Vijay R.

Lots of PE groups profess to port-co's the importance of solidifying a differentiated strategy. But also important to eat your own cooking. What is your FIRM's differentiated strategy? And how differentiated is it? Enjoyed the discussion with Nick Bradley on The Scale Up Podcast! #PrivateEquity #Talent

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RETHINKING RETIREMENT We've been investing in the Future of Work since we launched BBG Ventures, targeting underserved segments like deskless workers (Anthill, OX) and solopreneurs (Topline Pro). Over the summer we spent time digging into another deeply underserved segment of the workforce: Boomers. By the end of this decade, the entire generation will have hit retirement age and, for the first time, Americans 65+ will outnumber those under 18. This has huge implications for every aspect of society, and it mandates that we start thinking differently about retirement. The question for all of us is this: Can we re-focus healthy Americans 60+ on a new phase of productivity, a “third act” that enables them to keep learning, keep earning, keep socially-engaged and contributing to the nation’s economic growth? And what role can AI play in helping every senior identify their unique skill set and personal priorities — and connect them with the right opportunities? We have some thoughts on how to make this happen, and we'd love you to give it a read, add your feedback, forward it to a founder who's working in this arena (or who you think might be intrigued), and share it! AgeTech has been too focused on death and decay; it's time we embrace longevity and give older Americans a way to keep working -- on their terms. cc: Carol Magalhães Isaacs, CFA Nisha Dua, Claire Biernacki, Drew Silverman Fennessy

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Interesting point from Paul Graham. Having seen first hand on how a founder of a 400 people company tried to build up middle management and struggled with "founder mode" vs "manager mode", handling this balance is critical to scaling up the people side. Here are the key insights 1. There are two distinct ways to run a company: "founder mode" and "manager mode." Conventional wisdom has largely assumed that as startups scale, they need to transition from founder mode to manager mode. However, this transition often leads to suboptimal results. 2. In manager mode, the company is run in a modular way, treating subtrees of the org chart as black boxes. The CEO tells direct reports what to do and lets them figure out how, without getting involved in the details. This approach, while sounding good in theory, often leads to hiring "professional fakers" who can drive the company into the ground. 3. Founders who have tried to switch to manager mode as their companies grew have often found it damaging. They feel gaslit from both sides - by those telling them to run their companies like managers and by the people working for them when they do. 4. Founder mode breaks the principle that the CEO should only engage with the company via direct reports. "Skip-level" meetings become the norm. This allows for greater flexibility and adaptability in running the company. 5. Steve Jobs' annual retreat for the 100 most important people at Apple (not necessarily the top 100 on the org chart) is an example of a founder mode practice that can make a big company feel like a startup. However, it's rarely seen in other companies. 6. Founder mode will be more complicated than manager mode, as it requires figuring out the right balance of delegation and autonomy. However, it will also work better, as evidenced by the success of individual founders who have been moving towards it. 7. Many successful founders were already practicing elements of founder mode, even if they were seen as eccentric for doing so. Imagine what founders could achieve if they were given guidance on how to run their companies more like visionary founders (e.g. Steve Jobs) rather than professional managers. Founder mode represents a paradigm shift in how we think about running companies as they scale. By learning to better balancing founder mode vs manager mode, we may be able to unlock even greater potential in startups and help founders maintain the agility, vision, and culture that made their companies successful in the first place. https://lnkd.in/gi9gk5iH

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Having read Donella Meadows in collegue and studied with students of hers at Rocky Mountain Institute, I have always sought to identify leverage points for change in a system before building out frameworks to track progress in shifting those points. And I agree with Ivo Degn here, I have found through my professional experience that if you only focus on impact metrics, you end up with huge teams collecting data (and there is somehow never enough data on this track) and costly verifications all of which take time and resources away from the real work of implimenting the change. Having quality indicators that provide insight into directionality -towards or away from -the key levers that you have identified and tracking those is important. Unless you are a scientist doing research, everything else is bean counting.

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"Poor financial management is cited as a key factor in the failure of 60% of social impact investments." Being a for-profit with an impact mission ADDS to the burden of good operational and financial management, not the other way around. We don't get a pass - we will get more scrutiny. #MissionDriven #EnvironmentalImpact

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This is a good resource I've stumbled upon. It covers a plethora of VC and startup-related topics and contains links to expand your knowledge. https://lnkd.in/dqkdV4fA TL;DR: "It's the founders, stupid!" These two lines made me hover over: "I know the physical and emotional tolls that entrepreneurs face". "Resources for Managing Founder Anxiety and Depression" I've been one myself, and it's not for the faint-hearted. I struggled and failed many times. From the standpoint of a person working now for a VC fund, the ability to support a founder who was hit with too much at the same time, to know how to listen, mirror and label Chris Voss's style, and a bit of guidance to build confidence back can do wonders. Assisting portfolio companies doesn't have to be just intros and throwing money or unsolicited advice. And what about identifying troublesome founders before investing to prevent assisting portfolio companies from becoming a nightmare flop? Ahh, that's a tricky one. Startups fail for a variety of reasons. At the early stage, we should look at many things, to name a few: product-market fit, go-to-market, blue ocean or zero to one, CAC and LTV ratio, CAP table, passion, leadership potential, intelligence, technical ability, and many, many more. Crunch the numbers. Sure. What about the early stage? Limited information and knowledge when a decision has to be made, and the outcome is impossible to predict because the future is unknown and unknowable. Examine the founders. If you don't read the founders right and overlook some hidden toxic traits and coping mechanisms that mask something that can derail the startup and founders down the road (vulnerable narcissism, antisocial tendencies, Machiavellism, blameshifting or more benign like anxiety-prone, conflict avoidance, burn-out tendency, inability to delegate, perfectionism, risk aversion, etc.), the chances that it will be your next outlier significantly diminish. How many of you saw dead equity on the capable, founders' clash, low morale, a founder playing the sunk cost game with the fund after burning cash, lying, or even more brazen behaviours like experimenting with horse tranquilisers and smoking weed on a podcast? A "Sudden" shift of values with a splash of megalomania could lead to a CEO removal attempt by the board. Or stealing "HER" voice. It is fun to watch as a TV drama, not to deal with as your portfolio. We won't be able to see it all during a few conversations with the founders and not everyone is Wendy Rhoades from Billions. Knowing how to ask a question behind which is a hidden question and being able to detect when founders say what they think we want to hear to get the funding is a good start. Spending extra time learning that is a good investment. A splash of psychology, empathy, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence to become an excellent GP won't harm your ability to identify and help the right entrepreneurs build great companies.

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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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Having a Cars and Capital event tomorrow in Southern California with Oren Klaff. If you want to join message me. https://lnkd.in/gDQ4D39u Oren Klaff Bridger Pennington #InvestorEvent #FamilyOffice #InvestmentOpportunity #CarlsbadEvent #PrivateEquity #WealthManagement #InvestmentConference #CapitalRaising #NetworkingEvent #IndustryLeaders #FinancialGrowth #InvestorsMeetup #WealthBuilding #BusinessGrowth #InvestmentForum

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Team San Diego! I though you may find this as surprising as I did...we are not alone. Read this quick article from Jon Prentice's (Silicon Valley Bank) interview with with James Newell (Voyager Capital), published in GeekWire on Seattle's innovation ecosystem....they lament the SAME issues as we do in San Diego: * Lack of angel investors, (Especially, it calls out, given the local giant tech co's) * "We need low-conviction check writers." * Lack of "cachet associated with being an angel investor" - We have similar efforts (as described in the article) to drum up angel activity: NuFund Venture Group and, Interlock Capital (read the article and you'll see why the Interlock effort is tops as relates to "paying back into the ecosystem") Connect.org strives to 'connect' innovative companies with investors of all types (angel, VC, PE...) - just see "Innovation Day". Their Springboard program provides another great way for experienced entrepreneurs to give back through mentorship...as for the companies going through Springboard: "Ask for advice, and you often get $$" Your thoughts on the article or San Diego innovation ecosystem? https://lnkd.in/gfwq6mfq

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Sharing views of my Partner. "Within the climate change investment ecosystem, much of the capital has gone to two ends of the spectrum: venture capital and infrastructure. Those investments are obviously impactful, but more of a developmental, long-term approach to solving climate change. We try to focus on where we can make an impact today. That means looking for companies already reducing emissions or saving energy." Read more from Stuart Barkoff, co-founder and managing partner GEF Capital Partners https://lnkd.in/dX2CMs35

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I want to call your attention to Edward Sullivan’s (CEO of Velocity) response to Paul Graham’s post on #FounderMode that has certainly struck a nerve in the Founder and VC communities. Edward talks about the importance of leaders striking a balance between over delegating and doing it all by themselves. At Velocity, we coach our Founders/leaders with concrete strategies to play “in the middle” as they build high performing teams. Edward’s response is a must read for all Founders, leaders and investors.   John Baird, Chairman Velocity Coaching 

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To paraphrase Peter Parker's uncle Ben, with great climate challenge comes great innovation and entrepreneurship. We're proud to announce the inaugural Congruent Ventures X Silicon Valley Bank 50 by 2050 list. The focus was to highlight companies that not only have compelling impactful technology, but have a path to scale and actually drive global results. Thanks to the teams that drove the process including Eliza Cushman, Marianne Wu, Dan Baldi, and numerous reviewers, raters, submitters, and the companies themselves for doing to hardest work of all - mitigating climate change. I also want to shout out to Lia Lilleness who started working on this project over a year ago while a summer associate with the firm! This list highlights #climatetech companies that are pioneering carbon reduction solutions that may help us reach net zero emissions. While climate change is daunting, we are encouraged by the entrepreneurial energy that is rising to meet the challenge. Of course, innovation is highly dynamic – this list captures a single point in time and only a fraction of the much longer list of companies that may have significant climate impact. Read the full report to see the companies that made this year’s list: https://lnkd.in/gRMaqMb8 Thanks also to Tim DeChant and TechCrunch for highlighting the list this morning.  "The market for climate tech is already $1 trillion and is expected to double every decade. As the specter of climate change looms, companies that have the best shot at reducing emissions could snag a significant portion of that market, and their investors stand to benefit." There are too many companies to call out here one by one, but check out the list for some excitement!

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Today we’re excited to announce we’ve raised approximately $8B of new capital, empowering the future of technologies and businesses worldwide. As we venture beyond to create new realities alongside ambitious entrepreneurs, we’re energised by what lies ahead. For 25 years, we’ve partnered with founders to build enduring companies. In healthcare, we set out to work with aligned parties across the industry to deliver transformation, rather than just innovation, inspired by our own vision of Health Assurance. We are fortunate to have partnered with extraordinary teams including those at Aidoc, ArriVent Biopharma, Cityblock Health, Capital Rx, Commure, Dandy, Devoted Health, Homeward, Livongo, Maven Clinic, Sword Health and Transcarent to make this bold vision a reality. We are grateful for the support of our LPs to accelerate our work to deliver a more resilient system of health globally. I am also thrilled that with our expanded seed capacity in Europe and India, we’re further strengthened our focus on working with founders from the very first stage of their journey. Learn more → https://bit.ly/gc-xii CC: Hemant Taneja, Kenneth C. Frazier, Holly Maloney, Elena Viboch, Caitlin Donovan, Reva Nohria, Candace Richardson, Alexandre Momeni, Rachit N., Pranay Orugunta, Tyler Olkowski, Dylan S. #VentureBeyond #GlobalResilience #HealthAssurance #AppliedAI #Startups #VentureCapital

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We must learn from past crises. These insights from the President of the National Academy of Medicine, Prof. Victor Dzau are fundamental. We are in an era when extreme events are becoming more frequent and more intense. It is essential to build #resiliency and to distill lessons from past crises that can be applied to face #future shocks but also advance #innovation outside periods of crisis. This post results from a joint initiative between GFCC | The Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils and Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). Thanks for the partnership Kazuyoshi Shimada & Osamu Kobayashi, and the work in this piece Elaine Rodriguez, Sc.D..

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After decades in venture capital, I’ve watched innovation cycles unfold—from the internet boom to the mobile era to today’s AI revolution. The thrill of transformation drives this industry, but only when things go sideways do we pause to consider what we might have done differently. That’s why I am launching The Ethics Edge. In today’s market, AI is reshaping the landscape at breakneck speed and overlooking ethical risks could mean missing out on insights that can drive both competitive edge and resilience. But how do you integrate ethics in a way that fuels growth, accelerates market leadership, and improves risk without slowing progress? Each week, I’ll break down real-world investments through an ethical lens, exploring questions we all face but rarely discuss. Can ethics be a strategic advantage? Where do they fit in board discussions and KPIs? And at what point in a company’s lifecycle do they start to matter? I am calling venture investors to join me on this journey—follow The Ethics Edge on Substack and join the LinkedIn Group. Jack Bixby Lucas Stephanie Sharron Anik Bose Elizabeth Meyer Chris Gillam Katherine M. Tassi Paul Clastre Elmer Huh Katharine T. Courtney Allen Weinstein #venturecapital #ethics #theethicsedge #innovation #investing

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If you are in the VC space, you should know one of the early drivers of "Moneyball for VC". That's Gopinath Sundaramurthy, Ph.D Gopi partnered with the Kauffman Fellows Fund on implementing these concepts in their investment process. The results were staggering. 50% of the investments the fund made became unicorns. In Gopi's words 👇🏻 "We knew something was working, so we thought: Let's build this a little bigger." What did that look like in practice? 1️⃣ Gopi's firm uses a single ‘source of truth’ platform to centralize information, improving decision-making and consistency. 2️⃣ They maintain an even 50/50 split between data engineers and investors to ensure they leverage data to gain insights into teams, markets, and products. Want to learn more about what Gopi and the team at Ensemble VC has implemented at their firm? Check out the case study that our sponsor Harmonic published about the firm -->

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"A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world." Shining the light on the dark side of corporate governance. Companies that suffer from nepotism, old networks, favoritism, and a "we use each other" mentality. Understand your rights and options as a stakeholder if you get stuck in a "grab first, ethics later." situation. This post is also added to the "Entrepreneurship Collection," with the link available in the comments. "In a civilized world, law floats on a sea of ethics." In corporate governance, the interplay between regulatory frameworks and ethical responsibilities often finds itself strained by the actions of certain "legalized lawless operators." These entities or individuals operate within the legal's technical boundaries yet engage in ethically questionable or socially harmful practices. The existence of legalized lawless operators highlights a crucial dichotomy between legality and ethics in corporate behavior. While legality pertains to adherence to the letter of the law, ethics concerns the broader spectrum of moral principles and societal expectations. This dichotomy becomes particularly pronounced in areas where regulations or contracts are outdated, insufficient, or deliberately designed with loopholes that can be exploited. Learn and share your experiences in the comments. Alph Keogh Jeff Broz BS, RT(R)(CT)(MR) Don Fowler Morris Panner Achaiah P M Sudhir Bahl Ashim Purohit Ashok Kakkar Rohan Prabhu Vivek Mehrotra Manikandan Bala Kumar Satyam Manusha Chereddy Vijayarajan Alagumalai https://lnkd.in/evKTvrU7

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💰Sharing a List of 80 Black-led VC funds (US based): About this list: I realized that I couldn’t find a current list of Black-led funds as of 2024 when a lot of new funds have launched over the last couple of years including GPs Sydney Paige Thomas, Terri Burns and more. I have been gathering a list of these funds in my network, and that I could find publicly over time so wanted to share with the ecosystem. Only 2% of VC funds are Black-led: I found 80 funds (maybe there’s more!). There are 3,417 VC firms in the US (according to NVCA). Founders - These funds invest from pre-seed through growth, some with a focus on diverse founders, others more broadly. ⅔ of them have OPEN funding applications that I’ve linked in the sheet. LPs - As mentioned, a number of these funds might not be in the databases used for tracking, so hope to get some more Black-led funds on your radar! VCs - maybe there are some funds you should get to know for deal sharing, etc 👉🏾Link to full list here: https://lnkd.in/gktBhY-W

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