Dan Marcus

Mamazen Startup Studio’s latest White Paper on Ideation and Validation is dropping soon! Dive into exclusive insights from top industry players like Pioneer Square Labs, Builders, Platform Venture Studio,Mstudio , Science, and Vault Fund and many others Discover: 💡 How startup studios turn ideas into thriving businesses. 🔍 Proven strategies for ideation and validation. 📈 Real-world success stories and best practices. 📅 Coming by September! Don't miss out! Follow us for the release and be the first to access this game-changing resource. #StartupStudios

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A top FIVE trend in #startup ecosystems right now

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This guide outlines the funding journey from Pre-Seed to Series C and beyond: - Pre-Seed: Focus on concept, team, and initial validation. - Seed: Prove market fit and scalability. - Series A: Demonstrate revenue growth and user base. - Series B: Scale operations with solid financials. - Series C+: Prepare for major expansion and exit strategies. Insight: Each funding stage builds on the previous one. Early rounds focus on validation and product-market fit, while later stages emphasize scaling and financial stability. The goal is to show continuous growth and potential to attract investors. Subscribe to ‘Siliconnector’ Telegram channel for insights and news from Tech world and Silicon Valley: https://t.me/siliconnector

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Slow down in Venture across the board in Emerging Markets! As predicted, VC funding and deal flow continues to decline across the Middle East, Arica and South East Asia. If you haven’t yet had the chance to access MAGNiTT's latest report on Q1 figures, then this article might just be for you: https://lnkd.in/duwpEqf7 My two cents based on MAGNiTT’s data: 1. Venture funding to remain flat until the US FED decreases interest rates (which I don't see happening before Q4 if at all) 2. Dry powder is available as funds make announcements regionally...but raising funds and deploying takes time. Unlikely to translate into active investments before Q4’24-Q1’25 3. Deal activity in SEA and MENA likely to converge at some point in line with global trends (CB Insights 8th consecutive decline in funding globally!) 4. Underdog industries might see some investment with healthcare, and energy, to report increases in YoY deal flow while star industries like FinTech and e-commerce may decline With VC funding looking more and more baron, and a continued focus on early stage over late stage, start up founders will need to remain vigilant and frugal. Interesting to see how Emerging Ecosystems will develop in the coming quarters with seasonal lulls and international interest. You can forecast and benchmark quarterly investment activities across countries and regions using our analytics tool accessible via subscription: https://lnkd.in/d2J6TdYQ #VentureCapital #EmergingMarkets #MENA #InvestmentTrends #Entrepreneurship

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The 2024 Ultimate Guide to Venture Capital for Startup Fundraising. Very interesting set of insights about the current market and nice guide on the VC world. (Big shoutout to Rohit Yadav for putting all this info together.) An essential read for both founders and investors, particularly the fundraising segment. #fundraising #venturecapital #entrepreneurship #startup

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I'm excited to let you all know about an upcoming webinar I am hosting with top UK VCs on the topic of giving yourself the best chance of raising a Series A 🙌 Off the back of the benchmarking report I published for Episode 1 Ventures "The Definitive Guide to Raising a Series A in the UK in 2024", I will be joined by the following to discuss some key trends and topics: Simon Murdoch - Managing Partner at Episode 1 Laura McGinnis - Principle at Balderton Capital Nelly Markova - Partner at Molten Ventures Sasha Vidiborskiy - Partner at Atomico Among other things, come find out: - What are the critical metrics you need to hit? - How fast should you be growing? - How should you think about retention? - How do funds think about product-market-fit? - How should you think about competition? - And how mature does your GTM function need to be? Raising your Series A is tough, only 1 in 5 Seed-backed companies make it. Join me on Monday 13th May at 5pm UK time to help give yourself the best chance of a successful raise. Link to sign up in the comments below along with a link to the report... Thanks to OrbitalX for managing the webinar!

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Our latest post features a detailed list of #gaming startups, including their funding details and market insights. https://lnkd.in/dsvqrVKw #startup #startups #venturecapital #funding #vc #investmentbanking

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First Priority: Founder First duty: Protect The Founder at Foundership

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✨ Breaking: Btomorrow Ventures Announces New Fund.- Btomorrow Ventures Fund II has launched a £200m ($254m) investment fund aimed at helping British American Tobacco transition away from nicotine. The fund focuses on later-stage startups, targeting series B and C rounds in functional foods, beverages, and health-benefit technologies. https://lnkd.in/dDuPV64c Please share to let other #Founders know For the ❤️ of Startups #Fusion42 #Startups #Venturecapital

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This is another startup funding round guide offers a clear roadmap from Pre-Seed to Series C and beyond, highlighting the key milestones and necessary proof points at each stage. Recommendation: Use this chart to understand what investors expect at each funding stage. Ensure you meet these milestones to increase your chances of securing investment. Focus on demonstrating clear progress, scalability, and market fit to attract and retain investor interest. Downbload good quality PDF version here https://lnkd.in/g9BV4CTT

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Let's be clear. When you're raising a Pre-Seed round, it's NOT about revenue. Dozens of founders sharing with me that investors tell them to come back when they have XXK MRR... for their pre-seed round...! Really, I don't care if now is not the best time to fundraise and all the things we've heard a gazillion times over the past months. Pre-Seed name is pretty self explanatory. It's the earliest stage of investment and it's about the team, the problem they're solving, and if you believe they can execute. Period. Investors telling you otherwise basically want to have their cake and eat it too. Founders, don't let others push you around. Know where your stance is and pitch with confidence about it. One thing is to learn and accept feedback, and other thing is to change your roadmap for shiny promises with bad terms. #fundraising #venturecapital #startup #entrepreneurship

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🚀 Calling all institutional investors who are interested in Pre-seed to Seed stage startups! You might have heard about London’s Largest Demo Day we hosted in April, where we had 100 pre-selected Pre-Seed to Series A stage #startups  #pitching to hundreds of #investors . We managed to gather high-quality startups to pitch on the day with the help of our 40+ investor partners. 🙌 We’re doing it again on the 14th of October and are expanding our investor partner list. This will help us rate the applicants and raise event awareness. In return, each investor partner gets early access to the deal flow and a couple of complimentary tickets for the event! 🎟️ If you’d like to join other investors and support us, please fill in the form (link in the comments). The form also includes more details on the process, expectations, and timeline. 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿: • VCs • CVCs • Family Offices • Angel Syndicates 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲? • 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘁: Driven mainly by applications and ratings, but we are aiming for full representation in hardtech, deeptech, and fintech. • 𝗣𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁: All applicants will take a psychometric test designed by ETA Technologies to assess their team’s potential for survival. The results will be available to investors post-event. • 𝗦𝗣𝗩 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: We plan to create an SPV to invest in the top 2-3 companies, decided by the investor committee. • 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: We will host “The First Money In” pitching event for pre-selected founders who have undergone due diligence. Individual angels can commit up to £100k with a £1k ticket. We hope to have you on board with us. We will be announcing our investor partners next week. 𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 (𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀). Looking forward to your applications! 🚀 Each application will be manually reviewed before it is approved.

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35,1% IRR. That's not a typo but the proven track record of search funds. This was achieved by following strict investment criteria, which we at Moonbase Capital also impose to our search fund entrepreneurs looking to acquire SMEs: ◾ Stable cash flows with high margins ◾ Simple, understandable business models ◾ Fragmented industries (potentially ripe for consolidation) ◾ Diverse customer base ◾ Low capital expenditure needs ◾ €1-5M EBITDA This disciplined approach has driven our success and enabled us to 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐯𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬: 1️⃣ 1st with a 90% focus on Europe 2️⃣ 2nd now expanding to LatAm, SE Asia, and the Middle East These criteria, established by Stanford based on what 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔, ensure the low-risk, high-return potential of this asset class. Without them, these results wouldn't be possible. Below is the Executive Summary of the 2024 Search Fund Study published by Stanford Business School. For those wanting to dive in, here's the full report. https://lnkd.in/dqtRBhMJ

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The first Startup Studio / Venture Builder firm was founded in 1996 (hello IdeaLab) so at 28 years of age, the industry is well into its years of early maturity. As a coming of (middle) age tribute Max Pog produced the incredibly insightful Venture Studio Report (https://inniches.com/) which shed light on how certain Venture Studios tend to get better results, faster, and with more certainty than other start-up routes. Matthieu Bodin have been chatting about it and were wondering if that's the case then... - Should all aspiring entrepreneurs, new and repeating, join a studio?   - Is going down the more typical VC route making what’s inherently risky, riskier still?   - As more sophisticated tools, like the ones spawned by LLMs, further industrialise much of what’s done when starting a start-up, will the role of the studio become even more effective than they are today? On the other hand, should we really stick to a venture building model that was largely fixed by the end of the 1990s or take the opportunity to strip it back and start again? Matthieu Bodin plan to kick this about a bit, and would love to interview people in the space. We want to start a new journey of understanding how this very important industry looks like over the next 3 to 5 years. Join us in this conversation—what do you think the future holds for Venture Building?  If you fancy a chat, let us know.

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Investors need to know about Venture Studios They need to know that the model exists They need to know how effective it is And they need to understand it That’s why we’re creating  The “Venture Studio Data Project” The “Venture Studio Data Project” is our effort to  improve the quality of operating Venture Studios globally And to help promote investor interest  and understanding towards the Studio model. But in order to this… We need your help We’ve created an easy 20-minute survey  where we will ask you about the best practices when building your venture studio After the survey is done you will get  free access to the full report (Early) And we will also send you a specific report  tailored to your specific Venture Studio (For Free) Now, In order for us to reach as many  venture studio founders as possible All you need to do is to 1) Like this post  2) Leave a comment And I will send you the survey link right after

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🚀 Resurge Growth Partners Launches €120M "Venture Equity" Fund to Rescue VC Orphans In a unique move to address a growing gap in the venture landscape, London-based Resurge Growth Partners has launched a €120M investment vehicle to acquire and revitalize "VC orphans" — portfolio companies with strong foundations but stagnant growth, too mature for VC attention yet not developed enough for private equity buyers. This emerging category is what Resurge is calling “venture equity,” a blend between private equity (PE) and traditional venture capital (VC). 🔍 The Opportunity in Overlooked Potential The strategy, led by cofounders Oren Peleg and Eyal Malinger, seeks out companies with at least €7-8M in annual revenue, providing €10M-25M in funding per acquisition. For these businesses, Resurge's support can mean new life: they’re often high-potential but constrained by the “draconian” terms of venture debt that founders might not fully anticipate, believing growth will allow them to refinance. Now, Resurge aims to step in where traditional VC support has faded, providing operational guidance and financial backing to restore momentum. 🌱 Ad-hoc Investor Strategy To reach the fund’s €120M target, Resurge has already secured nearly half of its goal through a family office and GP commitments from the cofounders. The remaining funds will be raised deal-by-deal, allowing flexibility to adapt capital needs to each unique opportunity. This approach reflects a refreshing innovation in the ecosystem, supporting founders whose companies are stuck in limbo — often high-performing in revenue but under-supported by VC. Could Resurge's "venture equity" be the solution that many stagnating startups need to unlock their next growth phase? #venturecapital #startupinvestments #startup

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Is everyone launching VCs nowadays? In late 2022, I enrolled in the VC Lab programme but the timing wasn’t quite right, so I dropped out. Now, with better timing after selling my business, I’ve rejoined the VC Lab again (here is a spoiler into my future plans 🙈) Sifted tracked only 40 new first-time funds with a first or second close in 2023, a decrease from over 60 in 2022. As of 2024, only 18 new VCs have been launched in Europe. Anyone in my network launching a VC fund or considering it? How are you navigating this process? #VC #VentureCapital #Fundraising #BusinessOpportunity

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