Zach Aarons

We love seeing founders be able to keep their equity and take advantage of non-dilutive funding sources⚒️. We're excited to collaborate with Stacy Chin, PhD leader of KeepYourEquity.co, who has secured over $15M in SBIR/STTR grants for startups across various sectors. She's written a guest blog post sharing her insights on navigating the competitive landscape of grant funding 💰. Some highlights: ❇️ Understanding SBIR/STTR: A lifeline for startups, offering up to $2 million in non-dilutive funding! ⏺️ Learning how to overcome hurdles and capitalize on the golden opportunity. ❇️ Gaining essential tips on outlining your go-to-market strategy, choosing the right program, and preparing thoroughly. ⏺️ Benefiting from Stacy Chin's 10+ years of grant writing experience and her extensive track record in securing funding for startups. Read More in the blog post linked in the comment below 👇🏾 #SBIR #STTR #GrantFunding #StartupSuccess #SmallBusiness #KeepYourEquityCo #ShayCPA #cpafirm #techaccountants #startupaccountants #techstartup #techcompany #nondilutivefunding

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Pear VC Startup Equity Calculator for Early Hires Pear VC head of talent Matt Birnbaum created this calculator to determine the equity for early hires. You can read more here How to structure startup equity for early hires https://lnkd.in/ggmpT5-Y https://lnkd.in/gjsvths6

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The case for emerging managers: “What we don’t want to do is lock ourselves out of these high-performing, differentiated strategies for the simplicity of going with the big guys”, Taffi Ayodele director of the emerging manager strategy at the NYC Office of the Comptroller #investmentstrategies #investmentreturns #roi #assetallocation #emergingmanagers #riskreward #premium #performance

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Impactful Biz, Ops & Investment Roles at Early Startups & VCs: • Chief of Staff to Ex. Head of Product at Google • Founding GTM at the most YC product used by other YC companies in the past four years • Chief of Staff to a Partner at a Top-Tier VC Fund • Head of Platform of a NY State Backed Accelerator • Investment Associate at a Seed Stage Fund Investing in Category-Defining Companies • Partner at a Defense-Focused VC Fund • Chief Revenue Officer of a New Space Company in El Segundo • Venture Capital Analyst at a fund investing in overlooked geographies • Investment Associate at a Spirit-Focused Fund • Strategy & Ops Lead at a Company Focused on Helping Improve Autism • Senior Product Manager at a Company Focused on Building Shopify for Content Creators • Program Manager for a Space Security Company • Open-ended Investment Position at a Top-Tier Accelerator • Biz & Ops Lead for One of the Most Loved Digital Consumer Products 💸 All companies are well-funded and backed by top-tier investors. ⬇ You can find links to the roles above, plus many more, in the comments.

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Can't wait to reconnect with the brilliant Amanda Herson and join the discussion with Maciek Gnutek and Iain Martin at Slush about our fund models and what they mean for Founders ❄ 🚀

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Thrilled to double down on Bhanu and Layer2 Financial. Their growth is eye-popping and they have integrated stablecoin/fiat technology together in a way that's actually useful. Their APIs are - by far - the most mature in a rapidly emerging SWIFT-killers market. What's not in the press release is maybe the most impressive: - 2022/2023 banking/crypto crises (through no fault of their own) set the difficulty to "hard mode". They lost revenue, customers, upstream partners. Many founders would have wilted or quit. - They buckled down, stayed lean, built incredible product redundancies, and made some killer hires. - The new product foundation enabled them to grow 10x in 9 months. They are now processing *billions* in $ volume (which directly translates to ARR). Truly a case of a great team first surviving and now thriving in a rapidly expanding market.

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NY Climate Tech Founders! 1) YES PLEASE save the date to join us at #techweek (6/3!), and 2) YES PLEASE share your top NY resources to complete our NY INSIDER GUIDE, in collab with NYCEDC!

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Silicon Valley built venture capital. But New York's new guard is reinventing it. Just reviewed TechCrunch's Top New York VCs Under 30 List. The paradigm is shifting from the traditional Sand Hill Road model to something more diverse and dynamic, marked by: +Founders-turned-investors have hands-on startup experience +A deeper focus on overlooked markets and underserved founders +Cross-pollination between tech and NYC's legacy industries +An emphasis on sustainable growth over growth-at-all-costs As this generation steps into decision-making roles, they’re bringing a fresh take on community-driven investing, alternative funding structures, and an emphasis on long-term value creation. Congratulations to all the honorees. Young talent is reshaping VC but remember – great investors come at every age. (Fun fact: the average GP is 43!) Want to meet the next wave of NYC's venture talent? Follow along as TechCrunch updates their Under 30 list: https://bit.ly/4hiw4ef Thoughts on the approach of younger VCs? Would love to hear your perspective. #VentureCapital #StartupNYC #Innovation #TechNews" Data Sources: TechCrunch and SaaStr PS 🔔 Unlock a better way to raise capital with: 💸https://fundingstack.com/ for VCs and investors

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Apply now to get a coveted spot for the Venture Lane B2B Pitch Night Event! 🚀 🥇 On November 19th, Venture Lane | Startup Hub is hosting our exclusive Pitch Night 👉 - a rare opportunity for Boston's B2B tech founders to tune their pitch and get in front of awesome mentors, investors, and industry leaders. ⏰ Apply by November 1st to secure your spot! 📲 Find the application link in the comments below. #B2BTech #Startups #Fundraising #BostonStartups #PitchNight #VentureLaneStudio

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BIG ANNOUNCEMENT from the #Dirt #King Cliff Fetner. Extremely proud of my father for his continued devotion and dedication to helping aspiring entrepreneurs in the #ConstructionTech ecosystem. I especially agree with his thesis regarding a HUGE gap in the market for #international #ConTech startups seeking GTM advice and networks to successfully launch in the US. Check out Cliff's medium post and tag #founders & #CEOs who you think would benefit from engaging with him. #ConTech #Founders #GTM

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What do you do when a radical new technology puts your main product right in the crosshairs of disruption? Listen to David Okuniev — co-founder of Typeform | Ask awesomely — discuss the challenges of innovation within existing structures. David shared a game-changing insight: Radical innovation is really, really difficult to do inside your own product. He emphasized the need to break free from the constraints of familiarity and embrace change from outside the box. Henrik Werdelin and I have both seen our fair share of this in our respective careers. What struck us most was how David leveraged structure to overcome the innovator’s dilemma. By creating a culture of experimentation and providing space for bold ideas, he propelled Typeform beyond incremental improvements. What other hacks have you seen or employed to help your organization overcome the innovator’s dilemma? Share your stories below! 👇 And if you want to dive deeper into our conversation, click the link in the comments to catch the full podcast episode!

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CRV is returning $275m from its $500m Select fund to its LPs. Get fit and nimble, not just for startups, but also for VCs. "Some limited partners have been frustrated with the expansion of venture capital funds in recent years. In 2021, 28 firms raised funds of $1 billion or more, up from just eight such funds five years earlier. There is an incentive for venture capital firms to raise bigger and bigger funds, since they typically charge a 2 percent management fee. Larger funds means larger fees, regardless of how well the investments do. But bigger funds also tend to have middling investment performance. Smaller venture capital funds have historically minted the highest returns, according to data from Cambridge Associates, an investor in venture capital funds since the late 1970s. Many of CRV’s limited partners have backed the firm for decades. Lawrence Rusoff, a managing director at Performance Equity Management, said other venture capital firms had been talking about the issue of venture capital funds that get too big. But so far, only CRV has opted to return any money." https://lnkd.in/eSUigr7Z

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One of the highest compliments we can give a founder is calling them a “heat-seeking missile.” It means they’ll find their way to market no matter the obstacles. Broadlume’s founders, Todd Saunders and Dan Pratt, embody that spirit. Today’s announcement of their acquisition by Cyncly validates it—but honestly, anyone who met them early on could have seen it coming. I had the privilege of being their first institutional investor and joining their board nearly a decade ago, back when they were called AdHawk. Inspired by their Google ad sales days, Todd and Dan set out to help SMBs make smarter ad buys—a classic case of turning their job into a product. That product worked, scaling AdHawk to $1M+ in revenue with a diverse customer base. We were so impressed we invited them to present at our LP meeting in 2018. They showed up, delivered—and dropped a bombshell: they were pivoting. Flooring installers, a surprisingly large portion of their customers, presented an even bigger opportunity. Todd and Dan focused exclusively on this vertical, becoming the “Hubspot for Hardwood Flooring.” They off-boarded non-flooring clients, lost some revenue, but quickly snowballed back by doubling down on their ideal customer profile. From there, they didn’t just grow; they rolled up the industry. With $60M from PSG, they acquired companies, technology, customers, and decades of flooring expertise. M&A is a tightrope for startups, but Todd and Dan balanced it masterfully, building a powerhouse in an overlooked industry. Today’s acquisition is the culmination of their relentless drive. I couldn’t be prouder to have been their first institutional check. Of course, this wasn’t a straight line—no startup journey is. Broadlume faced struggles, like every company does. But Todd and Dan’s resilience exemplifies why I love this job. Entrepreneurship isn’t just a career; it’s a personality trait. It’s rare, and when you find it, it’s worth betting on. I may never write another check for a startup that sells vinyl tiles, but betting on people like Todd and Dan? I’ll do that every time.

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Halle Kaplan-Allen and I will be chatting with Ali Hamed tomorrow about sourcing LPs. You can RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/edYZhKrA Ali wrote this excellent tactical piece on networking that is well worth a read for anyone networking their way to capital: https://lnkd.in/eZ_2f_4x This event is presented by Sydecar, a frictionless deal execution platform for venture capitalists. By pioneering a standardized approach to private investing, they enable capital allocators to identify and back entrepreneurs who are changing the world. Their platform reliably handles back-office operations, automating banking, compliance, contracts, tax, and reporting so that customers can focus on making deals and building relationships.

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As an investor who moved from New York to South Florida two years ago, I’m often asked about the tech ecosystem here. After spending much of my time in the region since then, one thing is abundantly clear: 📈 The tech ecosystem in the region is growing - and rapidly. More and more founders and investors are operating from South Florida. In addition to me, Alpaca VC has two full-time team members based here, David Goldberg and Sophia Delgado. We also maintain a regional growth tracker that currently sits at 150+ GPs and counting. And the growth is not limited to Miami. We’re seeing the presence of founders and funders stretch throughout the Tri-County area, from Miami Beach to Palm Beach. Amid the growth, we’ve had the chance to connect with many people from the South Florida tech landscape during our Venture, Tech & Capital Markets dinner series (we’ll likely continue this fall). From conversations at those events, it’s clear most people in the ecosystem agree that the growth is obvious and palpable. Here are a few stats to back up the anecdotal: 🌴Miami (and surrounding area) jumped 7 places in 2024 in Startup Genome’s ranking of global startups ecosystems to become 16th on the list ahead of Chicago, Seattle, Austin and San Diego and Atlanta, as well as Delhi, Sao Paulo, and Toronto. Notably, while Miami is not in the top 10 (yet) it had the most growth year-over-year. ☀️Three of the top 10 investors from the recently released Midas Seed List 2024 (which Forbes and TrueBridge Capital Partners started in 2022 and ranks Top 25 seed stage investors globally) reside in Miami-Dade County. 📊There are more than 3.3K funded companies, 373 investors and nearly 140K startup employees in the region, according to the Refresh Miami Innovation Ecosystem dashboard. No surprise: we continue to be super excited about the South Florida tech ecosystem, so much so that we’ve chosen it as the location for our 2025 AGM in January, which will coincide with a massive ecosystem event we will be sharing details about soon. Check out the comments for the links to the sources above and get in touch if you’re an investor or founder in the ecosystem interested in upcoming events and opportunities to connect. #venturecapital #southflorida #miamitech

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On this week's episode of Lobster Talks, we had the privilege of speaking with Daniel Driscoll, former military officer and co-founder of Elodin (YC W24). Elodin is building the "Unreal Engine for aerospace," a flight software development platform that promises to accelerate innovation and make space exploration more accessible. Key takeaways from our conversation with Dan: -From battlefield to launchpad: Dan's unique journey from serving in Iraq to leading a cutting-edge space tech startup. -The "Unreal Engine" analogy: How Elodin is changing the game for aerospace software development. -Disrupting the status quo: Why agile software practices are essential for the future of space. -Advice for founders: Dan's insights on identifying and solving problems in established industries. This episode is a must-listen! Check out the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eHp_WWGc #aerospace #softwaredevelopment #startups #innovation #spaceexploration #podcast #lobstertalks

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The new quarterly review is live! Each quarter, I dive into the latest trends and shifts in the venture capital market, covering both the broader macro perspective and the unique insights we’re seeing at Florida Funders. Check out my latest article to stay informed on what’s shaping the VC landscape and how we're navigating it at FF. Always eager to hear your thoughts – let’s keep the conversation going! #VentureCapital #FloridaFunders #MarketInsights

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After the first deep dive discussion w/ founders I often hear a comment "I wish I had heard about this alternative [to all-in must-become-a-unicorn] way to build a startup earlier as I have wasted years in pursuing the wrong thing". Our mission is that no founder would ever need to say that again as it is such a waste. Us preaching the gospel 1:1 just doesn't scale, hence we use mass media to multiply our efforts - that's how Gorillacast came to be. The 1st episode is out, featuring yours truly. "How can you know what food you like unless you taste everything" said a chef. How can founders make informed choices about the best strategy for them to follow unless they know of all alternatives? This might not be of interest to you but pls spread the word so that the founders who should hear it can find it. I have a dream!

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For the past year (and then some), I’ve been working closely with my Partner Will Rayner to build and launch something that we’re super excited to now make public - Lookout Ventures: a new seed stage fund, backing infrastructure and B2B software startups outside of Silicon Valley. We’re building on almost a decade spent sourcing and leading deals at TDF Ventures. While there, we saw the majority of the VC industry chasing and bidding up the same set of SaaS deals - based in a few select ecosystems like the Bay Area - and demonstrating the same set of well established go to market benchmarks. We’re not here for those deals. What we are looking for: *Regions*: The days of needing to be in Silicon Valley to succeed are over. Startup culture has spread to many metropolitan areas from Raleigh-Durham to Washington DC to Houston to Chicago. Those cities have a combination of great universities, major corporate headquarters, and local accelerators and incubators, which are the key ingredients for startup creation. We’re particularly focused on the Southeast, Midwest and Texas. *Stage*: Founders are probably sick of big brand investors telling them that their traction is too early but they’d love to stay in touch for the next round. While Lookout won’t often invest pre-revenue, we do invest before product market fit. Whether it’s called a seed, seed prime, or early A, we want to work with founders as soon as they know they have a solution ready to scale. *Sectors*: We’re comfortable investing early because we’re staying focused on topic areas in which we’ve built our expertise and networks during our past decade of investments around infrastructure software and vertical SaaS. Within those areas, we have more specialized interests ranging from MSP (managed service provider) tooling to cybersecurity serving the small business to SaaS focused on field workers in various verticals. We’re actively writing checks and are excited to already be working with great teams from Arpio, hotglue, inforcer, and CloudCapsule. If you’re building or investing in these areas, drop me a line and let’s catch up.

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