Simon Read

We know Black startups receive less than 1% of venture capital funding in most quarters of the year, but does it matter what city you're in? There isn't a clear indication of which city has the highest funding for Black-founded startups. However, we can draw some insights about funding trends in major startup hubs: Major Startup Hubs 1️⃣ San Francisco Bay Area:    - Historically the top region for funding Black-founded startups.    - However, funding plunged 78% in 2023, reaching its lowest total since 2017.    - The Bay Area saw funding drop from $895 million in 2022 to $198 million in 2023, an 88% decline since 2021. 2️⃣ New York:    - Experienced a 51% drop in funding to Black-founded startups.    - Funding fell from $375 million in 2022 to $185 million in 2023. 3️⃣ Los Angeles:    - Saw a 43% decline in funding to Black-founded startups.    - Funding decreased from $301 million in 2022 to $173 million in 2023. 4️⃣ Atlanta:    - Historically strong for minority-led companies.    - However, funding for Black-founded startups declined by 79% in 2023.    - Only $23 million was invested, the lowest amount since 2017. 5️⃣ Boston:    - Experienced a 72% decline in venture dollars going to Black-founded startups.    - The 2023 total of $23 million represented 2.6% of the region's venture market, which was the highest percentage share among these cities, despite the significant drop. While no city stands out as having the highest funding for Black-founded startups in 2023, it's clear that all major startup hubs experienced significant declines. The San Francisco Bay Area, despite its sharp decline, still appears to have allocated the largest amount of funding to Black founders in absolute terms. However, Boston had the highest percentage of its venture market going to Black founders at 2.6%, even though the total amount was relatively small. These figures reflect a broader trend of declining funding for Black founders across the United States, with total funding dropping to $705 million in 2023, the lowest figure since 2016. How do you think Black startup founders can get more VC dollars to flow their way? Subscribe to my newsletter below to receive more insights on diverse founders, my business and VC learnings and well as well the Emerging world around us. https://lnkd.in/g85xKDxj 📸 : Google Black Founders Fund #venturecapital #startup #funding #black #founders

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Another edition of VCs Doing Work: Slauson & Co. 🎉Congrats to raising $100M for your second fund continuing your mission to make a difference!🎉 Wait... What and who is Slauson and Co? Slauson & Co. is a Los Angeles-based venture capital firm focused on early-stage technology investments, founded by Austin Clements and Ajay Relan. The firm's mission centers on economic inclusion and democratizing access to entrepreneurship for underrepresented founders. Slauson & Co. primarily invests in: Preseed and seed SMB Tech (tools supporting small and medium businesses) Consumer technology The firm typically writes checks between $500,000 and $2 million, aiming to lead most rounds. Since its launch in 2020, Slauson & Co. has made significant strides: Raised a $75 million Fund I, exceeding its initial $50 million target Backed 38 companies, with a majority led by people of color and at least half by women Recently closed a $100 million Fund II, demonstrating continued investor interest in their inclusive approach The firm has garnered support from prominent investors and organizations, including: PayPal Ron Conway (veteran technology investor) Ashton Kutcher will.i.am True Capital Management Alpaca VC Slauson & Co. is just getting started! If you think you have a startup that fits their thesis and stage, reach out! #diversity #inclusion #venturecapital #consumer #smb Brittany Crockett #longla #losangeles #celebration #vcsdoingwork

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Back on the road to visit some startup labs yo ⚛️💸🥐☕ Love this part of a deeptech investor job. All but 1 of my fund investments had an element of lab visits. There is something uniquely insightful about seeing prototypes and meeting founders and early staff in their early day workshops. ...and humbling in being by far the dumbest in the room 🤓 #deeptech #startups #venturecapital #solovc #angelinvesting

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Linda Jeng, the digital economy superhero and Founder & CEO of Digital Self Labs LLC, jumped onto MoneyNeverSleeps with me this week to unpack the latest stablecoin report from Castle Island Ventures, 'Stablecoins: The Emerging Markets Story'. We went deep on this one folks, including an eye-opening realization on why US dollar stablecoins are so dominant from an economic and problem-solving perspective, compared to the nothing burgers that are non-dollar stablecoins. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform 👇👇👇 🎧Apple, Spotify, or web player:  https://lnkd.in/eZExgn7H 🎧MoneyNeverSleeps Website: https://lnkd.in/deWZxZk 📰MoneyNeverSleeps Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eRTiXyU 📣 On-air shout-outs to Mai Santamaria FCA, Sean Lee, Nic Carter, Matthew Walsh, Ollie Walsh and Simon Taylor. 🙏 Thanks to Castle Island Ventures & Brevan Howard Digital for writing such an excellent and thought-provoking report! (link in the shownotes below) 👇 #stablecoins #emergingmarkets #crypto #blockchain

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GOOSE MAGAZINE REVIEWS THE L.O.V.E. POD Goose Magazine, a preeminent publication in the blockchain and crypto space just posted a great review article after trying out the L.O.V.E. Pod. Say Goodbye to Dead Zones – Introducing The Satellite Internet Hotspot! We had the honor of beta testing the first version of the L.O.V.E. Pod Satellite internet hotspot with a built-in VPN. The connectivity was impressive, and the ease of use was so simple that anyone could use it. You will appreciate this review and product if you’re a digital nomad, a frequent traveler, or someone who values flexibility and security in their internet connection. Discover the unique benefits of the L.O.V.E. Pod Satellite internet hotspot, such as its impressive connectivity and user-friendly interface, that can enhance your lifestyle, allowing you to connect to the internet on your terms. For those of us who have concerns about being disconnected from the internet, loss of mobile signal, or want enhanced security and privacy, this team has developed a valuable solution they want to be available to the masses. And the best part? The L.O.V.E. Pod Satellite internet hotspot is available at an affordable price of $200 and $48 a month for unlimited data within the U.S., making it a great investment for your connectivity needs. Curious about my journey with the L.O.V.E. Pod Satellite internet hotspot? Keep reading to learn about my experience testing it out, and discover the fascinating history of how the underserved innovated their way in the digital age. Real World Access I share my story over the last few months and my experience of using the pod. This is an honest review of the V1 Pod. The newer model, based on feedback from about 200 beta users, has been enhanced with better features and benefits, such as improved connectivity and a more user-friendly interface, making it an even more reliable and convenient tool for your internet needs. I initially tested the L.O.V.E. Pod Satellite internet hotspot at home, where I used it for normal internet activities. The experience was nothing short of seamless, with no lag whatsoever. The added benefit is its built-in VPN, which is great to use most of the time but cannot be turned off. The other test was to see what was possible with video and multiple devices. YouTube played just fine with no latency. A Zoom conference was the extreme that I pushed it. The most reassuring aspect of this device is its portability. I carried it wherever I went, especially on trips to the mountains, where reliable connectivity is often a challenge. Living in Colorado or any other remote area, I often found my cell phone’s internet to be unreliable. However, with this device, I could simply plug it in and enjoy a stable connection, allowing me to make a phone call and work on my laptop simultaneously. Even in my car, I could plug it into the USB drive and it worked seamlessly.

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Getting to know the entrepreneur before investing into their idea. Check out the full interview with Fred Wang. A Venture Capitalist out of Adams Street Partners. Fred Wang YouTube: https://lnkd.in/ef6BjQQg Spotify: https://lnkd.in/ekAH-V6J Apple Podcast: https://lnkd.in/exQs4yXe Subscribe on YouTube | Follow & Rate on Spotify | Follow & Review on Apple Podcast | #highvaluediscussions #podcast #entrepreneurship #business #venturecapitalist #investing #financialliteracy #mindset #innovation #tech #technology

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It was super fun diving into Nic Carter's latest report on stablecoins in emerging markets with Pete Townsend. This is the first survey ever conducted of #crypto users in #emergingmarkets about their #stablecoin usage. It's important to highlight that most of the top reasons are not crypto trading related. They want to put their savings in the more stable and secure US Dollar-denominated stablecoins and get better conversion rates than what banks currently offer. Stablecoins are here to stay as a form of #money, and policymakers should focus on how best to support stablecoin issuers in their increasingly important role in the global monetary system.

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ICYMI: Menlo Ventures and Anthropic just launched: Anthology fund: a $100M fund focused on AI pioneers of the future They will be making preseed, seed and Series A investments with investments starting at $100K and up. The fund will focus on 5 key areas: 1. AI infrastructure 2. Frontier/novel applications of AI  3. Consumer AI solutions 4. Trust and safety tooling  5. AI apps and tech that maximize societal benefits Quote from the release includes: "The Anthology Fund represents more than investing; this fund is an opportunity to drive AI forward. We’re not just looking for startups; we’re seeking AI pioneers who harness Anthropic’s cutting-edge technology to redefine what is possible today through AI. Our goal is not just driving value but fundamentally helping teams to reshape industries and improve lives." Founders can apply here: https://lnkd.in/ectbUNJY May the odds be in your favor. You can read their release here: https://lnkd.in/exKPPW5S #ai #artificialintelligence #venturecapital #frontier Amy Wu #future #earlystage #anthology

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It is hard to build a company without injections of capital but this path in entrepreneurship teaches you to be very effective with the resources you have as well as it makes you to focus on customers and your team vs constant search for money from outside investors. Bootstrapping makes you in full control of the road you take but that means that you succeed on your own and fail on your own. I think the era of free money with 0% interest rates is over and in the next era of expensive money those companies that focus on operational efficiencies will win by growing gradually and reasonably.

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Cambridge Future Tech builds DeepTech ventures and last week we hit another milestone; we're co-founding our 15th venture 🤘 It's awesome building new ventures from the ground up. It's why we started CFT in the first place. It always feels great to be at the start of the build phase, helping founders articulate a new venture’s tech and potential, building a strong narrative. We’re collaborating closely with founders to transform groundbreaking ideas into companies. 🚀🚀🚀 More to come on this. I'm hyped to share what we're building 🤘 #venturebuilder #deeptech #startups #cambridge

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Here's why founders pick Space VC ✨ Building a brand is all about understanding what sets you apart. For us at Space VC, our founders choose to work with us for three main reasons: → Founders-turned-VCs as mentor → Domain-focused expertise → Strong go-to-market strategies Jonathan Lacoste For full conversation: https://bit.ly/3RVezG6

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Reimagine Real-World Applications: RWA to RWP The term "Real World Assets" (RWA) has long represented the connection between blockchain technology and tangible assets. But it's time for an upgrade. We should shift from "Real World Assets" to Real World Problems (RWP). Why? Because it's not just about tokenizing assets; it's about solving real-world issues with innovation, tech, and decentralization. Let’s focus on using blockchain to address real challenges—whether it's in healthcare, supply chains, or financial inclusion—rather than simply transferring existing assets into the digital realm. RWP gives us a vision that's not just about what we can tokenize, but what we can transform. Do you have any thoughts ? Let’s harness the power of technology to drive impact where it truly matters. #Blockchain #Innovation #RWP #TechForGood

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BlackRock's really diving into #crypto! They've gone from sceptic to nearly topping the charts with a $16.7bn #BitcoinETF & they have launched the fastest-growing tokenised Treasury fund! 🤯 #onchain #web3 #NFT #Bitcoin #stablecoin #tokenization #DeFi https://on.ft.com/4alJ8er

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