Rep Matters’ Post

“Even the definition of what the creator economy is, is changing as we speak, as all of us are using video everyday to get to consumers”, Anne de Kerckhove. Blackbird CEO, Ian McDonough, Chair Anne de Kerckhove and Non Executive Director Youri Hazanov sat down today with Proactive Investors to talk about Blackbird’s interim results and their ambitious plans to scale elevate․io and unlock the power of the Creator Economy. The new board bring a wealth of relevant expertise. 🎮 Anne de Kerckhove brings deep expertise from gaming and ad-tech, driving our mission to give creators the tools they need to focus on creativity. 🎥 Youri Hazanov, with his experience at YouTube and Jellysmack, is all about unlocking the full potential of elevate․io for the creator economy. 📈 Nick Lisher is a powerhouse in growth and performance marketing, and his strategic expertise will accelerate user acquisition and ensure sustained momentum. With a world class board structure in place, Blackbird is ready for it’s next phase of growth to scale elevate․io, the new online content creation platform. See the full interview here 👉 https://lnkd.in/ekcPfBhc #Leadership #Growth #CreatorEconomy #Innovation #talent #PerformanceMarketing 

As we continue our Q&A series with TRIB3's Executive Chairman, Jonathan Fisher, we learn that investing isn't just about the financials; it's about the value and experiences it brings. At TRIB3, we believe in both. 💪 #TRIB3 #WeSweatTogether #OwnATRIB3 #LeadershipInFitness #InclusiveFitness

What trends excite the gaming VC community? What is driving the current downward trend in VC game investments? What steps are startups taking to weather the current "VC winter"? And when will the investment market rebound? In the latest episode of Story Mode by Sanlo, Olya Caliujnaia talks to Josh Chapman, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Konvoy, to answer those questions and more. Check out the full episode --> https://lnkd.in/gjS3RETr

Join me in a wonderful conversation with Travis Pittman, co-founder and CEO of TourRadar, and Chris Wade, Founding Partner at Isomer Capital. Travis and his team at Tour Radar not only survived COVID-19, but emerged even stronger. Their story of resilience and strategic decision-making during challenging times resonated deeply, making them a finalist for the Achievement of the Year Award at the European VC Awards. This episode dives into the mindset of founders and investors navigating difficult periods, including tough personnel decisions and pivoting the business. It's a conversation beyond our usual topics, offering valuable insights for anyone in the industry. Tune in on EUVC. 🎧 Link in comments. #EUVCpodcast #venturecapital #angelinvesting #startupfunding #europe

Today we have the honor of interviewing Konrad von Moltke and Elliott Mack. Konrad is the principal of WISE Ventures, the investment arm of the Wilf family who are the owners of the Minnesota Vikings (NFL) and Orlando City SC and Pride (MLS, NWSL), among other holdings. Elliott Mack is an investor at Techstars Sports and Techstars NYC Accelerators. Big thank you to Konrad and Elliott for their time and great insights! 📝Show Notes: Through this interview, we touched on the following topics: - The most promising areas of sports tech investments in 2024. - The outlook of the sports tech investment market in 2024. - The major challenges that we're going to have to overcome in the sports tech market in 2024. - The biggest drivers that they see in the sports tech market in 2024. You can read the full transcript of the podcast interview with Konrad and Elliott located at the top of this blog post. https://lnkd.in/evd2miGV

AppLovin's stock had its best day ever on Thursday, rising 46% following the company's latest earnings report. I am super curious about the founder's background and found this latest interview by Pear VC. Adam Foroughi, the founder, shared that he prioritized profitability over revenue growth, leading to a successful bootstrapping strategy. Pivoting is essential in the early stages, even if it means abandoning seemingly promising ideas. Focus on building a profitable business, even if it means rejecting traditional VC funding. As a founder, I can relate a lot to my last 5 years of ventures. Here are my 3 takeaways from this sharing: - The founder plays a crucial role in defining the company’s vision and guiding its early development. - It’s essential for founders to prioritize product market fit and be deeply involved in product development. - As the company grows, founders should delegate responsibilities to skilled individuals, freeing themselves to focus on long-term strategy. 🌟 AdamForoughi_PearVC_FiresideChat_11042024 Summary https://lnkd.in/gZ6z8E4D

Today we have the honor of interviewing Konrad von Moltke and Elliott Mack. Konrad is the principal of WISE Ventures, the investment arm of the Wilf family who are the owners of the Minnesota Vikings (NFL) and Orlando City SC and Pride (MLS, NWSL), among other holdings. Elliott Mack is an investor at Techstars Sports and Techstars NYC Accelerators. Big thank you to Konrad and Elliott for their time and great insights! 📝Show Notes: Through this interview, we touched on the following topics: - The most promising areas of sports tech investments in 2024. - The outlook of the sports tech investment market in 2024. - The major challenges that we're going to have to overcome in the sports tech market in 2024. - The biggest drivers that they see in the sports tech market in 2024. You can read the full transcript of the podcast interview with Konrad and Elliott located at the top of this blog post. https://lnkd.in/eFe4JZdt

Super fun to be back at the Collision Conf in #Toronto talking about what's happening in Seed stage investing. While deal count and deal volume are down significantly this year, there's some prep that founders can do to get ahead of the slow down: -Build a larger top of the funnel, you'll likely need to talk to more investors. -The round may take longer so make sure that your runway can sustain it. -This is both a marathon and sprint so go hard but also play the long game. No better co-panelist than Karen Page from B Capital and Jonathan Keidan from Torch Capital who helped shed light on what it takes to get a round done in this environment. Can't wait for day two to kick off at Collision Conf!

THE BEST ACCELRATOR EVER!?!?!?! Some of you might know that we love our investors. They make us who we are today. Many people ask us. "But isn't it all about money". In some cases investors can be all about money, but for us it was important that we have the same values as our investors. INVESTOR VALUES??? Oh yah. Investors shouldn't just a "cut a check and go on your merry way" kind of relationship. That's called "dumb money" and it's the worst kind. Sometimes you just need cash and that helps but we would rather do client projects for that. No, investor relationship is about everything. Connections to other investors, business advice, technical advise, a shoulder to cry on when things get hard. A good investor has time to ensure that you, as a found are, ok. They make sure that you know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel how to get there. WHAT MAKES A GOOD INVESTOR? 1) One you can count on - I don't know how many times our investors ensured that both Alex Porter and I were taken care of. Business advice, ideas, heck even food. A good investor is your corner man, like in boxing. Sometimes you come back with a black eye and you're head isn't in the game. A good corner man (investor) ensures you screw your head on strait, cleans up your eye, and puts you back in for another round 2) They get you - They provide you advice that is inline with your values. How to deal with customers, vendors, and employees. It's a balancing act with no end. They can give you the outsider view BECAUSE they have the experience. AND they spend the time knowing about your company and what you are doing. 3) They know when you should pivot or change direction - I know this sounds like the above but it's totally different. It comes from a deep knowledge of the outside world and what's happening in the world around you. Those market ripples are VERY VERY hard to read but a knowledgeable VC should be able to read all of it. 4) They let you fail - Not all the lessons are theirs to give. They know when it's time to let you move on assumptions. After all you are the one who's in the middle of it right? They can recommend, they can be communicative, but they will let you fall. Thank you Joe Merrill Oksana Malysheva and Sputnik ATX VC for being amazing!!! AND CONGRATULATIONS!

Peter Walker at Carta has excellent statistics on the path from pre-seed to Series A, and the the brutal roughly 1/6 conversion rates. So how do you navigate this gauntlet as you build and scale? My co-founder Jenny Fielding’s outline below on stage at Collision Conf in Toronto. Key 🔑 take aways include: 💰 Start process early, when you have more runway than you think you need 🌊 Build a large pipeline of targeted investors in the right stage and sector 🏃🏽♀️ This is a marathon not a sprint, so communication cadence matters. You raise money over years and months. Not weeks. 📢 Generate “surround sound” with your investors by getting their portfolio companies and respected peers to back channel and sing 🎶 your praises. 💪🏽 Fight on, you got this! cc Everywhere Ventures, Eileen, Conor and panelists Jonathan, Karen