Benjamin Apel’s Post

With J.D. Vance’s selection as Vice President, a former venture capitalist is stepping into a top political role for the first time. What could his Silicon Valley startup experience mean for federal policies and small businesses under a Trump/Vance administration? Dive into our top insights on the potential changes and impacts. https://lnkd.in/gYaAB4ay #JDVance #VentureCapital #FederalPolicies #SmallBusiness #TrumpAdministration #PoliticalImpact #SiliconValley #StartupExperience #PolicyChanges #BusinessInsights #PoliticalNews #EconomicPolicy #InnovationInPolitics #BusinessGrowth #CapitalImpact

With J.D. Vance’s selection as Vice President, a former venture capitalist is stepping into a top political role for the first time. What could his Silicon Valley startup experience mean for federal policies and small businesses under a Trump/Vance administration? Dive into our top insights on the potential changes and impacts. https://lnkd.in/gY3ayQKd #JDVance #VentureCapital #FederalPolicies #SmallBusiness #TrumpAdministration #PoliticalImpact #SiliconValley #StartupExperience #PolicyChanges #BusinessInsights #PoliticalNews #EconomicPolicy #InnovationInPolitics #BusinessGrowth #CapitalImpact

"Handshake deals, boys' club... and very few people getting access to deals." Ashley L. Flucas broke the angel investing mold with a whole new playbook. By day, she’s general counsel for a $3B real estate finance fund. By night, she built Flucas Ventures into one of AngelList’s most active syndicates, placing $90M from investors into startups she curated in just 2.5 years—all from Florida. Not to get into Ashley’s pockets, but if her syndicate's investments hit a median 2x return over 10 years, her carry (share of the upside) comes to $18M. At 3x? $36M. Needless to say, this is not your average side hustle 🤯. This is generational wealth-building at its finest. Ashley's biggest insight into unlocking this game? Access is everything. So how do you break in? Gravy brings insights from powerhouses like Ashley to leaders ready to level up. Game plans, insider insights, and building collaborations to unlock access—all to accelerate the pathway to generational wealth. 🎥 Full video available exclusively for Gravy members.

ONE MORE TIME FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK  Ed Zimmerman, Co-Founder of First Close Partners, and direct & indirect investor in 1,000+ startups shares his feedback in what to optimize for — as a founder — getting from launch to liquidity.  If you need a TLDR: optimize for someone who understands you and or your sector where they’re going to be reasonable and predictable to deal with… as opposed to optimizing for brand equity.” AKA Don’t shop purely for resume; shop for relationship!

“I’m not accredited.” “I don’t know how to invest.” “I don’t have connections.” Don’t let this stop you from becoming an angel investor. Here’s how👇 Apply to Hustle Fund’s Angel Squad, where you will: 1️⃣ Learn the approach that the Hustle Fund team developed from reviewing 40k+ deals 2️⃣ Invest as little as $1k after seeing live pitches from top Hustle Fund portfolio companies 3️⃣ Network with other members at events and get matched 1:1 based on shared interests I personally love the welcoming community, the insights I’m gaining from the resource library and events, and the curated network of aspiring and current investors. Join me in this community that’s been featured in The New York Times and TechCrunch: https://lnkd.in/g3G7V3Pq. Here’s to making angel investing more accessible!🎉 Elizabeth Yin, Shiyan K., Eric Bahn, Haley Bryant, Brian Nichols, Jamie Melzer, Kera DeMars, Chloe Tan, Janel Spilker, Shaun Heng, Kate Shepherd, Raphael Milo, Jennifer Morris, George Z., Patrick Reyes, Jason W., Jessica Shaw, Nicole Simpson, Elaine Littlejohn Lamsus, Sue Chu, Zack Bujazia, Max Harris, Tucker McKay, Anna Claire Howard, Janel Loi #angelinvesting #startups #founders #investors #community

I just had a call with the $1B+ family office and another one before that As I’m filtering through PEVC deal flow I share it with other family offices, fund managers and angels. One FO I had talked to today said they don’t touch venture. Only focus on 30% return dividend story, sector agnostic. Another FO I have talked the other day said they mostly do tech deals led by tier 1 VCs. Point is successful people don’t look too much around, they focus on whatever is working for them. Once I heard a phrase from one Ukrainian entrepreneur “A launched arrow has no time to look at the landscape before hitting the target” that sticked. With investing and business it’s the same. Although market information is necessary to understand the dynamics, the fact is everyone has their own opinion and focus. Once you know your focus you do everything faster and with more precision, not looking at what others are doing. To founders looking to fundraise, don’t look too much around. Just identify the ones who you should talk to based on relevance. To investors looking for whatever you’re looking, stay calm and keep looking ;)

Hey Menlo Ventures I want to talk to you about something but I bet if I send you an email you will ignore me (we all get too many emails), so I thought I would use ChatGPT Writer to write some jokes in response to your post. This is one thing Allie K. Miller hasn't covered in her otherwise great newsletter. So, can we chat? #venturecapital #vc #humor #ai #chatgpt #poker #bootstrap #pot #founder #allin #equity #raise #exitstrategy #openai #ghosted #valuation #duediligence #networth #entrepreneurship #networking 1) The Bluff Game Startup Founder: "I’m all in!" Venture Capitalist: "In what? Your pitch deck or this poker hand?" Founder: "Both. They’re equally risky." 2) The Poker Face Venture Capitalist: stares at founder across the table "Are you bluffing?" Founder: "Not sure, I’ve been doing it in every pitch meeting so far!" 3) All About Equity Founder: "I’ll raise!" VC: "Great, I’ll take 20% equity for that raise." Founder: "Wait, we’re still talking about poker, right?" 4) Burn Rate in Poker Venture Capitalist: "You're burning through chips pretty fast. What's your strategy?" Startup Founder: "Same as my company—pray for a bigger round!" 5) The Perfect Hand Founder: laying down cards "I’ve got a straight!" VC: "Straight to what? Series B?" 6) Pitching the Pot Founder: "Okay, here’s my hand. Now let me walk you through why it has massive potential." VC: "You don’t need to pitch me every time you play a card!" 7) Valuation Founder: winning the hand "I’m worth $1 million now!" VC: "That’s just the pot. We'll call it $10K after proper due diligence." 8) Over-optimism Founder: loses hand "It’s fine, I’ll pivot and win the next one!" VC: "Poker or startups, you’re always one pivot away from bankruptcy." 9) Bootstrapped Style Founder: "I’ve got no chips left." VC: "Looks like you’re bootstrapping your poker game too!" 10) Exit Strategy VC: "What’s your exit strategy for this hand?" Founder: "Same as my startup—hope someone else buys me out." These jokes play on common startup and venture capitalist dynamics with a fun poker twist!

Here’s a short documentary on our family business as “cat herders” jk. In this wild west of financing, getting VCs, SPVs, family offices, and other funding sources aligned can feel exactly like this video—everyone running in different directions, and somehow you’re the cowboy holding it all together! Whether it’s an SPV that has a mind of its own, a VC that wants to wander off into “unicorn land,” or a family office that moves only when it feels like it… it’s a feat of coordination, patience, and the occasional lasso. But if you can wrangle them together? Well, that’s when the real magic (and funding) happens. Because sometimes, the difference between a herd of cats and a team of investors is just a good strategy… and a little bit of luck. Yee-haw! [email protected] Ps. If you’re seeking financing, investors, or strategic partnerships, please email me

Harsh truth: We all complain that angel investors and VCs tend to ghost… Well, they don’t owe us anything. Yes, it’s tough to accept, but this is the reality. They don’t owe us feedback, an explanation, or even a simple email. The day you have zero expectations, you’ll feel much better. It took me a while to accept that. Since then, I’ve been focusing on what matters: Building our business, pX Simple. #propx #startuplife #realestate #proptech