Thunder.vc

📣 Another week, another edition of #FundraisingDemystified. In this week's newsletter, I explore #founder #equity- are all founders getting their equal slice of the cake in their #startup's cap table, and how to decide who gets what? Happy reading!

Canada might be 1/10th the size of the US population, but Canadians still deploy capital into startups, but at 1/25th the rate of the US. If you're a Canadian founder you should meet some notable Toronto venture capitalists, ready to back your journey! 1. Relay Ventures-ventures Focus: Pre-Seed and Seed Stage Ventures Sector: Urbantech, Proptech, Fintech, Sportstech Top Portcos: Boomerang, Bird, Ecobee 2. Real Ventures Focus: Early-Stage Ventures Sector: Tech Enabled Businesses Top Portcos: Mejuri, Integrate AI, Unbounce 3. Radical Ventures Focus: Early Stage Ventures Sector: Artificial Intelligence, Disruptive tech Top Portcos: BirchAI, RoadBotics, Nabla Bio 4. Golden Ventures Focus: Seed Ventures Sector: Agnostic Top Portcos: ApplyBoard, Yesware, tacked 5. Alate Partners Sector: Real Estate, PropTech Top Portcos: Bird, Altrio, PadSplit 6. iGan Partners Focus: Seed Ventures Sector: Digital Health and MedTech Top Portcos: Meta, Akira, Think Research 7. Whitecap Venture Partners Focus: Seed and Series A Ventures Sector: B2B software and Med Tech Top Portcos: GoBolt, Real Matters, Clearwater 8. Ripple Ventures Sector: B2B Software Top Portcos: Wisely, Artemis, Plannuh 9. Loyal VC Sector: Tech Enabled Businesses Top Portcos: MyTM, ZestIOT, Avant Meats, BetaStore 10. Portage Focus: Seed to Series C Ventures Sector: Fintech Top Portcos: KOHO Financial, Albert, League, Clark Ready to connect with the perfect investor for your startup? Drop “LIST” in the comments, and I’ll tailor a personalized investor lineup just for you. Who’s your favorite VC firm in Toronto? Give them a shoutout in the comments! At Thunder.vc, we specialize in matching your fintech startup with venture capital firms that align with your sector, growth stage, and goals. Let’s find the right partner to fuel your growth!

Based on what I'm seeing in the market, I've compiled a list of my 9 favorite VCs in the USA that specialize in Fintech. Let me know who I should I add to this list. 1. Fin Capital Focus: Pre-seed to IPO Location: San Francisco, CA Top Portcos: Vestwell, Embed, onfido 2. FinTech Collective Focus: Early-Stage Ventures Location: New York, New York Top Portcos: Flutterwave, Vestwell, Antler 3. Precursor Ventures Focus: Pre-Seed and Seed Ventures Location: San Francisco, CA Top Portcos: Pivo, Zeta 4. First Round Fast Track Focus: Early-Stage Ventures Location: San Francisco, CA Top Portcos: Ascend, SmartBiz, On Deck Capital 5. Foundation Capital Focus: Early-Stage Ventures Location: Palo Alto, CA Top Portcos: LendingClub, One Finance, Stripe 6. Point72 Ventures Focus: Seed stage to IPO Ventures Location: New York, New York Top Portcos: PayEngine, Tesouro, Vestwell 7. TTV Capital Focus: Early Stage Ventures Location: Atlanta, Georgia Top Portcos: Green Dot Bank, Bill, SmartAsset 8. Commerce Ventures Focus: Early Stage Ventures Location: San Francisco, CA Top Portcos: Bill, Marqeta, Socure, Fidel API 9. Bain Capital Ventures Focus: Early Stage to IPO Ventures Location: San Francisco, CA Top Portcos: Ansa, Column Tax, Flywire Ready to connect with the perfect investor for your fintech startup? Drop a “LIST” in the comments, and I’ll tailor a personalized investor lineup just for you by leveraging our AI at Thunder.vc Who did I miss? Or Who’s your favorite fintech VC firm in the USA? Give them a shoutout in the comments! At Thunder.vc, we help great businesses get the capital they need.

Let me introduce you to Shane Neman's remarkable transition from a DotCom flop, to 2 exits, to full-time investor. Imagine starting your career with high hopes, only to watch your first tech venture crumble before your eyes among hundreds of others during the DotCom bust. That's exactly what happened to Shane. But rather than stepping back, he stepped up. Initially, Shane launched Offyx, a cloud service that was simply ahead of its time. Despite its innovative approach, the market just wasn't ready, and the venture failed. But Shane saw this not as a defeat, but as a learning opportunity. What's really impressive is how Shane used this experience to fuel his next big idea. He realized that every setback was a lesson in disguise, pushing him to pivot and innovate further. This resilience led to the creation of JoonBug, blending the digital and physical worlds of event management long before it was a trend. At a time when most were playing it safe, Shane's bold moves grew JoonBug into a multi-million-dollar enterprise. His ability to foresee market trends and adapt swiftly was key. But Shane didn’t stop there. As the effectiveness of traditional marketing waned, he foresaw the potential of SMS marketing and founded EZ Texting, which further established his reputation and led to a lucrative acquisition. Post-acquisition, Shane shifted his focus from being an entrepreneur to an angel investor, using his keen insight to spot and support game-changing startups, now with an extensive portfolio that includes over 50 startups. His biggest takeaway? Embrace each failure and pivot as an opportunity to learn and grow. Shane has a knack for selecting startups that excel and investing in breakthrough companies like Allermi and a humanoid AI that's making waves. If you’re eager to learn how to catch the eye of investors like Shane and possibly secure funding for your innovative idea, tune in to Episode 41 of #FundraisingDemystified! Link in the comments

Hey Mate! We're continuing our VC List series but taking you across the pond to London! I've carefully picked 12 amazing VCs in London, each a leader in their field. If you know any blokes or birds seeking capital? Tag'em in the comments to help them out. (If you're British and take offense to my attempts to use British slang, tell me in the comments) 1. Seedcamp Focus: Early-Stage Ventures Sector: Agnostic Investment Range: £300,000 - £500,000 Top Portcos: Hopin, Wise, Revolut 2. Passion Capital Focus: Early-Stage Ventures Sector: IT,TMT, internet, mobile, infrastructure & SaaS Investment Range: £150K - £200K Top Portcos: Xelix, Native, FERTIFA 3. Firestartr Focus: Seed stage, Series A Sector: SaaS/Cloud Infrastructure, Digital Media, Fintech and E-Commerce/Marketplaces. Investment Range: £500k - £5M Top Portcos: Coins.ph, Chain, Korbit 4. firstminute capital Focus: Seed Sector: Blockchain, Fintech, Consumer Investment Range: $1M - $5M Top Portcos: Heist Studios, Stitch, Talktile 5. Episode 1 Ventures Focus: Seed Ventures Sector: B2B software Investment Range: £500k – £2M Top Portcos: Docker, Adsum, Carwow 6. SFC Capital Focus: Early-Stage Ventures Sector: AI & ML, Entertainment, Fintech, Healthcare, Media, SaaS, Productivity, Cybersecurity, Developer Tools Investment Range: £100,000 - £300,000 Top Portcos: Bot-Hive, Mayku, Onfido 7. Hoxton Ventures Focus: Pre-Seed and Seed Ventures Sector: Agnostic Investment Range: $500k to $5 million Top Portcos: Fluent, Baseimmune, Cogna 8. Fuel Ventures 🚀 Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed Sector: Marketplaces, Platforms, SaaS Investment Range: £250k - £3m Top Portcos: Volt, ContentCal, Heroes 9. JamJar Investments Focus: Seed, series A and growth stage Sector: Consumer Investment Range: £500k - £3m Top Portcos: Oatly, Many Pets, Deliveroo 10. 7percent Ventures Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed Sector: Deeptech, Transformative, Frontier technology Investment Range: £250k - £2m Top Portcos: Flexport, Archax, Earnr 11. LocalGlobe Focus: Early-Stage and Growth Stage Ventures Sector: Fintech, Ecommerce, Mobile Top Portcos: Qogita, Travel Perk, Sylvera 12. Kindred Capital VC Focus: Pre-Seed and Seed Ventures Sector: B2B Businesses Investment Range: £250k-£3M Top Portcos: Lottie, Pollen, Paddle Ready to connect with the perfect investor for your startup? Drop a “LIST” in the comments, and we’ll tailor a personalized investor lineup just for you. Who's your favorite London-based VC firm? Give them a shoutout in the comments!

Let me tell you about how Brady Nolan raised $16 million for Till before being acquired by Best Egg. The twist? A cold LinkedIn message led to their acquisition! Initially, Brady and his partner jumped in, wanting to solve a real problem they saw in the rental market—rents were skyrocketing, and incomes just couldn’t keep up. They started with this idea for a rental loan to give renters some breathing room, but that was just the beginning. What's really impressive is how they secured that early investment. Brady shared that the initial funding accelerated their journey but also pressured them to constantly validate their worth and revenue for further investments. They raised equity capital early on to fund their renter credit line despite lacking a proven track record. They noticed they were speeding through product development, focusing on investor-pleasing metrics rather than customer needs. This misstep was a wake-up call for them. They quickly realized they were off course, paused to engage with their customers, and adjusted their product to meet user needs. During COVID-19, while their competitors were aggressively expanding, Brady and his team took a more cautious approach. They didn’t push their balance sheet as hard, which meant slower growth, but less risk too. Brady thinks they might have missed a chance to scale up during that crisis. But Till navigated the startup ecosystem, engaged investors, and scaled rapidly enough, leading to its strategic acquisition by Best Egg. Post-acquisition, when Best Egg took over, Brady shared something that really struck me: the integration wasn’t rushed. They took their time blending the teams and operations, which helped everyone adjust without losing their essence, making the acquisition a success in more ways than one. Brady’s biggest takeaway? 1️⃣ Keep your investors close and your communication open. 2️⃣ Having investors who trust and support you can make all the difference, especially when tough decisions come up. Just goes to show how important it is to stay flexible and really listen—to your team, your customers, and your gut. Brady's story is a powerful reminder of how vision, timing, and a bit of bold networking can align to create remarkable outcomes. If you're curious about navigating startup funding challenges or want to learn how strategic partnerships can lead to acquisition, you’ll definitely want to check out the full story in Episode 40 of #FundraisingDemystified! Full link in the comments

Hey, Mid-Atlantic startups (give me a 👍 if that's you, because I'm expecting less than 5 😅), I'm sharing 11 of the best VCs in Virginia, each a champion in their niche. Whether you're in tech, healthcare, or any field in between, having the right venture capital partner is key to scaling new heights. 1. Columbia Capital Focus: Growth and Late-Stage Ventures Sector: Communications, Media, and Enterprise Technology Investment Range: $25M - $100M Top Portcos: Ooyala, Brightcove, Asana, SailPoint, Grubhub, Duo Security 2. Edison Partners Focus: Growth Ventures Sector: Financial technology, healthcare IT, and enterprise software Investment Range: $10M - $30M Top Portcos: ONlyte Software, Medchart, WebMD, Billtrust 3. Route 66 Ventures Focus: Early-Stage Ventures Sector: Digital health and financial technology Investment Range: $10$500K – $4M Top Portcos: Joon Care, Eirene Medical, Finary, Healthwave, PayPlug, Aircall, Jobbio, Oqium 4. QED Investors Focus: Early-Stage Ventures Sector: Fintech Investment Range: $30K - $3M Top Portcos: Avant, Moniepoint, Banbee, Betterfly 5. Motley Fool Ventures Focus: Early-Stage, Series A Ventures Sector: Technology: Software, platforms, tech-enabled services Investment Range: $1M-$2M Top Portcos: Bamboo, Carta, Effectiva 6. AAF Management Ltd. Focus: Early-Stage, Pre-Seed, Seed and Series AVentures Sector: Agnostic Top Portcos: Robinhood, Didi, Savage X by Fenty, StockX, Figure, Reddit 7. Blu Ventures Focus: Early-Stage: Pre-Seed, Seed and Series A Ventures Sector: TeCyber Secutiry, Fintech, Healthcare, IOT Investment Range: $500K - $1M Top Portcos: Spin.ai, Tidal, Enveedo 8. Razor's Edge Ventures Focus: Early Stage and Growth Stage Ventures Sector: National security, Commercial enterprise Top Portcos: R908 devices, Blacksky, Blackbird Technologies, Black Horse 9. PROOF Focus: Early-Stage and Growth Stage Ventures Sector: Marketplaces, Cybersecurity, SAAS, Fintech, Healthtech, Foodtech, Gaming, eCommerce, Frontier tech Top Portcos: Epic Games, Carta, Materclass, Sweetgreen 10. Riverbend Capital Advisors Focus: Early Stage and Growth Stage Ventures Sector: Software or Tech-enabled ventures Top Portcos: Epic Games, Carta, Veda, Varo 11. ShockVentures Focus: Early-Stage Ventures Sector: MobilityTtechnology Investment Range: $100k - $300k Top Portcos: Treepz, JOCO, AnswersNow Ready to connect with the perfect investor for your startup? Drop a “LIST” in the comments, and we’ll tailor a personalized investor lineup just for you. Got a favorite Mid-Altantic VC firm that deserves a shoutout? Let us know in the comments below. At Thunder.vc, we excel in pairing your startup with venture capital firms that align with your specific sector, growth phase, and objectives.