Darren Marble

🌟Innovative VC Firm Overcomes Exits Drought with Secondary Sales🌟 ⛵Navigating a challenging landscape where exits are scarce, Santa Barbara Venture Partners (SBVP) has pioneered a novel approach to sustain its growth and attract investors for its second fund: secondary sales. Instead of waiting for traditional exits like IPOs or acquisitions, SBVP opted to sell shares of its portfolio companies, demonstrating its ability to generate returns for investors and stand out in a competitive market. 🎤According to Dan Engel, founder and managing partner of SBVP, these secondary transactions have been a game-changer, sparking investor interest and bolstering the firm's credibility. By leveraging its recent successes, including a lucrative stake in sports-betting company DraftKings Inc.' acquisition of digital lottery app Jackpocket, SBVP seized the opportunity to return profits to its limited partners (LPs) and pave the way for its second fund. 💡Engel highlighted the challenges faced by young VC firms in raising subsequent funds, particularly amid a downturn in exit activity and heightened investor scrutiny. With traditional exit routes becoming increasingly elusive, the pressure is on for firms to demonstrate tangible returns and establish a track record of success. ✨"For us, secondary sales have been a game-changer. They've helped us return profits to our LPs and attract investors for our second fund," said Dan Engel. 💰For SBVP, the decision to pursue secondary sales was driven by the need to provide liquidity to LPs and validate its investment thesis in the eyes of prospective investors. By strategically offloading portions of its holdings in high-performing portfolio companies like Bark Technologies and Rad AI, SBVP not only generated substantial returns but also bolstered investor confidence in its ability to deliver results. ⚠Despite the complexities and potential stigma associated with early share sales, Engel emphasized the importance of prioritizing investor returns and seizing opportunities to unlock value for stakeholders. With a focus on profitability and transparency, SBVP remains committed to its mission of delivering sustainable growth and maximizing returns for its LPs. 🔍 "Returning profits to our investors is our top priority. By strategically selling shares, we're proving our commitment to delivering results and driving value for our stakeholders," added Engel. As SBVP continues to explore secondary transactions and expand its investor base, the firm stands as a testament to innovation and resilience in the face of market challenges. 🚀 ✅ Looking to raise capital for your #fund and increase the international pool of your LP #investors?   🤝 Need warm #LP introductions?   📝 Selling #secondaries to increase liquidity?   🧐 Looking for co-investments?   ▶ G+QUANT's link for inquiries and fund decks: https://lnkd.in/gjC_EuTE #VCInnovation #SecondarySalesSuccess #InvestorReturns #ValueCreation 

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Just dropped a new free gem on my YT 💎 How to start finding and recruiting affiliates to your program For free in 3 steps - how to identify your ideal partner persona, discover leads and craft high converting messaging. Link here 👇 https://lnkd.in/dfmiGggU Put that on 1.5x speed, and in 10 mins you'll learn exactly how to get more partners and influencers.

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Excited to join industry leaders in LA to explore the future of non-traditional investments. I’ll be speaking at the Private Wealth Southern California Forum, hosted by Markets Group, on 12 November. Together, we’ll discuss how innovations in alternative assets are reshaping the investment landscape. Thank you to Markets Group for providing the platform to explore these transformative developments. #PrivateEquity #Innovation #Technology #Entrepreneurship #VentureCapital #Investing #Finance #Alternatives #Startups #Speaker

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Having a Cars and Capital event tomorrow in Southern California with Oren Klaff. If you want to join message me. https://lnkd.in/gDQ4D39u Oren Klaff Bridger Pennington #InvestorEvent #FamilyOffice #InvestmentOpportunity #CarlsbadEvent #PrivateEquity #WealthManagement #InvestmentConference #CapitalRaising #NetworkingEvent #IndustryLeaders #FinancialGrowth #InvestorsMeetup #WealthBuilding #BusinessGrowth #InvestmentForum

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Earlier this year, we surveyed our fellow Los Angeles-based GPs to get a pulse check on the LA venture ecosystem. Here’s what we found: 💗 Deal flow is healthy, and most LA venture investors (68%) are seeing the same or more deal flow YoY. ✈ LA investors are spending time in a variety of markets, with NYC, Austin, and SF following closely on LA’s heels. 🔍 Innovation is concentrated in AI and machine learning, space, and commerce. 💸 Funding is happening, but it’s barbell-shaped, with deals concentrated at the early and late stages. Funding post-Series A has been challenging. 🚩 LA is differentiated, but not without its challenges. Key difficulties include not attracting enough AI talent (despite having the largest number of engineers graduating from our region over any other in the United States); talent relocated to more tax-friendly or less expensive locations; and the great SoCal / NoCal divide 🙏 Thank you to all our many respondents! I’m so glad to be part of a venture ecosystem that includes great minds like Anna Barber, Brent Murri, W. Christine Choi, Sarah Tomolonius, Rob Smith, Win Chevapravatdumrong, John Tabis, Jill Royster, Jesse Draper, Ashley Balla, Britt Danneman, Tram Lai, Carmen Palafox, Elaine Russell, Deborah Benton Amanda Schutzbank, Brian Lee, Petra Griffith, Minnie Ingersoll, Shamin Walsh, Gabe Greenbaum...wow, this list could go on forever...plus too many other exceptional humans to name. You know who you are! Explore our findings more deeply with our survey dashboard: https://bit.ly/3JsaLaB

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Why Buying Your First Business is the hardest & Financing The Fear is Being seen as too risky by lenders and investors. The Solution: Prepare a solid business plan with detailed financial projections. Work with a financial advisor to enhance your credibility. Consider alternative financing options like SBA loans or seller financing.

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Sonoma, Ca - Women in CVC Summit! 65 women in CVC gathered together for real, honest conversations about the challenges and complexities in CVC investing versus traditional venture capital. CVCs face challenges such as aligning the interests and expectations of the corporation and the startup, managing the relationship and communication between the two parties, and balancing the trade-offs between strategic and financial returns. But what's truly inspiring is the impact women are having in this space! Female-founded companies exit faster but make up a smaller share of total exit activity. CVCs participated in 17.5% of all female-founder deals in 2023, while more CVC firms have majority female checkwriter representation. Furthermore, female founders closed a record of 22.8% of total VC funds in 2023. We are thrilled to support this vibrant community of women alongside our friends and partners, Counterpart Ventures. Tanvi Narain and Abbie Wolf, congrats on curating such an impactful event. Special thanks to Annemarie Donegan from PitchBook for the data and research she shared with the group. The phenomenal lineup of speakers from corporate and traditional venture capital funds included: ​Amy Daniels Burr, President, JetBlue Ventures Danielle D'Agostaro, Partner, WVV Capital Vivien Ho, Partner, Pear VC Betty Lee (Lee) Bryant, Principal, Woven Capital, Toyota's Growth Fund Savannah Greene, Principal, Workday Ventures Heather Reginelli, Ventures Manager, State Farm Ventures Marie-Christine Razaire, Principal, Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures Beth Devin, Scout, Investor & Advisor, HearstLab Priya Saiprasad, Co-Founder and General Partner, Touring Capital Agustina Sartori, Founding Managing Director, Prisma Ventures #WomeninBuisness #VentureCapital #CVC #CorporateVentureCapital #WomeninLeadership TriNet Abbie Wolf Tanvi Narain Patrick Eggen David Haraburda Kim Thomas Matt Mahoney Samantha Santaniello-Lawrence

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Now live: Part 3 of of our monthly blog series spotlighting Web3 x AI - "The Web3 AI Cults." My colleague, Abdul Al Ali, delves into the rise of AI-driven communities and tokens, highlighting how blockchain infrastructure is enabling co-ownership, creativity, and cultural movements. This infrastructure is funding application and use case ideas at the forefront of bringing AI agents to the mainstream. Why read this now? - AI and blockchain are unlocking durable use cases at scale. From tokenized creativity to autonomous transactions, this piece offers a strategic look at the technologies and narratives driving the next wave of adoption. Explore the story of Truth Terminal, a chatbot turned cultural icon, and its impact on token narratives like $GOAT, $OMEGA, and $LUNA. Abdul breaks down how these AI agents are creating aligned communities, reshaping token economies, and pioneering decentralized innovations that blur the lines between technology and culture.

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Clients don't know (and don't care) what "advisory services" are ❌ They care about how it will solve painful problems their business ✅ But with so much that encompasses CAS, how do you communicate the value to prospects? 🤔 (or not scare them off with the "CFO" acronym which sounds 💰 💰 💰 ) Summit Virtual CFO by Anders, Jody Grunden, CPA and Kelly Schuknecht talked about a "win booklet" which included A) Problems clients came to them with and B) How they solved the problem 👆 everyone should have this! Amy Vetter, MBA, CPA, CITP, CGMA, CSP, RYT talks about the need to get out of spreadsheets and "showing everything" and more into visualizing value through dashboards. Tons of nuggets in this video, take a watch! #accounting #advisory #CPAFirm

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Entering the Post-ZIRP, venture-capital-winter years. Thanks TechCrunch for this great summary of the macro economic context of #VC emerging managers.

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Great time on the Embracing Erosion podcast w/Devon O'Rourke! We talked about: 🚀 How to scale a company from concept to 9-figure exit 🔄 How to break away from the traditional consulting model and apply product approaches ⏩ Why it’s important to iterate quickly and often with messaging 💸📈What signals are important to pay attention to when investing in startups and much more!

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https://lu.ma/gedw1srz event this upcoming Wed on embodied AI: come see robodog demos and hear Keith Adams , Jan Liphardt , Casey K. Caruso and more discuss where AI, robotics, and crypto intersect!

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Exciting news for startups! California accounts for about 50% of all venture investments. The not-so-secret reason is that non-competes are illegal in California, so engineers at FAANGs can build competitors without fear. Today, the US Federal Trade Commission declared non-compete agreements illegal nationwide. This means that engineers at big tech companies can now leave and build their own companies without fear of violating a non-competes (legacy agreements for executives are still enforceable - talk to your lawyer), this is a step in the right direction for fostering innovation and competition across the country. A variety of big-business groups have vowed to sue to bring non-competes back, but at least for now, they're gone! #startups #innovation #competition #noncompete Official Announcement: https://lnkd.in/gRXUpgDy Impending lawsuit: https://lnkd.in/gqSiVuTd

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Get GAP news: http://eepurl.com/sBQCT Resources for Research Institution POC, Startup Accelerator, and Venture GAP Fund Programs: https://lnkd.in/gRD4yDMC Berkeley to lead ‘Innovation Hub’ helping turn basic research into innovative businesses Picture this hypothetical: Another cutting-edge discovery happens in a laboratory beaker or on a computer screen crisscrossed by lines of code. Researchers agree it’s a big leap with real-world applications, but when it comes time to turn the published scientific paper into a business plan, they’re unsure of next steps or what use cases for […] #innovation #university #research #gapfunding #proofofconcept #startup #accelerator #venture #commercialization

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📢 ATTN: Window Installation Companies $500K-$20M annual  💵Maximize Your Business's Online Impact Today    Having a powerful digital presence is non-negotiable. LL Media is here to offer you a 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 + Step by Step Blueprint- your key to unlocking your business's full potential in the digital realm. → Comprehensive Analysis: - Website Audit: Performance, user experience, SEO, and mobile responsiveness evaluation. - Social Media Review: Insights into activity, engagement rates, and overall impact. - Online Reputation: Detailed review of reviews, ratings, and mentions. - Competitive Benchmarking: Identify improvement areas against competitors. → Detailed Action Plan: - SEO Enhancements: Drive organic traffic with search engine ranking improvements. - Content Strategy: Engage your audience with tailored content ideas. - Social Media Optimization: Boost engagement and presence with effective strategies. - Technical Improvements: Fix website performance and user experience issues. - Reputation Management: Enhance online reputation and manage reviews effectively. → Why It Matters: - Increased Visibility: Be easily found by potential customers. - Better User Experience: Enhance satisfaction and engagement. - Higher Conversion Rates: Drive qualified leads and conversions. - Competitive Edge: Stay ahead for long-term success. → How It Works: 1. Sign Up for Your Free Report. 2. Receive Your Detailed Report. 3. Review and Implement the Recommendations. 4. Watch Your Business Grow. 👉 Transform Your Digital Presence Today - Request Your Free Report Now! [email protected] or dm me #DigitalMarketing #SEO #SocialMedia #OnlineReputation #BusinessGrowth #LLMedia #MarketingStrategy #windows

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Two weeks ago I spent 3 days with brilliant human beings discussing the state of AI investment with other angel syndicate leads, angel investors and VCs at Hustle Fund's #camphustle in Los Gatos. It was brilliant. Truly awesome to learn so much from insanely accomplished investors. But was so clear to me again is that the US and the UK are two countries divided by separate languages of ambition. Aspiration and ambition underlined by the cluster effect of successful exits, incredible talent and venture capital driven by operators and founders rather than accountants. But one reason why the US often trumps (pun not intended) the UK is they learn from failure. Run a startup that didn't reach the dizzying heights of venture-scale returns? Learn, reset and go again. What they certainly do not do is look at failure with glee and an "I told you so" attitude. Which is what I sense when I read most of the narrative around the failure of Cazoo. Alex Chesterman swung and missed. The business was flawed, unit economics didn't add up and in reality - there was very little innovation outside the vertical alignment of a well-understood business. But when we look down upon what he tried to do and 💩 💩 it all we're doing is making it harder for someone else to be equally as ambitious. Focus on what went wrong. Focus on the fundamental underlying business models that drive efficient use of capital and the push for profitability. But let's celebrate people shooting their shot and not celebrate the failures.

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