Abhyuday "Uday" Chakravarthi

At most networking events… Business owners shake hands, exchange business cards, and go home. HumanX has a different approach. You’ll be paired together in 1:1 conversations with investors & AI startups. You’re not just adding people to your rolodex. Deals will be made.

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Imagine you’re meeting a VC today and pitching your company. Now, also imagine the VC goes home tonight and tells his or her spouse about the meeting with you. How do you think the VC would (or should) describe your product to the spouse? Remember, this is for someone who doesn’t have any context, and probably doesn’t have time to listen the whole story. If you can think of a story version that's plain and simple -- how you want the VC to describe your product to the spouse -- perhaps that version should be your pitch in the first place?

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Want to know what metrics venture capitalists really care about? Aumni's latest analysis dives into 10,000+ data points from portfolio companies at all stages. Here's what we uncovered: 1️⃣ Revenue, net burn rate, FT headcount, and gross margin are the hottest metrics. 2️⃣ Most VCs request 6-9 specific metrics per quarter from each portfolio company. 3️⃣ Cash is king in the early stages but loses its throne as companies grow. 4️⃣ Operational metrics dominate at Series D+, taking up half of the top ten. Key insights: - Cash-on-hand and cash runway plummet in importance from a combined ranking of 3.5 in the seed stage to barely making the top ten by Series D+. - Metrics spotlighting operational efficiency, like gross margin, total OpEx, EBIT, bookings, and debt balance, become crucial as startups scale. PS. check out 🔔 for a winning pitch deck the template created by Silicon Valley legend, Peter Thiel https://lnkd.in/ejp-Bhnu

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I really enjoyed breaking in our new studio to sit down with Temporal Technologies Co-Founders Samar Abbas and Maxim Fateev for the latest episode of Founded & Funded. Temporal was founded in 2019 based on an open-source microservices orchestration engine project but is the result of a more than decade-long partnership between the two co-founders that spanned their time working on different iterations of the same thing at AWS, Microsoft, and Uber. In this episode, Samar, Maxim, and I dive into the challenges of building an open-source ecosystem while also working on a commercial offering and scaling a successful company, how to navigate and adjust a product roadmap in an ever-changing world of AI and large language models, and how to successfully build an early startup team, navigate through a CEO transition, and bring on a startups first independent board member. It's a very compelling conversation and a must-listen for every builder out there. Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gymf9sES Find other platforms and the transcript on our website: https://lnkd.in/ggRtnKtM Be sure to subscribe to our channel for more deep dives into cutting-edge technologies and the minds behind them. Don't forget to like, comment, and share this conversation if you found it valuable!

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📈 Curious about the startup scene in Massachusetts? Explore our detailed funding list featuring startup names, HQ locations, and investor info. Perfect for investors and entrepreneurs alike! Check it out: https://lnkd.in/dAp3xj-Q #startup #startups #venturecapital #funding #vc #managementconsulting

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📣 Announcing Velocity, our new program built specifically for pre-seed founders. 👇 We back you with checks up to $1M, a peer cohort, AI resources, and the flexibility of being fully remote. We’re also teaming up with Microsoft and OpenAI for an AI specific track. Who is right for Velocity? 🌉 Exceptional founders seeking greater Silicon Valley connectivity, whether in SF or  elsewhere 🏗️ Experienced operators starting a company for the first time and seek a strong community  🤖 AI founders who want to learn from brilliant AI luminaries 💸Founders who want an edge when raising an epic seed round What do you get? 💰Capital – Up to a $1M investment from us and our close network of angels and funds 🤝Peer Community – Join like minded founders in masterminds for accountability and peer support 🌐The Village Network – Find customers, experts, and your next investors 💽Microsoft and OpenAI Credits and Resources – Up to $350k in credits from Microsoft for Startups, $10k from OpenAI, and more Ready to build the future? Apply now. 💡 https://lnkd.in/gQn7kP4S

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Want a front-row seat to the frontier of tech? We’ve got the role (or two) for you! We’re expanding our frontier-tech team at Blackbird by hiring a Frontier Tech Investments Associate and Foundry Fellows! Got questions? We've got answers... 1️⃣ What are the roles? 🧪 Associate = a full-time VC investment gig in our Blackbird Investments team, working directly with me. We’re looking for someone with a science and/or engineering background and more curiosity than they can handle. You’ll grow your own investment brand and practice, support our portfolio founders, and will help build Foundry, our early-stage frontier-tech accelerator. ✨ Foundry Fellow = a casual/contract gig in our Blackbird Investments team, ~15h per week for 3 months. The Fellowship is ideal for PhD students and ECRs who want to learn more about startups and VC. You’ll go deep on emerging areas relevant to your expertise (or curiosity!), get a front-row seat to groundbreaking companies in those areas, build out your non-academic network, and develop a solid writing practice. 2️⃣ Why are you hiring? We love frontier tech, and we’re ready to grow our team. 3️⃣ Wow, it’s so great that you’re starting to look at deep tech! Look, we get it: we don’t make a lot of noise about our frontier tech investing. Buuuut we’ve been deep-tech investors since we backed Tim Kentley-Klay to found Zoox back in 2014—we’ve been on incredible journeys with PsiQuantum (building the world's first utility-scale quantum computer right here in Australia!), Inventia Life Science (transforming drug discovery with high-fidelity cell models), Remedy Robotics (surgical robots for remote endovascular procedures), Opto Biosystems (minimally-invasive neural implants to treat cancer), and more. We believe that frontier technologies, and great frontier-tech investing, will be part of the solutions to the greatest problems humanity faces today. 4️⃣ When do applications close? May 31st at 11:59pm AEST. 5️⃣ I have more questions! I’m sure you do! Clare Birch and I are hosting an AMA to answer any and all questions about these roles. Want to know what a week in the life of our team looks like? What’s keeping us up at night? What our ideal candidate looks like? Come along and find out - registration link in the comments 👇 Apply for these roles: Associate - https://lnkd.in/gCfj4EUJ Foundry Fellowships - https://lnkd.in/gj6ATZVZ If you know anyone that we should meet, send me their details! Cameron Elise Ben Andrew Robin Joseph Adelaide James Olivia Lucinda Raghav Jesse Christie Mohamed Tom Amee Pablo Haya Loong Hon Joshua Benjamin Megan Harry Denzil Matthew Diana Daniel Tom Deanna Justin Amar Lilly Stone Thomas

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Perfecting your product and GTM strategy are surely important. But Box CEO and co-founder Aaron Levie argues there's one factor that outweighs all others in startup success: recognizing and capitalizing on tech and macro tailwinds. Fighting against them? You're setting yourself up for failure. Our full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/gEAPFR-A

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Startup decks vs Business plans. It's accepted that a startup needs a deck. Dax Dasilva of Lightspeed Commerce made an important point on 20VC. Writing a business plan - including financial projections - is an important step. It requires discipline. It provides a rigorous framework for thinking deeply about the problem you're trying to solve. Harry Stebbings countered that he doesn't even want to see a deck since it's all dreams. We spent a lot of time and energy on our business plan with the expectation that we would show it to no one ever. The business plan was part of our roadmap for the company. We researched customers - including having 50+ conversations. We wanted to understand them: their background, their interests, their presence on social media. We also wanted to understand how they were evaluated by leadership and how integrated they were with the business of the company they were protecting. We researched pricing both with potential customers and other products in our industry to find out if OpEx or CapEx was a better fit. How did they buy today? How would they like to buy? We did market research to understand the verticals and map the right entry point - we were wrong but that doesn't reduce the value of the research. We looked at competitors in depth to understand what they were seeing that we weren't. Dax is right. This is an invaluable document that should be updated every year - the company is changing, the market is changing, there's more feedback about price and ICP. It's not for sharing with the outside world. It's a map for driving forward. Decks won't get you investment - VCs invest in people. We make decks but we know they don't tell our story. The deck is a calling card. Dax and Harry are both right. https://lnkd.in/e25M82xY

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🚨 Wiz walks away from a $23B acquisition deal with Google! 🚨 Wiz has turned down a $23 billion acquisition offer from Google, choosing to pursue an IPO instead and target $1 billion in annual recurring revenue. This decision comes after nearly doubling their $12 billion valuation. Founded in 2020, Wiz achieved $100 million in annual recurring revenue in just 18 months and $350 million last year. Their cloud security products have attracted major firms, helping Google compete with Microsoft. Wiz's decision to walk away from the deal is nothing short of shocking. This move could be incredibly savvy or a colossal mistake. Leaving nearly $13 billion on the table is a significant risk. 💡 What's your take on Wiz's bold move? #TechNews #CloudSecurity #Startup #IPO #BusinessStrategy #Wiz

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There is no perfect founder archetype. Every VC has a different ideal founder profile, shaped by a combination of their investment philosophy, sector focus, personal experiences, and the unique value they bring to the table. I gravitate towards founders with ✓ Deep technical knowledge ✓ Unwavering obsession with solving their chosen problem ✓ Strong academic backgrounds They might not be the best communicators or marketers, but I've found that these qualities can be learned and improved with the right guidance and support. I'm drawn to founders who possess these qualities because I know firsthand how challenging it can be to build a successful startup without them. While others may prioritize a founder's ability to communicate and sell a vision, I believe these skills can be developed with the right mentorship and resources. Every VC has its founder non-negotiables. We align with profiles that resonate with us because it maximizes our ability to propel them and their startup forward. Investors—what is your ideal founder persona? ―――――――― 💡Join tens of thousands of investors & founders: https://lnkd.in/gJMFHaZF 🎙️ Listen to B2BaCEO: https://lnkd.in/gNipmFNJ ➕ Follow me for more like this Ashu Garg

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Sharing a sanitized version of the mu ventures Q2 q'ly LP update. Included musings: 👉 SEOs shrinking impact, and the rise of LLMO (large language model optimization) 👉 examples of the Commerce AI application layer coming to life 👉 a modern fund strategy that accepts companies require less capital, time, and people to trigger the power law 👉 Mu's guide to investing in AI 👉 all 30 companies in the Mu-niverse (and several others we admire) Founders, VCs, LPs - if you like how we think and suspect we can partner, hit us up! https://lnkd.in/dTJ2zjav

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🤯I went on the "Stanford ALL-IN" podcast last week and got asked a MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION: "Is there a limit to how much help the founder can ask the VC investor?" After chatting with hundreds of VCs and founders, here is how I would ask for help from investors👇 🎯 Ask specifically for things from specific investors. If the investor is famous for financial modeling, don't ask them to help you recruit people, GTM advice, or anything else they are not an expert in. Investors are not good at everything; the wrong feedback might even backfire on you. Focus on asking one specific thing that person can help you with. 🚁 Introduction is good. Endorsement is better! Instead of asking if they can intro you to a weak tie/extremely high-level connection. Ask them who they can offer that they are comfortable with and think can move the needles for you. Making them comfortable endorsing you to the people in their network is better than asking for an intro to the shiniest name in their network. 🤝 Build a relationship with your investor. Keep them in the loop with your updates. Ask them what the newest trends in your market are, and which companies they find interesting. Investors are humans after all, treat them as such. Huge shout out to Georgi, Ben, and Brandon for hosting the Icons Pod and asking amazing questions to inspire people in the startup and VC universe. Follow the Icons Pod!! It's a must-listen! #icons #stanford #vc #startup #podcast

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As we dive into 2024, the Series A fundraising landscape is becoming increasingly daunting. Investment standards are soaring, and fewer startups are making the cut. Series A investors are finding many seed stage companies too premature. The median valuation jump from seed to Series A skyrocketed from $19.5 million in Q1 2022 to $28.7 million in Q1 2024. Investors now demand stronger revenue performance, targeting $2 million to $3 million in ARR, up from $1 million to $2 million. Alarmingly, only 12% of Q1 2022 seed startups secured Series A funding within two years, down from 31.8% in Q1 2020. #venture #earlystage #seedtoseriesa #seed #seriesa #inspireglobalventures https://lnkd.in/gW4bkcNy

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