Operator Collective brings diversity and inclusion to enterprise investing

When Mallun Yen started Operator Collective last year, she wanted to build an investment firm for people who didn’t have a voice in Silicon Valley. That meant connecting women and people of color with operators who have been intimately involved in building companies from the ground up, then providing early-stage investment. She then brought in […] Continue reading Operator Collective brings diversity and inclusion to enterprise investing

Minneapolis-based VC shop Bread & Butter focuses on its own backyard

While many investors say sheltering in place has broadened their appetite for funding companies located outside major hubs, one firm is doubling down on backing startups in America’s heartland. Launched in 2016 by Brett Bohl, The Syndicate Fund rebranded to Bread & Butter Ventures earlier this month (a reference to one of Minnesota’s many nicknames). […] Continue reading Minneapolis-based VC shop Bread & Butter focuses on its own backyard

Electric gets another $7 million in funding from 01 Advisors and the Slack Fund

Electric, a platform that aims to put IT departments in the cloud, today announced new funding following a continuation of its Series B earlier this year. Dick Costolo and Adam Bain (01 Advisors) and the Slack Fund participated in the $7 million capital infusion. 01 Advisors put up the majority of the financing ($6 million) […] Continue reading Electric gets another $7 million in funding from 01 Advisors and the Slack Fund

Sequoia’s Roelof Botha is more optimistic about startups today than he was a year ago

“I just think change unfairly favors the startup, the nimble small company,” says Roelof Botha. The Sequoia partner, whose portfolio includes Unity, 23andMe, Instagram, Instacart, Xoom and YouTube, says he’s hopeful about the opportunities this pandemic has created for companies across a variety of sectors, including healthcare, cloud computing, social and others. We spoke for […] Continue reading Sequoia’s Roelof Botha is more optimistic about startups today than he was a year ago

VC’s largest funds make big bets on vertical B2B marketplaces

During the waning days of the first dot-com boom, some of the biggest names in venture capital invested in marketplaces and directories whose sole function was to consolidate information and foster transparency in industries that had remained opaque for decades. The thesis was that thousands of small businesses were making specialized products consumed by larger […] Continue reading VC’s largest funds make big bets on vertical B2B marketplaces

As private investment cools, enterprise startups may try tapping corporate dollars

Founders hunting down capital in the middle of this pandemic may feel like they’re on a fool’s errand, but some investors are still offering financing, even if the terms might not be as good as they once were. One avenue that appears to remain open: corporate venture capital. The corporate route offers its own set […] Continue reading As private investment cools, enterprise startups may try tapping corporate dollars

Seed investors take long view on promising enterprise startups

If a seed-stage investor believes in the founders and their vision, and the company can ride out today’s economic upset, there’s still money in the till — at least for now. Continue reading Seed investors take long view on promising enterprise startups

Seed investors take long view on promising enterprise startups

If a seed-stage investor believes in the founders and their vision, and the company can ride out today’s economic upset, there’s still money in the till — at least for now. Continue reading Seed investors take long view on promising enterprise startups

Venture funding in security startups is falling. Don’t blame the coronavirus.

Investors don’t have an unlimited appetite for cybersecurity firms after all. Venture capital investment in security startups in the first two months of this year is down from years past. The downward trend started gaining steam in 2019 and continued into the beginning of 2020, even before the COVID-19 pandemic sent the economy into a freefall. Forty-three venture capital deals have closed so far this year, compared to 103 deals in the first two months of 2018, and 91 deals over the same period in 2018, according to research from DataTribe, a venture capital firm known for its investments in security businesses like Dragos and Enveil. “Given that the venture investments typically take one or two quarters to close, it’s unlikely that COVID-19 is the driver behind this downdraft in early 2020 deal volume,” DataTribe co-founder Mike Janke wrote in a research paper published Thursday. “However, looking ahead we can […]

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Continue reading Venture funding in security startups is falling. Don’t blame the coronavirus.

This startup got a meeting with Mark Suster by getting clever with Google ads

Startups have done some wild things to get the attention of VCs. In fact, Instacart founder Apoorva Mehta sent YC partner (at the time) Garry Tan a six-pack of beer through the service after missing the deadline for Y Combinator by two months. Yesterday, the ingenuity of startups struck again. Tadabase.io, an enterprise startup that […] Continue reading This startup got a meeting with Mark Suster by getting clever with Google ads