The VC Corner

Top 10 acquisitions by Google in the last 20 years 👇

Happy to meet if you are at a16z speedrun's Demo Day!

Most startups don’t fail because they’re bad. They fail because no one cares. This is the Cold Start Problem. I had the chance to discuss this with Andrew Chen, who literally wrote the book on it. His core idea? It’s not about launching a product—it’s about launching a network. Some takeaways: ▪️ Small, engaged groups win – Every viral success starts with a tiny but active community. ▪️ Retention > acquisition – A flood of users means nothing if they don’t stick around. ▪️ Network effects aren’t magic – They’re built, brick by brick, through smart growth loops. Uber, Airbnb, and Slack cracked the code. But most startups get stuck at zero. If you can’t solve the Cold Start Problem, you won’t have a scaling problem. What’s the best example of a startup that nailed this?

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆-𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗡𝗼𝘄 Which startups are VCs watching the closest? Harmonic just dropped the Hot 25, ranking the most sought-after early-stage companies heading into Q2. These startups are scaling fast, attracting top talent, and turning heads across the investor ecosystem. Here’s the top 10—see who’s making waves: 🥇 LangChain — Ankush Gola, Harrison Chase 🥈 Lovable — Anton Osika, Fabian Hedin 🥉 Hadrius — Allen Calderwood, Som Mohapatra, Thomas Stewart 4️⃣ Didero — Tim Spencer, Lorenz Pallhuber, Tom Petit 5️⃣ Profound — Dylan Babbs, James Cadwallader 6️⃣ Norm Ai — John Nay 7️⃣ Browser Use — Gregor Žunič, Magnus Müller 8️⃣ Basis — Mitchell Troyanovsky, Matt Harpe 9️⃣ Zocks | AI for Advisors — Ákos Ratku, Mark Gilbert 🔟 Artisan — Sam Stallings, Jaspar Carmichael-Jack For the full list, check out Harmonic’s Hot 25 on their website Which one is your favourite?

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗸 Lessons from analyzing 350+ startup pitch decks 📊 A pitch deck can make or break your startup’s funding journey. After diving deep into hundreds of decks, here are the key takeaways every founder should know: ▪️ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟭𝟬 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 Cut the fluff. Focus on the slides that matter most to investors. ▪️ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗼’𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗸 Craft a story that resonates—avoid the common mistakes founders make. ▪️ 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 Break down real-world decks that sealed the deal and why they stand out. Failory has done an incredible job curating this guide, and it’s packed with insights for anyone preparing to pitch. Whether you're raising your first round or refining your strategy, this is a must-read. 💡 Ready to build a deck that stands out? Dive into the guide below Join 65,000+ founders and VCs who receive these insights in my weekly newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dScY_5k3

Here's a new list of 30 companies that raised $5-50M in Spain in the past few months and confirmed they are HIRING: 1. Flanks - Global wealth aggregation platform 2. Imperia SCM - Supply chain planning solution 3. Genesy - Real-time sales data platform 4. JOTELULU España - Cloud IT services 5. Submer - Immersion cooling technology 6. Dcycle - Sustainability data analysis 7. PLD Space - Reusable orbital rockets 8. Samara - Residential solar installation 9. iPRONICS - Optical data switches 10. Tuio - Digital home insurance 11. Ukio - Furnished monthly rentals 12. Layers - AI agricultural management 13. LIBEEN Smart Housing - Rent-to-own housing 14. Exoticca- Online vacation packages 15. SENSIA- Infrared imaging systems 16. ifeel - Humanising Growth- Mental wellbeing therapy 17. Cafler - Vehicle services delivery 18. Paack - Business courier delivery 19. Mundimoto - Secondhand motorbike marketplace 20. Nido - Aerothermal heating system 21. Wooptix - Semiconductor wavefront imaging 22. Sateliot - Satellite IoT connectivity 23. Kampaoh - Equipped camping tents 24. H2SITE - Hydrogen separation membranes 25. V2C- Electric vehicle chargers 26. Amadix- Blood-based cancer detection 27. Stark Future SL - Electric motocross bikes 28. Sequentia Biotech - Bioinformatics data analysis 29. Universal Diagnostics S.A. - Early cancer detection 30. B'ZEOS - Seaweed packaging materials Adding direct links to their career pages in the comments. ✨ Thank you to Ben Lang and next play for helping me source the list

Jeff Bezos on Amazon’s Mission: Customer Obsession Over Internet Hype In a 1999 CNBC interview, Jeff Bezos was asked if Amazon is still a “pure internet company.” His response? Sharp and visionary: “If there’s one thing Amazon is about, it’s obsessive attention to the customer experience end-to-end.” The reporter pressed on, noting Amazon’s capital-intensive model, contrasting it with the "pure internet play" Wall Street preferred. Jeff didn’t flinch: “It doesn’t matter to me if we’re a pure Internet play. What matters is whether we provide the best customer service… In the long term, there’s never any misalignment between customer interests and shareholder interests.” This clarity shaped Amazon’s trajectory: prioritize customers, and long-term investors will follow. What do you think—was Bezos right to defy the internet-first model? Let’s discuss 👇

10 Legendary Pitch Decks That Raised Billions 💰 Fundraising is an art—and these unicorns nailed it. If you're raising capital, study what worked. ▪️ Facebook ($104B IPO) → https://lnkd.in/dNxYhmgi ▪️ Airbnb ($41B IPO) → https://lnkd.in/dsUqaGX7 ▪️ Canva ($39B valuation) → https://lnkd.in/dm9D6r_U ▪️ Dropbox ($12.6B IPO) → https://lnkd.in/dm3qSHvw ▪️ LinkedIn ($26.2B acquisition) → https://lnkd.in/dGckmnyf ▪️ WeWork ($9B SPAC) → https://lnkd.in/dCvbZhH9 ▪️ YouTube ($1.7B acquisition) → https://lnkd.in/di-C_haN ▪️ Coinbase ($65.3B IPO) → https://lnkd.in/dS2k22hj ▪️ Uber ($75B IPO) → https://lnkd.in/dWrzvqyT ▪️ Tinder ($42B valuation) → https://lnkd.in/dxnV-5TZ 📍 Guillermo Flor (GoHub Ventures) and I (Itnig - Startup Ecosystem) are in San Francisco for Andreessen Horowitz's Demo Day, meeting VCs and founders. This afternoon, we’ll be at WeWork—if you're around, drop a comment or tag someone we should meet!

Rubén Domínguez Ibar from Itnig - Startup Ecosystem and I (GoHub Ventures) are in SF! We’ll be at WeWork today, comment below or message if you are a founder and want to meet 👇🔥 PS: Tag anyone we should meet

𝗬𝗖 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀: 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 Most startups fade within 5 years, but Y Combinator companies? They keep going. 📊 Palle Broe’s research, shared in Lenny Rachitsky’s newsletter, shows: - 50%+ of YC startups are still active 10 years later - Every batch since W15 has 50%+ survival rates - Far outpacing the average startup lifespan YC isn’t just picking winners—it’s creating them. What’s the secret to their durability?