Astronaut Monastery’s Post

Let's talk about the money, honey 💸 Are you getting ready to raise capital, or think your brand will want to scale and do so one day in the future? 👀 Though it might not be the most obvious use case, brand tracking can help support investment and acquisition conversations. Even if a business is still in its early stage and its awareness and consideration aren’t trending high yet, brand, competitor and category metrics provide an amazing way to demonstrate potential future growth in investor conversations. But don't just take it from us – take it from Blackbird Ventures General Partner Phoebe Harrop👇 Check out the full story on how brand metrics can help you land venture capital funding via the link in the comments 💰

THE quintessential SaaStr topic brought to you by Norwest partner Sean Jacobsohn and Workiva President and CEO Julie Iskow. Moving into the enterprise isn’t for the faint of heart. But if you get upmarket, the rewards are huge: higher revenues, lower churn, longer contracts, greater customer involvement, and a better reputation. Check out Sean’s blog on 5 strategies for moving upmarket: https://lnkd.in/gnbkq5HU

One of the challenges for #saas company leaders is deciding when and how to move upmarket. Let me and Julie Iskow know your thoughts on our 5 key upmarket strategies. We mention examples in the blog and SaaStr presentation from Workiva, Salesforce, Legion Technologies, Provus Inc, Propel Software, Spiff Inc, Enable, and Workato. https://lnkd.in/gyejSHPb Norwest Venture Partners, Scott Beechuk, Jason M. Lemkin, Sanish Mondkar, Robert Means, Kristin Brennan, Mahesh B., Stawan Kadepurkar, Warren Bernstein, Chris Souza, Ross Meyercord, Ray Hein, Charles Lawson, Dario Ambrosini, Kevin Walsh, Jeron Paul, Matt Stapleton, Matt Gahr, Anna Fisher, Andrew Butt, Jerry Brooner, Shawn LaVana, Vijay Tella, Bhaskar Roy, Rishi Mallik, Markus Zirn, Carter Busse, Nam Le, Matt McClernan

Did you know there are over 800 venture studios around the globe, reshaping how we think about company creation and venture capital? This week on Swimming with Allocators, Alexa Binns and I speak with Sarah Adams Anderson, Founding Partner of Vault Fund, to explore how company creation funds are outperforming traditional VC models. From the venture studio landscape to the strategic advantages of company creation, Sarah shares her insights on what makes these entities tick and how they're crafting the future of innovation. We'll also touch on the criteria for selecting fund managers, the potential for early exits, and the emerging opportunities in this high-potential asset class. Plus, don't miss our insider segment with 👨🏻💻 John Ling from Canopy discussing SPVs and opportunity funds. Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on the evolving venture ecosystem and discover why company creation might just be the key to unlocking portfolio-level alpha more efficiently. #VentureCapital #CompanyCreation #VentureStudios #SwimmingWithAllocators #Innovation

Kicking off our content sessions today, we’re deep diving into current market trends with senior leaders from Open Venture Capital, EY Ventures Group, The SageHouse, North Castle Partners and Nike discussing where investors continue to see innovation and growth in the industry. #CHFS #ConnectedHealthandFitnessSummit

Your top business stories Business Plus Magazine

In the latest issue of the PitchBook National Venture Capital Association Venture Monitor, Jay Farber, Head of Growth at Juniper Square shares: - How the current venture landscape is creating an industry of haves and have-nots,  - Why GPs must make every LP interaction delightful, and  - How the most successful firms are supported by a system that spans fundraising, investor management, and fund administration. Get the full article now. https://lnkd.in/gnrjnxUJ

What does a leading LP wish more VC managers knew? This week on Swimming with Allocators, we peel back the curtain with Nate Leung, Partner at Sapphire Ventures, for an insider's look at the venture capital dynamics from the perspective of a seasoned Limited Partner. Episode Highlights: - Nate's journey through the VC landscape and Sapphire's strategic investment approach. - The evolving role of secondaries in the venture ecosystem and insights into Sapphire's Emerging Managers Program. - Criteria for engaging with LPs and secondaries - Plus a special Q&A with Canopy's CEO, 👨🏻💻 John Ling, on adjusting fee structures for co-investments and SPVs. Key Takeaways: - Understanding the importance of long-term relationships and trust in venture capital. - Navigating challenges and seizing future opportunities in the VC world. - Sapphire Partners' mission to support the "New Elite" managers across the globe. - The impact of technology in simplifying private investments, featuring insights from Canopy. Nate shares invaluable perspectives on partnership dynamics, market trends, and the critical role of authenticity and strategic engagement in building successful VC-LP relationships. Tune in to gain a comprehensive understanding of what Sapphire Partners wishes more VC managers knew and discover the future of venture capital investments. #VentureCapital #LPInsights #SapphireVentures #SwimmingWithAllocators #VCStrategy #EmergingManagers #PrivateInvestments

Extremely valuable for anybody who's in SaaS and looking to scale to $100m in revenue. Few tidbits: 1. Getting to $100M in ARR will take at least 7-12 years. That's normal. 2. The more you grow, the slower you will grow. That's normal. 3. You will loose tons of money to get there. That's normal. 4. You will thus need to raise lots & rapidly. That's normal. 5. Retention, not Acquisition, is what will make or break you. That's normal. 6. Only sell up to 20% of your startup at every round. That's normal. If you've been hearing a different set of wisdom or rules from investors in your ecosystem, then you know that the problem defintiely isn't you, it's them. Morale to all aspiring ambitious Entrepreneurs: > Go where people value your long-term potential more than your short-term sexyness.