Context VC

🔔 Excited to share that we're looking for a great Sr. Product Manager to join Pie as we continue to grow and scale our business! Cool opportunity to work with teams all over the world to help tourists and local partners! https://lnkd.in/djChX2Tx #PM #Product #Hiring

Executive Summary: "How Getting Into a Venture Fund is Like a Hollywood Marriage." An AdvancingVC podcast episode with Ned McGuire. 1/ Recently, Lenore Karafa and I had the opportunity to interview Ned McGuire, Managing Director at Wilshire, for an episode of the Advancing VC podcast. 2/ With extensive experience in strategic asset allocation and a focus on institutional investment strategies, Ned shared valuable insights into supporting emerging managers and the evolving landscape of venture capital. 3/ I've included a clip of Ned analogizing how Getting Into a Fund is Like a Hollywood Marriage. But Ned drops more wisdom and insights so listen to the complete episode. Links to YouTube and Spotify to the complete episode are in the comment section. 4/ 📈 Institutional Investment Expertise: Ned leads asset allocation projects at Wilshire, focusing on large public pension plans, endowments, and foundations. He emphasized the critical role of relationships in managing and retaining clients. 5/ 🌱 Emerging Manager Support: Ned shared a bit about Wilshire’s Emerging Manager program, which includes emerging managers in public market searches to foster diversity and uncover promising new talent across asset classes. Ned also discussed how their program provides exposure for smaller funds and encourages their growth. 6/ 🤖 Venture Capital Trends: Ned described how institutional investors are navigating venture allocations, balancing risk appetite with alpha opportunities, especially in emerging technologies like AI and data infrastructure. 7/ 🎯 Challenges and Opportunities: He highlighted issues such as limited check sizes for smaller funds, the need for more efficient vehicles to support emerging managers, and the importance of diversification to mitigate risk. 8/ Leadership Insights: Drawing on over a decade at Wilshire, Ned emphasized continuous learning, building strong networks, and maintaining humility in a rapidly changing investment landscape. 9/ 📚 Book Recommendation: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, a novel blending California history and video game culture. If you’re interested in institutional asset management, emerging managers, or the venture capital ecosystem, this episode provides actionable insights from a seasoned industry expert.

Hi folks - In our first two installments of “Building the Optimal Tech Stack" we talked about custodians, asset managers, asset movement solutions (of course), as well as portfolio management software. In Part 3, we now turn our attention to another critical component of the RIA & Family Office tech stack: CRM systems. Click the link below to see the full blog post on our website, as well as our historical posts. https://lnkd.in/gq4b25Ue

Executive Summary: Highlighting Wove, a Context Ventures Portfolio Company 1/ At Context VC we are preseed investors who have invested in over 30 companies. We are actively sourcing, selecting, and supporting companies. If you are an ambitious, gritty, and fantastic pre-seed founder, we’d like to meet with you! There’s no such thing as too early for us. If there were a pre-preseed investor then we’d fall in that category. We don’t just invest in companies, we also incubate companies. So if you are a future founder who wants to co-create with us, please message/connect with us. 2/ We are fortunate and grateful to be partnered with fantastic startup teams. We are going to highlight one of the teams today. Company name: Wove 📃 Company description: Wove is an innovative online platform transforming how clients design custom jewelry. They specialize in helping clients create their dream engagement rings with at-home try-ons, and custom fine jewelry that celebrates life’s most meaningful moments. In the past year, Wove has doubled revenue, cut burn in half, and gone viral—with Taylor Swift sporting her Wove custom tennis bracelet gifted by her boyfriend, Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs. Their growth and impact haven’t gone unnoticed, with coverage in PEOPLE Magazine | PEOPLE.com, Vogue, and The Wall Street Journal. 🤝Meet The Team: Simone Kendle (CEO), Drew Wolgemuth (Founder & Board Member) ✨Interesting/Fun Facts: Wove was founded by Veterans, and is now led by the daughter of Veterans – check out their military roots & exclusive benefits https://lnkd.in/eht5HKye. 🎉Exciting Company News:  Wove recently kicked off a new intimate event series, Carats & Caviar, where guests can share their love stories over luxury pairings while exploring custom jewelry possibilities with our design team in an approachable environment. They kicked off their first in Las Vegas at the Summit Club co-hosted by Wove Partner & Pro-Golfer Michelle Wie West, celebrating the intersection of artistry and collaboration that defines the Wove experience.

Day 2 at SXSW was packed with insightful sessions, engaging meetings, and a bit of fun! Some of my favorite Capital Factory sessions were: 🔹 Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) 101 – An insightful session on how DIU is fast-tracking solutions and closing the gap between the commercial sector and warfighter needs. The panel explained that the process typically begins with a DoD customer requesting a specific capability. One of the most compelling moments was Nat Higgins guiding founders, whose cutting-edge technologies haven't yet been identified as requirements, through the process of pinpointing the right DoD customer to champion their innovation. 🔹 Conversation with Dr. Radha Plumb – A deep dive into digital and AI transformation in the DoD with the former Chief Digital & AI Officer. My key takeaway was trust is the foundation of innovation. Technical expertise is essential, but without trust across an organization, progress stalls. 🔹 Building & Running High-Impact Startup Boards – This panel reinforced the power of a well-structured board in driving growth. Key lessons: ✅ Over-communicate—never say something for the first time in a board meeting. ✅ Give board members “homework” that fuels business growth. ✅ Founders should try to negotiate who specifically will sit as a board member before signing a term sheet. In between events, I caught one of the best rivalries in college sports—Texas vs. Oklahoma. It’s important to do some in-person scouting before setting the March Madness bracket. Excited to meet more founders on Day 3 with Tim Hsia. If you're at SXSW, let’s connect! #SXSW #ContextVC #CapitalFactory #Startups #AI #DefenseTech

Day two ✅. Join us at the Capital Factory for the startup crawl at booth 79 to try out Warmind or just come chat with the team.

Thanks for sharing this fantastic video and for joining us at MVS2025. The MisFits made a fantastic video of MVS2025 💯🎉🚀👏💪🫡!

We look forward to meeting the founders, investors, and future founders on Tuesday. Many thanks to Perkins Coie for partnering/sponsoring this event.

🚀 The Future of Venture Funds: Stop Chasing Copycats Henry Ward, founder of Carta, said it best: 💡 “If you want to make a living as an investor, you can probably do it getting singles copying other investors. But if you really want to be the next great talent, you have to think differently.” Venture capital has always been about pattern recognition—finding what worked before and funding the next iteration. The biggest wins don’t come from backing yet another “Uber for X” or “AI-powered Y.” They come from founders who think differently and redefine the game. Yet, we see the same thing in venture firms, too. One fund finds success in a niche, and suddenly, everyone’s piling in. But the VCs who change the game are not just copying—they’re spotting what others miss. 🔥 The real question: Are you playing it safe, or are you betting on the future? Watch the full recording: https://lnkd.in/e-R3aWAs  Sign up for our AdvancingVC Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gRFcFXHU #venturecapital #startups #innovation

Thanks to all of the founders and investors who joined us for the Veteran VC Coalition office hours 💯💪🙌🎉🚀!