Asbjørn Jørgensen

𝗜'𝗺 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝟯 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗠𝗩𝗣, 𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼’𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱. 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 £𝟱 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 If only ChatGPT could show me startups raising funds that matched this exact search. Luckily, Chainvest can. For investors: Imagine describing your ideal startupand having a variety appear. Chainvest’s AI-driven platform makes that a reality. Finding the right startup shouldn’t feel like finding a needle in a haystack. For founders: Forget endless cold emails and repetitive pitches. With Chainvest, the right investors will find you. Real connections, no guesswork. We’re launching soon. Investors and founders—join our waitlist at www.chainvest.io Tag a founder who needs a better way to connect with investors. Sam Simpson Ekaterina Manoilenko, MBA Jan McGinley Cait Pilkington Ricardo Pascual Duc Zambrini Vasily Alekseenko Kristina Pereckaite David Levine Samuel Izzard Ed Prior

49

6 commentaren

Congratulations and many thanks for this work First Momentum Ventures, Dr. Maximilian Ochs, David Meiborg, Lena Späth, Reinhardt Karpenko ! Tach2yone GmbH as a Growth Equity investor in the Green Energy Transition and related areas is looking to invest in more mature Deep Tech companies (Series B and later). One of our most important investment criterion is (positive) EBITDA: we believe, that in industries with high CapEx, EBITDA is useful because it eliminates the distortions caused by significant depreciation and amortization expenses, providing a clearer view of operational profitability. Thus, EBITDA is an essential tool for us to assess a company’s core profitability and financial health. First Momentum Ventures and community: what are your thoughts on this approach and would you consider to take also EBITDA into your napkin for later stage companies?

1

I stalked my co-founder for months before we started a VC firm together. Not in a creepy way. I just knew Janneke Niessen was brilliant at building tech companies from scratch. She'd done it twice already. Most VCs look at the obvious things: market size, product-market fit, financials. But here's what 15 years of research taught me: 60% of startups die because their teams implode. Not competition. Not market conditions. Not running out of money. Teams fall apart. After studying thousands of founders at Berkeley and Amsterdam, I discovered something counterintuitive: The traits that make someone an amazing early founder often become toxic during scale-up. That raw drive? It can turn into control-freakery. That passionate vision? It might blind you to market changes. That fierce independence? It could prevent crucial delegation. This is why Janneke and I built CapitalT differently. We don't just evaluate pitch decks. We measure team dynamics using hard science. We spot scaling problems before they emerge. Because unicorns aren't born from pitch decks. They're built by teams that evolve. P.S. Know a founder who needs to hear this? Tag them below.

845

84 commentaren

🚀 AI is Boosting European VC! 🚀 In Q2 2024, AI deals doubled to €4.2B. H1 totals hit €6.3B, making AI the top sector after SaaS. 🌍 France & Benelux lead the way with the most capital raised since 2018. AI's transformative potential is attracting massive investments, reshaping industries and driving innovation across Europe. Source: PitchBook #AI #VentureCapital #Startups #Innovation

2

Our total revenue collection nearly doubled in the last three months. And we expect it to further double in the next three months. That’s 4X growth in six months. Without any changes to the product. Without any disruptions to the cost structure. How did we do it? Let me give you a walkthrough. Our customers fall into three tiers based on their revenues. Through experiments, we figured the top tier was willing to pay much more (than what we were billing them) for the right offering. For example, large enterprises focus a lot on business intelligence, security and robust admin controls — areas Powerplay naturally excels at. It was all about repackaging and rebundling our existing offerings to align with their distinct needs. We were able to spark a psychological trigger – suddenly, those clients saw much higher value in the bundle vs considering each item separately. We were able to unleash untapped revenue potential. Without reinventing the wheel. Without spending an extra penny. In a world where differentiation is key, the way you present your product can be the difference between stagnation and exponential growth. #SaaS #PricingStrategy #Startups

95

2 commentaren

Understanding the Rule of X for SaaS Scaleups For SaaS scaleups, the Rule of X offers a straightforward framework to estimate revenue multiples. It was originally developed by Bessemer Venture Partners and supplemented with data last week by Dealroom founder Yoram Wijngaarde. It emphasizes that growth significantly outweighs profitability, even amid VC crunches. However, when growth is constrained, profitability becomes essential. Framework Overview: The Rule of X combines growth rate and free cash flow (FCF) margin to evaluate company value, using a multiplier (typically 2-3x) on growth. Datadog Example: With a 25% growth rate and a 25% EBITDA margin, Datadog achieves a Rule of X score of 100%, implying a 15x revenue multiple for 2024. Importance of Growth: Growth has a compounding impact on valuation, significantly outweighing FCF margins. Subscribe to ‘Siliconnector’ Telegram channel for insights and news from Tech world and Silicon Valley: https://t.me/siliconnector

9

2 commentaren

Today or tomorrow, I’ll hit a new milestone on LinkedIn. 🌟 20,000 followers (𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿?) My commitment to posting 1-2 times daily has transformed my reach, driving 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 of founders and LPs to our site 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵. This is core to our RevOps strategy (demand generation): → How we attract LPs → How we attract Startup Founders → And yes, I play to win. 🏆 𝗔 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗼, I got serious about LinkedIn. → 7,434.9% increase in reach 📈 → 3.5 million impressions 🎉 But it all started with that first post back on 6/13/22. 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝘂𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿, I know our brand’s success depends on a clear message and a global presence. At CanaGlobal, we’re focused on four pillars: 🚀 Startup Church 🚀 Startup School 🚀 Startup Incubator 🚀 Startup Venture Studio Though we have a stellar team, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. We’ve become a global brand — a global movement, attracting founders from around the world and all walks of life. 100% of our LPs are faith-driven patriots — proudly MAGA — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 100% 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻. Along the way, I’ve been fortunate to learn from LinkedIn pros like Kevin Jurovich and Nat Berman. 🔹 I’ve studied their strategies, connected with them, and continue to cheer them on daily. So, if you’ve been part of this journey — thank you! It’s been a privilege to get to know you, support you, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲, 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽: 100,000. ~~~ Need help, 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 and reach out. Follow me, Gerald Duran for daily startup and VC mentorship, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘁 from CanaGlobal's faith-driven venture studio and startup incubator. #startups #venturecapital #entrepreneurship

69

67 commentaren

This is the beginning of a new era where 'Growth' as a job title is becoming obsolete. Following recent growth dinners with brilliant minds from Lemlist, AB Tasty, Le Wagon, and more, I've realized that generic growth positions are no longer the pathway to generating impact in high-growth startups. I've written a comprehensive 835-word note on how to avoid getting left behind. In it, I cover trends like the specialization of positions, the rise of unsaturated channels, and the emerging CRO role. Comment 'I need this note' on this post if you’d like access to my notes — and stay relevant in this evolving landscape.

33

85 commentaren

#Fundraising in 2023 was not easy, for founders or VCs. Sifted tracked just 40 new first-time funds that announced a first or second close in 2023 — compared to over 60 in 2022. But these #European #VCs are raising (and closing) first-time funds. Here are all the new first-time VC funds raised in 2024. #business #startups #europeanvc #eu #saasstaartups #sifted #saasbusiness #growthlevers #growthdrivers #vc #startupfunding #europeanstartups #vcfunding #startupjourney #investment #firstround #techstartups #scalingbusiness #scalingup #venturefund #venturecapital #startupgrowth #startupjourney #fundraising #investorrelations #earlystagestartups #preseed #seed #seedround #startupfinancing #startupinvestment #investors #venturecapitalists #capitalraising #fundingstrategy #venturefunding #prepmf #pmf #deathvalleycurve #startupdeathvalley #raisingmoney #2024report #funding #investorawareness #venture #CentralEurope #researchreport #vcfunds #newvc #firsttimefunds #2024outlook #scaleups #seriesa #founders #startupfounders

9

Must-Read Books for B2B Founders: The Top 5 (Plus a Bonus)* 1. Lean B2B by Étienne Garbugli: Finding and validating the right idea 2. The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick: Talking to customers 3. Content Inc by Joe Pulizzi: Building an audience 4. Founding Sales Peter Kazanjy: Early, founder-led sales 5. Obviously Awesome by April Dunford: Product positioning Bonus 👉 Magic Box Paradigm by Ezra Roizen : Getting acquisition-ready from Day 1 What else would you add to the list? *in my opinion 😜

18

6 commentaren

I’ve coached dozens of scale-up co-founders. Here’s how the best stay effective and stay together 👇 1. They recognize the importance of spending time together that is focused on their relationship vs focused on execution. 2. They dedicate regular, scheduled time to this. There are a few ways this can be done (and no one-size-fits-all all solution) but here are the most common approaches: 🔹 A monthly co-founder dinner 🔹 A weekly or bi-weekly coffee walk n’ talk 🔹 A monthly zoom “beer and hang” (for remote cofounder teams) What’s important is to get clear on the fact that spending time with your partner(s) with the goal of rapport-building and fun is crucial. When you do this avoid the temptation to blend this with work, which is easy to do given all that you undoubtedly have on your plate. The challenge I see many co-founder teams suffer from is consistency and keeping up this practice. They know the importance of doing this but work, busyness, and lack of a clear owner causes it to fall to the wayside. The easiest way to combat this is to: 1. Make one founder the owner of these syncs and in charge of making sure they happen. 2. Make it ok to iterate your process during different stages of the company. For example, early on you might do a bi-weekly founder dinner. Later you may do a shorter weekly walk and talk. It’s ok to change the process to meet your needs, but important to not stop doing it entirely. Lastly, some co-founders (especially remote co-founders who do this over zoom) prefer having a set agenda for these syncs. If you go this route, topics on your agenda can include: 🔹 Trip report — how are you doing overall, not just at work? 🔹 How’s your stress level? 🔹 How are you liking your current role? 🔹 How are you holding up financially (important to talk openly about in case runway becomes tight)? You can also get meta and have agenda topics exploring your partnership. For example: 🔹 How are we growing as a partnership? 🔹 How are we not growing as partners in areas we should? 🔹 What conversations are we avoiding? 🔹 What is one specific piece of feedback we have for each other? (or one positive, one negative) While the value of each individual session may not be immediately clear, what you’re doing is deepening your trust, rapport, and alignment. This is one of the most important drivers of execution, speed, and success. Founders- have you used versions of this with your cofounders? Did you find it helpful? Any other tips or ways to have these regular syncs that you recommend?

9

Startup founders often get negotiation wrong. Winning sustainably means mimicking a successful poker player, and treating (and respecting) your opponent like The House. You can't position yourself too strongly. Opening an investor conversation with 'We're oversubscribed' or a sales conversation with pricing that is completely out of whack with expectations will almost always result in the other party walking away early. The House will shut you out. What I'm saying is, the goal isn't to win 6-0. The goal is to win 6-5. It seems counterintuitive, but you need to concede points to win. Case in point: The ideal first investor call might start with you pitching your startup and justifying your worth. You're on the back foot; 1-0 to the investor. But perhaps you then ask if it's OK to leave a minute early, as you've bunched your investor calls into the next few days and you'd like a breather before the next one. 1-1. It's a dance until the end. If done well, you leave the call in an advantageous position, whilst your opponent is left feeling respected and as though it was a fair fight. If done perfectly, you earn admiration. Paradoxically, your opponent actually wants you to win. #negotiation #startup

23

3 commentaren

Is seat-based pricing becoming a thing of the past? With the rise of AI and LLMs, we're seeing a major shift towards consumption-based models, aligning value with actual usage. This change is shaking up the traditional SaaS business model and bringing exciting new trends: 1️⃣ Consumption-based Pricing: Companies are moving away from per-seat fees to align costs with usage. 2️⃣ Evolving UI/UX: Design is adapting to focus more on agent interactions with databases and APIs. 3️⃣ Advanced Billing Software: Robust systems are crucial for tracking utilization and revenue. 4️⃣ New Metrics: Fresh metrics are emerging to capture software dynamics and customer outcomes. 5️⃣ Changing Sales Roles: Sales teams are evolving to focus on customer needs and usage patterns. Read more in the comments!

6

1 commentaar

Some of my takeaway from the #DPWAmsterdam; Honestly, even being miles away I could feel the energy and vibe from the event. Great event ! 1. For startups: a) For a VC to trust your company, build a company survival plan for next 3- 4 years b) Avoid those distractions from the big logo. I am hearing it second time in this week. One from my network and from Eva Arh from 3VC. 2. Is SaaS overshadowing AI or is it going to co-exist? Another conversation with Spencer Penn from LightSource also mentioned about SaaS vs Agentic workflows - Something to ponder about for us Procurie 3. Great potential for products to solve the pain points/challenges in the direct procurement area. There are so many problems to solve in this area - I agree to it. 4. The one I loved the most, use technology to make your process simpler and spend that time in making your employees learn your core business. 5. Finding the sweet spot/comfort zone for personal development. 6. Lastly, The talk from Jason Busch about data asset was eye opening. What are some of your key takeaways? Keen to know. #DPWAmsterdam #Procurie #LearningsfromDPW #procurement

15

I believe language can be the barrier keeping your business small, especially for start-ups and e-commerce companies. You wouldn’t go to Albert Heijn expecting to be spoken to in Italian, right? 😬 Sure, you can auto translate your website, but you can’t automatically translate the way you connect with customers. In today’s connected world, offering support in multiple languages isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s essential 🏆 Imagine losing a sale because your customer couldn’t get help in their native language or receiving a 1-star review because your after-sales support was in Spanish instead of Dutch. That’s why multilingual support, especially Dutch, is a game changer for businesses looking to expand globally. It’s not just about “having” it; it’s about being intentional, understanding your market and knowing which languages will make the most impact. Many businesses miss this, and that’s where they fall short. #MultilingualSupport #CustomerService #BusinessExpansion

31

OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, is currently trying to raise $6.5bn of investment, valuing OpenAI at $150bn. If he succeeds, it will be completely remarkable  OpenAI will have done in 9 years what it took Coca-Cola 95 years and Pfizer 175 years to accomplish. Just when you think there's no more tech to disrupt, and that all the big players have been established, this shows there is always room for another! #OpenAI #Disruption #AI

5

“When you invest in venture actually matters.” Jaap Vriesendorp is a legend. There’s no doubt about it. Whether you believe me or not, Episode 6 of this season of Superclusters is a must-watch. By far, one of the most deliberate guests I’ve had on the podcast so far. Not only does he break down the three pillars of building a community of entrepreneurial LPs, but also shares 3 facts that led him to create Welt Ventures’, now Marktlink Capital’s portfolio construction model. My 3 biggest takeaways: 🚪🏃 Exit windows matter more than entry windows. “The truth of the matter, when we look at the data, is that entry points matter much less than the exit points. Because venture is about outliers and outliers are created through IPOs, the exit window matters a lot. And to create a big enough exit window to let every vintage that we create in the fund of funds world to be a good vintage." 🏆 The Champion's League Effect “85% of returns flow to 5% of the funds, and that those 5% of the funds are very sticky. So we call that the ‘Champions League Effect.’" Jaap and his team constantly spend time looking at the data behind venture and is probably one of the most data-informed teams out there. He breaks down in the episode as well why his portfolio construction is 80% established, and 20% emerging managers. 🤗 Great communities all have 3 things: fun, value, uniquely organized knowledge. You need all three to create a community where each node of the network creates compounding effects. And much much more, including how much individual LPs often allocate to venture. Full episode in the comments!

91

10 commentaren

🚀 Entrepreneurial Insight: Build a Painkiller, Not a Vitamin 🚀 One of the key lessons I shared in my recent keynote speech at the University of the Witwatersrand was all about focusing on solving real problems. Here’s why it’s crucial: 🔍 Painkillers vs. Vitamins: In the world of startups, your product or service should address a pressing need—a "pain" for your customers. A painkiller provides immediate relief, while a vitamin is a nice-to-have but not essential. 💡 Why It Matters: When you solve a significant problem, you create real value and a strong demand for your solution. This approach not only drives growth but also ensures you’re meeting a genuine need in the market. 🔥 Actionable Tip: Always ask yourself, “What problem am I solving?” Make sure your solution is indispensable, not just an enhancement. Stay tuned for more insights from my keynote! For a deeper dive into this and other key lessons, check out the full video https://lnkd.in/d34JfAFY ! #Entrepreneurship #Startups #Innovation #BusinessAdvice #PainkillerNotVitamin

10

2 commentaren

Sifted just released their list of the most promising SaaS startups in Europe. https://lnkd.in/erxJRGzi If you are looking to leave your corporate job for a startup but aren’t sure where to get started, do this. 1. Look at sifted lift of promising startups and pick 10 that really interest you. 2. Based on your skill set, use linked look up the lead of the department you think you would be interested in. For example, if you want to get into sales then look up the VP of sales. 3. Send them a DM on why you want to work for the company and what impact you could have in your first 100 days working there. Don’t send your CV until asked for it. 4. Follow up diligently every few days. If after the third try, no one has got back to you, move to the next 10 on the list. It sounds simple, and it is. Recruitment is the hardest thing for growth stage startups, and no one enjoyed paying 25% recruiter fees. Good luck

46

13 commentaren