Laconia

We're beyond excited to kick off the 7th Cohort of the Venture Cooperative Program! This is your opportunity to dive deep into the venture capital world with one of the most accessible programs out there. Over the past 3 years, we've guided 1,000+ fellows globally through 6 successful cohorts, providing unfiltered insights into: - The evolving venture capital landscape 🌍 - The nuts and bolts of early-stage startup investing 🏗️ - Challenges in managing VC funds, and much more! What Else? ➡️ Sector Deep Dives: Get paid to lead research on sectors that matter to you, while gaining hands-on experience with sourcing investment opportunities. ➡️ Public Events: We're sharing our learnings more openly than ever! Join our upcoming Venture Cooperative AMAs for a taste of what the program offers. 📚 Who Should Apply? Whether you're an individual investor, aspiring fund manager, founder, startup employee, or just curious about venture capital, this program is designed for you. Applications are open until September 22, 2024. Don't miss your chance to be part of this game-changing experience. Apply now: https://lnkd.in/gHAXPgTk

Interested in breaking into venture capital from a non-traditional background? Check out our latest blog post, "Breaking Into VC: A Guide to Starting a Career in Venture," featuring Mirit Lugassi's inspiring journey and practical advice for navigating this competitive field. Explore various paths into VC, from capital markets to venture-backed startups, and learn from Mirit’s experiences. Ready to advance your career? Read the full post here: https://lnkd.in/gGYeANS6 Have questions? Join us for an AMA with Mirit, where we'll dive into all things VC. Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gMyRtmRN And if you haven’t yet, apply for our Venture Cooperative Cohort 7 here by September 22, 2024: https://lnkd.in/gHAXPgTk

We’re excited to announce that we’ve invested in Trestle’s $2.3M pre-seed round, alongside Lerer Hippeau, MetaProp, Alumni Ventures, The LegalTech Fund, Redbud VC, and Meridian Ventures. Trestle is transforming the construction industry with the only automated prequalification and vendor management platform designed specifically for heavy construction projects. Their innovative software enables contractors to choose the right partners, enhance project transparency, share real-time feedback on third-party performance, and manage risks before they impact the bottom line. Read more about the investment here: https://lnkd.in/gYv3nTKF Congratulations to co-founder & CEO Victor Zhang P.E., co-founder & CTO Jason Chen, and the rest of the Trestle team on this outstanding achievement!

Thinking about raising venture capital? Before you dive in, it’s crucial to understand what “venture-scale” means. In short, venture capital is high-risk money invested in companies with significant growth potential. VCs manage funds from Limited Partners (LPs) like high-net-worth individuals and institutions, who expect returns of 3x or more over about 10 years. To meet these expectations, VCs rely on a few successful investments to cover the losses of many others. To decide if raising venture capital is right for you, ask yourself: - Is my business venture-scale? - Does it have the potential to deliver the outsized returns VCs need? - Are my goals aligned with investor expectations? Am I ready to build a multi-hundred-million-dollar business? - Do I need to raise capital? Is external funding essential, or could alternative paths like bootstrapping work? Raising venture capital can offer valuable networks, advice, and accountability but comes with trade-offs like less autonomy and higher stakes. If these don't fit your vision, consider other funding options such as angel investing, bootstrapping, or grants. The bottom line: Venture capital is about aligning your goals with those of investors who are looking for big returns. Make sure your business is a fit before you take the plunge.

We're thrilled to announce that LiquiDonate has successfully raised $3.75 million in seed funding! Laconia led this round with support from Uncork Capital, Kapor Capital, Maccabee Ventures, Ganas Ventures, and more. LiquiDonate is revolutionizing the way retailers handle returns and excess inventory by matching them with nearby nonprofits. This not only reduces waste but also supports charitable causes. With seamless integration into warehouse systems and ecommerce platforms like Shopify, LiquiDonate is making the donation process easier than ever. Check out our reasons for investing here: https://lnkd.in/gihUFJvK A big thank you to Christopher K. Lee, MPH, a Venture Fellow from our Venture Cooperative program, for surfacing this opportunity 🙏 Please join us in congratulating LiquiDonate's founder, Disney Petit, MBA on this milestone!

Our portfolio company WeStock is holding an investor roundtable for CPG brands on September 30. They are bringing together some of the top investors in the space to share their insights on how to raise capital in the current climate. They will dive into: What successful brands are doing right now How to navigate the fundraising process effectively What investors are looking for when evaluating pitches Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/egN655q5

At Laconia, we’re passionate about partnering with early-stage companies that are ready to make a significant impact. We invest in pre-seed and seed-stage companies that are transforming how business is done. Whether you are pre-product or post-revenue, we are most interested in understanding who your target customers are, how big their pain point is, and how you've validated the market demand for your solution. Our investment approach is sector-agnostic, and we’re particularly drawn to companies that are solving high pain point problems in established markets and workflows. Our current portfolio reflects this, with investments in healthcare, climate tech, fintech, proptech, martech, supply chain, and e-commerce enablement, among others. Given our b2b software focus, we typically do not invest in medical devices, biotech, agtech, energy, military applications, or B2C companies. If your company aligns with our investment focus, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us here: https://lnkd.in/gY6ZbSBa

Congratulations to Laconia’s very own Jeffrey Silverman on starting his new role last week as Adjunct Professor at Tulane University! 🎉 In his course, undergraduate students will get a real feel for venture capital operations, enhancing their investment skills, understanding entrepreneurial finance, and gearing up for a future in VC with confidence. We're incredibly proud and can't wait to see the impact Jeffrey will make in this new chapter!

We are excited to announce our portfolio company, WeStock, is expanding their storefront programs in NYC, partnering with Village Grocers! So proud of their continued growth, and can’t wait to see where they grow to next!

Congratulations to our portfolio company, Yuvo Health, for their partnership with Switchboard Health. This collaboration will bring tech-enabled care navigation to Yuvo’s FQHC partners, helping more patients connect with their providers earlier. The result? Improved health outcomes and reduced overall healthcare costs. It’s a win for patients, providers, and communities alike.