VC Include’s Post

🚀 Big News! 🚀 I’m incredibly excited to announce that Keepingly® has been selected as one of the 12 startups for the Techstars Detroit Powered by J.P. Morgan Fall 2024 class! 🌟 This is a momentous opportunity for us, as Detroit is not just a city with a rich history of innovation and industry—it’s at the forefront of key conversations around housing and climate change. As cities around the world work to address the intersection of housing stability and sustainability, Detroit is positioning itself as a strategic hub to rethink how communities can be built to thrive in the face of environmental challenges. At Keepingly® , we’re building tools that empower homeowners to take control of their property assets and manage their homes in a way that prioritizes sustainability and long-term value. We believe homeownership is not just about a roof over your head—it’s about building generational wealth and creating resilient communities in the face of climate change. 💡 With Detroit’s legacy of innovation and its pivotal role in this $80 million, nine-city initiative, driven by J.P. Morgan’s commitment to fostering wealth creation for diverse founders, Keepingly® is proud to be a part of this critical movement. 🌍 We can’t wait to share more over the next three months and are looking forward to an incredible journey ahead. See you at Demo Day in December! 🚀 Monica Wheat Laura Grannemann Chrissi Johnson Jeremy Potter Amirah Raveneau-Bey Jillian M. Harris Rawle Murrell Britton Perry Sara Pascual Carly Hurdle-Fowler, MBA Joe Ventrone Nicholas Archer Bracken Darrell Dr. Paul Campbell Richard Venegar Gillian Marcelle, PhD Samantha Katz Johnnie Turnage Carla Walker-Miller Deana Neely Glenn Wilson Renee Kent Alan Williams Alan Ferguson, Sr., Ph.D. Will Stringer #TechstarsDetroit #Techstars2024 #HousingInnovation #ClimateChangeSolutions #Keepingly #DiverseFounders #WealthCreation #SustainableHomes #JPMSupport

Last month as part of the Michigan Central grand opening, our General Partners, Sophia Bush, and Nia Batts, joined JPMorgan Chase Vice Chairman Peter L. Scher and Tiffany M. Moore to discuss the transformative power of inclusive investing. After being closed for over 35 years, the historic Michigan Central Station has reopened as a modern innovation hub. This serves as a strong symbol of City of Detroit's revitalization and encourages further investments locally. As a Detroit-based firm, Union Heritage takes pride investing in diverse Michigan founders. We believe that Inclusive investing is not just a moral imperative but a smart financial strategy. By making room for women, communities of color, and historically under-resourced sectors, everyone stands to gain To learn more about our mission and the impact of inclusive investing in Detroit, check out this article in Crain's Detroit Business: https://lnkd.in/eDbcT5SS #InclusiveInvesting #Detroit #VentureCapital #UnionHeritage #MichiganStartups #EconomicGrowth

If you've landed on my page, you may not have read my prior posts on how I got here and what I do... so in brief, here is my story. 💾 Loved computers and technology and got my start fixing computers and installing networks for companies like Polaroid when I was a teenager. ✈ Spent almost 15 years traveling as a consultant running various projects in 4 different startup consulting companies (including my last one where I was one of the 4 founders) and then rotating through a few internal jobs at a newly IPO'd Healthcare IT company 🏘 Left the corporate job to go full time real estate development and built new condos, townhouses, subdivisions and some adaptive reuse projects all while learning my craft (and buying apartments on the side with more and more "friends and family" as I did more deals and had capital to spend). 🚀 Realized we could "lift all boats" by providing these opportunities to others and formally launched DW Capital to share this journey of building passive income and a lasting financial legacy for us and our investors. (Picture of "Artwork" in Atlanta's airport. When I travel through, I've made a habit of spending a few extra minutes to take it all in. Atlanta has a particularly good set of unique artworks across the entire airport! Back in Atlanta in May for IMN if anyone is going and wants to meet up!) Drop a note below or feel free to DM me if I can help you along your path and help educate, partner up, or invest with us!) #passiveinvesting #dwcapital #investwithdw --- My name is Dave Weinstock and I’m the principal and founder of DW Capital. We help working professionals create passive income streams and build wealth by investing with us to buy apartments and commercial real estate. Click the “🔔” to follow me and learn more about passive investing, real estate development, and investing in real estate. Comment below with your thoughts!

Calgary makes doing meaningful work while having a great quality of life easy. Philippe Burns, External Relations Lead at Neo Financial, shares how you can have both. Explore job opportunities, events and learn about innovative companies ➤ LiveTechLoveLife.com. “I think what’s incredible about Calgary is that you can do really meaningful work here while also having an incredible quality of life. It's the culture, it's the nightlife, it's the restaurants. The livability of the city has been remarkable,” says Philippe. In addition to hitting unicorn status in 2022, Calgary-based Neo Financial took the number one spot on the 2023 #LinkedInTopStartups list for the second year in a row. Learn more about Calgary’s thriving tech sector 🚀 https://lnkd.in/euPMcHBh. Being the best place to build a life is a key driver in the city’s economic strategy ️➤ CalgaryInTheNewEconomy.com. #FutureProof #NewEconomy #yycTech #YYC 

SPARK: Chicago kicked off #TechChicagoWeek by offering stunning views of the city’s iconic skyline as the perfect backdrop to spark inspiration and connection. This collaborative effort between VC Include, JPMorganChase, Capitalize VC, EHI Cleantech Ventures | Energy and Infrastructure Venture Capital, and the MacArthur Foundation brought together a select group of investors from family offices, foundations, entrepreneurs, VC Include alumni, and industry leaders. Our attendees developed new partnerships with the goal of fostering positive change in venture capital and private equity. VC Include's SPARK gatherings are more than just events: they are catalysts for change. Reflecting on the evening, everyone's passion and commitment to inclusive innovation were palpable. The group highlighted the incredible potential within our community to amplify underrepresented voices. Thank you to all who attended and helped make SPARK: Chicago a resounding success! Milton Speid Umindi Francis Desiree Rogers Marisa Murillo Shayna Harris Tessa Flippin John Balbach Collin Bhojwani Marianne Markowitz Christian McKenzie 🇯🇲 Simone Gourguechon Melissa Richlen Michael Purnell Sharla Cooper Randall Lorin Sawyer, M.S. Jasmine Browley, M.A. Kim Vender Moffat Rendel S. Sarah Berghorst Dana Loatman Philip Alphonse Abby Pucker Alia Einstein-Diez Nina Sharma Rodolfo Rueda Ballesteros Kanayo Oweazim Sayiddah M. #emergingmanagers #dei #diversityandinclusion #genderequality #impactinvesting #venturecapital #privateequity #alternateinvestments #DiversityInVC #ImpactinAction #TCW24

🚀 Big News! 🚀 We're incredibly excited to announce that Keepingly has been selected as one of the 12 startups for the Techstars Detroit Powered by J.P. Morgan Fall 2024 class! 🌟 This is a momentous opportunity for us, as Detroit is not just a city with a rich history of innovation and industry—it’s at the forefront of key conversations around housing and climate change. As cities around the world work to address the intersection of housing stability and sustainability, Detroit is positioning itself as a strategic hub to rethink how communities can be built to thrive in the face of environmental challenges. At Keepingly, we’re building tools that empower homeowners to take control of their property assets and manage their homes in a way that prioritizes sustainability and long-term value. We believe homeownership is not just about a roof over your head—it’s about building generational wealth and creating resilient communities in the face of climate change. 💡 With Detroit’s legacy of innovation and its pivotal role in this $80 million, nine-city initiative, driven by J.P. Morgan’s commitment to fostering wealth creation for diverse founders, Keepingly is poised to help fuel this critical movement. 🌍 We can’t wait to share more over the next three months and are looking forward to an incredible journey ahead. See you at Demo Day in December! 🚀 #TechstarsDetroit #Techstars2024 #HousingInnovation #ClimateChangeSolutions #Keepingly #DiverseFounders #WealthCreation #SustainableHomes #JPMSupport #DetroitInnovation

A new entrant to the early-stage party: 👨👩👧👧 Family Offices! Family offices have become one of the world's fastest wealth generators, with an estimated $5.9 trillion in assets under management globally. Key takeaways: ‼️ Family offices are diversifying into riskier private markets for higher yields 📈 88% expect to increase investments in private equity As family offices increasingly venture into early-stage investments, there's a growing need for collaboration with venture builders. Here's why: 1️⃣ Expertise: Venture builders bring specialized knowledge in identifying, nurturing, and scaling startups. 2️⃣ Risk mitigation: Their hands-on approach can help reduce the inherent risks of early-stage investing. 3️⃣ Deal flow: Access to a pipeline of vetted, high-potential startups. 4️⃣ Value creation: Venture builders can actively support portfolio companies, potentially increasing returns. 5️⃣ Learning opportunity: Family offices can gain insights into startup ecosystems and emerging technologies. As the family office sector continues to evolve, partnerships with venture builders could be key to successfully navigating the early-stage VC landscape while managing risks and maximizing returns. #venturebuilding #familyoffices

..Family offices will make more deals in 2024 than in 2023.  -The venture market is healthier. Family offices have access to top founders, something they didn’t have before. -Family offices are not fond of hype and were less eager to enter the venture scene when it was at its peak. In the current low cycle, they are effectively applying the principle of “buy when it’s cheap.” -Family offices have always been fond of real estate, but in today’s world of high interest rates and still-high inflation, such investments have become less attractive. The same goes for private equity deals, since they usually involve leverage. This is an opportunity for venture capital, which could take their places. Nevertheless, it will be a cautious return. Those without prior venture experience might consider allocating 3-5% of the family office’s capital, while those who historically profited from venture investments will willingly return to 10-15%.  CASTLE FAMILY OFFICE #familyoffice  https://lnkd.in/e2Krscej

‘Melburnian or Sydney-sider?!?!’ I hear the team and residents at The Commons George Street (Sydney CBD) say as I turn up to our Tractor Ventures office space for oh, I don’t know, the 23rd time in 2023. Look at me. Let the clothes do the talking. While I instead spend valuable oxygen verbalising what I’m here in the 2000 for. Fundin’ Verbalising to as many Bin-Chicken City residents that are wanting to fund their scaling, revenue-generating company, how we help them do it, reallll fast. Chit-Chatting with low/no filter on the exact parameters anyone that makes a living based in Merivale City would access our funding, which is usually between $100K - $1million. Gesticulating enthusiastically in conversation with anyone based-in / passing-through Linen Town that have an interest in scaling their tech company strategically with a combination of debt and equity, on how 150+ companies have done that on our end already. I’ll be at The Commons Sydney CBD location, 388 George Street, outside the main kitchen/event space, in this exact spot, Wed 29th Nov, 1pm-2pm. Anyone who wants one of the most black and white explainers on how to get funded in the near future, well... let’s just say...I’m dressed the part.

I haven’t been active on social media over the past few years. In truth, I wasn’t super active in anything other than Mainvest, the company I started building in 2018 to build, and rebuild post-pandemic, strong and resilient local economies through community investment into owner-operated small businesses. I’ve spent the last 3 months winding down Mainvest amidst the final brick (not mortar) wall that we could not overcome. The back end infrastructure we built our investment platform on was reliant on a banking as a service platform, Synapse - whose path to implosion in May, froze all operations and user funds.  After an 18 month self-funded grind towards profitability, the an existential factor forced our hand.. My core team, Lauren, Isabel, Robert, Tim, and Todd worked tirelessly and vigorously in a zero capital environment, fueled not by salary, nor short-term motivation of equity liquidity, but by a true alignment in the impact of our mission. As I work to process and post-mortem the experience of the last 6 years, I’m hoping to consolidate it into a long-form post of learnings, both personally and entrepreneurially, in case it’s of value or interest to anyone looking to build a mission-first company within the evolving socio-economic climate. The largest high-level takeaway was how challenging it is to build and deploy consistently in what has felt like the most volatile macro-environment in recent history, a strong juxtaposition to the environment I developed professionally in (working with an amazing team from 2011-2018 to grow and scale Uber from ~50 employees and 4 cities to what it has become). A huge part of Mainvest’s mission was the strengthening of the middle class economically through (buzzword-a-palooza) democratization of capital and economic opportunity through tech-enabled community investment. It’s a tough pill to swallow that amidst the attempt, things have aggressively trended in the opposite direction. Personally, moving on from Mainvest has felt in a way like coming out of a coma. The level of isolation that came with fully committing to the trenches to keep the business growing put everything else on the back seat - personal health/growth, relationships, passion for music, etc. There were weeks at a time that I wouldn’t speak to anyone other than partner businesses, my team, and my investors. Pro Tip: Don’t get there. In the near-term, I’m super excited to be rebuilding those connections  as I continue to process everything that can be learned from the last 6 year journey. The biggest learning, that the mission of building an American economy that actually works for Americans is the most important thing I hope to continue to impact - mechanism-agnostic. Thank you to everyone who impacted the 6 year journey, I hope to cross paths again soon.