Shamir Arzeno, MBA

I recently discovered 11% of all seed investments in the United States have come out of Miami At the recent Primary Venture Partners Summit in New York, Keith Rabois, Managing Director of Khosla Ventures highlighted Miami’s potential as a rising tech hub. Despite the challenges such as high competition from other regions, Miami is emerging as a vibrant and safe city for innovators. With a push towards a robust tech ecosystem, there’s no doubt this city is set to become a major player in the tech world. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eb3t3wHn #Entrepreneurship #MiamiTech #Startup #Investment

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Taking a moment to celebrate my friend Arthur Matuszewski. The first time I met Arthur was in a meeting at Bridgewater Associates that he hosted to arrange a hiring event in NYC pointed at bankers. It was the most organized meeting I had seen in 3 months post joining. The meeting had a stated purpose and agenda (shocker!) and it was actually being covered in an orderly way. (Largely thanks to Angela M.--love you Angie!) I was just attracted to Arthur's magnetic energy, creativity, enthusiasm for life. Meeting Arthur for anybody is like a confetti bomb going off in a room. Anybody that knows Arthur once knows him forever because he is the type of person you just never want to let go. He's empathetic, insightful, and naturally supports anybody he encounters. He has as semi-permeable boundary between self love and love of the whole world and everybody in it. To be in a relationship with Arthur is a channel to being in relationship with everything that is good about the universe. This is the essence for why Arthur is beloved by so many. Anyway, Arthur publicly launched a new company. It's called Carrara. He launched it with many other wonderful partners--many of whom I know and respect. Special call out to Lucy M. who got on the the train ride or die with Arthur on day zero. Carrara works with venture backed companies on talent strategy and recruiting--using various engagement models. Carrara made a dope website. https://lnkd.in/eJxpC5Fc On this dope website, they link to some interesting articles and if you want to blow off a day of work and read up on career development, recruiting, organization building, culture creation, the link has a curated list. If you don't know Arthur yet, you can click his name up there and send him a ping. It might be the most meaningful thing you do today. Love you, Arthur! Didn't know what I was gonna write, but this is what my fingers told me to do!

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Last chance to RSVP for Forum’s Founder-First Investor Breakfast! 🥐 On the morning of Wednesday July 10th, we’ll be celebrating the winner and finalists of the NYC Founder-First Investor Award 🏆 We’ll hear from Nick Adams, Richard Odior, and Lauren Reeves on what it means to be founder-first, get some advice on finding the right investor for your cap table and insights on todays fundraising market. Whether you’re a founder actively fundraising or an early-stage investor, this one’s for you. RSVP using the link in the comments⬇️🔗

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What's the latest in #MiamiTech? We've got the low-down from an investor's perspective. Founders: take note! Many thanks to Alpaca VC's David Goldberg, and to Lorraine Sanders and Nancy Dahlberg Refresh Miami for making it happen. https://lnkd.in/daXmV6Zf #investing #VC #fundraising

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Charles Hudson is hands-down one of the sharpest minds in early-stage investing. As the Founder and Managing Partner at Precursor Ventures, Charles has backed over 375 companies and supported more than 400 founders. → His portfolio includes hits like Clearco, Juniper Square, and Carrot → He's helped founders raise over $175 million across four funds → He's an active leader in the VC community, serving as the 2023-2024 Chair of the NVCA Board of Directors But even with all of his successes and accolades, what really sets Charles apart is his founder-first philosophy. He's not looking for "coachable" founders who hang on his every word. He wants founders who are decisive, independent thinkers. He believes his job is to give founders what they need, not impose his own agenda. Charles is the kind of investor every founder wants in their corner. One who shows up, follows through, and builds genuine relationships over time. And on this week’s episode of Minimum Viable Podcast, he's sharing his insights on what makes for a truly productive founder-investor partnership. Founders, this is a conversation you’ll want to hear. — What's the #1 quality you look for in an investor? Tune in to the full episode when it drops this Wednesday to hear much more from Charles and learn how to make the most of your investor relationships.

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💰Contour Venture Partners Raises $42M for Fifth Fund 💼 Introduction: Contour Venture Partners, a New York-based seed investor known for early investments in companies like Datadog and Movable Ink, has raised $42 million for its fifth fund. The firm is targeting $90 million for this flagship fund and has been actively fundraising since May 2023. 💡Key Points: - **Fundraising Progress**: The firm closed on $42 million from 64 backers, aiming for a total of $90 million. It had previously raised $20 million as part of a parallel fund. - **Market Context**: Fundraising has been challenging for venture funds recently, with overall venture fundraising down more than 50% last year compared to 2022’s record-breaking numbers. 📝Investment Strategy: - **Check Sizes and Focus**: Contour writes checks between $500,000 and $1.5 million, primarily leading rounds in seed and early-stage companies. It focuses on sectors like SaaS, digital media, and financial services, with a preference for companies based in New York or the Northeast. - **Track Record**: Despite not having a massive war chest, Contour has a strong investment track record. Notable successes include:  - Datadog: Early investment in 2011, which IPO'd in 2019 with a $7.8 billion valuation.  - OnDeck: Invested in 2006, went public in 2014 with a $1.3 billion valuation.  -Pendo: Active portfolio company, raised over $460 million, valued at $2.6 billion.  - Movable Ink: Content personalization startup, raised nearly $100 million, valued at $1.3 billion. 👩‍👩‍👧‍👦Firm Background: - **Founders and Leadership**: Contour was founded in 2005 by Matt G. and Bob Greene, who continue to lead the firm. - **Capital Raised**: Over its nearly 20-year history, the firm has raised more than $370 million across four flagship funds and three opportunity funds. 🕯Conclusion: Contour Venture Partners continues to make significant strides with its fifth fund, demonstrating resilience and strategic prowess in a challenging fundraising environment reported TechCrunch. ✅ Looking to raise capital for your #VCfund and increase the international pool of your LP #investors?   🤝 Need warm #LP introductions?   📝 Selling #secondaries to increase liquidity?   🧐 Looking for co-investments (Series A/Series B)?   ▶ G+QUANT's link for inquiries and fund decks: https://lnkd.in/gjC_EuTE #VentureCapital #ContourVenturePartners #StartupFunding #Datadog #MovableInk #InvestmentStrategy #SeedFunding #TechInvesting

Connexa Capital Announced Debut Venture Capital Fund Backed by Strategic Network of Founders, Executives, and Business Leaders 💰An emerging manger fundraising success story🌟 Connexa Capital, a Miami-based venture capital firm, has successfully closed its debut fund this June, Connexa Capital Fund I, L.P., with over $20 million in commitments, surpassing its initial target. The fund focuses on early-stage technology and software companies that demonstrate strong fundamentals and are led by exceptional entrepreneurs. The portfolio includes five companies: FirmPilot, Proxima, Kickfin, Voila, and Integrated Projects. The firm is led by Jonathan Beda, the former CEO and Co-Founder of Zumbini, a spin-off of Zumba Fitness. Prior to Connexa, Beda ran AB Investment Group, which invested in high-growth companies such as Home Chef (acquired by Kroger), Halo Cars (Acquired by Lyft), and Material Bank®. Connexa’s strategy focuses on identifying companies at the inflection point between product-market fit and meaningful scale, emphasizing customer traction, strong unit economics, and capital-efficient business models. The firm provides significant support to entrepreneurs through its extensive Executive Partner network, which includes seasoned professionals from companies like Apple, Google, Gopuff, Home Chef, Noom, and SoftBank Investment Advisers. 📢 Key Quotes: - Jonathan Beda (Managing Partner): "We focus on companies with clear signs of customer traction, strong unit economics, and capital-efficient growth strategies." - Patrick Vihtelic (Founder of Home Chef): "Connexa played a pivotal role in our success, making valuable introductions and helping us grow." - Alberto Perlman (Founder & CEO of Zumba Fitness): "Connexa’s back-to-basics investment approach and network-driven support system set it apart in the venture capital space." If you are experiencing difficulties in raising fresh capital and would require warm introductions to new LPs, contact G+QUANT🤝    ▶ Please use G+QUANT's link for inquiries and fund decks, or send your inquiry to [email protected] #VentureCapital #StartupFunding #EarlyStageInvesting #MiamiTech #TechStartups #SoftwareInnovation #Entrepreneurship #TechInvestment #ConnexaCapital #StartupEcosystem

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645 Ventures’ first fund was a scrappy $8 million seed round announced in 2014. In late 2022 the firm raised its largest funds ever with $350 million across two; a $195 million fourth flagship fund and a select fund of $153 million. Seed- and early-stage venture is a network-driven business. However, what differentiates 645 Ventures is that it has also built its own software to source investments at the seed stage.

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This San Franciscan has landed in the Big Apple for #NYTechWeek! Here’s why it was important to me to be out here this week and I view NYC as a sister city. ((scroll down for 2 events The Council is hosting today!)) 🏭🏥 Reminder: The Council Fund invests at Pre-seed in Software’s Third Act, the transformation of the essential economy. Our investments span healthcare and industrial sectors like manufacturing, logistics, construction. 🐂 I’m eternally bullish on NY & SF and hate how many pit the two cities against each other. The reality is that a lot of capital and talent flow back and forth between the cities. They need each other to thrive! 🗽🌁 Cities like NY & SF attract young and mid-career talent because of their population density, transient nature, beauty, and reputations as cities where someone new on the scene can make a name for themselves. For the areas we invest in, I’m *specifically* excited about NY because of: 🏗️ Closer proximity to industrial hubs which are scattered across the Midwest / Rust Belt 🏛️ Closer proximity to DC where a lot of regulation around VC, startups, healthcare, onshoring initiatives, and industrial sectors takes place 💰 Many of the large financial institutions that are backing hard tech focused funds and major healthcare initiatives are also headquartered here in NYC 🎯 We’ve got several startups here who are hitting it out of the park, like Dirac and Siena. This has further validated my belief in this ecosystem to support young companies! Today we are kicking off with 2 events on Day 1 of #NYTechWeek 👉 AI Demo Day: The Council, Next Wave NYC, Lynx Collective, Flybridge will host 8 founders and 200+ investors and founders for a pitch competition this evening! Luma: https://lnkd.in/gbdYiJMw 🔜 Can still join the waitlist! Small & Big VCs in Hard Tech: The Council joined General Catalyst, Lux Capital, Iron Prairie Ventures, AlleyCorp, House Of Ventures, Steel Atlas for 2 back to back panels on industrial innovation & collaboration across the capital stack Luma: https://lnkd.in/gj6D4-Au ⏰ Event has passed

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Our BankTech Ventures ecosystem at work! Kaitlyn Shevlin getting perspective from a bank-enabling company, ZSuite Tech, a partner, Ncontracts, and our banks on how they do 3rd party risk management and vendor due diligence better with tech companies and service providers. I love these productive conversations with multiple perspectives. So many insights and actionable suggestions. And it’s so cool to see my teammate organizing and leading this discussion! #banktechsummit #makingbanksbetter

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We gathered dozens of operators from the MGMT Boston Operators Club and local founders alongside the 186 Ventures team this October to discuss the evolution of our dear software markets, the status of some predictions for 2024 (all looking good!), and what’s on deck for next year. General Partner Giuseppe Stuto led us through the following predictions for 2025 to share with you all.. ↕ We will see more vertical AI applications manifest themselves within the Enterprise in a similar ways that SaaS moved from horizontal to vertical use cases 🔔 We will see services business models more common and software budget purchasing models less common - SaaS may even be given away for cheap/free as a “way in” ⚖ Capital efficiency, on a relative basis, will almost be required to create enduring & compounding defensible enterprise value. Details like procurement cycle lengths and creativity with non-dilutive financing, like leveraging revenue based financing tools for example, will all matter 💡 Specific to AI, premiums will be placed on applications that can actually get “reasoning” right. All purpose LLMs still have a ways to go and there are multiple approaches with the “jury still out” on how to get context and reasoning right. Infrastructure solutions that use general purpose or customizable knowledge graphs to help application developers get to 100% (enterprise acceptable accuracy) will emerge OR savvy application developers will fill the gaps themselves. We will likely see both, depending upon the specific case! Thank you Giuseppe, Julian, and Sophie for a great discussion and evening!

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🚀Calling All #NYCFounders 🚀 Today, we are excited to launch the inaugural Founder-First Investor Award right here in the heart of New York City—a place that's grown from an emerging startup scene to a world-class tech hub over the last two decades. 🏆 Why nominate an #investor? This is more than just an award. It's your chance to publicly acknowledge an investor who has been instrumental in your journey—not just with capital, but with mentorship, introductions, and unwavering support. These are the investors who've helped you lead, scale, and build companies that define categories. If you have an investor on your cap-table who has gone above and beyond, make sure their contributions are celebrated. Nominate them for the NYC Founder-First Award using the link in the comments. Nominations close on May 16th. We can’t wait to hear your stories and celebrate the investors who make NYC’s startup ecosystem thrive.

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Secondaries are becoming a super attractive asset class. Just this month, StepStone announced a new $3B+ fund dedicated to secondaries. Late-stage private companies are still trading at a discount relative to their 2021-2022 highs. But the venture capital advisor exemption requires firms to keep their secondary positions less than 20% of total investments. I think this will encourage fund managers to get creative with registration/legal structures in order to unlock greater exposure to secondaries as attractive deals come through. https://lnkd.in/e_3_xitM

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Alpha is in the lower mid market. Institutional LP's (at least in CRE) don't seem to be able to play there. Seems like an opportunity for a new type of product to help bridge the gap to the smartest institutional LP's can get access to the GP's that have historically not been interested in them/on their radar? What am I missing: - Institutional LP's and their consultants are limited by both time, check size (big) and risk (low) - GP's with great returns have been able to operate at just below the radar of institutions and raise money via friends and family (aka HNW) so have not "needed" institutional capital - Governance used to be a big issue but today, many of these GP's have institutional like governance (note: it's not exactly what is needed but closer than you think) and returns that are phenomenal.

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Summary: Keith Rabois, managing director of Khosla Ventures, is on a mission to turn Miami into the next Silicon Valley and has been actively promoting the city as a tech hub. Despite some challenges and opposition, Rabois remains optimistic about Miami's potential and the growth of its tech ecosystem. Key takeaways: Keith Rabois is determined to make Miami the next Silicon Valley and has seen progress with a growing number of seed investments in the city. Khosla Ventures, where Rabois works, has made multiple investments in Miami, including one into a startup aiming to "reinvent education." Rabois continues to split his time between Miami and San Francisco, but believes that Miami offers a better quality of life and potential for building a thriving tech community. Counter arguments: Some big name investors, such as Andreessen Horowitz, have pulled out of Miami, suggesting that the city does not offer the same opportunities as other established tech hubs. Miami still has a relatively small share of total U.S. seed investments (2.6%-3.5%) which may indicate a lack of resources and opportunities compared to other cities. #venturecapital

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Forerunner Ventures just closed a $500M fund, doubling down on consumer tech at a time when many VCs have pulled back. With nearly $3B in historical AUM, FV recently led rounds into AI-driven startups like Daydream, Pie, and Mindtrip, Inc., building on their success with popular brands (and exited investments) such as Glossier, Inc. and Warby Parker and Dollar Shave Club. Kristen Green said it best: “Today’s consumers expect more—better quality, personalization, and smarter solutions." Are we on the verge of the next big wave in consumer tech? Let me know your thoughts. #Consumer #VentureCapital #AI #Startups #Innovation https://lnkd.in/g7Db7UhU

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Ex-Two Sigma Ventures Partner Launches Category Ventures Villi Iltchev, previously a partner at Two Sigma Ventures created in 2012 as a division of New York hedge fund Two Sigma Investments, and August Capital, has founded Category Ventures, a new San Francisco-based firm currently seeking to raise $156 million for its first VC fund. The firm plans to focus on early-stage investments in infrastructure software, a segment that includes tools for software management, security, and development. Category Ventures enters a challenging fundraising environment - just 77 new funds have raised capital in the U.S. this year, down from an annual total of 215 last year, indicating 2024 may set a record low for debut fund investments, per PitchBook-NVCA data. Even worse - 2024 is on track to be the worst in at least a decade in terms of money flowing to debut funds.  Iltchev’s extensive background may help attract limited partners (LPs), who in the current market favor first-time funds launched by seasoned venture capitalists. Iltchev’s track record includes key investments in notable companies like GitLab, Remote, and Box, experiences that bolster his credentials with LPs. Category’s focus on infrastructure software aligns with a broader shift toward supporting tools that facilitate secure, scalable tech development. ✅ Looking to raise capital for your #VCfund and increase the international pool of your LPs?   🤝 Need warm #LP introductions?   📝 Selling #secondaries to increase liquidity?   🧐 Looking for co-investments (Series A/Series B)?   ▶ Please use G+QUANT's link for inquiries and fund decks, or send an inquiry to [email protected] #VentureCapital #CategoryVentures #EarlyStageInvesting #InfrastructureSoftware #TechStartups #GitLab #TwoSigma #VentureFunding

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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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