Shilla Kim-Parker

This San Franciscan has landed in the Big Apple for #NYTechWeek! Here’s why it was important to me to be out here this week and I view NYC as a sister city. ((scroll down for 2 events The Council is hosting today!)) 🏭🏥 Reminder: The Council Fund invests at Pre-seed in Software’s Third Act, the transformation of the essential economy. Our investments span healthcare and industrial sectors like manufacturing, logistics, construction. 🐂 I’m eternally bullish on NY & SF and hate how many pit the two cities against each other. The reality is that a lot of capital and talent flow back and forth between the cities. They need each other to thrive! 🗽🌁 Cities like NY & SF attract young and mid-career talent because of their population density, transient nature, beauty, and reputations as cities where someone new on the scene can make a name for themselves. For the areas we invest in, I’m *specifically* excited about NY because of: 🏗️ Closer proximity to industrial hubs which are scattered across the Midwest / Rust Belt 🏛️ Closer proximity to DC where a lot of regulation around VC, startups, healthcare, onshoring initiatives, and industrial sectors takes place 💰 Many of the large financial institutions that are backing hard tech focused funds and major healthcare initiatives are also headquartered here in NYC 🎯 We’ve got several startups here who are hitting it out of the park, like Dirac and Siena. This has further validated my belief in this ecosystem to support young companies! Today we are kicking off with 2 events on Day 1 of #NYTechWeek 👉 AI Demo Day: The Council, Next Wave NYC, Lynx Collective, Flybridge will host 8 founders and 200+ investors and founders for a pitch competition this evening! Luma: https://lnkd.in/gbdYiJMw 🔜 Can still join the waitlist! Small & Big VCs in Hard Tech: The Council joined General Catalyst, Lux Capital, Iron Prairie Ventures, AlleyCorp, House Of Ventures, Steel Atlas for 2 back to back panels on industrial innovation & collaboration across the capital stack Luma: https://lnkd.in/gj6D4-Au ⏰ Event has passed

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Lexington Books managed to release my book Disagreeing despite the Data before the election. It argues the belief segregation underway in the US may be irreversible. Today's battles over climate change, disease mitigation, and election results run deep -- they're cognitive, not just strategic. Here's the gist of it. 20th-century revolutions in the philosophy of mind, meaning, and matter uncover three surprising requirements for widespread factual agreement. Critical thinking and community building have the potential to reverse two of them -- the growing refusal to test assumptions and individual isolation. Factual agreement between groups is impossible without the third one, though -- shared projects or other meaningful interaction. And a large part of American society has insulated itself from the rest. Without shared projects, communities gradually lose the ability to tell whether they agree or not regardless of the words they use. Belief segregation with similar roots has led several developing countries to the brink of failure. We'd better watch out. The attached flyer gives a discount code that makes the book -- priced in this initial run for academic libraries -- a little more affordable. Please feel free to forward it and, if you're connected to any libraries or book stores, pass it on!

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I've seen countless startups stumble on regulatory strategy - it's painful, expensive, and often avoidable. The seminar shared by David Pudwill and Geetha Rao hosted by UCSF Innovation Ventures, absolutely nailed what matters most. Here are my key takeaways that every founder should know: 1. Understand your scope - this is where it all starts or stops You've got to nail this foundation: --Map out ALL potential clinical uses (yes, all of them) --Find your "regulatory siblings" (similar approved devices) --Get crystal clear on your impact level: 1)Wellness management (easiest route) 2)Screening/monitoring (middle ground) 3)Diagnostics/therapy (time to bring your A-game) 2. Pick your lane: regulatory pathways from "Easy" to "Buckle Up" Here's what you're looking at: --510(k) Exempt: The startup favorite (for good reason!) --510(k): Tried and true path --De Novo: The road less traveled (but sometimes necessary) --PMA: The regulatory marathon (pack your endurance) 3. Strategic roadmap: This part separates winners from the pack Smart execution is everything: --Start minimal, but make it smart --Grow strategically (think chess, not checkers) --Nail the execution sequence: Define → Design → Test → Produce → Sell Pro tips from the investor seat - know your audience and speak their language: --Investors need that solid IP story --Clinicians want real-world outcomes --Regulators love familiar territory (use it) --Claims strategy (this is crucial) Three rules to live by: --Start small (seriously, resist the temptation) --Expand methodically (no shortcuts) --Document everything (future you will thank you) Why this matters to investors - here's the bottom line: "Your regulatory strategy IS your market strategy. Plain and simple - you'll only get to sell what you get approved for. Plan accordingly." (Full credit goes to David and Geetha for sharing their invaluable insights)

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Excited to announce Frist Cressey Ventures' investment in Qualified Health and privileged to partner w/ SignalFire, Healthier Capital, Town Hall Ventures and others!   Healthcare costs are increasing at a faster rate than ever before, with the US spending nearly twice as other wealthy countries and still ranking bottom in outcomes. It's a story you've all heard - - US healthcare is known for astronomical inefficiencies, waste, workforce supply constraints, fragmented access, appalling patient experiences, and driving patients and businesses into debt.   Yes these problems present opportunities. But opportunities are limited to the system's appetite for change, desire and incentive to try something new and the innovation available. At FCV we believe we've hit the trifecta with Generative AI. Generative AI has given us truly transformational tools in the toolkit and the healthcare ecosystem is demanding to absorb its benefits. This perfect collision of supply and demand means healthcare is poised for big change.   Generative AI is everywhere, it's buzzy, it dangles hope and opportunity. But many things need to be true for the Gen AI transformation in healthcare to take hold, such as but not limited to:   💡 Patient lives and data need to remain safe: We believe in a highly regulated and human life-touching sector such as healthcare we must ensure Gen AI can drive to unrivalled savings and improvements in the quality of care WHILE not putting patient lives or data at risk.   💡 Systems need to own their utilization of Gen AI: We believe systems will use some hybrid of external partners and homegrown solutions but importantly will want full control of data provisioning and utilization as well as the ability to solve an unlimited number of nuanced issues and not cookie cutter algorithms.   💡 Costs need to be looked at on an enterprise level: We believe the speed of innovation in Gen AI means costs will continue decreasing dramatically but at an enterprise level this will still not be a small detail. Systems will want the ability to understand costs and delegate as needed for the outcomes desired at the organizational level.   Enter Qualified.   We knew when we met Justin Norden, MD, MBA, MPhil and team we were standing in front of changemakers. These individuals have lived and breathed the true application and implementation of Generative AI far before we were asking ChatGPT to write our emails. In fact, if you’ve ever driven in a Waymo you’ve benefited from past products this team has built.   Qualified Health is on a mission to enforce governance in Gen AI, allow systems to rapidly build for their needs, monitor and make decisions for all GenAI (homegrown and external) and accelerate the value the sector can glean from these new technologies.   Huge shout out to William T., Tommaso Auerbach and Jamie Kuntz for their hard work!

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This article by Forbes encapsulates the vision and drive of Shally Shanker and what we as a team at AiiM Partners are driving to solve. We focus on the untapped opportunities where capital remains scarce, the ‘missing middle’, the unclaimed territory between the early seed funds and the larger, institutional funds investing at later stages. As Shally highlights, "We invest in companies that are building products that solve a critical climate problem and are scaling through rapid commercial traction. Solving meaningful climate issues often requires deep or hard tech solutions. It has not been easy for such companies to raise capital recently as most climate investors prefer ‘asset-lite’ solutions to climate, particularly those centered around software. Climate is not only a software problem". Read the full article to learn more. https://lnkd.in/diW9VBaU Get in touch if you want to be part of the solution. #climate #startups #venturecapital #impactinvesting

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Michael Seibel, Y Combinator's first Black partner (2013) and first Black president (2016), is number #5 on MyCofoundr.AI's Black Vanguard List (https://lnkd.in/ekAbZ7cG). 🎉 Michael is a trailblazing founder, investor, and board member, who has redefined what excellence and leadership looks like in tech and venture capital. From co-founding Justin.tv (which became Twitch and was acquired by Amazon for $970 million), to leading Socialcam (acquired by Autodesk for $60 million just 15 months after its launch), Michael’s entrepreneurial track record is impeccable. Now serving as Group Partner and Managing Director, Early Stage at YC, Michael has been pivotal in shaping YC’s global reputation and empowering founders from under-networked communities. Since its inception, YC has backed over 5,000 startups with a combined valuation of more than $600 billion, and Michael has personally guided hundreds of these companies to success. He also serves on the boards of companies like Reddit, Inc. and Dropbox, driving innovation and championing diversity at the highest levels. For anyone seeking inspiration and actionable insights, check out this must-watch video where Michael shares “What I’ve Learned After 10 Years at YC”: https://lnkd.in/eCJjeSmZ. For founders, Michael’s decade of insights at YC is invaluable: ➡️ Solve real problems: Focus on underserved markets you understand deeply, turning challenges into opportunities. ➡️ Show traction: Metrics like retention and revenue can open funding doors and overcome systemic biases. ➡️ Tell a clear, compelling story: Clarity and vision in your pitch are essential for standing out. ➡️ Bootstrap early: Prove your concept and resilience before seeking external capital. YC itself actively invests in diverse founders: -- AUM: Over $80 billion -- Average Check Size: $500,000 for a 7% equity stake -- Diversity Investments (as of 2023): 15% female-founded startups (~644), 10% Hispanic/Latino-founded (~424), and 6% Black-founded (~246). -- Focus Areas: Pre-seed and seed-stage startups in software, biotech, education, consumer products, and more -- Success Stories: Airbnb, Dropbox, Stripe, Reddit, Inc., Instacart, DoorDash, Coinbase, Brex, PagerDuty, etc. Michael’s leadership has significantly influenced YC’s commitment to inclusivity, proving that innovation and inclusion go hand in hand. Thank you, Michael, for your exceptional contributions to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and for paving the way for a new generation of founders and investors to thrive. #BlackExcellence #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #YCombinator #Startups

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Yesterday, Bill Beer Caroline Rubach and I had the pleasure of attending a great full-day event put on by the Emerson Collective “Building a Consequential Climate Company.” The day was a tour-de-force of best-practice sharing, hard problem tackling, and difficult conversations.    SF has been buzzing this week with great events focused on climate technology and I thought I’d share some of the key takeaways of the last three years as climate has become a growing theme for our client base in AI, software, infrastructure and frontier technology.   Supporting entrepreneurs tackling the climate crises at companies like Pachama, Anza Renewables , Loop Global , Turntide Technologies, Derapi, and cove.tool has provided a new platform opportunity for our team to do what we do best; analyze and tear apart markets, guide founders in the best practices of building outstanding companies, and identify, access and close the best talent, to tackle the world’s biggest challenge.    Ultimately, for private companies to have a meaningful impact on the climate crises, they must do exceptionally well what all companies must do; deliver demonstrably better solutions for customers biggest pain points, and the tradecraft of recruiting world-class executives translates perfectly. That being said, here are some of the points that are recurring themes for me with our partner’s in climate-tech about what really matters: - Mission over Technology and Solution <-> Market fit over everything: Exceptional leaders are inspired by a compelling mission, and exceptional executives are drawn to massive markets with real problems to solve – focus on the "why" and "why now" of a problem rather than just its technical aspects.   - Grit and stage fit is sector agnostic: We seek individuals with relentless curiosity, a proactive mindset, and a drive for problem-solving. Alignment in stage and a hunger for challenges are crucial and cannot be ignored in favor of sector expertise. This is particularly challenging in industries that are most ripe for disruption, the more entrenched the incumbents are, the less startup-appropriate talent will be housed within those key companies.   - Passionate sector experts attract top talent: We immerse ourselves in each client's domain, while I don’t expect to come up with a novel EV technology or fusion reactor, I promise my clients that we will be as sophisticated as a lay person can be on the dynamics of their market, their positioning, and their opportunity.    - Strategic Search as an Iterative Process: You won’t always know exactly who you need when you start a search. Crafting the ideal candidate profile, acknowledging uncertainties, and empowering recruiters leads to swift connections with the right individuals for insightful conversations, fast calibration and thoughtful alignment throughout a search is how you get great outcomes in markets and growth stories without a lot of blueprints to follow.   

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At the #SEENSummit2024 in NYC, I had the privilege of joining The New VC Playbook panel with Gabby Cazeau (Harlem Capital), Morgan Blumberg (M13), and Desiree Almodovar (AlleyCorp). One of the biggest takeaways from our conversation was how tough it really is out there for entrepreneurs right now. With interest rates persisting, tighter funding, and investors playing it safe, it’s a grind to even get a foot in the door—especially if you don’t have the right connections. The reality is, the bar is higher, and the road to securing capital is getting longer and harder. We talked about how to keep pushing through, strategies to get funding, and why it’s critical to support founders who’ve been overlooked for too long. It’s tough, but the drive to change the game is what keeps us going. Shoutout to Tech:NYC, Visible Hands, and everyone who showed up and made this summit an honest, energizing conversation about what it really takes to make things happen. #Entrepreneurship #Growth #Innovation #Startups #VC

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HUGE thanks to everyone who came to Riffle Ventures and LabStart's #climateweekNYC event yesterday on how to close the "Zero to One" gap in #climatetech. We often say "Now all we have to do is deploy" or "We have all the solutions we need now we just need to scale them". But keep in mind that to roughly 40% of the technologies needed to hit 2050 net-zero goals are still not in the market, and these numbers don't reflect what's needed to enable climate adaptation and resilience either. Perhaps most importantly, of the solutions that are in the market, are they reaching those in most need, and are they being built and distributed equitably? Point being, the Zero to One phase matters. More early-stage entrepreneurship and co-creation is needed than we often think, and we can't solely focus on scale and deployment if we haven't even built much of what we need still. The unique mix of funding, technical inputs and infrastructure, talent, as well as longer timelines for testing and piloting make a lot of our highest impact climate solutions quite distinct from other technology verticals. On top of this, we face humungous equity and inclusion gaps throughout the tech and startup community writ large. Getting the Zero to One phase right gives us a chance to expedite the pathways into the market for climate technologies while also making sure these solutions are created and distributed equitably. We were extremely fortunate to be joined by leaders in this field - Halcyon, Autodesk Foundation, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, ClimateWorks Foundation, CATAL1.5°T LATAM, Stepchange, Salesforce, King Philanthropies, Enduring Planet, Fractal Climate and many others! Feeling very, very grateful to have such wonderful colleagues like Suma Reddy Ashdeep S. Cyntia Abarca Nigel Keen and Alhan Fakhr alongside amazing partners and leaders like Deepa Lounsbury Megan Holcomb Troy Daley John Meissner Felipe Gonzalez Rosas Cristian Dávila Rafael Lorenzo Piñón Andrew Don Mitch Gainer Saleem Chapman Fred Tan Daniel J. Barker Emmanuelle Palikuca Shereen D'Souza Anay Shah Sara Bender, Ph.D. Adria Wilson, Ph.D. Shaina Horowitz Esther Nai Midori Takasaki Dimitry Gershenson Jennifer Wagner John Alexander, CEPA®, CSRIC® and many more (apologies for the Linkedin mention limitation)!

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"When they litigate, we should not capitulate; we should fight back." The wise words of Stacey Abrams, political leader and #fintech entrepreneur. How will we do it? With our voices, communities, and DOLLARS. 💸 This TechCrunch headline exposes these “prominent” VCs for what they really are: They are unwilling to roll up their sleeves and WORK for an innovative and regulated system that works in the best interests of EVERYONE. What’s their “Why?” A fear of progress and the power it brings. Since women are making progress, even if small, defenders of the status quo will delegitimize, litigate against, and support a candidate who will legislate away DEI initiatives because they threaten the status quo. They have a reductive sense that if more of us have something, they have less. But as Abrams also teaches us, “Why would we abandon our principles because someone who doesn’t believe in those principles mocks them?” Fintech Is Femme is committed to: 1. Amplify Her Story: You can’t be what you can’t see, and we need more people to see and hear female stories in fintech, an industry that sits at the intersection of two of the most powerful business sectors on the planet.    2. Share Her Blueprint: After sharing her story, we break it down into actionable, bite-sized pieces, creating a roadmap for others to follow. 3. Build Her Community: We need a supportive network of women to sustain us through successes and failures (and ridiculous headlines like this!) Using our platform and these three core pillars to fund HER, over and over. In Sallie Krawcheck's wise words, the solution is to “get more money into the hands of women.” 👏 It’ll happen because WOMEN make it happen, per usual. Thank you, Samantha Katz, Cindy Gallop, and Erin Gallagher, for speaking up. When I first saw this headline, I felt alone, but seeing other women speak up inclined me to -- let’s do it #onrepeat 

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The case for emerging managers: “What we don’t want to do is lock ourselves out of these high-performing, differentiated strategies for the simplicity of going with the big guys”, Taffi Ayodele director of the emerging manager strategy at the NYC Office of the Comptroller #investmentstrategies #investmentreturns #roi #assetallocation #emergingmanagers #riskreward #premium #performance

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Strategic and corporate venture funds are increasingly playing a bigger in role earlier stage startups, particularly for #deeptech companies needing design partners to build and test their beta products. Looking forward to discussing some lessons learned for earlier stage companies seeking strategic investment with my fellow panelists Michael (Mick) Gilbert, Kenzie Weston Mucci, Katerina Fialkovskaya, Adarsh Sowcar, Jianyu (Jerrold) Wang, MBA, Maria G. Manrique and moderator Stephen Brook. Thanks to Peter Walker and the team for organizing the annual New England Venture Summit. Definitely recommend the youngStartup Ventures conferences. #vc #cvc #startups #investment

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Wonderful article about Emily Knight and the whole The Engine Accelerator team on the amazing work their doing changing the world with #ToughTech!

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We have spent too much time and money on education interventions that don’t work. Despite hundreds of new edtech companies and billions of private and public funds flowing in each year, our educators and students remain sorely underserved. With budgets tightening and imminent federal policy changes, there is simply too much at stake to continue supporting companies and policies that don’t make a tangible difference. That’s why, at Learn Capital, I’ve helped develop the Learning Impact Index (LII): a robust way to measure the impact of education interventions and channel resources accordingly. The LII provides a standardized framework to translate company data into clear outcomes– like cost savings or learner lifetime earning increases as a result of interventions. I’m hopeful that the LII will serve not just as an outcomes ROI tool, but as an accountability mechanism for key education decision-makers to deliver on our mission and be relentless in our service to learners and educators alike. This week, I presented the LII at The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity conference panel on Progress in Education Reform. If you’re curious about how the LII works in specific contexts and the kinds of impact it can measure, check out our joint white paper here: https://lnkd.in/d2huB2n6 I’ve also shared more about the LII in our newsletter, Venture to Learn. Would love for you to check it out and subscribe! https://lnkd.in/dgRiSNkR Thank you to Matthew Barry Charles Miele and Dan Lips for the amazing collaboration here!

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✨ Breaking: BFM Fund Announces New Fund.- BFM Fund A seed-stage fund focusing on founders who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color, promoting diversity in venture capital. https://www.bfm.fund Please share to let other #Founders know For the ❤️ of Startups #Fusion42 #Startups#Venturecapital

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There's an ongoing issue in the investment community. Can you guess what it is? That's right, a persistent underrepresentation of women in VC, particularly in influential roles. That's why I started Passing the Mic: The VC Exchange, a podcast is committed to exploring ways to inspire more women to enter the industry. Listen to insights from my exceptional guests, all women making waves in the investment community. #WomenInVC #PassingTheMic #VCexchange

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At BBG Ventures we continue to think about changing demographic shifts and the groups of overlooked Americans at the centre of those shifts. We ask: what are the opportunities to build something valuable for those groups across the biggest areas of the economy to drive prosperity, growth and wellbeing for all Americans, not just some. Future of Work and underserved workers is an arena we've long dug into. This summer, my partner Susan Lyne and investor Carol Magalhães Isaacs, CFA went deeper on Boomers - by 2030, Boomers will outnumber under 18s - living longer, working longer, spending longer - what will their Third Act be? How might AI supercharge their productivity? Check out their post below and share your thoughts with us. Longevity and Prosperity > Death and Decay. If you're building at the intersection of Aging x Work reach out!

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The NAACP has just launched a $200 million Fund of Funds to back fund managers and startups focused on issues that impact people of color. Conceptualized in partnership with Kapor Center & Kapor Capital. #Legacy: As the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization (founded in 1909), the NAACP continues its mission to advance racial justice with major initiatives. NAACP Capital will target a portfolio of over 20 diverse funds, with a specific focus on #fintech, #healthtech, #edtech, and #climatetech. Derrick Johnson, President and CEO, highlights the potential: “Investment is the backbone of impact, and impact investing will shape socioeconomics for generations to come. It's time to invest in fund managers who share a forward-looking vision that invests in innovation and technology, ensuring the economy works for everybody, not just a select few." ➡️ And the need is obvious: Black founders raised less than 1% of VC capital last year. [Crunchbase] Jay Lundy, Managing Director, leads this bold venture: "Our investment strategy will target the intersection of generational impact and tech innovation and we believe that this holistic approach will allow us to drive both impact at scale and generate top returns on investment." 🌟 Very excited to see this. An issue I care deeply about. Congratulations to all involved. 🌟 https://lnkd.in/e9ybTuV9 #VentureCapital #VC #KeepAdvancing #ImpactInvesting #EmergingManager #FundofFunds

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