Kelly An

Some things that could be done in Singapore: 1. Curated dinners with startups and VC Folks 2 Singapore Tech and Startups Week - Host various side events 3. Walk and Talks 4. Conferences, 1 Day events 5. A space for builders to co work out of or a hacker house here on the weekends Who’s building or trying in any of these areas? Feel free to DM me if you are building in any of the above areas Or comment on this post

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To all the new or #expecting #parents, Ubenwa Health has developed a unique #AI-powered app designed for those who are still learning how to intuit their infant’s emotions. Through listening/studying to various different baby cries, #NanniAI is here to help you distinguish between their wants and needs, and which decisions is the most likely to soothing them in the meantime. Yes, it is named "Nanni," and yes it is AI powered — however it’s not intended to replace parents, it’s more of a #supplement to help support and encourage good #parenting skills. Nanni AI is the culmination of years of research and data collection in Nigeria, Montreal, Canada and Brazil, which was used to train an algorithm that sorts "thousands and thousands" of cries and tries to categorize your baby's needs accurately. The developer mentioned earlier, Ubenwa Health raised a $2.5 million pre seed financing round led by AI-focused funds. What do you think of this app? If you are a parent, would you consider using Nanni AI?

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I’m thrilled to be announcing that Notion Capital is leading the $15m Series A investment in Cogna today. In the industry, we like to think that software has been eating the world. But when you look at the data a better description would be more of a nibble. Depending on what source you look at the software industry represents between 5-8% of global GDP. Contrast that with the services industry that represents between 60-70% of GDP and worth around $25 trillion on a global basis. Most services have been out of reach for the software industry. They have either been too complex or too specialized for off the shelf software to access in any economically viable way. But that’s beginnning to change with GenAI leading to the emergence of ‘service as a software.’ Cogna is at the forefront of this opportunity - building precision software at scale and delivering huge productivity gains for traditional industries. We know Ben Peters & Lars Mennen well having backed their previous company Five AI that was acquired by Bosch in 2022. And we’re very excited to be backing them again together with Hoxton Ventures & Chalfen Ventures Read my full blog post on why we invested here. Radu Bozga Ben Peters Lars Mennen Bryan G. Mike Chalfen Hussein Kanji Kirsten Connell https://lnkd.in/eh8mhcJb

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What do you do when you find founders who have deep experience in a traditional domain like construction tech and have spent years honing their insights in the domain. Combine that with Co-founders experience being founding engineers of giants like Rippling and spent time on building banking and fintech infrastructure at companies like Niyo. We at Neon love working with such domain experts who come together to startup. Construction tech is a domain that deserves founders like Merlin to disrupt it. As I say it can’t get better that this founding team. Read more about Neon’s portfolio Merlin and our founders Sneha, Siddhartha and Ayantika here: https://lnkd.in/g4m9su-e

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Congratulations to Sean (Xiang) Ren, Tyler Z. and Sahara AI team for a successful Series A fundraising. SCB 10X is excited to participate in this strategic funding round, co-led by Pantera Capital and Polychain Capital, along with Samsung Next, Matrix Partners, Nomad Capital, Tangent Ventures and others. Founded in 2023, Sahara AI is developing a decentralized AI platform that offers high performance, provenance, data privacy and security. The network allows both individuals and businesses to deploy proprietary data and build personalized AI models. Additionally, it leverages blockchain technology to enable incentive distribution to data and model contributors, creating a collaborative ecosystem for AI development. SCB 10X is looking forward to working with Sahara AI team for a future of open and inclusive AI. https://lnkd.in/g5jqCm7p #artificialintelligence #generativeai #ai #startups #vc

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Founders raising for the first time? This is an awesome guide. 👀⤵️ All credits to Brian Ortiz 👏🏽 #firstdegree #founders #investors
#alwaysbelearning #sharingiscaring #changethewaywework

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Looking beyond #VC funding for your #startup? Aakash Shah of Wyndly (YC W21) reveals how he built a multi-million dollar #healthtech company using creative capital strategies. Learn how he leveraged Y Combinator's network and alternative funding methods to revolutionize allergy treatment. In case you missed it, you can watch the #FundraisingDemystified #podcast here: https://lnkd.in/eZT63YS4

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Have you heard of #CapVC? It’s an application platform designed specifically for the use of #VC firms. Essentially, it’s a robust #AI-powered tool made to simplify the daily operations of managing a #fund. Isn’t that something, a VC funded start-up designed to help improve the productivity of VC funding! According to this article from TechCrunch, Cap VC is looking to become much more than just an ‘operating system’ — the company aims to be a simplified and extremely efficient way to run a VC firm: reducing digital clutter by turning PDF files, income statements and balance sheets into readable data, automating company suggestions based on the context of a VC’s portfolio, and more. Cap VC is currently developing native apps on Mac and Windows, alongside releasing an API so that developers can build on top of their foundations. So, are any of my fellow VCs interested in using this software? If not Cap VC, is there any interest for similar software to be created down the line? Are there downsides to using a third-party application like this? I want to know what you all think.

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Rob's goals 30th sept 2024 Hours: 39.5 Goals last week: continue interviewing shortlisting candidates for athena (ongoing) continue studying a16z, sequoia, founders fund investments: focused on studying series A investments in SE Asia. Studied ~50 continue studying deep tech: biotech, nuclear and engineering rewrote athena curriculum, current studying points listed in 5: athena-dot-vc/blog/startup-curriculum Monday - contactout meetings and goal review tuesday - file trademark, rewrite athena curriculum wednesday - rewrite athena curriculum, read about JPAL MIT poverty research thursday - rewrite athena curriculum, finances for contactout friday - interview founders, review founder submissions Learnings: rewrote athena-dot-vc/blog/startup-curriculum to include build your own university degree with chatgpt and links to deep tech resources lots of good learnings from povertyactionlab-dot-org/policy-insights by MIT Nobel prize winning economists. From microfinance to chlorine tablets, to better seeds for farmers Studied series A investments in asia. Mostly fintech and marketplaces etc. No SaaS companies targeting the region (saas targeting global market only) Smart glasses are a really cool new market, e.g the meta rayban glasses with camera, mic, and AI assistant that can see what you see. next week: continue interviewing shortlisting candidates for athena continue studying series A funded investments continue studying deep tech: biotech, nuclear and engineering #athena_vc

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These VC firms just announced new cash in the coffers. 🔴 Tel Aviv based Swish Ventures raised its newest $60M fund to invest in early stage cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, and AI startups. 🔴 Australia based Airtree announced its fifth $650M fund. The capital will be split in two, with Core Fund V backing early stage technology startups, and Opportunity Fund V supporting Airtree’s portfolio companies. 🔴 Bengaluru based Stellaris Venture Partners closed its third $300M fund to back early stage founders in India. 🔴 New York based Cadenza closed a $50 million early stage AI Venture Fund.

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🎃 Ready to carve out your path to Product-Market Fit?🎃 Join Companyon Ventures’ Behind the Curtain roundtable tomorrow (Oct 30) with Michael Ho, Firas Raouf, Eric Morgan, and Hersh Tapadia as they 'exorcise' the mysteries of PMF. Don’t ghost us—RSVP in the comments 👻 https://lnkd.in/emCJcn4w #emergingmanager #venturecapital #productmarketfit

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Siren's goals and progress on contactout and athena.vc 23rd July 2024 Last week goal(s) & what did I do: Athena VC: - Deeptech founders Outreach - Meetings ran - 1 - Meetings booked for this week - 1 - Stats - last week (Switching the approach to get on a podcast/interview) - Total connection requests sent: 101 (Founders in sustainable energy) - Connection request accepted: 17 (17%) - Replied to LI message: 2 (12%) - Question answered: 0 (0%) “Expert opinion” article Asking for review and permission to post on YouTube - Sent to 19 founders - 2 agreed to post on YouTube - 6 replied to keep their insights to community members only - Finished editing “Expert opinion” article, created 2 versions - Share to public - Share within the community Curated and sorted into a list of programs for deep tech startups ---------- This week: Athena VC - Continue to schedule more calls with founders in the sustainable energy industry - Follow up for review and permission to post on youtube - Pick a topic to work on (Energy creation) - Study 10 top companies - Read top 20 research journal articles in the field - Write about what road blocks I come across and what is confusing and strategies for figuring it out (Chatgpt or wikipedia, etc.) ---------- Misc 🤰 EDD - Jul 29th Might start taking my maternity leave anytime this week During my leave: Read Sam Altman blog - https://lnkd.in/gAAXZcBC Read startup playbook - https://lnkd.in/g9Uka7Da Read PG’s essays - https://lnkd.in/geHZYnip Read zero to one, paper trail on fire, founders at work #AthenaVC #BuildInPublic

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For Southeast Asia’s tech ecosystem to be self-sustaining, we need some big changes. There are a few key elements I believe can unlock tremendous opportunity in the region. To name a few: ✅ Deep, varied capital stack - Sufficient capital at various stages from angels to growth capital. ✅ Diverse investors - Knowledgeable investors focusing on various industries and models. ✅ Exits infrastructure - Mechanisms for exits from IPOs to M&A. ✅ Strong founders - Awareness of the nuances of SEA and conviction to depart from “tried and tested” models adapted from matured markets like the US With these in place, it will accelerate interest and success for investors and founders alike. That said, I believe our core approach needs to change. Over the last decade, SEAsia has greatly matured. And with any nascent upstart, it’s applied what’s worked elsewhere... Focusing heavily on growth-at-all-cost and other US-inspired strategies. To the surprise of most, the results have not been the most encouraging as a result of this. On hindsight, the pitfalls were clear: - Unrealistic early-stage valuations. - Chasing very large outcomes in a fragmented market. - Applying US playbooks that don't fit our market. Startups will follow suit to match criteria that VCs set. It’s how the game works. With the current market downturn, it’s a good opportunity to reset and intentionally chart our own course for the region. Investors and founders that know how to meander this market with it’s unique strengths / market dynamics in mind, will succeed. As investors and long-time believers in this region ourselves at Tin Men Capital , We believe in working together to develop the ecosystem. Southeast Asia is still learning to walk before it begins to run. Venture capital is a team sport, and together, we can build a stronger, self-sustaining space for startups to thrive. Let's pull in the same direction and make it happen. 💪

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Five years ago, my partner Nisha Dua and I left corporate life and formed BBG Ventures, convinced that a rising generation of founders from diverse communities and backgrounds were poised to build transformative companies in a rapidly changing America. Today we’re announcing a new $60M early-stage fund to continue that work, and releasing the research that informed our investment thesis: The Mind of Polycultural America: A Look at Identity, Priorities and Behaviors (https://lnkd.in/eGzP3f2r) We’ve always looked around corners to identify shifts in behavior and attitudes. But several years ago, Nisha began describing the changing face of the country as the American Polyculture; and last year we set out to better understand it. That research – a survey of 2000+ people, large enough to be statistically relevant across race, gender, age, income, political party, and geography – reveals a number of surprising insights. Americans today define their identities based on a unique perception of their place in the world, which will demand more nuance and personalization in the platforms and products we bring to market; but we have surprisingly common priorities, needs and concerns across nearly every age group, race and gender. The research also confirmed our belief that a diverse cross-section of founders who understand first-hand the challenges and opportunities in our polycultural future will have a competitive advantage in arenas that still need transformation: health, education, financial security, workforce support and climate safety. Thrilled to be on this journey with my partner of more than decade, Nisha Dua, plus the stellar BBGV team: Claire Biernacki, Carol Magalhães Isaacs, Drew Silverman Fennessy, Addison B. Marsh, Jr. If you know a founder transforming the way we live in one of these categories, send them our way. Thanks Leena Rao for the coverage on Business Insider! https://lnkd.in/eRb5Vv3R

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The second episode of the FounderJourney Podcast by NuFund Venture Group (hosted by Guy Reams) is now live! 🎧 Fascinating conversation between an early investor, Dean Rosenberg and a founder Eugene Cho (Founder of Discover Echo Inc.) as they dive deep into their fundraising for building a successful startup. Some of the highlights - Discussion around the challenges of early stage funding for founders, including the development of Discover Echo and their success with angel investors and super angels. - Background in sales and the development of Discover Echo, a company that aims to build better microscopes than the current market leaders. - Eugene raised a couple million dollars from friends and family, had traction with micro VCs for a $5 million raise, but the deal fell apart, leading them to apply for and eventually win the TCA Quick Pitch competition in San Diego. _ Good discussion about differences between venture capitalists and micro VCs - Dean Rosenberg says he was impressed with Eugene's ability to engage with customers and extract money for value - Eugene discusses the value of receiving "smart money" from angel investors, who not only provide financial support but also offer advice and guidance in fundraising and business development. - Eugene and Dean worked together to secure funding for a series A round, initially aiming for $5 million but ultimately raising $7.5 million, while also forming a board, fulfilling orders, scaling up, hiring a team, and eventually expanding after securing the funding. - Good discussion around how early stage founders often give away too much equity too early, which can be difficult to get back and can lead to issues with incentivizing employees and retaining equity in the company. - Discover Echo experienced significant growth after Series A funding and attracted interest from venture capital, private equity, and strategic buyers at a conference, leading to potential offers. Love happy endings #FounderJourney #NuFund #Podcast #Startup #VentureCapital #Fundraising https://lnkd.in/gywESz6b

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After Maya Bakhai and I nerded out about what it takes to break into VC today, decided to write a blogpost on everything that isn't cold emailing a bunch of VCs and founders. Couple key takeaways: 1/ Take market risk, not execution risk. The latter means you're always competing with people playing on home field advantage aka someone who's been a great executor for 20-30 years. 2/ Optimize for high quality of eavesdropping. In the sense that when you try to get to know someone, create a space where they as well as others of their caliber can get more bang for buck when they show up, even if just by eavesdropping on surrounding conversations. ie podcasts, events 3/ Excellence is everywhere. Try not to overoptimize for metrics that everyone is familiar with and there is immense value in finding undiscovering entrepreneurial talent before others. Full blogpost here: https://lnkd.in/gAt-Mp3J

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Insightful breakdown from my great Partner Omri Amirav-Drory on the simple factors that really separate the top 1% of investors from the rest, and how more operators should become investors! https://lnkd.in/gEiZdT2h

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Latitude Media and Bianca Giacobone just published an interesting article covering Congruent Ventures and Silicon Valley Bank's 50 by 2050 list (https://lnkd.in/gRMaqMb8) with some insightful takeaways: 1. Software may be eating the world, but mitigating climate change needs atoms and bio in addition to to bits and bytes. 2. Climate VC harkens back to venture's roots. It's called *silicon* valley for a reason. But nearly every hardware company in the list has software and AI as a fundamental enabling component. It's here to stay. 3. There are a LOT of strong technologies that are transitioning to deployment and that we expect to be at scale before 2050. 4. The quality of entrepreneurship and teams in this space continues to grow and impress. Needless to say, we're feeling more bullish than ever. Onwards! https://lnkd.in/ggiYQvBC

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As a delegate, the measure of a successful conference is in the side meetings. 💼 🌍✨ Not in high-level discussions on stage, not in symbolic gestures from politicians, and not in the amount of media attention. Side meetings are a leading indicator of the real action that will take place after the event. In the 10 years that I have been attending #Ecosperity, this year was the most impressive. 🌟 Together with 🇺🇸 Frank T. Troise 🇸🇬🇨🇭, our side meetings were prodigious - 🌍 We explored financing plans with emerging climate fund managers. 🌱We discovered new climate-tech and carbon projects.  💡We developed action plans to crowd in finance from channels in our own home country 🇺🇸 . 💪We met old friends from Hong Kong, London, Geneva, and Seoul, and made new ones from Australia, Paraguay, Malaysia, and India. Now the real work begins! Let's go! #singapore #sustainablefinance #netzero #climaterisk #Temasek #Philanthropy Asia Alliance #The Liveability Challenge #ClimateAction #GenZeroSummit2024 #GenZero

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