Paul Couston

Summary: Trucks Venture Capital has announced a new $70 million fund to support early-stage startups in the transportation industry. Led by co-founder Reilly Brennan, the firm plans to invest in a diverse range of companies, including those working on autonomous vehicle tech, electric air taxis, and mobility data platforms. This is the firm's largest fund to date and its investment strategy has evolved to focus on great founders rather than specific sectors or ideas. Key takeaways: Trucks VC has a new $70 million fund to invest in early-stage transportation startups. The firm's investment strategy has shifted to focus on great founders rather than specific sectors or ideas. Previous investments from the new fund include charger installation-as-a-service startup Treehouse and zero-emissions jet aircraft company JetZero. Counter arguments: Some may argue that focusing on great founders rather than specific sectors or ideas may limit the firm's potential for success. The transportation industry is constantly changing and evolving, making it a risky investment for any venture capital firm. #startups #venturecapital #transportation

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I really enjoyed recording this episode of The Digital Industrial Podcast with Ty Findley. We talked about common misconceptions for deep tech, the "Why Now" for the category, and differences between investor diligence for deep tech and traditional tech. https://lnkd.in/eKtwjauu

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The practical application of AI to help manufacturers eliminate unplanned downtime is key to our current and future offering. We do not label ourselves as purely an AI company, as that is one component of our value delivery, but I can say we have a world class team of AI Engineers building incredible tech alongside a team of world class Condition Monitoring Engineers. I am bullish and excited to see how Central Ohio emerges as a global AI hub with Intel as an anchor. cc: Brian Graham, Seyed Mohammad Parvasi, Ph.D., Jaidev Krishnan, Matt Longhouse, Chris Berry

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Want to build wealth faster? Skip startups. Buy Boring Old Businesses. Here’s why: 1. They’re already making money. 2. They come with customers, systems, and momentum. 3. They’re undervalued – 2.5x profits is standard. 4. SBA loans or seller financing make them accessible. 5. Easy profit boosters: raise prices or add new products. 6. They’re easier to scale than startups. Startups fail 65% of the time within the first 5 years. But "boring" businesses? They’re built to last. Don’t build from scratch. Buy something proven. If you could buy a "boring" business, what type of business would you buy?

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Why Buying Your First Business is the hardest & Financing The Fear is Being seen as too risky by lenders and investors. The Solution: Prepare a solid business plan with detailed financial projections. Work with a financial advisor to enhance your credibility. Consider alternative financing options like SBA loans or seller financing.

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In the 0-1 phase of business building there seems to be a fine line between being scrappy/resourceful and being "penny wise and pound foolish." While this has always been an especially delicate balance to strike for bootstrapped founders, it seems to be a hot button topic amongst venture backed startups in light of the current funding environment (and focus on getting to breakeven). I'm glad to see more founders taking expenses (overall) more seriously, but I also believe it's possible to swing too far to the other extreme; hoarding resources to preserve runway and optionality (at the expense of taking risks which will always be required to build anything of significance). While there are no "right" answers on how to strike this balance, I think having folks you can process this with is helpful (sometimes we need to just get out of our own heads). This may be your investors, board members, advisors, or just close founder friends. Thoughts?

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Great post by Josh Wagner on the importance of urgency. If you don't want to build a company characterized by urgency and extreme intensity over a long period of time - at least a decade - you would be better off not raising venture capital.

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Kudos to aifleet on its $16.6M raise to fund growth in tech-enabled trucking. Its investors include Heron Rock Volvo Group Venture Capital, Obvious Ventures, Ibex Investors, Compound, Winthrop Square Capital and Cooley LLP. Aifleet is doing something different. Most other startups in this field are focused on pure technology. They have 204 drivers and power units. Will they be able to make it work with a combination of trucking and technology? https://lnkd.in/ePytPHx7

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Partnering with startups can help companies to "solve a product problem, create a new avenue for revenue, accelerate R&D, or accelerate time to market for a specific product," according to Otilia Barbuta, principal at HP Tech Ventures, the venture capital arm of HP. She was talking at a breakout session at Circularity 2024. "There are solutions in the market created by startups and in this circularity realm, I think it's more important than ever to partner with [them]." #climatetech #startups #climateVC

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🚀 Robotics: Redesigning Industries, Transforming Tomorrow 🚀 In my latest Substack post, I explore a topic that’s not just exciting but transformative: robotics. From addressing labor shortages to reimagining entire industries, robotics is moving beyond automation into a realm of exponential possibilities. Here are a few key takeaways: 1️⃣ The “Why Now” Moment: Robotics today is where self-driving was a decade ago—poised for exponential growth, driven by breakthroughs in AI, machine learning, and Industry 4.0. 2️⃣ Critical Challenges: Data scarcity and hardware costs are significant bottlenecks, as highlighted by Freda Duan (Altimeter Capital). However, with visionary founders and bold, first-principles thinking, these challenges can transform into opportunities for breakthrough innovation. 3️⃣ The Right Approach: Robotics shouldn’t just optimize workflows; it should enable full-stack transformations where robots power safer, faster, and smarter systems at scale. I had the privilege of learning from and collaborating with some brilliant minds in crafting this piece. Special thanks to Daniel Theobald (MassRobotics) and Wei Ding (Under Control Robotics) for their invaluable insights that shaped many of the themes in this post. I’m also grateful for thought-provoking past conversations with Stefan Seltz-Axmacher (Polymath Robotics), David Li (BHP Ventures), Lawrence Wong (Tesla), and the Optimus team from Tesla’s Robotaxi event, which helped me think critically about where to focus and find the right voices for deeper exploration. Big shoutout to Jaireh Tecarro and Jen Liao for their incredible feedback and support—your input made this better. 🙏 If robotics fascinates you as much as it does me, check out the post and let me know your thoughts. Would also love it if you could share this with others who might find value in it. Let’s reimagine the future together. 👉 [Link in the comments]

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Building materials distribution is a $500B+ industry I didn't know existed, and there's money pouring into it FYI - distributors here are the middlemen between folks who manfacture goods for buildings (windows, HVAC, roofing, etc.) and contractors Some interesting tidbits: - In December, Brad Jacobs raised $3.5B in private placement a new venture in the space (QXO) -> expects to get to $5B ARR in 3 years and build a $50B business - Home Depot acquired SRS Distribution for ~$18.25B in March - Highly fragmented industry (7,000+ independent operators in the US, many with just one or two branches) - Very analog/manual processes (place orders in-person, business done through phone calls, lots of sticky notes) If anyone knows more about this space or is building something interesting here, my DMs are open!

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I think this is a good short one for builders on pricing, sticking to the original principles of what you want to solve for, getting to learn from NOs and more. Then this one - "Building a business is, frankly, an emotional roller coaster. There are moments when you feel super smart, and moments when you feel super dumb." Well said. By the co-founders of Warby Parker, the OG of internet d2c brands. #startups #mission #vision #build

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I have this rule where if I see/hear the same thing 3x in 1 week (ex. hear someone's name 3x, hear operators at diff co's are facing the same problem 3x, hear the same hot take 3x, etc)... then I carve out 3+ hrs & dive deep You have to notice repetition & action on it

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The average time to exit for acquisitions has jumped from 4.6 years in 2005 to 6.3 years (2024). 6.3 years ago the YC 2018 Winter Batch was just wrapping up its demo day. From this YC cohort there were two major ($150M+) exits. Sqreen - exited to Datadog for ~$250M. Bear Flag (robotics) - exited to John Deere for ~$250M As the exit landscape evolves, I am still confident YC remains one of the best sources for outsized returns.

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I designed Peak OS for venture-backed companies after working with hundreds of them over the past 20 years. VC-backed teams are different, period. They need an operating system designed specifically for them. You can read about why (and get a step by step instruction manual to get started with Peak OS) in my bestselling book, Peak Teams. Check it out on Amazon and Audible. #venturebacked #vcbacked #venturecapital #leadership #ceo #founder #operatingsystem #peakOS

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Check out my recent post on why President Trump is the forcing function for us to solve the “Missing Middle” and catch the industrial Tsunami of onshoring coming to the US!

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Summary: New York-based startup GovWell is helping local governments streamline and automate tasks, such as building permits and code inspections, through its workflow system. It has raised $4.5 million in funding and aims to become the go-to provider for smaller and medium-sized government agencies. Key takeaways: Founders Troy LeCaire and Ben Cohen were inspired to create GovWell after seeing the stark difference in technology between Cohen's experience working at Uber and faxing building permits for his contractor father. The company's platform allows for customization without the need for expensive bespoke software, making it accessible for smaller government agencies. Despite competition in the government software market, LeCaire sees the potential for growth due to the massive scale of government expenditures and the importance of efficient and effective government services. Counter arguments: Some may argue that the government sector is not a lucrative market for software companies due to strict regulations and lower budgets compared to private companies. The competition in the government software market may pose a challenge for GovWell to become the top provider, as there are established players such as OpenGov with significant funding and acquisition by Cox Enterprises. #venturecapital #fundraising #startups

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Venture-backed teams need an operating system built for venture-backed companies. That's why I created Peak OS. You can read about how to get started today in my bestselling book, Peak Teams--or just come on down to the Collective Genius site and let's talk. #venturebacked #vcbacked #venturecapital #leadership #ceo #founder #operatingsystem #peakOS

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The majority of founders in private startups make less than an average FANG developer. But it's not that simple, many find creative ways to supplement their base with other comp. We surveyed 150+ founders in Hampton, & compiled a killer dataset: Grab the report free: https://lnkd.in/euSUJawe

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