Akshay Singh

A new flood of fresh funds is reshaping the venture capital landscape! 🚀 Recent highlights include TVM Capital Healthcare’s $250M Afiyah Fund LP, SVC's $30M investment into General Atlantic’s private equity fund, Golden Gate Ventures' $100M MENA-focused fund launch, and Investcorp's $570M fund closure. These announcements signal a broader trend of escalating financial commitments within the industry. MEA funds are heating up! 🌡️ Our data reveals a 74% YoY increase in the number of MEA-based funds being financed as of May 20th, 2024. Since Q4’23, there has been a notable surge in regional funds securing capital, with international investors also establishing localized funds. Stay informed with the latest trends in VC activity: https://lnkd.in/dP6ZkmCd By MAGNiTT Repost by : Salem Bagami Chief Executive Officer Digital Transformation Company & Managing Director 2080 Ventures Email: [email protected] Website: www.2080.ventures #VC #Funds #Investing

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I'm excited to learn more about venture capital from the wonderful panel Big Red Ventures has curated. Comment below if you will be in attendance!

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I'm looking forward to discussing the future of investing in artificial intelligence with Kleida Martiro, Ashish Kakran, and Len Jacoby at the Kellogg PE & VC Conference this Wednesday. AI is likely the most important new technology to come along in decades, and I'm excited to explore its implications for our economy, society, and the investment landscape. #ai #investing #innovation #disruption

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As 2025 begins, I find myself reflecting on a deeply personal milestone—it will be 10 years since my father passed away from a stroke. His sudden loss profoundly shaped my perspective on life, health, and the incredible complexity of the human brain. Now, as I enter my final year in the NYU Executive MBA program, I’m excited to announce the launch of a personal project: a weekly blog dedicated to exploring neuroscience, Neurotechnology, and the transformative potential of the human mind. Through this blog, I hope to: 🧠 Share my vision for how advancements in neuroscience can improve brain health, mental wellness, and pain management. 💻 Highlight emerging trends and innovations in NeuroTech, particularly those reshaping healthcare and human potential. 📣 Discuss the intersection of neuroscience and venture capital—where investment can fuel breakthroughs in brain science. This blog is for anyone curious about these fields, whether you’re a seasoned professional, an investor, or simply someone intrigued by the brain’s untapped potential. I welcome your feedback, questions, and even disagreement—diverse opinions are the cornerstone of healthy conversation and meaningful learning. Be on the lookout after the new year on how you can follow. Posts will go live every Monday starting January 6, 2025. I invite you to follow along, share your thoughts, and help build a community where ideas about the brain and its future can thrive. Let’s explore the frontiers of neuroscience together. 🧠 #Neuroscience #Neurotech #VentureCapital #EMBA #NYU #BlogLaunch

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LP Tip #20 out of #50: To re-up or not to re-up A re-up refers to an LP making an additional investment in a fund where they previously invested. Before we dive in I want to share that there are reasons an LP may not to re-up which are not in your control. Here is a short list: ➡️ The LP may have evolved their strategy and needs to scale back the #️⃣ of funds they invested in.   ➡️ The LP was never set up to re-up in the first place. ➡️ The LP could be an individual that found themselves in a cash crunch and overly exposed to venture.  I'm assuming that when you got your investment that the LP explicitly told you they do re-ups. Please do not assume they do. My expectation is also that the LP dug in to properly underwrite the fund. 🏴 Re-ups are not automatic. An LP will have to re-underwrite each fund. The speed of the re-up also depends on how much work was done in the initial investment, who led the investment, level of confidence there existed when that investment was done, and current pipeline of funds. There are 4 flags that may cause an LP to walk away. 1️⃣ Partner Breakups/Changes and Team Turnover:  The biggest risk in Partnerships are whether the Partners will stay together. One LP gave me a framework on how to think through this issue that has stuck with me. Partnership is like a marriage. If one feels there is potential for a breakup, does one believe it will be an amicable breakup? Or, does one believe the spouses will never talk again? If it is an amicable split that is manageable. The Partners can find a way to support the fund. Then the question becomes whether the LP wants to back the Partner/s that remain.  If there is high team turnover. The LP will want to investigate because team stability is used as a proxy for firm sustainability and ability to scale. 2️⃣ Fund Does not Execute on what they Sold the LP:  The LP “bought” something specific and typically it is because they were missing this strategy or wanted exposure to a strategy for the portfolio they were constructing. An institutional LP will invest and write a detailed investment memo flagging all the things you said you were going to do and then go back and compare when you come back to ask for money. If for example you pitched a generalist seed stage fund and you show up asking for money sharing that you invested in deeptech at A that will cause alarm. The same can be said for the number of companies you promised to invest in or check sizes you wrote. If there are big differences LPs will want to know why. 3️⃣ Bad Actions  The fund manager/s does something that is unethical. This is a no go for an LP.  What if the situation is not clearcut? This is different for everyone and requires discussions b/w GP and LP, but most LPs don't want headline risk. 4️⃣ Continuous Underperformance  If it's early days an LP will look at some key indicators to see how you are progressing over time.

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Summary: Tech valuations, deals, and IPOs are down, making it difficult to invest in late-stage companies, according to executives at Bank of America. Key takeaways: Valuations, deals, and IPOs in the tech industry have decreased, making it challenging to invest in late-stage companies. Executives from Bank of America, including Rodrigo Ortiz-Gomez and Monique "Mo" Renta, have expressed their perspective on the current state of the market. The decrease in tech valuations and IPOs may affect the company's investment strategy and potential returns. Counter arguments: Some may argue that this temporary dip in the market is a natural part of the industry's cycle and may not have a long-term impact. Others may argue that the decrease in deals and IPOs could potentially lead to more opportunities for smaller investors to enter the market. #venturecapital #vc #venture #startups

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☕ Yesterday morning, I couldn't miss attending the "New to VC: Making it to Partner" breakfast event hosted by nextNYC !! "Very few investment professionals make it all the way to partner, but we have a panel of VCs who have done it by getting promoted through the ranks. Hear how they did it and what advice they have for standing out and earning their firms' trust to sit at the big kid table." https://lnkd.in/g3MxaxyJ 🎤 Charlie O'Donnell never disappoints when bringing together a panel for these discussions with top-notch content being discussed. This is why it's such a no-brainer to show up when New to VC's breakfast events happen. 💸 This was truly an All-Star panel of ​Kelley Mak, GP of Work-Bench, ​Danielle Lay, Partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), and ​Sam Toole, Partner at Primary Venture Partners. 📓 Danielle mentioned during the discussion that one of the things she did that made her successful early on in her career was to take good notes, and lucky for me, I never attend these events without doing so! Here are some takeaways from the panelists that I wanted to share with you all, enjoy! ⬇ When discussing what it was like in the first year: "The first year is about building trust with the firm. If you bring me into something, I want you to be excited I’m there and part of the team. Basic things like this make all of the difference." When discussing if you should start a position with a defined path to Partner: "Having an undefined path was kind of nice because it allowed me to grow in my own way and use my strengths." When discussing if it's better to be a generalist or specialist these days: "I’ve met a lot of great generalists and specialists, and it helps, but it comes down to sourcing and finding the best deal." 💥 And for my favorite - Do you have to start investing before getting into VC? "When I speak to someone who is early in their VC career, I try to tell them to have as much in their toolbox as possible. Do whatever you can to show that you're willing to put the necessary work in. Maybe that's making small investments of your own, or maybe that's running your own blog/newsletter around an area you see a lot of potential in." 💪 Be sure to follow nextNYC as well as these awesome professionals, especially if you're looking to learn from some of the brightest in NYC Venture Capital. #VentureCapital #VCInsights #VCPanel #Investing #NewToVC #NYCVentureCapital #nextNYC #VCCommunity #LearnFromTheBest

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As the Shasta Ventures approval deadline approaches, we're presented with a unique opportunity to observe the complexities and inherent conflicts in GP-led secondary transactions. This scenario sheds light on the considerable leverage GPs hold within the private equity infrastructure. According to the article, proposed continuation fund requires LPs to approve the transaction if they wish to roll their interests into the new structure—a stipulation that could be seen as putting undue pressure on LPs. This raises critical questions about the balance of power in private equity deals and the alignment of interests between GPs and LPs. What are your thoughts? Is it appropriate for GPs to demand such conditions for LPs to participate in a continuation fund? How do you see this impacting the broader private equity landscape and the perception of GP-led secondary transactions? Looking forward to hearing your insights and perspectives on this pivotal issue. #PrivateEquity #VentureCapital #InvestmentTrends #ShastaVentures #GPledSecondaries

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At Kearny Jackson, founders constantly ask us what we look for in founding teams. I’m sharing the rough framework that my partner, Sriram Krishnan, outlined to assess founders as a pre-seed/seed investor. This is also how I judge whether someone is “biased for action” or “biased for thought.” I get along well with the former and not the latter, but that’s a story for another day. Level 1 - Speed of communicating Whether by text or email. Quick turnarounds, “acknowledged receipt” types of folks. Not being speedy is not necessarily a bad sign; it can also mean they’re busy or don’t care about you or your email. Usually “closes the loop” and, most importantly, tries to leave no email unresponded. Level 2 - Speed of rewriting deck or memo Founders who pitch one version of the deck and share an updated version after the pitch the same day with slides that address the questions asked during the pitch. Or founders that iterate on positioning and strategy quickly based on input and ship a new version of a deck within days. Some founders use a static deck when presenting (i.e. the same deck for weeks on end), but some are more dynamic and change/pivot/edit when new information or tactics come to light. Level 3 - Speed of talking to or onboarding design partners Founders who not only speak to 50-70 potential prospects within a short time frame but also ones who onboard X design partners very quickly. I’ve seen some founders pitch an idea in week one and sign up four design partners in week two. That’s pretty impressive regardless of what is being built and shows they can execute. Level 4 - Speed of shipping new code, new features, new products, or new pivots This is the holy grail. This is what every early-stage investor means by execution velocity. In the world of early-stage startups, the big fish don’t eat the small fish. The fast ones eat the slow ones. And how quickly you ship code represents how efficient or productive you can be in a resource-constraint environment. All investors would preferably want to see how founders execute with code, but (A) founders don’t always have product during the seed/pre-seed rounds, eg. figma designs, mock-ups, ideas, etc (B) so investors have to rely on other signals to decipher whether you can execute on 4 so levels 123 above will hopefully inform them on that.

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From our very first conversation with Dor and Anton, their unique vision for SaaS pricing and monetization immediately set them apart. Their innovative perspective, sharp market insights, and fearless ambition were truly inspiring. 🌟 We’re at a pivotal moment for disruption in this field. With AI reshaping the way software companies monetize, there’s never been a better time to challenge the status quo. Stigg is leading the charge—empowering SaaS businesses to embrace flexible, scalable pricing models that align with today’s dynamic demands. 🔥 Proud to be partnering with the team and can’t wait to see what’s next! 🚀 Link to the full article in the first comment Red Dot Capital Partners Redseed Unusual Ventures Emerge Ventures Cerca Partners | Atad Peled Daniel Benjamin Sandhya Hegde Dovi Ollech

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A new era of deep tech has emerged. First time funds will raise “unheard of” amounts of capital to fuel next gen deep tech startups - producing outsized, superior returns for LP’s compared to the rest. Prudent investors will act on this data and shift investment strategy as LP’s or risk being left behind savvy wealth managers and CIO’s / FO’s who saw this trend begin 4 years ago.

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Considering a career in startups or VC? Starting today, I'm available for 1:1 calls on @Intro to help startup founders and aspiring VCs think through the path ahead. As the founder + managing director of Red Sea Ventures, we invested early in companies like Allbirds (IPO), Sweetgreen (IPO), Nest (acq. Google), Casetext (acq. Thompson Reuters), and Prose to name a few. What topics can we cover? ✔️ Finding product-market fit ✔️ The different paths to funding ✔️ Determining how much you need to raise ✔️ Building a VC firm ✔️ Careers in VC ✔️ Celebrity partnerships Honored to be alongside world-class Experts like Chris DeWolfe (co-founder of MySpace (sold for $675M), Scott Saunders (founder of Happy Money, valued $1B+) & Geraldine Martin-Coppola (former President of Goop). I’ll be donating 100% of the proceeds to Seeds of Peace

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The Blackstone-Hilton Saga: A Private Equity Thriller It's 2007, and Blackstone just made a bold move - acquiring Hilton Hotels for a whopping $26 billion structured as a Leveraged Buyout with leverage of ~80% and Debt to EBITDA of ~12x. But little do they know, they're about to face their biggest challenge yet. Enter the 2008 financial crisis. The hotel industry is hit hard, and Hilton's value plummets to $6 billion. Many would've thrown in the towel, but not these titans of private equity. Cue the heroic turnaround: - They roll up their sleeves and renegotiate $20 billion in debt. - They double down, injecting an additional $800 million. - Cost-cutting becomes an art form. Every penny saved counts. - They set their sights globally, expanding Hilton's footprint in emerging markets. - Investments in property renovations, technology upgrades, and service enhancements elevated the overall guest experience. - Innovation takes center stage with new brands like Home2 Suites. - Quantitative easing also helped preserve net earnings for Hilton. The grand finale: In 2013, Hilton goes public at a $20 billion valuation. By 2018, Blackstone exits completely, pocketing a cool $14 billion profit. Job well done. But where to send the big box of chocolates? 🍫 The moral of the story: In the world of private equity, patience isn't just a virtue - it's a strategy. Operational expertise isn't just helpful - it's crucial. And sometimes, when you're staring at a potential disaster, you might just be looking at your biggest success story in disguise. #PrivateEquityMagic #ValueCreation #CrisisToSuccess #BlackstoneHilton

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I’m a strong believer in the idea that leading is largely about building empathy. The job isn’t just helping others understand the mission - it’s helping them complete the mission and building alignment through personal context. To take it a step further, you can’t be empathetic if you aren’t curious. Curiosity drives us to ask deeper questions - those questions build empathy and, then, we become more aligned.

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Earlier in the year, I read "Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber," which chronicles Uber's journey to its IPO. It's a fast-paced, detailed, and thoroughly entertaining book that reveals the inner workings of Silicon Valley. Over the next few days, I'll share specific learning points I gathered from reading this book. In the meantime, here is a short and quick review to get you started! The story of Uber is not a feel-good tale about a founder who stumbled upon the secret formula to startups and became an overnight sensation. Uber's proliferation into everyday life makes it seem like a simple product that just connects riders with drivers. However, peering behind the curtains provides a deep appreciation of the efforts it took to ideate, build, grow, and maintain its market share. This is a story about a deeply experienced and embattled serial founder within Silicon Valley. Travis Kalanick came across a winning product and employed every tactic in his arsenal to ensure he evaded other players on the field to score the touchdown. I'd argue that without Travis' ruthless competitiveness and the free rein he gave his team of intrapreneurs, Uber wouldn't be the behemoth it is today. His ability to confront transportation unions head-on and create sophisticated tech surveillance systems was key to their expansion across cities. This story highlights all the complexities of creating an organization and underscores the lesson that not every founder can grow into the CEO/leader role as the company evolves into an established entity. Stay tuned!

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BBG Ventures closes a new $60 million fund #BBG Ventures, a New York City-based early-stage #VC firm led by Susan Lyne and Nisha Dua, has closed its second fund at $60 million. This new fund focuses on reinventing large categories such as health and wellbeing, the future of education and work, climate-friendly commerce, and overlooked and emerging consumers. BBG Ventures is committed to backing founders at the earliest stages, leading or co-leading pre-seed and seed rounds across both B2B and B2C sectors. They aim to accelerate these startups to Series A and beyond by leveraging their extensive experience—from running startups to managing public companies—and through their newly launched Operator Network, a community of builders from high-growth companies. What sets BBG Ventures apart is their dedication to supporting typically overlooked founders who are creating scalable solutions to problems faced by millions, often problems the founders have experienced firsthand. This approach not only fosters diversity in entrepreneurship but also drives innovation in markets that demand significant transformation. The article on #VCwiretech in the first comment.

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𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 I first met Stefano about three years ago at a pitching competition when Podeo | بوديو was just getting started. His journey and ambition stood out—he captured the room’s full attention. Though it was too early for us to join their journey at that time (pre Oraseya), I made a strong mental note: there was something remarkable about this team—Stefano Fallaha, Ramzi Farah, Mario Hayek, and Anthony Essaye. They were onto something. Since then, Stefano and I have stayed in regular touch, exchanging thoughts on both the challenges and opportunities that came their way. Leading up to this round, our long voice notes became “mini-podcasts,” as he likes to call them—dedication in his DNA. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll release some of them on Podeo. What’s impressed us most about Podeo is their ability to adapt quickly, execute swiftly, drive product development, and always keep their focus on the goal—empowering creators. That kind of discipline is rare, and it is striking to see it firsthand. This Series-A round felt like the right milestone for Oraseya Capital to step in, and we’re thrilled to finally be part of Podeo’s journey as they begin their next chapter. As a side note, sometimes a “not yet” becomes a “let’s do this” and there is nothing more exciting. (thank you TechCrunch for picking this up!) #venturecapital #techcrunch #dubai #podcast

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Market dynamics and sophistication are in full play as momentum builds. Good read on private markets from FT highlighting the value capture importance within today's competitive environment. #strategy #private #markets #deals

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One of the most exciting questions from this interview was "what key attributes do private equity firms seek in targeting healthcare, biotech, and life science companies for acquisition?". Private equity firms are increasingly attracted to the healthcare, biotech and life sciences industries due to their resilience against economic cycles. Attributes that PE firms prioritize include: Stability and Growth Potential: Companies that demonstrate consistent revenue growth and have a solid track record of performance are highly attractive. The ability to withstand economic downturns and maintain steady growth is a crucial factor. Service and Software Focus: Companies that provide essential services and software solutions within the healthcare ecosystem are less vulnerable to regulatory changes and scrutiny, making them reliable investment targets. Regulatory Compliance and Low Risk: PE firms typically avoid companies with high science risk. Instead, they favor businesses with well-established products, services and technology. Specialization and Expertise: Many PE firms seek companies with specialized knowledge and capabilities that align with their strategic focus areas, ensuring they can add value and drive growth post-acquisition. Thank you to the Los Angeles Times for inviting me to participate in this issue! I am honored to be able to contribute to this piece. If you'd like to discuss any of the insights from this issue, reach out to me directly. #privateequity #lifesciences #healthcareservices #biotech #investmentbanking #businessvaluation

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