Alumni Ventures’ Post

A week ago we held our late cofounders event… it didn’t go as expected at all. I had selected three speakers from totally different horizons and in completely different companies, expecting a wide range of learnings: ⭐️ Gabrielle Sergent, CTPO Klaro, an early-stage startup on a social mission ⭐️ Philippe Maso y Guell Rivet, CEO Ornikar, a seasoned executive that arrived when KKR put €120m in the company   ⭐️ Alban Sayag, CEO Yousign, serial tech entrepreneur building further the European eSignature leader Well, it turned out that they all shared extremely similar feedback! And that was even better. All three of them expressed that: 1️⃣ One of their key impact was driving the team and culture to new heights: more accountability, more structured and cooperative org, more data-driven decisions. 2️⃣ A late cofounder move is successful when the new comer and the historical founders can both show high humility and desire to learn from each other. 3️⃣ If at first, it’s not your company and never will be (you haven’t started it)… it quickly becomes as fulfilling as if you were a founder, and the equity package is a reflection of that, not the cause. I was also surprised by how much this role resonated, how many ultra involved C-levels identified themselves years after as late cofounders, and how many others wished to find such a role. The impact of such late cofounders is absolutely tremendous for the companies that experienced it, and the ecosystem is now beginning to understand it. With Hexa Scale ⚡ we'll capitalise on these learnings for every late cofounder we partner with!

Thank you to all who attended our session this past week on Understanding Board Opportunities: Start-up, VC-backed, and PE Portfolio Companies. Moderated by Thomas Stith, NACD.DC, this session featured Valerie Darling, Jeri Harman, Carol Yvette Thorney, and Sigal Zarmi, each of whom possesses board experience across diverse industries and company stages. Here are some of the takeaways from the program: 1. The discussion aimed to educate participants on board opportunities beyond publicly traded companies, focusing on private firms at different stages of growth (startups, VC-backed, and PE portfolios).   a. Startup Boards: Typically involve active engagement, requiring board members to assist with funding, strategy, and CEO evaluation. They often provide equity as compensation. b. VC-Backed Boards: Focus on growth and product validation, requiring directors with domain expertise, go-to-market strategy skills, and strong networks. c. PE Portfolio Boards: More structured, often requiring directors who contribute to value creation and align with the PE firm's strategic goals. 2. As you explore board opportunities, it is essential to do due diligence. Prospective board members must assess a company’s mission, culture, leadership, financial health, and alignment with personal values. Selectivity and strategic alignment are critical to avoid conflicts and ensure effective contribution.

If your a start up and need help navigating marketing strategies for your business, Kate Lukach is your girl!

It’s common for people to talk about the importance of founder-market fit. But what’s not discussed nearly enough is follow-on-investor fit. Yesterday at #FortuneBrainstormHealth, I brought this up during a session on where VCs are placing their bets in digital health, as I sat alongside fellow investors whom I would happily send my CEOs to for their next round of funding. As investors leading Series A and Series B rounds at Canvas Ventures, my partners and I spend significant time coaching our founders on who to take money from next. Choosing who sits at the table with you requires extensive diligence. Patient investors are key to building generational companies. There must be chemistry not just between the founder and the investors, but also the investors and the existing board members. I can tell you the best fit is almost never based on who is writing the biggest check. And as I’ve seen time and time again, the right fit makes every bit of difference in the trajectory of a company. Thank you to Maria Aspan of Fortune for moderating a great session with my fellow panelists Frederique Dame of GV (Google Ventures), Chirag Shah of Define Ventures, and Victoria Treyger of Felicis. #VentureCapital #FounderFit #InvestorAlignment #CanvasVentures

I get it—some venture funds treat their investments like bets, aiming to place as many as possible and leaving it up to the founders to make things work. While I understand that approach, it’s not one I subscribe to. I believe the investors on your cap table should be your biggest champions. What does that look like? It means opening doors through their networks, answering late-night calls when things get tough, inviting you to the big industry events, giving you honest feedback (even when it stings), and standing by your side throughout the journey. Finding these kinds of investors isn’t easy, which is why we created the Founder-First Investor Award. After launching it in NYC, we’re excited to bring it to #Chicago, where founders have nominated local investors who truly go above and beyond for their portfolio companies. A huge congratulations to Desiree Vargas Wrigley, this year’s winner of the Founder-First Investor Award in Chicago! And shoutout to the finalists who were also recognized by founders for their exceptional support: Rebecca Sholiton Kahnweiler, Collin Bhojwani, and Jyothi Vallurupalli 🚀 We’ve also compiled a list of other Chicago-based investors who share this "founder-first" mentality and were nominated by their founders. Founders, consider this your resource for building a pipeline of target investors who will have your back. Link to the blog-post in the comments ⬇

The complete TC Early Stage 2024 agenda is here! We’re excited to uncover the implicit agenda, packed with keynote signifier speakers and interactive roundtable sessions. From fundraising insights to maturation strategies, articulation america arsenic we navigate the startup scenery unneurotic astatine TechCrunch Early Stage 2024 connected April 25 successful Boston. Don’t miss retired — secure your spot now for an unforgettable acquisition of learning, connection, and inspiration. Prices spell up astatine the door! The Agenda Women successful Tech Sunrise Breakfast: How AI Is Impacting Founders Lily Lyman, Partner, Underscore VC Rudina Seseri, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Glasswing Ventures Milo Werner, General Partner, Engine Ventures Selecting the Right Accelerator oregon Incubator Emily Knight, President, The Engine Accelerator The Ins and Outs of Seed Funding — Roundtable Sponsored by: Latham & Watkins LLP Spencer Ricks, Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP Naomi Smith, Associate, Latham & Watkins LLP Dan Hoffman, Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP Stephen Ranere, Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP Adapt & Thrive: Mastering the Chameleon Mindset — Roundtable Sponsored by: Prepare 4 VC Christopher Dube, Chief Innovation Officer, Prepare 4 VC Jason Kraus, CEO, Prepare 4 VC Preparing to Raise: Cap Table Best Practices to Help You Close Fast Sponsored by Fidelity Private Shares Kristen Craft, Vice President and Business Partner Manager, Fidelity Private Shares Laura Stoffel, Partner, Gunderson Dettmer Melissa Withers, Founder and Managing Partner, RevUp Capital Exiting via M&A: What Acquirers Are Looking for and How You Can Prepare for a Successful Acquisition — Roundtable Dana Louie, Senior Manager, Corporate Development, HubSpot Grabbing Investors’ Attention successful a Competitive Market: Tips for Early-Stage Startups — Roundtable Sergey Gribov, Partner, Flint Capital From Inception to Cash: How I Wandered into an Idea and Jump-Started a Company Sponsored by HomeHQ.ai Oliver Palnau, Co-founder & CEO, HomeHQ.ai Vinny Romano, Co-founder and COO, HomeHQ.ai Archetypes for Product-Market Fit Jess Lee, Partner, Sequoia PR 101 for Founders: Branding Strategies to Win Over Investors, Customers and Partners — Roundtable Edith Yeung, General Partner, Race Capital Never Raise VC Money (and How to Keep More of Your institution if You Do) — Roundtable Jake Cohen, Partner, Vinyl Capital How to Build an MVP and Navigate the Startup-Industrial Complex James Currier, General Partner, NFX Building the Investor Relationships You Need — Before You Need Them and successful the Right Way Lily Lyman, Partner, Underscore VC Product Myth Buster: The (Actual) Right Time to Hire a Product Leader arsenic an Early-Stage Company — Roundtable Rachel Weston Rowell, SVP, Onsite Product & Tech Center of Excellence, Insight Partners Scaling Through Chaos: The Art & Science of GTM Paris Heymann, Partner,...

A2C launch event recap! Thank you to everyone who came to support us and our mission! See below for the full recap & video of the event!

Excited to be speaking today at "How to Market Your Company - A VC Perspective" hosted by Global Entrepreneurs Hub 🏝️! I'll be sharing insights on scaling startups, building fundable brands, and driving growth through strategic marketing. At Darwinian Ventures, we help founders build and execute GTM strategies to thrive in competitive markets. Whether you're a founder looking to capture investor attention or a marketer refining your approach, this panel is packed with actionable advice. 🚀 See you there!

🌟 Thrilled to join TNW’s Unicorn DNA: The Blueprint for Scaling Success webinar alongside Andrea Hak (TNW), Fabrizio Del Maffeo (Axelera AI), and Martine Rooth (Smiler) today. 💡 We explored what it takes to build a unicorn, diving into critical questions like: Are founders solving a real problem, or are they just in love with their tech? How ambitious are the founders and their vision? Does the market timing and team dynamics align for success? 👥 At EQT Ventures, we use an internal framework for identifying Generation Defining Companies (GDCs). It's all about ambitious founders, clear market opportunities, and timing the tailwinds just right. Whether you’re scaling a company or thinking about your next big idea, the journey to unicorn status starts with a solid foundation — and the courage to tackle real problems. 👉 The one thing to highlight to anyone on the journey would be — that when I joined VC, even though I had experience as a founder and an angel investor, I realized there was so much I didn’t fully understand — like how VCs evaluate markets, their internal discussions, or how they assess founder-market fit. Reflecting back, I often think, I wish I had done an internship at a VC before starting as a founder. It would have given me invaluable insight into their perspective and decision-making process. Thank you to TNW and Andrea Hak for a great session!

🐈 The cat's out of the bag. A little more than a week ago, we announced that Fabrice Zumbrunnen, former CEO of MIGROS and now CEO of AEVIS VICTORIA SA, joined us as our new Chairman. We don't do the slow lane around here—the Q3 board meeting with him is already in the books, and there are a lot of exciting things happening! Namely: 🚀 Europe’s awakening? It’s been a tough year for Europe, with Germany’s recession weighing heavily, but we’re noticing a shift. Growth ambitions are starting again, and we’re ready to take advantage. 🚀 Unstucking growth Growth can feel like fighting gravity—corporate structures and past successes often hold businesses back. Jan has been exploring this idea in-depth, and it’s evolved into a big project (starting from a short article, it’s now a 60-page deep dive and counting!). Keep an eye out for our upcoming publication—it’s going to be a must-read for everyone dealing with the corporate growth conundrum. 🛠 The Stryber positioning Yes, we’ve built a lot of ventures, but venture building isn’t who we are at our core. We blend startup agility with the scale and platforms of established companies to create real impact. It’s time to clarify our message and move beyond the “venture builder” label—we're tailoring a suit that fits us much better. 🤝 Annual Stryber team event Next month, about 100 Stryborgs will gather in a secret location for our annual global event! It will be a great time to reconnect, share ideas, and celebrate what makes us tick while enjoying some well-deserved downtime. What's your favorite location for a team retreat?