Igor Ryabenkiy

🌟 Fireside Chat with Gravity Team’s CEO 🌟 Throwback to an insightful fireside chat with our CEO and co-founder Martins Benkitis 2 years ago, where he dives deep into the journey of Gravity Team and the dynamic world of crypto market making using very simple and understandable examples for the crypto newbies. Watch the video and find out: 🔹 Personal Journey: Discover how our founder’s time in Southeast Asia, especially Thailand, influenced his personal and professional growth, shaping the inception of Gravity Team. 🔹 Founding Story: Learn about the early days of Gravity Team, co-founded in 2017, and the unique market opportunities that sparked the idea of exploiting price discrepancies in Bitcoin. 🔹 Business Model: Get an inside look at how Gravity Team operates as a global network, ensuring seamless buying and selling of crypto assets, and handling significant trading volumes that contribute to the global crypto market. 🔹 Latvia’s Crypto Ecosystem: Explore the thriving crypto community in Latvia and the Baltics, and the importance of regulation in driving industry growth and mainstream adoption. 🔹 Future of Crypto and Regulation: Understand the critical role of regulation in fostering a stable and trusted environment for crypto businesses, and how Latvia can attract global crypto investments with forward-thinking policies. 🔹 Challenges and Opportunities: Hear about the challenges of market volatility and regulatory changes, and the exciting opportunities crypto presents in creating a better financial system. 🔹 Vision for the Future: Our midterm and long-term goals focus on increasing market share, operational efficiency, and investing in projects aimed at evolving money and improving global financial access. 🔹 Community and Education: The importance of educating both the crypto community and regulators to build trust and transparency in the industry. Watch the full video to gain valuable insights and join us in our mission to revolutionize the crypto market! 🎥 https://lnkd.in/d_-u6qBD #Crypto #MarketMaking #GravityTeam #CryptoRegulation #Innovation #Blockchain #Fintech #LatviaCrypto #CryptoCommunity

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Having a hard time finding checkwriters to fund your startup? Look no further—these firms are ready to write checks! 🔴 San Francisco based Initiate Ventures launched their debut $45M fund to focus on early-stage startups at the intersection of tech and life sciences. 🔴 Portugal based Bynd Ventures launched its third €40 million fund to invest in early stage technology startups in Portugal or Spain. 🔴 Warsaw based Cogito Capital Partners closed its €90M Cogito Fund II to focus on enterprise software, fintech and healthtech sectors. 🔴 Zurich based Founderful closed its $140M Fund II to support tech startups in Switzerland. 🔴 Luxembourg based Bek Ventures closed its third $250M fund to back early stage tech companies in Central and Eastern Europe. 🔴 Chicago based Chicago Ventures closed $80M between its CV Fund IV and CV Opportunity Fund. The CV Fund IV will focus on supply chain, logistics and warehousing, fintech, and digital health while the CV Opportunity Fund will invest in existing portfolio companies. 🔴 New York City based Portal Ventures closed its second $75M fund to invest in early stage crypto companies. 🔴 San Francisco based Forerunner Ventures announced a new $500M early stage fund. 🔴 Singapore based Wavemaker Partners closed its $30M Wavemaker Growth Opportunities Fund to support startups in the Enterprise, Deep Tech, and Sustainability sectors across Southeast Asia. 🔴 Miami Beach based Bling Capital raised $270M for its Bling Capital Fund IV.

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Next one up, Flagler Health! In an attempt to demystify some of the non-obvious elements we found when we first met the founders of our fastest growing portfolio companies at 186 Ventures, here is the third edition of the "idiosyncratic phenomenon". This highlight will be on Albert Katz, Leon Anijar, and Will Hu and their journey building Flagler Health to bring unprecedented AI enabled patient care to the world of musculoskeletal (MsK) providers. As the healthcare industry shifts to a value based care paradigm, there will be increased pressure on the entire industry to ensure patient outcomes improve, all the while helping providers generate more revenue / become more cost efficient. Since we co-led their March, 2024 seed round with Streamlined, the company has rolled out some of their newest remote therapeutic and chronic condition management features to many patients and providers alike, experiencing high revenue growth in such a short period of time. The company continues to face unmet customer demand as it continues to scale its expansion into 2025. https://lnkd.in/exesTcmC

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💡Benchmarks in the investment industry serve as a standard for measuring the performance of securities, mutual funds, or investment managers. They provide a reference point for analyzing allocation, risk, and return of a portfolio, enabling investors to make informed decisions. Thanks Peter Walker for keeping us all informed!! Can’t wait for this!! Follow and get on the waitlist for this one! #benchmarks #fundraising #Capitalraise #founders #womenshealth #femhealth #medtech #wellness

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Most companies that contact us for funding aren’t a match with us, often as they’re too early stage. I always try to think along and mention other investors, but I often forget names - don’t say I’m getting old! - and this process can be more efficient.  Therefore, we’ve made this overview of the Benelux VC landscape 🗺️ 👉 Ready to find your future investor?  Head to the comments to check out the VC landscape and database! 💬 Have feedback or suggestions?  Teun's your guy! Reach out to him on LinkedIn, as this overview will always be work in progress. Hope you find it helpful! #venturecapital #funding

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Excited to be starting the year with the first Europeans of NYC event, hosting the powerhouse Mario Schlosser, cofounder and CTO of Oscar Health. Mario’s had an incredible journey: from growing up in small-town Germany to co-founding a social gaming company in Brazil, and ultimately tackling the notoriously complex US healthcare system. Here’s a glimpse of what we’ll discuss: 💡 From frustration to innovation: The personal experiences that sparked the idea for Oscar Health and what it took to launch a company in a space as regulated as healthcare. ⚙️ Tech in healthcare: How Mario’s team is using AI and back-end automation to reshape the patient experience while navigating the unique challenges of the industry. 🤝 Lessons in leadership: From co-founder dynamics to evolving his role from CTO to CEO and back, and how he’s scaled himself alongside the company. 🌍 European roots in an American system: How his background as a European entrepreneur shaped his approach and helped him navigate the US business landscape. 🔥 Actionable advice for founders: Building trust in highly regulated markets, attracting top-tier talent, and thriving in the face of adversity. If you are a European founder in NYC, you've got one more day to apply: https://lnkd.in/ey6SVA3g.

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The Trends I’m Seeing in VC and PE-Backed Companies as a Fractional Advisor. One big shift I’ve noticed is earlier involvement in mentoring pre-seed and scale-ups. Previously, I’d typically step in at Series A or later. But now, I’m being asked to guide companies at much earlier stages. The market is so competitive that founders want to lay solid foundations well before investment lands. It’s a smart move - preparing for growth and scaling in today’s challenging environment requires clear strategies and strong operational frameworks from the start. Catch the full episode: https://lnkd.in/e_JfxnzS #FractionalAdvisor #VC #PE #Startups #ScalingUp

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New e-book alert for SaaS founders! Are you navigating the challenging waters of SaaS financing? Discover the key insights into the state of SaaS growth and financing in our new e-book: “Evaluating Sources of SaaS Funding: Setting Up Swift, Sustainable Growth.” Dive into the current financial landscape and uncover the opportunities that await. Download now. https://lnkd.in/gD9MfqXG #SaaSFunding #SaaSIndustry #StartupFunding

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🕚Here’s a flashback to an exciting and bold VC fund launch from 2023. 💸 In Q3 2023, British venture capital firm Dawn Capital closed $700 Million in funding across two new funds (i) Dawn V: $620 million and (ii) Dawn Opportunities: $80 million follow-on fund. 🌍 #Europe 💡 ‘#B2B software start-ups. Dawn V backs #SeriesA and #SeriesB stages with initial investments of $10 million to $40 million, while Dawn Opportunities III will back companies from the #SeriesC stage onward.’ 📈 ‘Dawn was acknowledged as Europe’s top-performing venture capital fund manager by Preqin in 2023, and all the firm’s funds continually rank in the top quartile for venture capital performance globally.’ 💭 “We have raised fresh capital to invest in the best-of-the-best European founders pioneering the technology innovations that will drive monumental platform shifts over the coming decades.” - Norman Fiore, General Partner at Dawn Capital 🗞️PYMNTS https://lnkd.in/e9HWUY9y 👏 For the #AudaciousInvestors unleashing innovation and empowering tomorrow🚀 Haakon Overli I Norman Fiore I Josh Bell I Dan Chaplin I Hannah Gubbins I Mina Mutafchieva Van Ingelgem I Evgenia Plotnikova I Henry Mason I Jimena Nowack I Skye Fletcher I Haakon Overli I Nils Howland I Zoe (Ziwen) Qin I Alex Goodway I Team Dawn Capital … #venturecapital #vc #funds #startups #entrepreneurs #funding #tech #uk #entrepreneurship #technology #innovation #fund #british #venture

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There’s nothing like riding a bull. But neither is there anything quite like being thrown off it. The past few years in venture capital were a wild ride. The #TechReset hit hard and was a wake-up call for the entire industry. But as they say, what goes up, must come down. The party's over, and the true test of skill began. We’ve collected direct learnings from Europe’s most active investors. We topped it off with real market data and case studies. To help you navigate this journey. We hope you’ll enjoy reading it, watching the interviews, and using it to raise your next fund. Read The State of European Fundraising Report. Keep hustling. Keep pushing. Keep going. 💪 ➡️ https://floww.io/raise A report delivered to you by EUVC | Isomer Capital | Floww. #EUVC #fundraising #venturecapital #industryreport

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🌱 Seed & Pre-Seed Venture Benchmarks: Navigating SAFE and Priced Rounds 👉  Startups often navigate through different types of fundraising rounds—SAFE and Priced. The mix can lead to confusion in terms of valuation, dilution, and capital raised. Recent data from Carta highlights some clear differences between these rounds, and here’s what you need to know. ✅ Key Takeaways: 👉 Gap in Valuation: SAFE rounds at Seed stage reach a median valuation of $18M, while Priced Seed rounds come in at $13.7M. Why the gap? SAFE rounds often offer faster, simpler deals but can sometimes lead to a higher cap, potentially setting higher valuation expectations for future rounds. 👉 Dilution Differences: Dilution ranges vary significantly, with SAFE Seed rounds ranging from 17%-20% compared to 20.7% for Priced Seed rounds. Lower dilution in SAFE rounds may attract founders looking to retain control, but it’s essential to balance this against potential investor expectations down the line. 👉 Post-Seed Bridge Round Gaps: At the bridge round, the SAFE vs. Priced valuation gap is even wider, with SAFE Bridge rounds at $21M vs. Priced at $17M. Actionable Insights for Founders & Investors: 📣  For Founders: Consider your long-term strategy. SAFE rounds can help you raise quickly without setting a fixed valuation, but Priced rounds might offer more predictability as you move forward. 📣  For Investors: Be mindful of these valuation gaps. Higher SAFE valuations can affect future funding dynamics, especially when transitioning into Priced rounds. 💡  Conclusion: Understanding these nuances can guide better decision-making and align growth expectations. For more startup data and insights, explore . @Carta’s resources. 📊 -------------- ✅ 👉 Fundraising? Try KAARIA 🚀 Industry-leading valuation methodologies. 🚀 Reliable market data with PitchBook 🚀 Simple & transparent startup valuation 🚀 Accessible for founders and investors 🚀 Free Trial available here: https://lnkd.in/gvwD7SrF #valuations #startups #fundraising #founders #Startup #innovation #entrepreneurship #kaaria #sustainability #kaariastartupvaluation #investing #networking #venturecapital #kaariagetfunded #exits #valuations #startups #fundraising #founders #Startup #innovation #entrepreneurship #kaaria #sustainability #kaariastartupvaluation #investing #networking #venturecapital #kaariagetfunded #exits #StartupFunding #VentureCapital #SAFEvsPricedRounds #Valuation #Dilution #Startups ---------- Thanks Credit & Kudos to Peter Walker over at Carta

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👔 When entering a new industry or job hunting, one of the first questions on your mind is: "What’s the salary benchmark?" You scour every data source available, turning them upside down for answers. Recognizing the need for region-specific information, we Dream VC decided to create something tailored for the #African investment ecosystem. 📫To access this comprehensive salaries database, we invite you to contribute. Rest assured, all data is fully aggregated and anonymized—no personal or unique data points will ever be shared. Your input will help create a resource that benefits the entire ecosystem. ⏰ We'll be closing the survey at the end of the month. The project is co-led by the amazing team A&A Collective 🥂 Mark Kleyner, Devika Bade, Cindy Ai, Yvonne O. Okafor, Frances Tyner 🔗 Link in the comments! #venturecapital #africa #cvc #salary #research

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London, UK based growth investor Copilot Capital recently launched a fund 💸 $200M fund seeded by an investment division of The Friedkin Group. 💡 Investing up to $40M in European software start-ups looking to scale and help founders drive further growth and profitability, with a specific focus on go-to-market strategy, internationalisation, acquisitions, and data & AI. 🌍 #Europe 📈 Alongside the fund’s launch, Copilot Capital has made its first investment into Danish-based Relesys, an all-in-one employee app for frontline workers in the retail industry. 💭 “There are 60,000 SaaS companies across Europe. Our goal is to identify businesses with market-leading products and proven revenue models and equip them with the capital and expertise to scale into software champions.” - John Messer, Copilot Capital’s co-founder 🗞️by Tech Funding News https://lnkd.in/dSjYtXgY 👏 For the #AudaciousInvestors unleashing innovation and empowering tomorrow🚀 John I Charlie I Charlie I Dave I Alba I Kitarack I Zerxis I Kemar I Zarosh I Hannah I Team Copilot … #growthcapital #pe #funds #startups #entrepreneurs #uk #funding #tech #entrepreneurship #technology #innovation #venture #london

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Bolt's crazy #investmentterms seem to be all over the news today. More details were just sourced from The Information and Erin Woo. Any #investor that signs up for this set of terms, and valuation, should have their heads examined! What do you think? #management #venturcapital #privatequity #capitalmarkets #fintech

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What Dave McClure is building resonates well what we are doing with our Siena Secondary Fund. Although one focuses on fund stakes and the other company positions, the journey is the same - need to educate the market about what is #VC #secondary and how to benefit from it...

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Venture capital had a challenging start to 2024. The latest "Venture Capital Q1 2024: Preqin Quarterly Update" shows weak exit activity and fundraising struggles, with 235 exits totaling $14.6bn in Q1. Although there were some successful IPOs, fundraising remains difficult, with VC funds raising $20.7bn in the first quarter. Get insights into the state of venture capital, including deal activity, regional trends, and why investors are making smaller commitments. Download the full report for more details: https://okt.to/oK2XLN #VentureCapital #InvestmentTrends #Q12024Update #MarketInsights

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“VC funding is now a rare and expensive commodity, and founders are being encouraged to focus again on business fundamentals and capital efficiency. As a result, Venture Debt is now a topic of discussion in most Board meetings, and almost every Startup that’s raising institutional capital (seed to Series D) is thinking about Venture Debt as a meaningful addition to their capital stack.” These are timely and important conversations to be had by founders, management teams, and early investors. And it’s encouraging to see demand for debt continue to increase. But it’s not hard to see why. What’s happening in the industry now can be attributed to a few factors: ✔ We are experiencing a recalibration from the “easy money” era of high valuations. Many venture equity providers are now essentially hoarding capital and waiting for cap tables to self-correct to reasonable levels. ✔ Equity is expensive, especially for late-stage companies. Venture debt has become a more compelling alternative to equity dilution for companies that want to avoid a down round. ✔ Founders are realizing that venture debt is not rescue financing. Rather, companies with consistent revenue and a clear path to profitability are increasingly seeing debt as a means of propelling further growth. While no one can predict the future, we’re very optimistic about the role that debt can (and will) play for late-stage startups throughout the remainder of the year and beyond.

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Every VC claims they have an edge, but from where I sit as an LP, it’s clear: the next generation of fund managers will need stronger arguments than 'working very hard' or 'being helpful for founders' to raise money. The best fund managers will set themselves apart with these three non-obvious skills: 1. Cultural fluency - Some of the best startups come from immigrant founders, but they’re navigating a system that isn’t always built for them. VCs who know how to build trust, understand their challenges, and support them where it matters will unlock incredible opportunities. 2. Downstream sales: There’s more money than ever chasing top founders, and the best deals are going to the VCs who founders actively want to work with. It’s not just about pitching; it’s about being the one they call first because they know you’ll add real value. 3. Value-add 2.0: Founders don’t need more generic advice. The best VCs create real pull by building opportunities—whether that’s connecting the right dots in their portfolio or unlocking new markets—that founders actually want and can’t find anywhere else. This is what LPs should focus on when backing funds—it’s what separates good from great. ---- Interested in investing in VCs & startups? let's connect.

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