Israel García Ballesteros

After not being on a podcast for a few years, I’m happy to be back! It's also great that we discussed something I’m passionate about — venture capital. Breaking into VC is hard and people in the space (and those interested in the space) need to believe in the value of diverse experiences, networks, and skills to make better investment decisions and achieve better venture outcomes. So, check out my conversation with Sydney Wong, MBA, on her podcast about my journey, thoughts on the industry, and how to create opportunities as you grow professionally. Link in the comments and I would love to hear what was a highlight for you. #venturecapital #venturemindset #podcast

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Wing Venture Capital is excited to unveil today the "Angels' Share 100", an exclusive list of the most active angel investors in the most promising startups in B2B technology. This project's mission is to serve as an information and relationship platform for the founder and angel community. Building a successful B2B technology company is hard work, and as early-stage investors and long-term company builders ourselves, we know we need all the help we can get! An important source of help has been the individual investors we work with. Individuals investing alongside us have consistently made powerful contributions to ultimate success. So we set out to study these “angels” in our midst. Who are they? Where did they come from? What allows them to make a difference? https://lnkd.in/gfFs4-bu

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🔉 Arcanum Capital (a DraperU Ventures portco), invests early in Web3 startups. Their portfolio spans companies such as Arcana Network, Babylon Labs, Zircuit, Cross The Ages, Onomy Protocol, Bitget Wallet , Raiinmaker (etc) that involve notable co-investors such as Balaji Srinivasan, Polygon Ventures, KuCoin, Animoca Brands, Draper Dragon, Accel, etc. As the team of 4 founding partners move to Fund 2 in collaboration with Luganodes, I sat down with, Luchang ZHeng, (DU Alumni & Global Ambassador | Founding partner @ Arcanum Capital) to get all the scoops on: 🔸How 4 diverse strangers with very different backgrounds came to be the solid team that they are today. 🔸Originally a retirement plan, why Luchang decided to become a first time VC, like all partners in the fund. The challenges & doubts they faced & how they overcame those & landed their first checks ! 🔸 The genesis of Arcanum's Fund 1 & the role Tim Draper & Draper University played. 🔸 Key insights for anyone looking to break into VC or looking to start their own first fund. - This interview is part of Bridging the Gap - Women in Venture Capital Series: 👉For anyone aspiring to break into VC. 👉For entrepreneurs looking to gain valuable insights from investors. From evolving market trends to technology - These featured interviews bust preconceived notions, as we uncover important milestones & challenges faced in the journey to success & bring valuable insights from experts and influential individuals with a decade of experience. #InvestinginWeb3 #breakintoVC #venturecapital #womeninventurecapital #web3investments #emergingtechnology #heroesjourney

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Startup Interview: Turing Labs Inc. - The Fastest Way to Reformulate & Innovate CPG with Manmit Shrimali and Oz Rodriguez How AI is Revolutionizing Product Development From Concept to Consumer Winning Product 10x faster I’ve been wanting to write about this for years and interview the team since I invested in their seed round 4yrs ago (Insight led $16M Series A in 2022). Turing is my first and only YC (W20) investment that has been doing Ai before it was cool - specifically vertical Ai helping to accelerate CPG development in a very analogue industry. Do you have any idea how every products you use on a daily basis are actually developed? Literally scientists in a wet lab with beakers, pippets (remember from high school!?) and centrifuges that takes forever… and very little data or interaction with actual customers. Iteration is the new innovation. We love the idea of analog to digital transformations and Turing is a prime example of this. How do you think your new Tide detergent gets formulated and updated or should I say “new and improved!”? It’s literally scientists in labs, experimenting with chemicals, running experiments and kind of hoping it works out. But those scientists are only trying to improve the current product a few % points but aren’t strategists or marketers who would know what the consumer wants to based on previous iterations. Try teaching “agile” to a bunch of scientists in a research lab that spent countless years perfecting their skills so as not to be rushed. There will be push back, corner-cutting and potential issues in the future by changing the only process they know. But now imagine with Turing, you can take all of their collective knowledge (even if they left the company) during those countless years, combine it with the ability to do formulations/simulations virtually with tailored Ai, not having to wait for lab results AND consumer insight based on how certain chemicals / ingredients combinations sold historically… that’s powerful! We like to joke that with Turing, WD40, would be WD4. https://lnkd.in/e_nu_CcK

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Happy Saturday everyone! I'm Rubén Colomer, GP at Next Tier Ventures, and this is your one-stop shop for all things AI: AI Weekly Digest! This week's edition brings a flurry of exciting developments across the AI landscape. Let's dive right in! => https://lnkd.in/dp2WJwba Funding Highlights in AI! This week, excitement continues in the AI sector with several startups securing investments. Companies like CoreWeave, Trovo Health, Ovom Care, CARV, Danti, Hatch, Glaut, and Ceartas DMCA have raised capital this week. They're backed by a diverse group of notable investors, including NVIDIA, Oak Street Health HC/FT, Alpha Intelligence Capital, Tribe Capital, IOSG Ventures, Consensys, OKX TR Ventures, Fenbushi Capital, No Limit Holdings, Draper Dragon, Arweave, Netmarble, Differential Ventures, Character, Howard Morgan, and the Italian Founders Fund. This surge of funding highlights the ongoing enthusiasm and investment confidence within the AI landscape. Legal Challenges and Strategic Moves: OpenAI faces a new legal challenge as major U.S. newspapers have filed a copyright lawsuit. Meanwhile, Apple is rumored to be enhancing AI capabilities with new initiatives, including a possible AI-enabled Safari and secretive talks with OpenAI for iOS integration. Acquisitions on the Rise: Nvidia continues its investment spree, acquiring AI startup Deci AI for $300 million, signaling strong ongoing interest in AI technologies. Don’t Miss Out on These Insights: For those deep-diving into AI development and trends, the Scale AI’s 2024 AI Readiness Report offers comprehensive insights. Also, check out a thought-provoking TED Talk by Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, exploring AI's future potential. Stay tuned for more exciting AI developments next week! Don't miss out on this vital information each week — subscribe now to get the complete insights in our newsletter! => https://lnkd.in/dp2WJwba #AI #MachineLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #Investment #Funding #Startups #OpenAI #Apple #Amazon #DataScience #GenerativeAI #ChatGPT #GPT4

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We just dropped a very special The J Curve episode with Dave Nangle, founder and CEO at emerging markets-focused growth investment firm VEF, whose Latam portfolio includes the likes of Creditas, Solfácil, Gringo and Konfío We talked about Dave’s investment strategy, focusing on growth-stage companies that have nailed unit economics and product-market fit; discussed the most common mistakes founders make when pitching to VEF, why trying to predict exit timing in emerging markets is often a losing game, and why Dave prefers M&A over IPO as the go-to exit strategy. Dave also shared his perspective on the most underrated tech company in Latin America 🤔 We discuss: 1️⃣ VEF’s investment strategy playbook: single country, single product focus and big scale up market 2️⃣ Build for exit: how to make M&A a viable exit strategy in VC and why an IPO might be less attractive than you think?  3️⃣ The holy grail of private markets: the pros and cons of a permanent capital vehicle structure in venture capital  4️⃣ Emerging markets are not all the same: what makes some particularly attractive for venture capital investors? 5️⃣ Brazil deconstructed: key factors making it a top tech investment market Watch / listen to the episode by tuning into The J Curve podcast on Youtube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. All 🔗 in the first comment 👇🏻 #vef #emergingmarkets #growthinvestor #venturecapital #entrepreneurship #fromlatamtotheworld

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Community has been a massive influence on my life this past decade. I have travelled around the world with 75 digital nomads w/ Remote Year Seen 30 founders test out their Ideas w/ Founder Institute Engaged with 100s of startups launching w/ Start-Up Chile Created a product company that had a community of 200k at its peak I owe so much of what and who I am to these experiences They have molded me into the person I am today All the things that I've learned have lead me to what I am doing now Its time I started giving back Last year I had to start from nothing Some would find it a dreadful situation to be in It wasn't. It's only when you have nothing, that you're free to do anything. That is a super power So many people are addicted to their salary Their freedom tied to the dreams and benefit of others I could have done the same I didnt I wouldnt Not this time I had spent the last 5 years testing what I was capable of That experience didnt end the way I wanted it to. I was toxically attached to its success I knew that the people I was doing it with were not capable of seeing that end with me It was the right thing to do When I came home I refocused my energy's into this I am obsessed This is something that allows me to spread my chips across the table And to work with amazing people who want to see that same freedom To see something bigger than themselves to an end that only Community can bring. It's starting now. This Monday you can watch this presentation in whole, you can join the event here: https://lnkd.in/esbQY7Vb Don't miss it! If you want to join my free community, please dm me and I will share with you the links If you are a fractional CXO who went from a Chief Officer with everything they could need in their life, to all of a sudden needing to be an Entrepreneur, a Marketer, and Sales Pro. This paid community is for you. https://lnkd.in/eFJZ3y9J This is just a sample! I will be sharing clips every day for the next 10 days also be sure to checkout my podcast that I have launched to highlight and feature the great communities in my life, their leaders, how they were founded, by who, why, and how. This is going to be good. I hope you're a part of it Stay Tuned! 🚀

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Shhh…. We’re sharing the secrets s to startup longevity 🤫 Discover how building specialized teams, adding management structure, disciplined planning & forecasting, and sustaining your culture can make your startup thrive. Join ah! Ventures and dive into the action🤝🏻🔥 https://lnkd.in/dDafq24K . . . . . . . . #ahVentures #BusinessGrowth #StartupOwnership #StartupInvestment #VentureCapital #InvestmentOpportunity #StartupSupport #StartupEcosystem #VenturePartner #EntrepreneurialJourney #ProfessionalGrowth #StartupSuccess #startuplife #startuptips #startupbusiness

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If you are curious to learn about angel funds, their difference to other angel investing models and how it reduces the risk of investing in startups, come listen to this episode of VC10X podcast. Here, Prashant Choubey and I talk about this and much more. Thank you Prashant for this conversation! #angelinvesting #startups #innovation #angels #angelfunds #coreangels

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Joining Y Combinator twice and raising $80M to lead a climate revolution... 🌳 Creating and exiting the first mobile-only hostel booking app... 📱 Raising the largest crowdfunding project ever for a travel product... 🧳 👉 Diego Saez Gil, founder of Pachama, has done it all and his journey is filled with invaluable lessons. 🎙️ This episode of "The Only Thing that Matters" is a masterclass in achieving product-market fit and scaling impact. Here are three golden insights from our conversation: 🌱 The Power of Mission-Driven Companies: How a strong mission can attract top talent and investors. 🤝 Choosing the Right Investors: The importance of aligning values and long-term goals. 🛠️ Building Hardware Products: The challenges and lessons learned from raising a massive crowdfunding campaign and manufacturing in China. 🎧 Listen in your favorite platform using the link below 👇 https://lnkd.in/dBnra3-Y — 💌 Subscribe to stay inspired by more founder stories! https://lnkd.in/dJVgmhYa

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🚀 Introducing the Latin Leap Next-Gen Program! 🌍 We’re thrilled to announce the launch of a unique program designed to empower the next generation of young leaders! The Latin Leap Next-Gen Program will guide participants through 6 months of hands-on entrepreneurship education and personal development, providing them with the knowledge, and community to succeed in the world of venture creation. ✨ What’s included: • 💼 Entrepreneurship-focused sessions: Learn how to start and grow a venture. • 📊 Real-world insights: Analyze pitch decks from startups seeking capital. • 🤝 Collaborative learning: Work with like-minded peers to develop ideas. • 🌱 Holistic development: Focus on growth mindset, ethics, personal growth and resilience. 💡 Led by our Pedro Miranda, Edtech entrepreneur and citizen of the world, this program aims to inspire and prepare future innovators for the challenges of tomorrow. 🌍 We’re proud to bring together the first 2 cohorts of 10 attendees from 7 different nationalities, creating a rich, diverse learning environment. The program is designed for two cohorts: Cohort 1 is for early founders aged 14-17, and Cohort 2 for those aged 18-24. The journey starts in September 2024 and will run until February 2025! https://lnkd.in/er9Eqwrv #LatinLeap #NextGenLeaders #Entrepreneurship #VentureCreation #YoungLeaders #PersonalDevelopment #Innovation #GlobalCommunity #GrowthMindset

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Roxom raised $4.3 million in a Pre-Seed funding round led by Draper Associates with participation from top renowned investors.  Led by Borja Martel Seward , co-founder of Lemon—one of Latin America's most popular fintech apps with over 2.5 million users—this platform enables individuals to buy, trade, spend, and sell crypto assets. Roxom is the first exchange to price and denominate #stocks, #commodities, and #futures in #Bitcoin. The platform allows users to view global markets and conduct transactions using #Bitcoin. This innovative approach aims to integrate Bitcoin more deeply into the financial trading ecosystem, providing a unique service for those looking to trade in Bitcoin rather than traditional fiat currencies. #Latin #America founders continue to draw interest from international investors seeking access to a booming crypto region 🚀

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Calling all founders! Don't miss out on this networking opportunity tailored for founders and investors to connect and explore potential collaborations. This event offers a great chance to pitch directly to a diverse group of investors. More information here: 🌐 https://lnkd.in/gSkXcNaR #Founders #Entrepreneurs #Leaders

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On May 2, 2024 REFASHIOND Ventures: The Industrial Transformation Fund convened people from around the world for Supply Chain & Industrial Transformation: The Next Generation (Silicon Valley 2024) at the JP Morgan Chase Palo Alto Technology Center in Palo Alto, CA. Lisa Morales-Hellebo and I want to extend our deep gratitude and appreciation to Melanie Hilton, Michelle Covey, Jess Urriola, Amy Reiter, and Vivian Tai from GS1 US for sponsoring that event, and our other event on May 3 in San Francisco. In this clip from Thursday, May 2, Melanie, Senior Vice President, Community Engagement at GS1 US tells our guests about GS1 US and welcomes them to the gathering. Our Investment Thesis: REFASHIOND Ventures: The Industrial Transformation Fund invests in early stage startups refashioning legacy industries through Data & AI, Advanced Materials, Advanced Manufacturing, & Next Generation Supply Chains; Defensible through economic moats. About GS1 US; GS1 US® helps companies power their supply chains to deliver safe, consistent, authentic, and trusted experiences. Best known as the recognized source for UPC barcodes, GS1 is a not-for-profit, global data standards organization that creates the common language that helps companies and their trading partners identify, capture, and share trusted data that links their physical and digital supply chains. Millions of businesses around the world power commerce with GS1 Standards. More than 300,000 members across 25 industries turn to GS1 US® for help with improving operations, addressing today’s industry challenges and changing market conditions, and positioning their businesses for tomorrow by leveraging GS1 Standards. #SCITSV2024

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Summary: Keith Rabois, managing director of Khosla Ventures, is on a mission to turn Miami into the next Silicon Valley and has been actively promoting the city as a tech hub. Despite some challenges and opposition, Rabois remains optimistic about Miami's potential and the growth of its tech ecosystem. Key takeaways: Keith Rabois is determined to make Miami the next Silicon Valley and has seen progress with a growing number of seed investments in the city. Khosla Ventures, where Rabois works, has made multiple investments in Miami, including one into a startup aiming to "reinvent education." Rabois continues to split his time between Miami and San Francisco, but believes that Miami offers a better quality of life and potential for building a thriving tech community. Counter arguments: Some big name investors, such as Andreessen Horowitz, have pulled out of Miami, suggesting that the city does not offer the same opportunities as other established tech hubs. Miami still has a relatively small share of total U.S. seed investments (2.6%-3.5%) which may indicate a lack of resources and opportunities compared to other cities. #venturecapital

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In the past two decades, the tech ecosystem has surged globally, with every region aiming to become a tech hub. Accelerators have been at the heart of this transformation, from Y Combinator and 500 Global, to Antler and Katapult and local programs. Our experience supporting over 30 accelerators worldwide offers a front-row seat to this evolution—covering everything from agritech in Africa to climate funds in Singapore. We’ve seen first-hand how accelerators are adapting to new trends and technologies. This begs the question, how are accelerators evolving? How should accelerators think about strategy, programming and their own business model? What are the latest trends a leadership team needs to think about and what role does AI play for accelerators? Has the time come for accelerators to rethink their strategy and if so, how? Join Nir Melamud and I this Wednesday as we dive into these topics and explore the future of accelerators. Sign up free here: https://lnkd.in/duCxsdVv

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Apply for a $100K Investment at Ganas Ventures Hey! Summer's here, and we're turning up the heat at Ganas Ventures with $100K investments in community-driven startups across the US and Latin America! Send a DM or just fill out this short form: https://bit.ly/45o1WbO What do we mean by "community-driven"? Think of startups that are: Laser-focused on specific niches (like Zocalo for Latino healthcare). Leveraging their communities for growth (like LATAMs Latitud). Building thriving online spaces — like WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, or their own apps — where members connect, share ideas, and empower each other to succeed. If any of this resonates with you, we should definitely talk. Our sweet spot is: Pre-seed and seed-stage startups Delaware C Corps or Cayman Islands Holding Co x Delaware LLCs ≦ $10M valuation and fundraising for 24 months of runway Teams based in the US or Latin America Not investing in physical products.

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Less then 3 weeks remain before the #GlobalStartupSymposium live virtual event begins. The 4-day conference, Dec 9, 10, 11, & 12 is Pismo Ventures' 12th consecutive event for startups at the stages of Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A - Life Science (Day 1), AI/ML (Day 2), DeepTech (Day 3), etc. (Day 4). The symposium offers a unique opportunity to connect startup founders with investors worldwide. 170+ investors have already registered to meet 150+ founders. Register today and take advantage of a 50% discount code: SPO50GSS24 https://lnkd.in/g6nZegSz Thank you to all of our sponsors and partners for making this event happen. Quan Nguyen | NGUYEN TARBET IP Law | TCA Venture Group Orange County | Startup Steroid - Deal Flow | SPVs | Demo Day Platform | TechCon SoCal | PeopleConnect Staffing | Orange County OC Startup Council | Keiretsu Forum | Berkeley Angel Network | New Mexico Angels, Inc. | Gao Family Office LLC | Ashton Capital | LabX Ventures®| Cross Ocean USSS Fund I (A) Del Feeder LP | Pasadena Angels | StrongHer - by Arise Ventures | CarbonN Venture Partners | The Healthcare Syndicate | Medina Ventures | Rhapsody Venture Partners | MAKR Venture Fund | Indigenous VC | 7BC Venture Capital | Kamay Ventures | FUJI Innovation Lab | Breakform Ventures | VU Venture Partners | E12 Ventures | Venture Diplomat | Fundie Ventures | BDev Ventures | Techstars | myeloma investment fund | Innopower | Anza Capital | q fund | Allstate Strategic Ventures | Binary Crypto | Breakform Ventures #Entrepreneurship #Startups #Founders #Angels #Investors #VentureCapital #TechLeadership #CommunityBuilder #FamilyOffices #PitchEvent #InvestorConference #StartupConference #PitchCompetition #Connect #Partners #Disrupt #Innovate #LifeScience #AI #ML #DeepTech #ClimateTech #Cybersecurity #Web3 #Blockchain #InnovativeLeadership #Networking #BusinessGrowth #Partner #BookAppointment #BookMeetings #Chat #Opportunities #DealFlow

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Startup fundraising requirements have gone up... Here are 3 key takeaways and actionable steps you can take: Takeaways from Carta's report: 1️⃣ Lower Valuation Multiples – Series A startup valuation multiples have dropped from 4.9x in 2022 to 2.8x, indicating more cautious investor sentiment. 2️⃣ Extended Fundraising Cycles – Startups are now waiting over 100 days longer between rounds, reflecting slower deal flow. 3️⃣ New Opportunities – Larger seed rounds and technological advancements, such as AI, provide startups with ways to grow without relying as heavily on traditional VC funding. So, what can you do about it? If you’ve already raised pre-seed or seed funding, your primary focus should now be on generating revenue. There’s no way around that. If you haven't raised yet but plan to start a company, here are some strategies to consider: 1️⃣ Write Openly on LinkedIn - Share your thesis and gather feedback before you build. - Pay attention to what resonates with your audience and what doesn’t. 2️⃣ Talk to as Many People as Possible - Use tools like Dripify Lead Conversations to automate LinkedIn connections. - Cold email your ideal customer profile (ICP). - This will help refine your thesis and shape your vision. 3️⃣ Build a Network of VCs and Founders - Many VCs and founders are open to talking with aspiring entrepreneurs. - Use ChatGPT to refine your thesis and identify the best VC matches. - Reach out via concise emails or LinkedIn DMs. Bonus Tip – Be Patient - Once you raise capital, the clock starts ticking and pressure builds. - Consider developing a strong thesis and influence through writing before raising funds. This will give you conviction as you move forward. After all, you’re likely in this for the next 10+ years. #startup #fundraising #vc #entrepreneurship 

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