Ronald Weissman

The Silver Tsunami is upon us, and it's reshaping the mergers and acquisitions landscape like never before. With an estimated $10 trillion in assets set to change hands over the next decade, driven by baby boomers retiring, the opportunity for savvy investors and entrepreneurs is immense. Currently, around 30,000 businesses sell annually, but with more than 8 million baby boomer-owned businesses expected to transition, the volume of transactions could increase tenfold. This is a monumental shift that smart buyers are already preparing for. You don't need to be a Wall Street titan to benefit from this trend; many of these businesses will transition to local entrepreneurs and small business owners. Are you ready to seize a piece of this $10 trillion wealth transfer? Position yourself strategically to take advantage of this unprecedented wave of opportunities. Engage with fellow professionals and explore how you can be part of this transformation. Not sure how? Let's talk about it! #SilverTsunami #MergersAndAcquisitions #BusinessOpportunities

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This is just incredible. Neal Ghosh's demonstration of how #VentureIQ takes deeply technical and complicated content across a range of industrial use cases and ages/stages through an AI-generated conversational podcast (a la #notebookLM) is really mind-blowing. Check out his post, below, and if you haven't seen VentureIQ, yet, let's get you set up to learn more. You can visit VentureIQ.ai or DM any of us over here to book a demo!

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PE - Insights from "Constellation Software" Shareholder Letters Some of the key investment takeaways Constellation Software (CNSWF - https://buff.ly/3Coo3V8 ) These highlight a strategic focus on long-term growth, disciplined investment practices, and the importance of governance and engagement, all good insights for tech PE: - Disciplined Investment Approach: strict adherence to specific acquisition hurdle rates, reducing risk and underscoring the importance of rigorous investment criteria - Acquisition-Focused Growth: they target 100 acquisitions annually, underscoring an aggressive portfolio expansion strategy attractive for growth-oriented investors - Flexible Capital Structure: exploring various financing options for acquisitions, especially in downturns highlighting proactive financial health management - Long-Term Horizon: emphasis on indefinite investment holds to maximize returns, favoring long-term strategies over short-term gains - Post-Acquisition Reviews: they conduct detailed after action reviews (AARs) post-acquisition to refine investment strategy, a best practice for continuous improvement - Decentralized Decision-Making: Constellation operates with small, autonomous business units (just like portfolio CEOs & execs) to foster agile leadership and decisions (i.e. the PE firm doesn't tell the CEO what to do but works alongside collaboratively) - Behavioral Economics: Constellation incorporates insights from behavioral economics to mitigate cognitive biases, enhancing decision-making rigor Constellation Shareholder Letters: https://buff.ly/4fu29Pc ------------------ #pe #privateequity #tech #ceo #cro #saas #gtm #growth #middlemarket #boardofdirectors #board #revenue #revenuegrowth #investing #investment #finance #business

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Excited to announce our investment in Alta Resource Technologies alongside Leonardo Banchik (Voyager Ventures) with participation from Orion Resource Partners, Overture Ventures, and WovenEarth Ventures. Rare earths are critical in products from magnets to ceramics and it's important for the US to develop its own supply chain. While the US has some of the best rare earth resources, separating them has historically proven expensive and environmentally unfriendly. Alta through it's computationally designed and optimized proteins allows the US to bring back rare earth production with a cleaner, lower capex, and lower opex solution - and that's just the beginning. Congrats to Nathan Ratledge and the entire Alta team. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gbGnAJn3

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Exciting news! We just sent out the inaugural newsletter for Future Frontier Capital, our pre-seed venture fund backing frontier tech startups. As I hit "send," I realized how launching FFC parallels the path of the founders we support. Starting FFC has required the same passion, perseverance, and self-belief that drive entrepreneurs. Just like a startup, getting a VC fund off the ground demands relentless hustle—building the brand, perfecting the pitch, and networking tirelessly. There are constant challenges that test your resolve and endless hours of unglamorous work behind the scenes. And perhaps most daunting - the self-doubt, wondering if you're crazy for attempting something so bold. Pushing through that negative self-talk requires unshakable faith in your mission. Raising this VC fund reminds me of starting our IP strategy and patent analytics firm two decades ago. It’s a powerful reminder of the perseverance, creativity, and resilience needed to turn an ambitious idea into reality. This experience makes us more empathetic partners, ready to support the founders we back. Our work is just beginning, and this inaugural newsletter underscores our commitment to supporting frontier tech startups every step of the way. #startups #VentureCapital #EmergingManagers #Entrepreneurship #InnovationMindSet

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The success of a Fund boils down to DPI (distributions back to LPs in relation to how much capital was deployed). The industry often gets infatuated with TVPI, which accounts for paper gains. However, these numbers are frequently not worth the paper they are printed on. Knowing when to stick or twist is always a challenge, so I favor a balanced approach: the third-third-third strategy. Sell a third of the investment at the first opportunity. Gradually sell the second third. Hold onto the final third for potential upside. Even this model needs adjustments based on market conditions, requiring a mix of aggressive selling or patience. The real issue for LPs is the industry's recent obsession with maximizing TVPI without enough attention to DPI. This can lead to portfolio imbalances and potentially disappointing (or zero) cash returns. 🎙 Listen to my full episode of Fintech Leaders with good friend Miguel Armaza for more on data as the new gold, secrets behind successful VCs, and the importance of founder-market fit: Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3KitB4b Apple: https://apple.co/4bXmmuC Youtube: https://bit.ly/3Vh4HIz

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From Crypto Ice Age to AI Inferno- Gartner Curves or Extreme Weather Conditions Precipitated by VC? A few thoughts I've been reflecting on recently on learnings from being through many crypto cycles I can apply to this moment in AI investing... https://lnkd.in/d6KSM3EN

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I've participated in 100+ conversations with venture fund LPs this year. The most frequently discussed topics include: Team dynamics Sourcing differentiation Decision-making and selection process Portfolio support Sector thesis Track record Model and deployment strategy Network Long-term vision Timing (why now) References Fund infrastructure and reporting

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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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At Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech conference, an engaging discussion shed light on the evolving venture capital (VC) landscape. One of the key takeaways was the underscore of vibrant growth of the VC sector, with the number of firms soaring from 6,000 in 2013 to about 60,000 today. This surge in competition is driving VCs to innovate and refine their fundraising strategies, creating a dynamic environment for investment opportunities. Additionally, the session touched on how family offices provide flexible capital for smaller investments while emphasizing the thorough scrutiny required for larger funds. An emphasis on candid conversations among VCs and limited partners highlighted a commitment to fostering a more collaborative and forward-thinking investment community. Read More Here: https://lnkd.in/gHjJbtr3 Fortune Allie Garfinkle Branded Hospitality Ventures Hospitality Headline Newsletter #VentureCapital #Investment #hospitality #community Clara Shih Paulo Rosado #BrainstormTech Christine Moseley Rick Rose

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If you enjoyed our first blog on the metrics that matter for Verticalized SaaS then don't miss on the Part II of the series where my colleagues Devraj Hom Roy and Matt Schaar discuss the strategic and operational choices to improve these operational indicators. https://lnkd.in/g5QkCrcH

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There’s a whole world of small farms and small businesses being powered by offgrid renewable energy. Understanding the business models that make it possible is critical for this bold new world. At the #GlobalSouthSouthSummit, innovators from across Africa and Asia will learn from each other to advance a sustainable world free of poverty.

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Robert, you highlight some crucial points! You mentioned the vast geopolitical stakes, espionage threats, and investment needs in AI development. By 2026-2028, we might see human-level AI. Are we ready for post-superintelligence volatility and an AI arms race? BYW → thank you for endorsing Ethan Mollick’s “Co-Intelligence” → a must read!

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Friends, Q2 was a quarter of progress and learning for us at HawkTower, where we invest in early-stage startups applying breakthrough computing technologies to maximize California's natural resource markets. Our focus is on technology-enabled interventions (e.g., AI-enabled geospatial radars for lithium-ion batteries in the waste stream) for critical, market-level imperatives (e.g., disaster prevention) that can drive rapid commercial adoption (e.g., placed on every recycling truck in the world). Our current investment priorities are: - Agricultural productivity and efficiency - Biomanufacturing - Labor and mobility automation - Waste stream optimization and decarbonization - Disaster prevention and management Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been up to: Milestones and Investments: - In late April, we officially launched our fund, filing with the SEC. Yay. - By June, we completed our first fund close ahead of schedule, with backing from family offices, foundations, high-net-worth individuals, and organizations aligned with California's future. - Our portfolio now includes three early-stage investments (Farm-ng, Agriful Software, and Nexstera Tech). Strategic Partnerships: - We believe that startups operating closer to their customers and resources, especially in agriculture and biomanufacturing, have a strategic advantage. For instance, the Salinas Valley, a major agricultural hub, is less than an hour from Silicon Valley and serves as a center of thought leadership in the convergence of agriculture and AI (from Western Growers, Taylor Farms, and others). - Similarly, the North San Joaquin Valley is emerging as a biotech and agtech innovation hub, and we are proud to support BEAM Circular, a startup hub for the circular bioeconomy. Key Relationships: - Karen Warner, CEO of BEAM Circular, joined HawkTower as a strategic advisor. - Jackie Cruz, Ed. D. Cruz, Hartnell College’s VP of Advancement, advises on Salinas Valley and workforce development. - Ben Palone from Western Growers, with his technical background in agriculture, became a trusted advisor. - Matthew Hoffman from Driscoll's Global R&D team provides insights on global agriculture, product positioning, and investment strategy. - We collaborated with Monterey Bay DART for workforce development and automation in agtech. - Dominic Milano and the Milano Technical Group from Merced collaborated on key initiatives and advised us on investments. - HawkTower is participating in Santa Cruz Works's accelerator cohort as a mentor and advisor. Thank you Doug Erickson. - We published an overview of entrepreneurship across the UC system with input from across the University of California system. Moving into the fall, we remain deeply committed to supporting founders shaping California's future natural resource markets. Stay tuned and be in touch! : ) Db

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Too many small and mid-sized businesses struggle with capital constraints out of fear and misunderstanding. Sourcing the capital required to remove those constraints is key to unlocking the value creation potential of these companies. https://lnkd.in/gRYTKEmN #smallbusiness #businesstransformation

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The Cynicism of It All: The Domino Effect of Impunity If such behavior is allowed to persist unchecked, what message does it send to other aspiring corporate puppeteers? Will Singapore become a haven for those seeking to exploit loopholes and manipulate the system for their own gain? Will the pursuit of justice become a Sisyphean task, reserved only for those with the deepest pockets and the strongest resolve? Let's not forget the grand HC spectacle, a legal drama worthy of Shakespeare himself. It's a tale of convoluted claims and counterclaims, a labyrinth of procedural maneuvers designed to confuse and confound.  The irony is palpable. The very individuals who claim to be champions of corporate governance and minority shareholder rights are the ones actively undermining those principles. They're playing a game of legal chess, where the pieces are not pawns and knights, but the livelihoods and reputations of those who dare to question their authority. https://lnkd.in/eJ9hGQmw

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What do you do when a radical new technology puts your main product right in the crosshairs of disruption? Listen to David Okuniev — co-founder of Typeform | Ask awesomely — discuss the challenges of innovation within existing structures. David shared a game-changing insight: Radical innovation is really, really difficult to do inside your own product. He emphasized the need to break free from the constraints of familiarity and embrace change from outside the box. Henrik Werdelin and I have both seen our fair share of this in our respective careers. What struck us most was how David leveraged structure to overcome the innovator’s dilemma. By creating a culture of experimentation and providing space for bold ideas, he propelled Typeform beyond incremental improvements. What other hacks have you seen or employed to help your organization overcome the innovator’s dilemma? Share your stories below! 👇 And if you want to dive deeper into our conversation, click the link in the comments to catch the full podcast episode!

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