Wischoff Ventures

Wischoff Ventures is thrilled to be leading RetailReady $3.3M seed round and supporting founders Elle Smyth and Sarah Hamer. RetailReady is building an AI powered supply chain compliance engine to solve for the $40B in retailer chargebacks per year. This is a niche part of the supply chain and involves brands, 3PLs and retailers. More below from me and the founders on the opportunity: https://lnkd.in/egTiFJVN

We are thrilled to double down on our investment in Ansa and to be seed and now Series A investors. Merchants need more flexible loyalty options that come at a significantly cheaper cost. https://lnkd.in/eJUdEysH

Working on our Q4/Annual LP Update. Sharing a short list of the many lessons we have learned to date: -“Hype” rounds are pointless and do not predict a strong future outcome or future fundraising success. We avoid these rounds at all costs. -A+ teams with B- ideas are far better investments than B- teams with A+ ideas. -The ability to be firm and kind during hard times is a superpower. The brand will build itself on the back of these traits. -Very few venture firms do their own homework and invest based on thorough diligence. Finding those and working closely with them is crucial. A dear friend and investor told me that roughly 5 VC firms per stage think for themselves and everyone else follows. I believe this. -Product & engineering founders with prior early stage startup experience make far better founders than any other background combination. This is where we invest. -Living in a hub is helpful but being Central has enabled us to be everywhere, all of the time. While I believe that NYC and SF are by far the best cities to find great talent, there are hidden gems in the industry hubs. (We spend a lot of time in Chicago) -Getting the most ownership when making your initial investment in a company at pre-seed/seed stage is crucial. -No one knows where the market is headed. -LP construction matters. Having a strong combination of strategic family offices has been a tremendous success in terms of finding first customers for our portfolio companies. (We love everyone equally) -Whether anyone likes it or not, posting VC/startup content on the internet is the quickest and most successful way to ensure that everyone has heard of you. -Pre-seed and seed stage founders are typically under the radar and nowhere to be found on a market map. Be where they can find you.