries 💡 Don't miss out on this comprehensive analysis of key trends and future projections in Real Estate and Construction! 🏡 👷♂️   🔗 Link to the Article: https://lnkd.in/dgfjM2xe 🦄 Thank you, Dimitri Kremp and Justine Gounel. I truly appreciated our collaboration and your invaluable insights!😊 Plug and Play Tech Center Plug and Play Real Estate & Construction #RealEstate #Construction #Proptech #ConTech #Unicorns #Startups #Innovation #Investment #VC #PlugandPlay #AxeleoCapital #EconomicTrends #IndustryInsights #Report

This deck by Sam Lessin is excellent and worth reading for everyone in the tech venture ecosystem, but especially founders and seed stage VCs. Articulates and takes a position on a few things I've been thinking about for a while - the "factory model of VC" and how it isn't actually the best way to generate value for many startups + what the right funding path is for companies - it's definitely not one size fits all; areas where "building for your next round" actually leads to a worse business; whether AI is actually disruptive or extending innovation, etc. On my second read through, probably not my last. H/t to Gil Dibner for highlighting in his newsletter. https://lnkd.in/evmvnvt9

We proudly announce the release of our #2023Impact Report at LearnLaunch Fund + Accelerator. This report aims to demonstrate both the wide range of impact topics our portfolio companies cover and the depth of the research some companies are undertaking. Embarking on an impact measurement journey may appear daunting and expensive to a startup founder. It is true that in some cases, we are looking at the outcomes observed and measured across 3-4 years. Yet, this work can create a lot of value for business growth and we hope to inspire entrepreneurs who read this report to make the first steps while seeing the range of ways to showcase impact. We are so incredibly proud to share this collection of case studies, new spotlights, and awards our portfolio companies earned in 2023. Together, we’re working to shape the future of education. Read our 2023 Impact Report here👉  https://lnkd.in/d4WGusx2 #EdTechInnovation #EdTech #Education #Innovation#TransformingEducation #BreakthroughToScale#EdTechAccelerator #EdTechInvesting #Impact#ImpactInvesting #EdTechFounders #EdTechStartups

This year I am reporting on the Forbes 30 Under 30 lists for Media and Venture Capital. And I need your help, my beloved LinkedIn community, to find the best candidates across those categories! For the #media list, I am looking for journalists, authors, poets, and founders in the media industry who are making an impact with their news and content. For the #VC list, I am looking for investors, venture capital firm founders, and other leaders in the VC space who are investing in under-represented founders, launching major investment rounds, or innovating on the way we raise money. All nominees must be based in the US or Canada, be under the age of 30, and be doing something exceptional with their work. If this is you or someone you know, reach out to me via DM or email me at ayork[at]forbes[dot]com. Please subject any outreach as "Media Nomination" or "VC Nomination" with as much info about your nominee as possible. In case you need some inspo, here are the lists from last year https://lnkd.in/gDCtVi-T & https://lnkd.in/gcAbqmCD.