Daniel F. Bujanos

Spending 1 month in the same house with Topo (YC W24) team. Here’s why we made that move: We are working more efficiently, no distraction during the day.  Fully focus on our objectives and teamwork. Last year, we came to SF with the entire team for the YC Winter batch. This year, our objectives are mostly similar to last year.  Except for one thing:  We know precisely where we’re going. Because: - The results with our AI SDR get better every day. - We developed a unique model, in which the human input (ours) is still super important. We continuously adjust our AI to work more efficiently. - Our team is more solid than ever. Also, San Francisco is the place to be if you’re an AI SaaS right now.  We are meeting partners, clients, friends… every night. it's up to us to keep up the pace!

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🚨 Applications now open to be one of 20 companies pitching to 5 well-known early-stage investors including Elizabeth Yin from Hustle Fund on The Pitch, a podcast. Looks like pitches happen in Jan 2025 in Miami. Requirements: - They say they are industry agnostic but looking for big vision and deep industry experience. - Must be actively raising a pre-seed or seed round. - Have at least $250K remaining in your round. Having $0 committed is OK too, since many of the investors lead rounds. - Application requires a Docsend to your pitch deck and an optional product demo video. Link to apply below. I didn't see a deadline, so it's best to do it fast as I'm sure they will get tons of applications. https://lnkd.in/gEhPC6VY

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🚀 New Initiative born from Vectors Capital. Pavina Adunratanasee is leading the work from Vectors side. https://lnkd.in/gG2KSaXS We're honored to introduce #CatalyzeClimate, a first-of-a-kind Climate Finance Lab that aims to accelerate global #decarbonization and strengthen #climate resilience. 1️⃣ Our mission is to #mobilize innovative financing mechanisms, accelerate technology hashtag #deployment, and scale #climateinfrastructure via fostering cross-sector collaboration across hashtag #finance, #policy, and #industries. 2️⃣ We believe that #catalyticfinance can play a unique role through a combination of grants and blended capital in unlocking capital for bringing tech to market and scaling climate infrastructure.​ 3️⃣ Taking a differentiated approach, we are focused on: 1. Demonstrating Technological & Commercial Viability 2. Addressing Investment Gaps 3. Creating Market Platforms 4. Advocating for Supportive Policies 💸 Our goal is to mobilize funding commitment for $4 trillion a year that is required for the climate transition from the global financial system. ⚡To kick off the initiative, we’re happy to announce the Catalyze Climate Launch event in the #AsiaPacific region taking place in #Singapore in September followed by launch events in hashtag #SF and #LA. #SG roundtable will be “Bridging the Sustainable Financing Gap: Fostering US - APAC Partnerships for Emerging Climate Infrastructure Advancement.” ✌🏼If you’re a climate investor, lender, or asset allocator and would like to get involved please DM me. 💡 Backed by a team of financing, scientific, and technical experts; and most importantly taking an industrial lens to solving climate challenges: Naman Lahoti Wanwipa Siriwatwechakul Kreshna Y. Rahmat Sasilada Sirirungruang Meghan Oesterle, M.S. Daniel Paley Keyi (Nancy) Kang

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#Google Google announced today a new agreement with carbon removal company Mombak for the purchase of 50,000 carbon credits generated through Mombak’s reforestation projects in the Brazilian Amazon. The agreement marks Google’s first-ever purchase of nature-based carbon credits, and follows a commitment announced in March by the company to contract for at least $35 million of carbon removal credits over the next 12 months, and the announcement by the company earlier this month of another deal for 100,000 tons of Direct Air Capture-based credits at a landmark $100/ton price. Google also recently formed part of the launch of the Symbiosis Coalition, alongside tech giant peers Meta, Microsoft, and Salesforce, a new advance market commitment (AMC) collaboration aimed at supporting the development and growth of the nature-based carbon removal market, and with a collective commitment to contract up to 20 million tons of nature-based carbon removal credits. https://lnkd.in/dntNtPav

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Third and last part of my post with some insights from the #fundraising of our latest fund. Some of the tools we used and how we managed to get the finish line successfully!

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[SOBRE A VISAO DE PERENIDADE] It doesn’t matter about the markups: IPO is actually just a milestone, not the end game. IPO is the beginning for public investors to come along for the ride. So if you think longer term, valuations going up or down temporarily doesn’t matter as much as generating a big outcome at the end. Whatever it takes to scale the business is what the company, the founders and board need to focus on doing to manage the business the best they can every step of the way. Founders don’t realize that this choice is not between shutting down and doing a down round. In that situation, you will choose a down-round every single time. The challenge is when you are faced with the prospect of holding on to a valuation, or raising a down round. If you don’t do it, you run the risk of shutting down later. But if you’re close to shutting down, no one’s gonna invest in you. https://lnkd.in/dc8iU5jA

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RSA day 3 book recommendation for founders and entrepreneurs wanting to learn more about product development and innovation should read "The Lean Startup" by Eric Ries. Key Concepts: Build-Measure-Learn Loop: Rapidly prototype your product, gather feedback, and iterate. This cycle helps in adapting quickly to changes and improving continuously. Minimum Viable Product (MVP): Launch early with the basics to test assumptions and learn what truly resonates with customers without wasting resources. Validated Learning: Focus on developing products that customers actually want, reducing the risk of business failure. Pivoting or Persevering: Use customer feedback to decide whether to pivot your strategy or keep pushing forward. Why It's a Game Changer: "The Lean Startup" teaches you to optimize and adjust your business model based on actual customer interactions, not just hypotheses. It’s essential for anyone looking to run a lean, agile company that responds dynamically to customer needs and market changes. 📘 Dive into this book to streamline your startup process, innovate efficiently, and build a product that meets market demands. #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #LeanStartup #StartupLife #BusinessStrategy #BusinessBooks #RSAC Reading list: https://lnkd.in/eHFZU_xN

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Yesterday, the great Federico Antoni and Jimena Pardo invited me to their "Product Launch" class at my alma mater where I chatted about need finding, inspired by my favorite class at Stanford. Simply put: Finding a clear need is the most important skill for product leaders. But... how do you find a need? Well, you get very good at interviewing and observing people. Over the years (personally and working with fantastic PMs and designers) I've noticed what are good questions and bad questions to ask in need finding interviews. So, I've put together a guide to need finding interviews- "good questions, bad questions"- that I'm happy to share with anyone that's interested. Just comment "interview" in the comments below and I'll be happy to send it over. Happy interviewing! :) (Thanks for having me Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, EPIC Lab ITAM)

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It’s time to share what Luis Costa Laveron and I have been up to -- too many exciting things happening not too. The last three months have been a roller coaster ride going through Techstars NYC. We’ve gotten the chance to meet and work alongside some incredible founders and mentors of the Techstars network. To our MD, KJ Singh, thanks for taking a chance on us and always challenging us to do more. To Christine Lu Hong, thanks for always being there to support us. And to the team (Samuel Navon Vera Benkoil Jonathan David Grace Jolas) thanks for your hard work in making these last 3 months possible. Some highlights: - We got to meet and work with a group of 24 highly driven and inspiring people in the heart of New York City - We went through a big pivot, from serving Latin American businesses to serving e-commerce merchants in the US - We launched our new product and landing page - We’re live with design partners generating a combined monthly GMV of $2,122,330. We are in a very interesting point in time where we are at the edge of a change in how people interact with the internet. Up until now, websites have been static. In contrast, social media feeds are hyper-personalized – no two are the same. At the same time, we are witnessing a dramatic shift towards mobile commerce. On average, 65% of shoppers visiting our design partners’ stores are on mobile. This trend makes sense when you realize that most e-commerce traffic is driven by paid media (Meta and TikTok), where users are primarily on their phones. Combining the shift to mobile commerce and advancements in AI, we see the exciting opportunity to enable e-commerce sites to create a mobile first personalized shopping experience for each shopper that visits their site. Why should every shopper’s e-commerce experience be the same when no two Instagram / TikTok feeds are? If you want to see a demo, grab coffee or catch up, feel free to reach out, always down to connect. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to build. A shoutout to the best mentors/advisors: Dane Atkinson Manoj Jonna Lalit Kapoor Erica Ruzhinsky Rafael Barroso Bobby Lincoln Albara H. And the best group of founders: Ahmed El Naggar Mai El Naggar Jason Kulatunga Jeewan Singh Juan Areces AadilMehdi Sanchawala Ayman Talkani Isha Sharma Tej Lunani Matt Sink Sydney Bennett Nael Cavazos Sadiq E. Arum-Jugu Galadima Mimi Gendreau Kigawa Varun Annadi Hector Terrero Silas Adedoyin

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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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Last week was huge for our Shared Future Fund partners given Y Combinator Demo Day and NYC Climate Week! We saw a marked uptick in YC companies working on climate with this recent YC S24 batch. Collaborative Fund is excited to support companies working at the intersection of AI and decarbonization / climate adaptation. Here's a snapshot of a few companies we're investing in: 🏢 RetroFix AI (YC S24): building software to help buildings become more energy efficient by maximizing rebates for builders and contractors 🎈 Sorcerer (YC S24): building the best weather balloons that collect 1000x more data 🔋 Ionworks: helping battery companies digitize their R&D by building and running battery simulations at scale 🏗️ Offstream: simplifies and streamlines compliance for carbon projects 🪫 Rewbi: uses AI to optimize grid-connected battery storage

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Summary: Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has closed its satellite office in Miami Beach, just two years into a five-year lease. This decision comes as Miami's venture investments have dwindled and a16z's plans for global outposts did not go as expected. Key takeaways: A16z's closure of its Miami Beach office is a blow to its plans of expanding to global outposts and builds relationships with founders. Miami's venture investments have decreased significantly and the area has struggled to retain entrepreneurial talent. This decision by A16z highlights the challenges startups and investors face when trying to expand to new locations. Counter arguments: Miami's struggles with retaining talent and venture investments may not be the sole reason for A16z's closure. There could have been other factors at play. A16z's plans for global outposts may still be successful in other cities despite the closure in Miami Beach. #venturecapital #vc #venture

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🌍📈 Thrilled to announce the publication of our latest research, “AI Thrust: Ranking Emerging Powers for Tech Startup Investment in Latin America,” in the International Journal of Trade, Economics, and Finance! This study offers an in-depth analysis of the opportunities and potential for tech startup growth across Latin America, spotlighting the key factors driving investment. From emerging tech ecosystems to innovation policies, this research is a resource for investors, founders, and anyone interested in understanding how Latin America is positioning itself as a hub for technology. If you’re interested in the future of AI and startups in this region, I encourage you to take a look. Read the full paper here 👇 #AI #LatinAmerica #EmergingMarkets #TechStartups #InvestmentOpportunities #Innovation

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Congratulations to Pedro Siciliano, Fábio Baldissera, and the entire team at Teachy for raising a $7m Series A from some of the best in the business. When we first met Pedro in early 2023, he was a first-year student at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business with a full course load and a crystal clear vision for the company he had started to build. After a few interactions, it was clear that Pedro was the epitome of a mission-driven founder. He had a strong sense of purpose, a deep commitment to the problem he wanted to solve, and extreme focus. Being authentically mission-driven gives you superpowers that are key to building a large business. Here are a few: 👉 *Authentic leadership*: Having high conviction in your mission allows you to lead from the gut with persuasion and strength. 👉 *Boundless energy & resilience*: Understanding why you are building your business gives you the energy and grit to fight through the hard times. 👉 *Culture building*: Culture flows from the top, and nothing beats caring deeply and setting high standards for the work you, your employees, and your company produce daily. 👉 *Customer centricity*: Being mission-driven, by definition, means putting your customers and users first, the key to every successful business. Pedro and Fabio have these superpowers, and I can't wait to see how they continue to put them to work on their mission to improve education around the world. 

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How has YC changed Skyvern's trajectory? I've had a few calls with people looking to apply to YC this week, so I thought I would share my experience with the world TL;DR: There are 3 surprising benefits to YC: 1. YC helps you create a peer-group of founders in the same position as you, which can be an incredibly motivating force 2. Bookface, YC’s internal social forum, is a trove of high quality discourse, and acts as an implicit source of warm intros to other YC founders 3. YC’s Launch pad is great for getting your product in front of lots of startup-minded people And there are 2 things that ended up mattering less than I thought: 1. Fundraising — it turns out that building a great product and generating revenue far outweigh YC’s brand when raising money 2. YC’s Brand — while useful as social proof, it doesn’t replace the need to have a great product / solve a real problem Read the full thing here: https://lnkd.in/gNuSkYPN

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🚀 This one’s for the founders: a masterclass in execution and innovation. This week, I sat down with Adhemar M., founder and CEO of Kovi, a Brazilian company redefining mobility through car subscriptions and connected tech in a market plagued by high costs and limited credit access. Backed by ~$145M in funding from the likes of Valor Capital Group, monashees, MAYA CAPITAL, Globo Ventures, Norte Ventures and Peter Thiel's family office, Kovi is addressing high car costs, tough credit barriers, and insurance gaps in one of the world’s most exciting markets. What we covered 👇🏻 ​🔑 Driving innovation: How Brazil’s mobility challenges are powering market transformation ​🤝 Connect the dots: Building stronger founder/VC partnerships through transparency and market education ⚙️ Complexity doesn’t scale: Lessons in building efficient, scalable operations 🌐 Break down silos: Creating synergy between tech and operations in a startup ​⚡ Clean win: How Brazil’s renewable edge and gig economy lead the EV growth Link in comments—don’t miss this one! 🎧 PS: Thank you Vander Corteze, MD for the intro to Adhemar and for some excellent question suggestions 👏🏻

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REDD up by 27% YOY, for 1Q2024. If you read about Carbon crisis, prices crashing, double check the source. Likely the author has an agenda that opposes Voluntary Carbon Markets(VCM) and/or anything that smells of capitalism.

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As a VC, I recognize how hard it is to build companies in the environment we’re in now. We need to acknowledge that. In the past few months, I’ve been talking to a lot of investors to put together some thoughts for you on how to navigate today's market & landscape. Hope it's helpful! And happy to answer any fundraising-related questions, as always. Drop me a comment or DM me. https://lnkd.in/gxhpyUgm

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