Karen Willem

The Information and Martin Peers are out with an alarming report about something most people take for granted….#wirelessspectrum. According to the CTIA carriers will run out of available spectrum, at current growth rates by 2027. Before people go blaming the #wirelesscarriers the CTIA points the finger exactly where it belongs with the Federal Communications Commission failing to appoint a commissioner. Long story short reach out to your elected official since wireless capacity impacts everything from the trivial #socialmedia posts to more important things like #E911 calls, #alarmsignals, and even #telemedicine monitoring. The growth in data usage is breathtaking and unlocking more revenue will help finance the government. What do you think? #management #venturecapital #privateequity #wirelesscarriers #capitalmarkets #

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Had a great time with Grant El-Deir on the @venturalabs podcast yesterday. We covered Bittensor, Opentensor Foundation, DCG, MicroStrategy and more. Check it out and let me know if I'm smart (comments) or dumb (DM only pls). #crypto #bittensor #bitcoin #laboreconomy #artificialintelligence #machinelearning https://lnkd.in/gu6aFziu

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If you enjoyed our first blog on the metrics that matter for Verticalized SaaS then don't miss on the Part II of the series where my colleagues Devraj Hom Roy and Matt Schaar discuss the strategic and operational choices to improve these operational indicators. https://lnkd.in/g5QkCrcH

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I’m excited to share that Accredited Labs has acquired Quality Surveillance, Inc., further strengthening our ability to serve a diverse range of industries across Southern California. By uniting Accredited Labs' extensive capabilities with QSI’s 30 years of expertise, we’re positioned to deliver even greater value to both our long-standing and expanding customer base.

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https://lnkd.in/e-Cc-PhA Just wrapped up a case study highlighting some successful value creation work for a vertical software company. After a funding event, it can be tough for management teams to align on which initiatives to tackle first. Here are a few tips from my experience: 📈 Prioritize Compounding Benefits Start with initiatives that enable or build capabilities. These early projects are not the most glamorous. The long term value is the momentum they create and tone they set. They pave the way for bigger wins down the line. 🚧 Address Bottlenecks We identified and fixed a major technical bottleneck in the sales funnel. This gave us an immediate boost to revenue and win rates. The less obvious win was a finding that our marketing efforts were more effective than we thought. Many opportunities fitting the ideal customer profiles were getting stuck at the bottleneck! ✴ Find the Triple Word Score Initiatives Focus on initiatives that add value across multiple valuation categories like revenue, margins, and multiple expansion. My favorites are those that improve operating leverage and scalable unit economics. Operating leverage improves as each dollar of increased revenue earns a little more Operating Margin (EBITDA) over time. In the case study, I renegotiated two of the largest variable cost supplier contracts, leading to immediate improvements in unit contribution margins and setting the stage for increasing margins as revenue grew. This is a valuable function of a durable business model. Most teams agree on what needs to be done, but not always on the order. Choose initiatives that start building a solid foundation for future investments or the Quick Wins with high impact. A few good articles that touch on the technical concepts.. Healthtech: Show Your Magic | Andreessen Horowitz  https://lnkd.in/eGkDnkiG The Gross Margin Problem - Bottom Up by David Sacks https://lnkd.in/e9J2Eqaa

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We recently wrapped Vista’s 2024 Annual General Meeting, where we had a chance to bring hundreds of our investors together and reflect on the past year as well as the magnitude of the opportunity ahead in enterprise software.    Last year was a remarkable year for Vista. We eclipsed $100 billion in assets under management (AUM) and returned more than $9.3 billion to our investors in a climate that saw exit activity drop to its lowest levels since the financial crisis (as of 12.31.2023).   We also continued to judiciously put capital to work to grow our ecosystem, completing seven platform investments and 10 add-on acquisitions. Today, Vista’s ecosystem comprises more than 85 portfolio companies, with a workforce of nearly 100,000 employees doing business in more than 180 countries around the world. Additionally, our differentiated private credit platform – Vista Credit Partners – experienced record deployment into what we believe is one of the most attractive private lending environments in decades.    While I’m proud of our growth, I’m equally proud of how we got here. Vista’s success remains deeply rooted in our focus on discipline and consistency. These characteristics manifest in our underwriting and value creation capabilities, in our team and their commitment to our performance-oriented culture, and in our ability to repeatedly partner with great management teams to drive operational change.   These core attributes were all on display at our AGM. They have also helped Vista garner the continued trust and partnership of an incredible group of global investors, who share our conviction in unlocking the compelling value and growth that has long defined the enterprise software sector. We remain humbled by their support and the opportunity to showcase how Vista is working as a firm and across our portfolio to capitalize on the catalysts shaping our industry, such as the recent advancements in Generative AI.   The Vista team has much to be proud of - and more to come.

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We provide fractional CFO help for companies looking to fundraise or do M&A. I'm always surprised when I review investor decks at the number of companies that provide TAM calculations which are top down, versus bottom up in nature. "Here is a generic link for an industry we operate in, and here is the rough market size we'll get to..." I'm not saying this is wrong, but if should be triangulated out with a bottom up calculation to get to TAM, SAM & SOM. These calculations help both a company and the individuals reviewing the deck understand which customers an entity is targeting, the subgroup within this, the geographies they are based in and the number of companies in each geography. It provides a timeline for initial customers that will be targeted, and market share reached (SOM), scaling up to more geographies and customers (SAM) and then what the total addressable market is (TAM). We're offering a free review and feedback of these calculations for any companies interested in exploring their TAM calculations further. Happy Monday all and have a cracking week.

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Customer selection is crucial to balancing growth and margins. It is now mission critical to have accurate and deeply segmented revenue data.

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Here is an article I put together that helps explain indemnification. Indemnification is one of the most misunderstood and negotiated topics in corporate and commercial agreements. This article helps demystify indemnification (in the context of technology transactions) for business professionals.

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🎶 Dive into key business lessons with David Hawkins of Your Song Maker! 📈 Learn how to harmonize success in your entrepreneurial journey. Click the link to uncover the secrets: https://wix.to/9TPXcCb #BusinessLessons #Entrepreneurship #SuccessStory

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This is quite a piece on accusations of unethical pay-to-play within the #cyber #VC ecosystem. -Guaranteed first-year sales for portfolio companies -Formal loyalty program for CISOs -Points awarded within the program for CISO commitment level to portfolio companies (meetings, PoCs, product purchases) -Share of GP fees for CISOs in the loyalty program https://lnkd.in/gDta7Gp7

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T-12 days until National Multifamily Housing Council's #OpTech in DC! Venn is coming in strong with, you guessed it, 12 of our team. And we're all about community and getting to know you, so leading up to the conference, I'll be sharing fun facts about each of our attendees so you can get to know us Venners (trust me, I'm still working on getting Vennetians to stick 🤣 ). I'll go first... I studied abroad in Glasgow, Scotland during university. Somehow I managed to only have classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (even though it was across THREE different universities), so I had 5 day weekends to travel and made it to 13 different countries in the span of 8 months. Where do you think I went? Guess in the comments, or you can schedule some time with me at Optech and I'll tell you all about it (and if we have time, I'll show you the Venn platform, it is a tech conference after all 😜). My calendar link is in the comments! #optech2024 #multifamily #multifamilyrealestate #proptech #propertytech #community #vennvibes

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In honor of my favorite holiday, sharing my Thanksgiving Table theory of SaaS. Picture a Thanksgiving table, full of cornbread, green beans, and (hopefully not) those marshmallow sweet potatoes. The turkey, of course, sits in the center, and this giant bird represents today’s AI. It’s eye-catching but also protein-packed; it delivers on its promise and therefore warrants being the center of attention. But Workflow SaaS is the table itself – sturdy, dependable, and crucially, the connective tissue that brings together the turkey (AI) with the plates, utensils, and side dishes (other essential business functions). The Thanksgiving Table theory of SaaS rests on the reality that AI products are sexy– but often narrow and switchable. The multi-billion dollar companies will be the ones who embed their AI into the broader workflows, creating embedded SaaS businesses that support AI agents, fintech, marketplaces, and more. Check out the article for some good examples of this playbook at work, like GovDash, Reonic, Tandem Health, and Finom So this Thanksgiving, when someone passes the gravy, just remind them that while the turkey gets a lot of hype, it’s really the embedded SaaS platform opportunities that will create enduring enterprise value.* *please do not do this. Your family will hate you, and nobody wants to talk about enterprise value.

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Interesting and innovative company. Proud to be an investor…

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Listen to the CEO of Goldback describe the demand for ##goldbacks during Covid. Imagine the demand when #WW3 kicks off? There is no denying the world is teetering on the edge of something big occurring. Literally everyone is buying #gold right now. Goldback, Inc. has the most secure, fractional and practical form of the highest quality gold that you can attain. I am so proud to be a part of their network. TruePreciousMetals will focus on supplying Canadians with something they don't even know, could be lifesaving in an emergency situation. #beprepared #planahead #barter #preciousmetals #trade #insurancepolicy #24karat #serialized #anticounterfeitingtech #secure https://lnkd.in/gkvA-23H

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The results are in for InMode (#nasdaq: INMD), an MS-IR LLC client, as management reported second quarter 2024 financial results today with GAAP revenue of $86.4 million and a total cash position of $729.2 million   "The second quarter was challenging for InMode and for the aesthetics industry in general,” said Moshe Mizrahy, Chief Executive Officer. “The quarter was impacted mainly by macroeconomic factors and longer production time of new and complex platforms. However, we are encouraged by the level of interest and orders of our new platforms, Ignite and Optimus Max, and we believe that these advanced platforms will be growth catalysts." “During the second quarter, we began delivering the new platforms and we are on track to complete all deliveries within the next several months,” said Yair Malca, Chief Financial Officer. “Additionally, we are pleased to report that by the end of July 2024 we have successfully completed our third share repurchase program, acquiring 8.37 million shares for the amount of $150 million.”   To read the full results, click the link in the first comment. #inmode #inmd #medtech #medicaldevices #financialresults

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The in-person corollary to the #Webex tax (which is now the #Zoom tax) of taking up the first five minutes of every meeting to troubleshoot connection or audio/video issues is the WiFi fee. (What’s the guest password? Is that all caps? Oh the Ohs are actually zeros. Now it’s working let’s start…) But I’ve found a way out. I switched to unlimited 5G data and I’m free. Incidentally this is one of the only truly win-win convenience+security issues I can think of. (Anyone have another?)

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chpter. , founded by Tesh Mbaabu and his friends, raised $1.2 million pre-seed last week in a round that was led by former investors in their previous startup, MarketForce. I saw a comment from X, saying that the product that chpter. has out there so far, has so many problems, that it is basically a waiting list with a poorly-designed landing page. Which is true. I went to see the live site myself and the observation was not far off. HOWEVER. I think a lot of people who have never built startups don't really know how startups work. I lead a team of talented individuals building Mentorlst and I have picked up a few lessons. First, chpter. raised pre-seed funding, which means at this point, investors were looking at four things: the team, the idea, the total addressable market (TAM) and the go-to-market strategy. And looking at chpter. , it nails down these four perfectly, except one, which I will explain. The team, led by Tesh Mbaabu has experience running a busy startup operating in many markets, and this experience cannot be substituted for anything else. It is also the reason why even after WeWork failed after allegations of financial misappropriation, Adam Neumann, the CEO and founder, still managed to raise money from investors for his subsequent ideas. It doesn't matter whether a founder fails in his first or nth startup, as long as he has the experience of building products, managing teams and raising funds. Investors value the experience and network above everything else. Second, the TAM. chpter. is building a product to enable e-commerce businesses to automate customer relationship management at its basic. Social/e-commerce is the new zone of commerce and the African market is untapped. I don't know whether customers really need a chpter. like product vs what they are already using such as WhatsApp Business, but it remains to be seen. This is why I have doubts with the product, but products can always grow and even pivot. The market they are after is there, the only challenge is to grab a share of that market from social media giants and existing players. Third is GTM. I won't comment much on this but this is what a lot of founders struggle with, given that many founders confuse GTM strategy with marketing. GTM is the whole strategy of taking a new product to market and driving demand for it, and marketing is just part of it. I haven't seen much activity from chpter. in the socials, and I am hoping that the funding they have acquired will boost their GTM efforts in the coming months. One last thing: When investors give you money, they don't deposit that money in your account and give you a debit card to spend it. Such funding always come with conditions that must be met, which includes figures and milestones you have to hit before you unlock more levels of that funding. It is the same way the IMF works. This is why startups sometimes die shortly after raising funding, because they failed to meet these conditions. #mentorlst

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Sharing some practical advice based on how we run the finance team at Rippling. Includes the frameworks we use to help balance growth vs. profitability appropriately, as well as some advice based on lessons I have learned over the past 5 years in my finance roles across 2 unicorn startups.

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