Opportunity Austin’s Post

2023 saw early-stage investors in the Southeast adapting to market uncertainties with strong deal flow and continued investment in companies with robust financials. Discover how they navigated these challenges and what it means for the startup ecosystem: https://lnkd.in/gNjwASm7

Insightful read by Nasdaq on how family offices are changing the game in the startup world. As highlighted in the article, family offices have a unique position that allows them to drive significant value in the venture ecosystem. This trend is visible across the EMEA region, and family offices have the potential to not only fuel innovative startups but also achieve substantial returns on investment. With their unique assets and perspectives, family offices can become the venture game-changers of tomorrow. #venturecapital #startupsuccess #familyoffices #investments #EMEA

The nexus between corporates and startups is vital in driving innovation, as I lay out below. At our 22 August breakfast event we'll explore how to maximise value for both sides in these partnerships. At the Bondi Innovation 'Creating Value in Corporate-Startup Relationships' Innovation Breakfast NAB Ventures founder Todd Forest, Titanium Ventures (formerly Telstra Ventures) Managing Partner Matthew Koertge and former Slingshot CEO Karen Lawson will share insights from $1bn++ in investments and running dozens of corporate startup programs. To pull back to the big picture: Mature corporates need to accelerate innovation yet by their nature are constrained by structure, culture, and incumbency. Startups are resource-constrained, and to grow need not just capital, but also lead customers, connections, knowledge, and credibility. Structures to engage can include Corporate Venture Capital or other investment mechanisms, corporate accelerators, innovation labs, open innovation programs including hackathons, joint IP development, two-way mentorship, ecosystem development, customer introductions, and more. There is no question there can be massive value creation in strong corporate-startup relationships, but the culture gap, often expressed in governance structures, is a key challenge. The breakfast will explore the opportunities, the challenges, and the pathways that have been demonstrated to yield the greatest value. These are critical lessons for the future of Australia's economy. We hope to see you there!

PitchBook just released a ranking of VC Ecosystems comparing cities around the world based on the size and maturity of their startup networks, and the results are (mostly) fascinating. 👀 A few things that stood out to us: 🌱 Emerging cities, like #Raleigh, #Houston, and #Detriot, show a massive mismatch between deal count and the value of #VC funds in the area. This represents an opportunity for investors to plant their flag in cities like these, as the ventures in these markets are likely receiving capital from VCs in other areas. 🇪🇺 Opportunity in Europe: #London is the only European city among the Top 10 most developed VC ecosystems, while #Berlin, #Madrid, #Milan, #Vienna, and #Tallinn comprise half of the Top 10 fastest growing cities. ✌️ Double dipping: cities like #Miami and #Philadelphia made the Top 30 most developed AND the Top 20 fastest growing. How should investors think about the opportunity this presents? 🥱 San Francisco has the most developed startup ecosystem, and it isn't particularly close. No surprise that New York came in 2nd place, either. #venturecapital #emergingmarkets #venturestudio #innovation

By now, it’s no surprise that certain European startups are facing difficulties and are likely charting new strategic paths for the future 🇪🇺 🚀 One of these examples is Pitch, a Berlin-based startup founded in 2018. Today, Christian Reber announced via Linkedin that he was stepping down. This change not only represents a strategic pivot but also highlights the company’s emphasis on sustainability, practical growth, and a more balanced approach to achieving success while considering the well-being of the business, its employees, and its stakeholders. Something that other startups struggling could take note for 2024, depending on their specific situations.

Great interview with Inex One | The Insights Marketplace highlighting different types of startup journeys 🚀 “In the last two years, it’s really just exploded. This year we expect a turnover well over 100 million SEK, definitely with bottom line profitability,” says co-founder Max Friberg 💸 Inex One is a marketplace for expert networks and surveys. The company was admitted to SSE Business Lab in 2018 and helps companies save time, reduce costs, and get superior access to insights. What sets Inex One apart from other startups is their commitment to building their company without relying on external funding. Since raising a round of 27 million SEK in 2021, the company hasn’t taken on any more investments. ”Our focus is building a sustainable and long-term business without relying on large amounts of venture capital,” says Max. 🔗 Read the interview in Breakit: https://lnkd.in/dtdAbSpZ 

Business building, venture building or corporate startups - kärt barn har många namn as we say in Sweden. 🇸🇪 Certainly there is something special about combining the agility of startups with the unique assets of the corporation, an idea that more and more companies seem to be recognizing. 🙌 But apart from being able to work more like a startup, what are the reasons why so many firms are adopting venture building strategies? https://lnkd.in/dshnjE4q

Family offices investing in early startups in the US. Family offices are very diverse in their investment strategies, and many of them don’t make direct investments in early stage startups. Here are a few of them that do. Charterhouse Strategic Partners 2M Companies Carica Sustainable Investments CEAS Investments CGT Capital Group Declaration Partners EPIQ Capital Group Geolo Capital Gray's Creek Capital Partners Helios Capital J. Hunt Holdings Kapital Partners Knudsen Capital Labora Group Holding M2O, Inc. MSD Capital Holdings Orchard Ventures Pritzker Vlock Family Office Proficio Capital Partners, LLC Sachse Family Fund Sassoon Investment Corporation (SassCorp) Simon Equity Partners Spark Digital Capital Trog Hawley Capital Workplay Ventures YYM Ventures Anyone I should add to this list? Tag them (or yourself) in a comment. 📌 For a more detailed list of these family offices with their websites, locations,  and descriptions +  150 US-based VCs actively investing in seed-stage startups, just comment “FO” on this post. We will reply with a link to get the list (requires subscribing to our newsletter.) This free offer will remain open till Sunday, December 10th. ❤️ Help spread the word by giving this post a❤️ Like and reposting it. ❤️❤️ I will be doing more of these posts, and sharing various valuable guides, lists, and tools for startups raising capital. Send me a connect or follow me, and press the 🔔 on my profile to get notified when I make my next post. ❤️❤️❤️ We recently launched a new podcast for startups - check out our website to listen, or find us on Spotify. * You can build your own investor lists, tailored to your needs. We teach how to do that and more at Meet.Capital. ** Please check the first comment for some advice on how to make good use of an investor list (TLDR - look into each one carefully before deciding to reach out). #startups #startupinvesting #seedstartups #vc #meetcapital #nativelead #familyoffice

Are startups the future of business? The answer may lie in equity firms. 🚀 In our latest article, we delve into the fascinating world of angel investments and financial services, focusing on the commendable work being done at Fokus Ventures . We explore the key role that equity firms could play in fueling startup success. Founder Abass Kargbo and his team have been revolutionizing the ecosystem by giving kick-start to minority and female founders - a laudable initiative for diversification and inclusivity. 🌍👏 Their vision and broader perspective on societal issues are what make Fokus Ventures a unique leader at the intersection of finance and venture capital. 💼🔑 Visit https://UKT.news/?p=12369 for an insightful journey into the potential of equity firms to shape the future. #VentureCapital #Finance #StartUps #GenderEquality #DiversityInBusiness

Posting here to try and amplify the message. If we want to support the growth of startups and entrepreneurs, we have to see more corporate participation as investors and customers. We must start having uncomfortable conversations around the lack of corporate venture investments in our startups and the obstacles they continue to face trying to become vendors and providers with most of our largest and most profitable organizations. https://lnkd.in/d8tP7NQY