Natalie Monbiot

🚀 Exciting update from my recent sessions on Intro: I've had the privilege of mentoring some incredible minds, including a diverse group of founders and executives in the intersection of tech and talent-led brands. From fine-tuning fundraising approaches to navigating industry nuances, our conversations have been nothing short of inspiring. Here are my key takeaways from these enriching sessions: 1. Visionary Leadership: The clarity and vision showcased by these leaders have been truly impressive, setting a high bar for industry innovation. 2. Authentic Dialogue: What sets these sessions apart is the transparent and authentic conversations we've had. I believe in sharing hard truths and industry nuances, and it's heartening to see that resonate with those I mentor. 3. Value-Driven Collaboration: Every interaction has been a two-way street of learning and growth. I've been able to offer tailored strategies and insights, and the feedback has been immensely positive. Looking ahead, I've opened up my schedule for next week. Let's connect and explore how I can support your journey: intro.co/baminuzzi Drop a comment below with "interested," and I'll pick one person for a complimentary 15-minute call. Let's unlock new possibilities together! 💡

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As I've discussed in my last few posts, #VentureStudios provide a strong framework for their #founders. A critical component of this framework is the #Studios #CorporateDevelopment function. 🏭 Corporate Development contributes to Studio and venture success by establishing and nurturing relationships with external entities who might engage with certain ventures and help pave the way for growth and long-term sustainability. This function often includes a few key components: 💸 Investor Relations: Cultivating a pipeline of investors aligned with the Studio's innovation area(s) and collaborating with the ventures to ensure they remain "investor ready" 🤝 Strategic Partnerships: Developing connections with relevant community resources, like economic development engines, academia, and corporations, to gain ventures access to additional funding sources, advisors, and complementary IP. This function may even explore joint ventures opportunities. 🛒 Acquisitions: Whether acquiring a product, a service, or an entire venture, this group is focused on building relationships with businesses who stand to benefit from the products generated by the Studio's ventures. In many cases, working with these corporations can also help identify unsolved problems that should be considered for the next cohort of ventures. #CorporateDevelopment #VentureSuccess #InvestorRelations #StrategicPartnerships

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Have a story to tell... Use Narratize AI Co-Authoring platform to tell your stories in an impactful manner. Katie Trauth Taylor, PhD and the entire team is committed to helping you in becoming amazing storytellers. Check out their impressive work at https://lnkd.in/gnNYHSSX Start telling your stories with Narratize AI as your co-author. #generativeai #storytelling #innovation #aicoauthoring #innovators #researchers #impactstories #startups #problemsolvers #AI #AIStartup

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This week on The Covert Code podcast, we’re featuring the brilliant Michelle Greenwald, diving deep into the fasinating topic of 'Corporate Innovation and Reshaping Strategic Marketing' and while you can catch it on your favorite audio platform... here’s an #innovation challenge: Watch it on YouTube instead > https://lnkd.in/gMHfArm2 📺 Did you know that research shows we retain 55% more information from face-to-face communication, compared to just hearing it? Let’s take your marketing game to the next level—see you there! 👊 #Podcast #CorporateInnovation #StrategicMarketing #TheCovertCode #MarketingInsights #facetime

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If you’re looking for a distraction from political content this week… look no further… allow me to introduce: VC podcast content :) I was so excited to finally be on Minnie Ingersoll and TenOneTen Ventures’ LA Venture Podcast. She grew this platform massively while I was on the operating side and it was such an honor to have this be my first interview since returning to VC. Minnie and I chatted poolside in her backyard in Pasadena and covered a lot of ground: - 🚀Why I think distribution and GTM is potentially a greater early moat than product in an AI-native world - 1️⃣ Is first mover advantage still a thing?! -🕵🏽‍♂️ How I think about channel vs integrated product partnership dynamics and why most of them dont work! -💰 What is (and isn’t) exciting to me and Fika Ventures in marketplaces, supply chain, commerce enablement, and more - 🧐 Why we love investing in subject matter and domain experts at Fika more than technology experts learning new domains - 🤝 What makes our partnership and team special at Fika Ventures and how we think about working with founders - 🪢 and finally, why Pejman Nozad and I have more in common than I do with most VCs! Shout outs to friends and colleagues like Tianxiang (TX) Zhuo, John Chen, Gabriella Brignardello, Route, Michael Tam, Troy Henikoff, and more in this one. And most importantly, thanks for having me, Minnie Ingersoll!

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Who will be the next supply chain consolidator? From 2011 to 2021, XPO scaled up from $70M to $20B, fueled by a combination of organic growth and 18 acquisitions. The model was extremely successful. But the supply chain ecosystem remains extremely fragmented. There is plenty of room for new consolidators to emerge as winners. In the food supply chain software arena, one emerging acquiror is GrubMarket Inc. They have built a network model to help food suppliers automate their relationships with their customers. GrubMarket has acquired over 100 companies to date. They are expecting to exceed $2B in annualized revenue. And they just announced their latest purchase: Butter 🧈, a SaaS platform to automate food distribution. Kudos to Mike Xu, Winston C., and all involved! #logistics #supplychain #consolidation https://lnkd.in/emY4wpsy

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I just wrapped up a panel with the Marketing Leadership affinity group within the How Women Invest community with my hero Auntie Nancy Hayes, aka the Yoda of board membership, angel investing, and general badassery. We talked about different ways to serve on boards, a role in which experienced Marketers seem to be often underrepresented. Why? If I had to guess, I'd say: 1 - Most heads of marketing are women 2 - marketing is undervalued, especially under sales/revenue experience 3—Compound the first two with the messages you tell yourself about your own worthiness, and suddenly, you're a great marketer for everyone else but yourself. ___________ For those who are interested in getting closer or into the board room, there are so many ways to start/get experience: 1—Board Observer (one of my current board roles)—you represent the investor but have no votes. It is unpaid, but/and hugely essential to act as a bridge of visibility and communication between the fund you've invested with and the company in which the fund has invested. My role brings value to both sides with much less bias than the other VC board seats. 2—Corporate board director—There is much governance but not much influence on the product, as the company usually has big enough teams for that. There is a lot of hiring/firing CEOs (read: drama), which can still be fun, especially for those fresh-popcorn-in-my-bag swag kinda folks (both grossly generalizing and way understating this role's fiduciary importance, but you get the idea). 3—Independent board director—this is another of my favorite places to sit. It is much like the Board observer role but with voting rights and equity (although not always, as these terms are negotiated and influenced by the shareholding board seats). You are NOT representing a VC fund (typically), but you might have subject matter expertise in the product or are a generalist boss gal like myself and bring a sense of neutrality and balance to the board. 4—Advisor. Advisors are similar to IBD in terms of influence and type of advice but are not part of the board or its meetings. This role is usually paid in some combination of equity and cash. It's another of my faves. (Are you seeing the trend here?) We have not even touched non-profit boards (where I got my start and am currently sitting on my sixth), but we will save it for next time as it's a whole 'nother Oprah. If you want to learn more, How Women Lead is hosting its 5th annual #getonboard week, starting October 21. Hybrid virtual and in-person. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/diizwv8j #womeninleadership #boardofdirectors #howwomenlead #governance #boarddiversity #corporategovernance #boardservice #businessleadership #leadership Julie Candelon Susan Greenwood Schroeder Mikayla Ludwig

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On the heels of the big Suno fundraise announcement today, I thought it would be timely to share this discussion around how AI will impact creative industries and talent from our recent panel at the Milken Institute Global Conference. As discussed, it is clear that Gen AI tools will greatly increase the number of people who experiment with creating content, most of whom could never have otherwise created this content and none of whom currently create this content professionally or commercially. This will 1,000,000x the amount of content produced and available for consumption. That said, I believe that general consumers will continue to gravitate toward the highest quality content. This goes for everything from written content, to music, to animation, film, and beyond. The idea that Suno song creation is replacing general music fans' time spent listening to music on Spotify or other DSPs is asinine. That said, it is clearly a fun tool to experiment with, allowing thousands of people who never could have otherwise created a song to create a song - I've used it quite a bit to prompt a handful of tech house kpop songs about living in Berlin. It will be interesting to see how much of their funding goes toward legal bills or more likely licensing the music which is currently being used to train their model. At Patron we’re most interested in companies looking to leverage Gen AI technologies to reshape how professional content creators build a business around their creative talent and output. We believe strongly that this represents a huge opportunity to turn static media formats into more interactive and replayable experiences, and to completely change how creative talent producing written content, webtoons/comics, songs, animation, video, and games can better earn a living off of their creative output. #MIGlobal #GenAI

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I enjoyed going on Nick Telson-Sillett’s podcast, Pitch Deck by Forward Pursuit. Nick is a serial founder and investor (founded and exited DesignMyNight) so knows both sides of the table which always makes for an enriching chat. Some things we discussed: - The perceived power dynamic between VCs and founders can hinder productive conversations. - A compelling product demo can significantly influence investor interest. - Founders must focus on solving real customer problems to succeed. - Hiring standards are crucial for building a successful startup team. - Behavioural roadblocks can prevent the adoption of new solutions. - Validation from potential customers is key for pre-revenue startups. - The early-stage funding landscape has become more efficient and selective. - Pace of execution is a critical factor in attracting investment.

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Here’s an interesting read/concept to consider from TechCrunch! AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT are incredible innovations that are worth being excited about — but it’s important to also remember that we haven’t perfected these platforms yet. When it comes to chatbot technology and inclusivity, there are still multiple obvious shortcomings. #ChatGPT and other AI tools of the same vein currently struggle to read cultural nuance, and the algorithms that power these services mostly approach things from a Eurocentric/Western lens. Basically, one of the most popular and widespread AI platforms we have today was not built with the perspectives of #POC #BIPOC in mind. As a result, we’re starting to see alternative chatbots/modifications of ChatGPT in an attempt to create #PersonalizedAI such as John Pasmore’s Latimer.AI, an AI language model that tailors its answers to the experiences of Black and brown people. See also Erin Reddick’s beta ChatBlackGPT, which adjusts the harsher language and rhetoric regarding Black historical events, was trained by Black authors, writings, and philosophers. So, do you think #culturallyspecific AI models are a good solution? Or eventually, should broader companies that own ChatGPT/chatbots have a responibility to make them as inclusive as possible? Could that even be achieved with the structural racism and persistent inequalities that prevail in the tech ecosystem today? I want your takes.

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💰 Women-Led VC Funds: Navigating 2024 Fundraising Landscape 💰 According to Venture Capital Journal, despite a strong start, women-led VC funds are feeling the impact of the industry-wide fundraising slowdown. As of November 30, 2024, women-led VC funds have raised $2.54 billion, which represents a 25% decrease from 2023's total of $3.43 billion. In comparison, global venture fundraising is down 13% YoY. While the numbers reflect challenges, there's still potential for growth: • Several funds typically file updates in December • These late submissions could help narrow the gap Let's continue supporting diversity in VC and monitor these trends as we approach year-end. #VentureCapital #WomenInVC #FundingTrends2024 La Creme de la STEM ™ - female founders support system Noshin Ahmed Lori Rodriguez Emilie Vallauri Craig Zapatka

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Fast Company's 10th annual Innovation Festival has flown by! I especially enjoyed talking on Wednesday morning with Carrot Fertility cofounder Asima Ahmad, MD, MPH, FACOG, BCG economist Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak, and Blue Haven Initiative investor Ian Simmons. We stepped back from the frenzied news cycle and discussed what's really at stake this election year. 🤰 Maternal mortality rates: Asima reminded us that, even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the U.S. had one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the developed world. Now, the crisis is even more dire. "A lot of [doctors] feel that they're in a situation where they can't do best by their patients," she said. As a result, they're leaving abortion-restricted states or leaving medicine entirely, with profound implications for maternal care. 📈 📉 Consumer sentiment: Philipp noted that inflation continues to shape consumer sentiment. "Price affordability isn't seen as strong," he said, despite the fact that "the economy as a whole is strong, consumption is still strong." For example, we hear a lot about prices being up 20-21% since 2019, but wages are up 25% over that same period. An incoming president will have to navigate consumers' negative perceptions. 🗳 Political stability: Ian highlighted the role of political stability. "The more we lean into actually practicing democracy, the better the economy is for the long-term," he said. He also warned against sitting on the sidelines. "Business leaders should not shy away from getting engaged and advocating what's going to be good for the economy," like fair and competitive markets.

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Insightful look into bioplatform strategy, and what it takes to raise a Series A from my partner, Omri Amirav-Drory: https://lnkd.in/dFv7GbF6

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In 2003, Mike Kirban was skating around NYC selling coconut water. 20 years later, that same product is set to hit $500 million in sales. 🥥 This is the Vita Coco story. The product is simple - some may even call it a commodity. But, branding, story telling and the right marketing allowed this Verlinvest portfolio company to win. This story will show that brands are built with patience, hustle and heart. In 2003, co-founders Michael Kirban and Ira Liran met 2 Brazilian women at a bar. Ira ended up falling in love with one of them and moved to Brazil🇧🇷 Later, during one of Mike’s visits, Ira convinced him to partner up to start selling coconut water in the US. Vita Coco was born! They scraped together $75,000 and bought two containers of coconut water; only to realize that they didn’t have FDA clearance to import them. But that didn’t stop them – They re-exported them to the Bahamas and flew there to sell through the product door-to-door. Mike was everywhere—skating through NYC in the morning, doing store demos in the afternoon and then bookkeeping at night. That’s the real founder hustle :) Meanwhile, Zico, a better-funded competitor, was emerging, setting the stage for the "coconut water wars." It’s around this time that Verlinvest realized we wanted to have a share of the coco-war, and ended up investing $2M. At the time, Vita Coco had not even hit $1M in sales yet. The momentum continued. In 2010, the brand raised a $5M celebrity from celebs like Madonna and Matthew McConaughey. Today, this is common - but at that time it was path breaking. Suddenly, they had the megaphone they needed to build massive brand awareness 🫡 Through the years, their distinct branding and marketing strategy allowed them to stand out on shelves across the world. In 2021, Vita Coco went public, raising $172M. Now, they’re on their way to clock $500M in sales :) From no business plan to building one of the biggest global beverage companies, the story of Michael and Ira building brand in a category like coconut water is one that’s always amazed me. In a lot of cases in consumer products, the product isn’t necessarily the moat. Success comes from brand and a relentless hustle - the willingness to roll with the punches. I’ve always said - the best way to start is to start. You will end up figuring out a lot on the way. I love the product. Have you tried Vita Coco? Do you think there is a case to build such a large coconut water brand in India? PS: Thinking of sharing more stories of our global Verlinvest portfolio like this. Thoughts? #business #entrepreneurship #founder

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$56M in funding for female founders, Mormon moms, and the best in beauty – my top consumer stories this week: ♡ Women’s Health & Beauty ♡ - Seen raises $9M Series A - Helaina raises $45M Series B to bring human lactoferrin to market - Allure announces the Best of Beauty 2024 winners - Elle's September beauty launches they’re obsessed with ♡ Media, Entertainment & Creator ♡ - Zuck makes WhatsApp Meta’s crown jewel -LinkedIn ranks #1 as the most important social platform for CEOs - Eva, an entertainment booking platform, raises $2M and expands to more cities ♡ E-Commerce, Retail & Social ♡ - 'Mormon Wives’ Puts Momfluencers’ Selling Power in the Spotlight - BoF introduces the BoF 500 Class of 2024 ♡ Tech, Business, & Investing ♡ - VC has a sexual harassment problem. One woman has a plan to change it - LinkedIn reveals the top startups of 2024 in the US - KPMG shares their Q2 2024 M&A Trends in consumer and retail report - Millionaires can afford their dream homes. They’re renting instead You can read more in this week's issue of ICYMI: https://lnkd.in/gE9aRWwp #consumernews #litrendingtopics

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Female/diverse founders, get all over this! 'Attention early-stage founders raising – excited to announce open applications for PEERLESS 2025! Led by AlleyCorp and Management Leadership for Tomorrow, curated programming will culminate in 5 founders pitching at Google's NYC headquarters in April, where one winner will receive a $1M investment from AlleyCorp. This isn't only about creating a more equitable tech ecosystem, it's about backing the next generation of exceptional founders who are uniquely positioned to shape the future. Applications opened on October 15th and close on December 6th 2024. While they welcome all early-stage founders with exceptional ideas, AlleyCorp is encouraging applications from startups that: Have raised less than $2M Are technologically innovative Have a strong go-to-market advantage Have identified a large market opportunity Are led by Black, Latine, Native American, or female founders All applicants will be invited to various ecosystem events with top founders and VCs. Learn more and start your application at https://lnkd.in/g_j8KVJR

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Episode 359 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Matt Douglas, Founder & CEO of Sincere Corporation: https://lnkd.in/eNp2-R5m. Boston has this legacy reputation that you can’t build consumer companies in the area, yet there are so many great companies that have scaled like Wayfair, DraftKings, iRobot, SimpliSafe, and so… so… many more. Plus, don’t get me started on how many brands, especially footwear, are located here. Anyway, Sincere is another example of a great consumer company at scale. It is highly likely that you’ve used one of their products like Punchbowl to plan a party, Timehop to relive past memories, or Memento, where you can collect and preserve memories together for a group video or photo album. Sincere’s latest brand is Lovebird, a new platform for the wedding industry which is taking on The Knot and other outdated incumbents and as highlighted in this interview with Matt, there will be more coming from Sincere. In this podcast, we cover: * A discussion around the legacy of an entrepreneur and what led Matt down the path of starting a corporate foundation at Sincere for charitable initiatives. * Matt’s background story, growing up with 5 brothers and how he started his entrepreneurial roots early on. * Getting his career started and how he became the youngest Product Manager at Adobe. * His brushes with tech luminaries like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Alexis Ohanian, Justin Kan, and Dharmesh Shah. * The background story of Punchbowl and the three key characteristics he used for building a business. * Why the expansion into the wedding market with Lovebird made sense for the company and how they are differentiating themselves from the competitors. * Matt’s philosophy around buying premium domains and a hint about his best 5 letter domain that is not even live yet. * And so much more. #entrepreneurship #startups #consumer #podcast

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In 2023, I launched South Asian Trailblazers Agency arm because I realized we had inadvertently built a roster of the best talent out there: Founders, CEOs, CIOs across industries and disciplines. Our role, to put it simply, is as intermediaries, as agents: finding and connecting these leaders with visionary organizations seeking to tap into their expertise through a variety of formats: speaking engagements that resonate with their employees, brand campaigns to better reach certain customers, or advisory/expert consultations to tap into our leaders’ knowledge more directly. More learnings to come on building a media business of a different sort in 2024 (content, community, agency) — the learnings, the pivots, and beyond. But for now, I’m curious what do you want to know? 👇🏽

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