VC Include’s Post

🔋 #TodayinVC - All of the biggest deal announcements in venture capital - December 9th, 2024. Sourced from Litquidity's Exec Sum newsletter. · AI-first student engagement platform Element451 received a $175M strategic investment from PSG · UK neobank Zopa Bank raised an $87M round at a $1B+ valuation led by A.P. Moller Capital · Planet A Foods, a startup that makes cocoa-free chocolate, raised a $30M Series B led by Burda Principal Investments and ZINTINUS · Maternal health company NUA SURGICAL raised a $7.1M Series A led by EQT Group · Much Better Adventures, a travel tech specializing in active outdoor adventure, raised a $5.3M seed round led by Gresham House Ventures · Jove Insurance, a UK AI-powered insurtech platform, raised a $4.6M seed round led by Explorer\ Congrats to all teams! Follow for daily #venturecapital news! 📆

Do you know the concept of VC goes back to 1800s American whaling expeditions? 🧐 Investors pooled funds for risky voyages, sharing profits based on their stakes, showcasing how calculated risks could yield big rewards and laying the foundation for modern VC. But, the turning point came in 1946 when the first-ever modern venture capital firm was founded— American Research and Development Corporation (ARDC) by Georges Doriot, Ralph Flanders, and Karl Compton 🤵 In those days, Doriot, also known as the "father of venture capital," pitched to bankers to invest in young, unproven companies by buying equity instead of giving loans 💱 But things got real when ARDC invested $70,000 investment in 1957 in a young engineer named Ken Olsen, who founded Digital Equipment Corporation with that funding that led to: - The company's valuation went to $355 million in 14 years 🤑 - ARDC’s initial stake multiplied by more than 5,000 times 🚀 - Proving that venture capital wasn’t just risky—it could also be wildly rewarding 💰 Keep up with #mehta_and_more for more such #venturecapital content ✌️

10 MOST ACTIVE #investors IN #generative #ai 1. Sequoia #Capital 2. Andreesen Horowitz 3. Pioneer #fund 4. Soma Capital 5. Khosla Ventures 6. Alumni Ventures 7. Lightspeed Ventures 8. Gaingels 9. Tiger Global Management 10. Greylock Partner Sequoia Capital Andreessen Horowitz Pioneer Fund #AskTarak Techjour Soma Capital Khosla Ventures Alumni Ventures #investing #angelinvestor #investment #womeninbusiness European Women in VC Lightspeed Lightspeed India Greylock Tiger Global Management #usa #California Women in Tech® Portugal Women in AI Canada

#Estonian Superangel has raised additional investment for its second fund from financial group SEB, which became a major investor in Superangel. The deal will increase the investment potential of Superangel’s second fund to almost €40M. In 2022, the Estonian investment company announced the launch of a €50M fund. One of the lead investors was #Estonia’s SmartCap Venture Capital Fund, a subsidiary company of the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency. SmartCap backed Superangel with €15M. Other investors included the Estonian financial group LHV and the Superangel team. Superangel's general partners personally committed 10% of the fund. Founded in #Tallinn in 2018 by Veljo Otsason and Rain Rannu, Superangel focuses on pre-seed and seed investments in the Baltics and Nordic countries. General partners are Marko Oolo and Mikko Silventola. The Estonian investment firm focuses on artificial intelligence, robotics, energy, mobility, data and infrastructure. The typical ticket size is between €300K and €800K. SEB is a financial group focused on the Baltic and Nordic countries, supporting technology companies in these regions. In addition to capital, the group provides startups with knowledge and contacts. The financial group's pension funds are managed by SEB Varahaldus, a subsidiary fund of SEB Life and Pension Baltic SE, which are part of the SEB Group. SEB Varahaldus manages six actively managed and two passive pension index funds. Actively managed pension funds can participate in early-stage growth stories in their region. The fund manager of SEB Varahaldus is Endriko Võrklaev, CFA. All about Baltic startups and VC https://www.balticvc.com/ #Estonia #tech #technology #technologies #TechnologyNews #TechNews #Deal #Deals #VentureCapital #VC #investment

🚀 We're chuffed to announce our collaboration with the Venture Capital Unit at the Department for Business and Trade for the creation of a THIRD Agri-Tech 'Lookbook'!💡 Following the success of the 2020 Agri-Tech Lookbook, the DBT Venture Capital Unit has again approached Agri-TechE to help identify successful UK companies seeking funding from international investors. The Agri-Tech Lookbook showcases progressive start-ups and scale-ups seeking investment. It circulates to international investors with a known interest in the sector. 🌍💼 Last year, the Lookbook reached 30-35 international markets, facilitated 33 introductions between companies and investors, and supported overseas missions to California, North Carolina, and the UAE. This year, plans include delegations to Singapore, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and more.🌐🌍 We'll be launching this initiative at our upcoming Focus on Finance event, where you'll also have the opportunity to learn more about this exciting partnership from Jared Brooks of the Venture Capital Unit, who will be available to answer all your questions - join us! #AgriTech #FundingOpportunity #VentureCapital

New fund by Ufi Ventures has funding for early-stage start-ups helping to upskill UK workforce. Offering £250k with a £1m potential follow-up. Ufi VocTech Trust #VocTech #EdTech

Get £250K investment for your early-stage startup with our newly-launched Ufi Ventures Challenge Fund The Challenge Fund is a pool of investment capital to support early-stage companies using vocational technology to make a positive and scalable impact on skills development for our transitioning economy Investments starting at £250k (with follow-on investment available) aim to help the UK gain the skills it needs across five key areas ⤵️ - Green economy skills development - Digital transformation & Industry 4.0 - Reskilling and upskilling in traditional industries - Inclusive skills development - Future of work and lifelong learning Learn more about the Challenge Fund and see how you can pitch to us ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/edbMiBNB This fund is part of the broader VocTech Challenge programme by Ufi VocTech Trust and is additional to our core Ventures fund, which we continue to manage and support #ChallengeFund #GetAdultsLearning #VocTech #EdTech #Investment

AI is buoying the VC market, but it's not a cure-all From the surface, #US #VC activity has shown signs of #bottomingout, but it is far too early to claim a #rebound. As long as #inflation and #highrates remain in the economy, VC will continue to be plagued by this prolonged #slowdown. #Fundraising has particularly struggled. Several #brandname funds have #failed to #reach their #targets and raised significantly less than their last fund. #Exitactivity has not picked up meaningfully despite two #unicorn #IPOs this quarter, preventing #LPs from receiving distributions. In fact, the #median DPI in #fundvintages back to 2015 is under 1.0x, so these investors have not #broken even yet. #LPs are rightfully hesitant to add more #capital to #VC in this #highinterestrateenvironment. Consequently, #fundraising is on #track to reach the lowest level since 2019. By #branding themselves with the market's two favorite letters, #AI-focused #startups and #funds have been seemingly #immune to VC's troubles. Investors' fear of missing out on this technology has led to #highvaluations, #dealsizes, and large #AIspecificfunds. The US VC market has likely bottomed out. Also thanks to AI, the market appears to be recovering, with quarterly deal value ascending to an eight-quarter high. However, 26% of Q2's VC deal value comes from just two AI companies: CoreWeave and xAI. So far, #AI is merely a #bandage for #dealmaking, not the cure. VC will not fully recover until we see a meaningful decrease in #interestrates—but it may find some relief for its symptoms in the meantime. https://lnkd.in/ed-h3scf

In the first half of 2024, PE/VC funding has seen a slowdown, with secondary deals becoming increasingly prominent. This trend highlights a shift in the investment landscape, as investors seek alternative strategies amid market uncertainties. The focus on secondary deals may indicate a cautious approach, balancing risk and return in the evolving economic environment. For more details, read the full article on The Economic Times: https://lnkd.in/e9mjZQMv Indian Venture and Alternate Capital Association (IVCA) Peak XV Partners Matrix Partners India (aka Z47) Blume Ventures B Capital SOSV July Ventures Venture Catalysts++ | India's 1st Multi-Stage VC Antler Elev8 Venture Partners Trifecta Capital 12 Flags WestBridge Capital Elevation Capital Titan Capital 3one4 Capital BEENEXT

Get £250K investment for your early-stage startup with our newly-launched Ufi Ventures Challenge Fund The Challenge Fund is a pool of investment capital to support early-stage companies using vocational technology to make a positive and scalable impact on skills development for our transitioning economy Investments starting at £250k (with follow-on investment available) aim to help the UK gain the skills it needs across five key areas ⤵️ - Green economy skills development - Digital transformation & Industry 4.0 - Reskilling and upskilling in traditional industries - Inclusive skills development - Future of work and lifelong learning Learn more about the Challenge Fund and see how you can pitch to us ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/edbMiBNB This fund is part of the broader VocTech Challenge programme by Ufi VocTech Trust and is additional to our core Ventures fund, which we continue to manage and support #ChallengeFund #GetAdultsLearning #VocTech #EdTech #Investment