Michael Weissman

Building on the success of Rocket Studio with Simon Kirby and Pivotal with Dominic Joseph we decided to merge with Impact Counsel, led by the awesomely talented John D., Erim Jones and Robert Fok earlier this year. We’ve combined our significant and complimentary skills, experience and passion for growing amazing businesses to create a new breed of VC - Creative Capital Ventures Group (CCV). Fund 1 is focused on Sports, Media & Entertainment. Joining us on this exciting journey is media titan Tom Rogers (ex CEO Tivo & CNBC). We have also assembled a mighty team of Venture Partners bringing their expertise into our team, with the legendary Harvey Goldsmith leading our Immersive Entertainment category, and Cam Blackwood (Platinum award winning record producer) and his team at Rezonate heading up Music Rights acquisition. Creative Capital Ventures is designed to disrupt traditional VC models and accelerate the growth of innovative start-ups. We’ve already secured €18 million in commitments and are raising €35 million in total to fuel the next generation of game-changing businesses. What makes CCV different? •⁠ ⁠Founder-Led Expertise: Our team comprises serial entrepreneurs and operators who have built, scaled, and exited successful companies. We know what it takes to drive rapid growth. •⁠ ⁠Speed Scaler: Through our unique venture studio model, we’re not just funding companies—we’re actively accelerating their growth, shrinking the timeline from seed to exit. •⁠ ⁠Industry Focus: CCV focuses on high-growth sectors like Sports, Media, Entertainment, and Lifestyle, with a unique emphasis on IP acquisition to drive returns in stable asset classes. If you're interested in learning more about how CCV is reshaping the venture capital landscape, let’s connect!  More updates to follow! #VentureCapital #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #Startups #ScalingFast #CreativeCapitalVentures https://lnkd.in/eiuWVtvT

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Big things on the horizon, we are motivated and blessed to be at the dawn of a new age for the internet. Read more about our journey below or listen to the podcast: https://lnkd.in/eJeNhvVa

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Today, we're proud to announce the launch of Flywheel Capital, a new ‘hybrid’ secondaries fund pioneering next generation liquidity for growth-stage #founders, companies and VCs — without the discounts, friction or missed upside. By adapting innovations from the private-equity #secondaries market and re-modelling them for founders and VCs, we're re-designing liquidity #VC and #Growth — improving outcomes for liquidity seekers and bringing a new kind of capital partner to the #VCSecondary market. As we do so, we’re excited and grateful to be anchored by leading fund of funds, Allocator One. We believe that greater liquidity will transform #venture in the same way it has private equity. Despite the immense need among founders, companies and VCs — who need liquidity for everything from managing portfolios and distributions, to buying homes to paying taxes (all eyes on the UK #budget..!) — today creating liquidity is high friction and low satisfaction. From discounted price optics, wide valuation spreads, and opportunity cost gating sales, to high risk and uncertainty dissuading broader investment — these issues restrict the market’s full potential. Through our bespoke hybrid secondary structure, we provide a win-win-win solution — for founders, shareholders and funds seeking fair liquidity, for capital on the sideline seeking risk-managed investment, and for a market that’s ready to get moving. We're on a mission to unlock a new era of liquidity in venture — creating a flywheel effect of more investment, innovation and growth, and our team (Gavin Cunningham Ioannis Gryparis Darren Westlake Komal Sethi) is just getting started. Read more about us in Sifted below, and if you'd like to get in-touch, reach out at [email protected].

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AUM up over 400% this year. This $5 billion isn't our money, of course. It's our clients. Amidst so many options, we're grateful to investors choosing to entrust us to manage it and work every day to earn that trust — and have for seven years. Bitwise is 85 people now. It's an incredible group. Why do we all chose to work in this space, vs somewhere else [that's easier]? We believe Bitcoin & public blockchains are one of the most important contributions to humanity underway now. New apolitical monetary assets. Incorruptible applications. Permissionless platforms. We think these things are important — on a historic scale — and will make the 21st century better than the last. We're motivated to help more people understand, to help clients safely participate in the opportunity, and to be a good actor supporting the ecosystem developing into its potential. We're proud and grateful for the trust this $5 billion milestone represents. It enables us to contribute more. We've never been more focused and excited about the work ahead. Thank you again to our clients, partners, and friends. Cheers to what's to come —

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I couldn't be more excited to have Luis Berruga — Managing Partner at LBS Capital & former CEO of Global X — joining Bitwise as an advisor. Very few have accomplished what Luis has. Luis helped build a large firm from scratch in the 21st century. At Global X, Luis served as CEO for several years, scaling from $8B to over $40B AUM. They pioneered a new category of investment opportunities: thematic. And they had to do the work of helping investors build understanding that new category. At Bitwise, we're attempting to do much of the same, now with Bitcoin & crypto. We want Bitwise to be a firm investors can rely on for decades. As we cross $5B in AUM, grateful to have him advising us.

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These VC firms have fresh capital and are eager to deploy. 🔴 Olivia Wilde launched her new VC firm, Proximity Ventures, with Neil Sirni, Jason Mack, and Santi White. The firm expects to hold a close next month and will invest in consumer and enterprise sectors. 🔴 Greenwich based Tamarack Global closed its $72M Opportunities II fund to focus on energy transition, defense-tech, the space economy, robotics & automation, AI, and more. 🔴 New York based BBG Ventures raised a $60M fund to support diverse founders. 🔴 Los Angeles based MaC Venture Capital raised its third $150M fund to back diverse founders and industries such as aerospace, enterprise software, fintech, health tech, and defense, among others. 🔴 Lisbon based Faber closed its €31 million Faber Tech III fund to support early stage innovation in Southern Europe. 🔴 Chicago based Listen Ventures is planning to raise $75M for its fourth fund to back consumer-obsessed founders building brands at the tipping point of behavior shifts. 🔴 Mumbai based Inflexor Ventures closed its first ₹350 crore Opportunities Fund to support its existing portfolio companies. 🔴 France based Axeleo Capital closed its new €125M greentech fund. 🔴 Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) partnered with venture capital firm Walden International to establish a new VC fund, Nanyang Frontier Fund. The fund is looking to raise $37.9M to back deep tech spin-offs from the university.

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Surprising to see two mega mergers getting past antitrust: - The $53B Chevron-Hess merger - The DirecTV-Dish merger where AT&T is selling its stake in DirecTV for $7.6B to TPG and DirecTV buying Dish for $1 and taking on its $10B in debt What does it mean for consumers? And what does it mean for the M&A market? These approvals may signal a shift in antitrust policy. Looks like they're prioritizing global competitiveness over strict market share considerations. This might invite additional scrutiny on how these mergers impact innovation in bigtech. These mega mergers usually tend to have a strong impact on consumer choice and pricing. The industry dynamics will be closely watched by regulators and investors.

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It’s BOD & AGM season. After 9 BOD meetings and 7 AGMs there is a common theme. “Generally” Emerging Fund 1&2 managers w/o firm building experience; and Founders/ELTs who raised pre-seed generalist and family office party rounds at Seed or crossover/hedge fund capital at Series A. Same general dynamic… experience matters. #venturecapital #emergingmanagers #startups #familyoffices #lps

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I always like to share positive news in the capital markets. Per PitchBook, "the value of US PE exits climbed in Q3 to reach an impressive $107.1 billion—the highest quarterly reading since Q1 2022, according to PitchBook’s latest US PE Breakdown. The exit count in Q3 rose 29% from the previous quarter to 394, exceeding pre-pandemic volumes for the first time in two years." This is an important, if still small, step in the right direction. The capital markets can be likened to an assembly line. The inputs on the front end are early-stage companies and startups. The middle of the assembly line consists of venture capital and private equity funds of all shapes and sizes. The 'finished product' on the back end is exits in the form of sales, mergers, or IPOs. If the exit mechanism on the assembly line is broken - which it has been for a few years now - it screws up the entire system all the way back down the line to startups. Any step in the right direction is good news. It would appear if the assembly line is beginning to restart. It will take some time and patience to clear the line, but hopefully this most recent market correction is in the rear view mirror. Endeavor Colorado Tegan Stanbach Zeb King Kathryn Dickson #privateequity #venturecapital #innovation #entrepreneurship #founders #startups #investing https://lnkd.in/gqdN4ZYy

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Today, Two Chairs announces $72M of new funding to continue building a world where everyone has access to exceptional mental health care. Since late 2017, when Maveron led the Two Chairs Series A, the need for mental health services has grown considerably as our society has become lonelier and more isolated than ever. At the same time, our culture’s willingness to openly acknowledge these challenges is greater than ever. Sadly, the rapid growth of Two Chairs affirms the fact that our society is in desperate need of better mental health support. Two Chairs has built a business that believes clinical quality is the defining characteristic of success. Alex Katz has always emphasized the paramountcy of measurement-based clinical outcomes, which the team works tirelessly to achieve. In the process, Two Chairs has illustrated that embracing the ‘move fast and break things’ mentality doesn’t always work. Instead, Two Chairs opted for a different approach: they went slow to go fast. They built a proprietary algorithm that matches patients with the perfect therapist at the onset and hired a team of W2 clinicians oriented toward providing the highest quality care available. Even as the Two Chairs team has grown, their culture has remained small. This has enabled more intimate relationships within the team and between clients and clinicians. Reflecting on this milestone brings me back to the founding of Maveron and the values we hold dear. In 1998, my friend Howard Schultz and I founded Maveron to help entrepreneurs build companies that improve the lives of everyday people—their employees and their customers. There is perhaps no better example of this than Two Chairs. *** Thank you to TechCrunch's Marina Temkin, CFA for the great write-up. https://tcrn.ch/4aMt7yG

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Today marks the launch of the AGM Studio. The AGM Studio is a collaboration between Alt Goes Mainstream and Broadhaven Ventures by Broadhaven Capital Partners to incubate, invest in, and help scale companies and funds in private markets. Alts going mainstream requires innovation in both technology and asset management. The distribution revolution goes hand-in-hand with the technology evolution in private markets market structure. But tech startups and funds purpose-built for private markets requires a different skillset, network, and content strategy to succeed. There are challenges unique to private markets that can make it difficult for an entrepreneur to build a business of consequence without the right ingredients. We launched the AGM Studio to help companies and funds meet those challenges. The AGM Studio is far from a factory. Just as Savile Row tailors like Ozwald Boateng put an immense amount of thought and care into every angle and every thread, so too will the AGM Studio provide the tailored experience required to navigate the challenges of private markets. The Studio is made to measure based on what’s required — and we believe that focus is what will create the most value for founders in private markets. Read here to learn more about: * The challenges of building in private markets. * Why a purpose-built, bespoke Studio can help address those challenges. * Who the AGM Studio works with. We already have 3 members of the AGM Studio: AltExchange, Cantilever Group, DealsPlus. And we've invested in a number of other private markets companies that are shaping the industry at Broadhaven Ventures like iCapital, Carta, Republic, Cantilever Group, 73 Strings, LemonEdge, AltExchange, bunch, Allocate, DealsPlus, Passthrough, and more. We are excited for the next phase of private markets — where innovation across technology and asset managers will unlock more access to private markets in a responsible and thoughtful way. Reach out if you're looking to build a company or fund in private markets! https://lnkd.in/eRH8WTz6

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Dan Primack had some pointed criticism for #VC yesterday in his Axios Pro Rata newsletter (a daily must read IMO 😤). In short, the model doesn't work if it can't produce exits for LPs. Don't blame public markets (which are at all-time highs) for the lack of liquidity either. 📈 💸 Instead, this is a "liquidity drought of your making" where "...swinging for the fences on every pitch, rather than taking the single or double that's available" is the only way out when you invest at "sky high valuations." 😰 "A whopping 37% of "unicorns" are being held for at least nine years by VC funds, including 13% that are past the 12-year mark." 😳 ⌛ Is he right? Is VC at a dire inflection point? Or is Primack prematurely hitting the panic button? 🚨 https://lnkd.in/dts92pXr

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It was a privilege to speak at Money20/20 about a subject that’s reshaping the creator economy: fintech’s role in empowering artists. Here are three key takeaways from the conversation: 1️⃣ The music industry has undergone a dramatic shift with streaming, changing the roles of major players and shifting the balance of power. 2️⃣ Streaming data and income models now enable artists’ earnings to be forecasted in ways that were impossible before, opening new doors for financial innovation. 3️⃣ This shift has allowed beatBread to build a financing model outside of the major labels – offering artists a much more creator-friendly and sustainable way to fund their work. As fintech advances, there’s immense potential for tools that allow creators to take ownership of their revenue streams. Huge thanks to Peter Sinclair of beatBread for the insightful discussion and to everyone who attended! Excited to see how this space continues to evolve.

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Honored to have moderated a panel on the “Future of TV: The Great Unbundling + Rebundling” at PrivTech Invest NYC, hosted by our firm, Grit Capital Partners! Joined by industry leaders Peter Naylor, Jonathan Carson (Antenna, the leading analytics provider), + Jason Cohen (MyBundle), we explored the rapidly changing streaming landscape. Key insights: Consumer Shift: Over 50M U.S. households have cut the cord, putting consumers in control, driving demand for simpler, more tailored streaming options. Retention & Churn: With churn rates averaging 37% annually, streaming platforms are focusing on personalization, ad tiers, + exclusive content to retain viewers. Broadband & Bundling: Broadband providers are moving from TV to fiber (Fiber adoption is up 10% YoY), creating new ways to bundle streaming + broadband services to reduce churn + simplify billing  AI & Personalization: 75% of streamers say AI-powered recommendations improve their viewing experience. Thank you to our panelists for joining us to discuss these trends + the opportunities ahead. New era for TV 🚀 #Streaming #Partnerships #Innovation #CustomerExperience #Customerfirst #bundling #ai

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Thrilled to announce BBG Ventures second institutional fund – a $60M early-stage fund backing overlooked founders who are building for the Polycultural Future of America. Thanks Emma Hinchliffe at Fortune for sharing the news: https://lnkd.in/gSwqpHpq We’ve spent the last few years observing the passage of the country from a monoculture to one where women were a bigger part of the story, to today - where identity and lived experience matter more than ever. We call this the Polyculture – a new status quo in which America is a mosaic of unique segments; where identity is multivariate and dynamic; and where individuals can identify with multiple communities at once. I began using this term over 2 years ago, as a cross-culture kid myself: the child of Indian immigrants, growing up in rural Australia - and now an immigrant in America. We wondered - how do Americans perceive identity, and how does that drive their most fundamental needs? We conducted research with +2000 Americans across equal cross sections of race, gender, age and income. Here’s what we found: 1. We have surprisingly common priorities, needs and concerns despite our unique identities. 2. The biggest areas of the economy are still on the table, with Americans highlighting huge areas of opportunity in health, work, financial security, climate safety, and the underserved. 3. But we need new, more nuanced-solutions and personalization considering the emerging majority minority generation, an aging population, widening wealth gaps and continued differences along gender lines. To that end, we’ve officially expanded our mandate to embrace this evolution, backing underestimated founders – female or diverse – addressing the biggest pain points for our polycultural population. Read the full report here: The Mind of Polycultural America - https://lnkd.in/gdtiFE7v We’re proud to partner with new LPs including Fairview Capital, Pivotal Ventures, The California Endowment in addition to our many returning partners like Illumen Capital, George Kaiser Family Foundation who believe as we do: when you make change, you make money. If you’re an early-stage founder working to move the world forward in health, work, financial security, climate safety or for the underserved - in B2B or B2C - we want to talk to you. Susan Lyne Claire Biernacki Drew Silverman Fennessy Carol Magalhães Isaacs, CFA Addison B. Marsh, Jr.

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