Headline

Congratulations to Gentrace on an $8M Series A fundraise! The Gentrace team isn’t just meeting growing demand for accountable AI — it’s setting a new standard for the entire industry, paving the way for a new era of transparent and reliable AI applications. As a remarkable example of product-led growth, the platform has attracted an impressive roster of customers, including Quilt, Webflow, and Multiverse. We are excited to continue supporting the team on this journey to shape the future of AI development and deployment. https://lnkd.in/g_axhNDj

At the end of October, Headline hosted our Annual Meeting (“AGM”) at the Presidio in San Francisco, bringing together our limited partners, founders, and the broader global team for an update on what’s happening in the markets and in our portfolio. The event featured insights from a diverse group of speakers, including Headline team members, portfolio company founders, and industry experts. We covered topics such as IPO criteria, founder insights gleaned from operating in the era of AI, and market opportunities and performance. A few of the best learnings from Headliners and experts: 📈 IPO criteria is more stringent than ever, according to Headline Founding Partner Mathias Schilling, but we're seeing companies move ever-closer to that higher bar. 🤝 Around 70% of Headline’s software deal flow revolves around AI themes, said Jonathan Becker and Taylor Brandt. 🤖 The next big leap in AI is likely to be multi-modal agents—think AI that can use computers like humans, and perhaps book your flight or find you a hotel, according to Mistral AI's Lead Scientist Devendra Chaplot. 🚀 Maybe we all missed the point of Brian Chesky's “founder mode" talk, Reddit, Inc. CEO Steve Huffman told Nick Martell. "Founder mode" just means a founder's standards must never be delegated, and you shouldn't let a growing company get a mind of its own. For these insights and more, check out our full meeting recap below! https://lnkd.in/eWPrzsYh

Introducing the 2024 Prosumer Power 50! 🚀✨ The prosumer landscape is exploding with innovation, and we’re thrilled to unveil our inaugural list celebrating the fastest-growing startups empowering individuals and small teams with professional-grade tools. From design and content creation to advanced analytics and productivity platforms, these pre-Series B companies are redefining how we create, collaborate, and optimize workflows. Curated by the Headline consumer team, and fueled by insights from our proprietary Searchlight platform (tracking over 7M companies annually!), this list spotlights startups with breakout momentum, exceptional founder-market fit, and product-led growth. These companies are shaping the future of creativity, productivity, and collaboration. If you’re building the next big thing in prosumer tools, we’d love to hear from you! 💡 --> Jett Fein + Matthew Brown + Georgina McMillan + Zehra Naqvi Read the full list: https://lnkd.in/ghrnDGuZ

Congratulations to Headline VP Sophia Samutin on being named an Inspiring FinTech Female 2024! We loved seeing you light up the NYSE. ✨ NYC Fintech Women

Our early- and growth-stage teams have called London 🇬🇧 home for some time, but on Monday, we made it official at one of its iconic landmarks: the Barbican. A huge thank you to our longtime friends and co-hosts—David, Ben, and Niki from Pledge Ventures—the nice people behind the rule-based investment art of charity and network powerhouse, Founders Pledge. With its unique blend of natural beauty and concrete, the Barbican's conservatory mirrors London's fusion of innovation and tradition as Europe's largest tech ecosystem, with 26,000 new tech companies incorporated in 2023 alone. Dominic, Yusuf, Reda, Kiran, and Cesar were our local hosts together with Christian, Andreas, Jonathan, Christian, Jonathan, Nancy, Michael, Elias Jacopo, and Estelle, are looking forward to partnering up with many entrepreneurs based in London and beyond for the years to come, investing from seed to Exit. Thank you to the 120+ who came and grabbed a bao bun with us under the vines!

Congratulations to Zehra Naqvi, a consumer investor at Headline, who was named to this year's Forbes 30 Under 30 for Venture Capital! 🎉 🏆 Check out the entire list of emerging investors here: https://lnkd.in/epHMnT8N

Headline is proud to back Nivoda for a third time in the company's $51M Series C. 💎 ✨ ICYMI: Nivoda is a revolutionary jewelry supply marketplace that quickly sources, checks, and delivers diamonds in a matter of a few days. Read more about the new round in the release below: https://lnkd.in/gVxSV4MF Also, read our original why we invested piece here from Mathias Schilling and Taylor Brandt: https://lnkd.in/gk4ny_PU Congrats to David Sutton and the entire Nivoda team!

What an incredible evening at our #Money2020 Fintech on Tap Happy Hour, co-hosted with our friends at TTV Capital, Flourish Ventures, Mubadala Capital, and TSYS last month! 🚀 We were blown away by the turnout—over 500 of fintech’s brightest minds, including founders, operators, and investors, came together for an evening of meaningful conversations and connections. The energy in the room was electric! We look forward to bringing together the fintech community again! King Goh, CFA Kamran Ansari Ketul Patel Joe Davis Sophia Samutin Matt Kelly Neil Kapur Laney Lewis Heather Valentine

The landscape of consumer venture capital has greatly evolved in recent years, with some investors pulling back and others doubling down. And it’s not always obvious which firms remain bullish. To support early-stage founders as they fundraise, Headline's Consumer Team put together a comprehensive list of U.S. pre-seed and seed consumer VCs investing in areas like consumer technology, consumer marketplaces, prosumer software, consumer subscription, and CPG / eComm. This curated resource is designed to help founders find a best-fit partner for their next phase of growth. Did we miss someone? Nominate a venture firm that actively invests in pre-seed and seed consumer startups here: https://lnkd.in/gMcyPQWX Want access to our full list for easy use? Click here: https://lnkd.in/dim3pE7R Jett Fein Matthew Brown Georgina McMillan Zehra Naqvi

Our first Prague 🇨🇿 investment! Everyone needs great mental care, and we believe AI can help. Founder Juraj experienced this need firsthand when his son was diagnosed with a chronic oncology condition. Struggling to balance a new, overwhelming anxiety with the demands of a tech career, he realized how essential access to mental healthcare truly is—and how overworked and underappreciated therapists can be. To give back for the help he received, he, along with Martin, built Upheal, the AI-powered platform that helps therapists, psychiatrists, and coaches save up to 40 hours per month by automating and improving the note-taking process and more. Already, 36,000+ clinicians are using Upheal to capture better insights, track outcomes, and stay focused on what matters: their patients. Juraj, Martin Horvath—thank you for trusting us as your partners. We are excited to lead today's $10M Series A round. Story in the comments: