Waqas Khann’s Post

When to sell? Venture capital isn’t just about picking the right horses. It’s also about helping them jump over dozens of hurdles, watching them win a bunch of races — and knowing when to stop betting on them and cash in the winnings. How exactly to do that last part is a matter of some debate among Europe’s seed funds these days. Oliver Holle, managing partner of Vienna-based seed investor Speedinvest told Amy Lewin earlier this year he wished his firm had “sold more” when up rounds were bountiful. (His portfolio includes unicorns like wefox and GoStudent.) “We’d settle on selling 20 or 30% of our shares, or say ‘Let’s make sure we at least have our money back’. In hindsight, that’s not good enough,” Holle said. How do you get more value from your investment? Follow a successful #businesstransformation recipe, focus on building disruptive #digitalbusinessmodels. #designsmarterbusiness #transformyourbiz https://lnkd.in/ekuyJsv9

This week's Pitch Reviews newsletter is out! Top Performers: Discover active raising startups like Pacha, which soared with a 491% revenue growth from 2022 to 2023, alongside other high achievers like Original Brands and Our Bond. New Show - Investment Roundtable: Tune into our newest series where our VP of Product, Brian Belley, and a panel of investment experts explore startup success factors and the nuanced dynamics of equity crowdfunding. Exclusive Webinar: Don’t miss our upcoming webinar on October 2nd with Arrived, a Bezos-backed real estate platform. Learn about their approach to real estate investment and how you can benefit from current market conditions. Pitch Review: This week, we review StartGlobal, a comprehensive platform that simplifies launching and managing US-based LLCs, attracting notable investors and showing promising growth. Read the full newsletter here for the latest insights: https://buff.ly/4d6BCFt

As an angel investor, I’ve made over 50 early-stage investments across the UK, US, and beyond. Now, as a Partner at Antler in Australia, I’ve experienced firsthand the shifts between angel and VC investing - and these findings have transformed my approach to supporting founders. I share 5 surprising lessons I learned that about angel vs. VC funding that I wish every founder knew in the article below. From the unexpected empathy VCs have (yes, we pitch too!) to why VCs reserve capital for follow-on funding and how market size can make or break a venture-backed business. Thinking about joining our February '25 residency and/or raising your first round? This is an inside look at the mindsets and strategies VCs use when investing, offering takeaways to help you get funded. 👉 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/g_jStAWS

💵📊 Avid Ventures has launched its second early-stage fund closing $87 million. This brings the total capital raised by the company to over $165 million. The Avid Fund II will back exceptional founders building transformative software and fintech companies from Seed to Series B stages. 📈 The VC firm welcomed new institutional investors, including The Mellon Foundation, Hall Capital Partners LLC, Vintage Investment Partners, UJA-Federation of New York, Soka University of America, and CM Wealth Advisors, among others. Returning Fund I investors include Foundry, General Catalyst, and multi-billion dollar philanthropic family offices. It was also backed by leading investors and executives such as Brian Singerman (Partner, Founders Fund), Rob Hayes (Partner, First Round), and Susan Sobbott (former multi-decade American Express leader). 🤖 Read more here: https://shorturl.at/PExRv Addie Lerner Daniel Simon Nicky Goulimis #tech #funding #news #VC #technology #investment #innovation

😱 😨 "According to PitchBook data, the number of active investors in European VC has shrunk by over 50% in the past year, while 38% of VCs disappeared from dealmaking in the US in 2023. With fewer investments, some firms no longer need as many employees to source and execute deals". Do you think the industry has hit bottom already? 👀 We can always talk about this at our upcoming Zero One Hundred Conferences (PE & VC Platform) in Milan! https://lnkd.in/ddy_urDm #vc #fundraising #investments

Rosberg Ventures has reached $100M in assets under management. Thanks to Forbes for sharing our milestone! We are truly humbled by all the support we have received from our partners and are really proud of this milestone. This achievement marks the success of our unique approach as a VC Fund of Funds, focused on bridging Europe's leading family businesses with the top-tier global venture capital ecosystem. When I retired from F1 in 2016, I knew I wanted to channel my passion for high performance into something new. Venture capital provided that perfect outlet: a world of innovation, crazy drive, fast pace, and super bold visions. Our journey began with an initial $22M "test balloon" fund: a proof of concept demonstrating the demand for bridging European corporates and the world's best VCs. This was reached in just a few weeks! Then, building on that momentum, our second fund (using all our learnings) has reached $78M, strengthening connections and exceeding expectations! At Rosberg Ventures, we're not passive investors. Our FoF model adds value by creating strategic connections between the world's leading VC firms, groundbreaking start-ups, and Europe's most influential business families and their connected corporations. Our C-level corporate network offers market access and expertise, elevating the entire ecosystem. This milestone isn't just about capital. It's about generating opportunities, building meaningful connections, and making a lasting impact across industries and borders. A massive thank you to everyone who has made this milestone possible. I’m interested to know where you see the most exciting potential for innovation in Europe and beyond? Also, let me know if you want to learn more about our Fund of Funds. I'm always happy to share more insights! #Forbes #VentureCapital #FundOfFunds #VC #Innovation #Success #Business

Excited to share my first blog post inspired by my experience and learnings while at Exceptional Capital. Huge amount of gratitude for Marell E., Andrew Van Nest, Melissa Morano Aurigemma, and Graham Stoddard for making these last few months so impactful. You opened my eyes to the other side of the table! A couple of questions that are core to my reflections: - How can LPs and emerging early stage venture funds learn from our sometimes overlooked similarities? - Could emerging VCs approach fundraising at different stages of their firm journey similar to founders raising different financing rounds? Would this make transparency from the LP side easier and fundraising less opaque for GPs? - How can E&Fs be more value-additive to emerging GPs? Would emerging VCs find value in that? - How can junior LPs learn from VCs younger in their careers? #LPs #EmergingManagers #VC #EmergingAllocatorAssociation #EmergingAllocators #Venture #Fundraising

Seed VCs are turning to new ‘pro rata’ funds that help them compete with the big firms Alpha Partners, SignalRank and now SaaS Ventures help seed VCs pay for shares when big VCs try to price — or push — them out Lee Edwards, partner at Root VC, has a saying at his firm that “pro rata rights are earned, not given.” That may be a bit of a stretch since pro rata refers to a term that VCs put in their term sheets that gives them the right to buy more shares in a portfolio company during consequent funding rounds to maintain an ownership percentage and avoid dilution. Still, while these rights are not exactly “earned,” they can be expensive. One of the latest trends in VC investing these days are funds dedicated to helping seed VCs exercise their pro rata rights. https://lnkd.in/dRM3RvdA By Christine Hall

🚀 The Evolution of a Successful VC Firm: Demystifying Fundraising 🚀 Ever wonder how a VC firm grows from a small startup to a major industry player? 🤔 Let's break down the stages of fundraising and shed light on this journey for aspiring VCs and curious minds alike! 🔵 Fund I - The Initial Test Fund It all starts here. Most firms kick off with a small fund sourced from the founders’ personal networks. This phase is about proving the concept with lots of smaller investments. 💰 Fund Size: $10 to $50 million 🔵Fund II - Gaining Momentum Success with Fund I? Great! Now it’s time to attract family offices and emerging institutional capital. Reputation starts building through early wins.💰 Fund Size: $50 to $100 million 🔵Fund III - Early Institutionalization Time to get serious! With some exits providing a track record (hello, DPI 🏆), the firm formalizes structures and possibly brings in new partners or promotes within. 💰 Fund Size: $75 to $150 million 🔵Fund IV - Institutional Investors This stage bumps the firm into the big leagues! Established track record? Check. Now attracting foundations, endowments, large multi-family offices (MFOs), and sovereign wealth funds. 💰 Fund Size: $100 to $200 million 🔵Fund V - Fully Institutionalized By now, it's all about large institutions and loyal early supporters. The team works like a well-oiled machine, with succession planning conversations sometimes starting. 💰 Fund Size: $200 million and beyond But remember, bigger isn’t always better. Many firms choose to stay disciplined and stick to a size that suits their strategy. As funds grow, so does #brand awareness, with each exit refining the firm's investment thesis. Curious about VC dynamics? Drop your questions or thoughts below! 👇 #VentureCapital #Fundraising #Startups #VCJourney #Investment #Growth #Innovation

Dow Record Update Q2 2024 & Effects on VC Fundraising Kranz’s latest blog explores the effects of Dow’s recent record on venture capital fundraising. Read on for more. #Dow #venturecapital #VCfundraising #VCadministration Head to Kranz’s latest blog to learn how the recent Dow record is impacting VC fundraising. #Dow #venturecapital #VCfundraising #VCadministration Kranz Consulting https://lnkd.in/ggSE-XPi