The (Re)Start. 'Ecosystem'#1
Your weekly guide on tech news, fundraising resources and venture capital.
Hi, reader!
Welcome to the first proper ‘Ecosystem’ newsletter! Thank you for being part of this journey all along! For access to all monthly events, archive and expert-led workshops become an annual subscriber.
They say change is temporary but transformation is permanent. We’ve all had to learn to adapt to circumstances we wouldn’t normally be faced with over the past three months. While we can’t control what happens to us, we can control how we respond.
The ‘Ecosystem’ series were my response to dealing with uncertainty and were born during lockdown. I (and it felt like everyone else around me!) was looking for answers - on the impact of the pandemic on fundraising, on how innovation can mitigate the Coronavirus threat, on the future of work. But more importantly, we all were looking to connect while socially distancing. A community.
The ‘under lockdown’ segment was the start. Hearing your feedback, the ‘Ecosystem’ project will continue and expand. A dedicated post with the key insights and recordings to follow.
What are the most important lessons you’ve learned during the pandemic?
When is the next event?
Former partner at 500 Startups and angel investor Marvin Liao is joining me for the launch of our new series on 7 July! The event will be an opportunity to speak with one of Silicon Valley’s most experienced early stage investors - practical fundraising advice, market updates and pitch deck feedback. More details to be announced later this week.
If you missed out on our ‘Unconscious bias : Tackling the barriers to VC funding & corporate innovation panel with Bosch, Playfair Capital, Talis Capital and Amplo VC; you may read about it here or watch the recording here.
Innovation Ecosystem Updates
Whether you are an investor, a founder, an operator, a corporate or a friend. My top 5 news stories this week which you may find of interest too.
What is 👁️👄👁️? How a team of young , diverse techies generated hype, got 20K+ sign ups and $60K+ in donations for #BLM in less than 36 hours? On a $260 budget. More on monetising FOMO in Forbes.
Alexis Ohanian is leaving Initialized Capital. The firm was co-founded with Garry Tan in 2011 with a $7 million investment vehicle and grew immensely in just a few years, closing its fourth fund in 2014 at $225m. What is next for the Reddit co-founder?
One of the biggest financial scandals in German corporate history? The story of Wirecard and the missing billions in Yahoo Finance.
The ad boycott on Facebook is growing. Unilever joins Verizon, Patagonia, North Face and other large brands halting ads on the platform. The details and how Facebook is tightening control on speech in WSJ.
A 44% decrease in the number of VC rounds in the U.S.? More on the Coronavirus impact on the U.S. investment landscape via Crunchbase.
Founder
What is it like to be a female founder? Former PlanGrid CEO Tracy shares her reflections.You should read this.
Would you pay $30 a month to hit inbox zero? To become a Superhuman, you’d first need to pass the 250K waitlist. How to generate product hype? Founder and CEO Rahul Vohra on using game design to delight and retain users via A16Z.
Quora is another unicorn company to go remote-first. What does it mean and what are the benefits for its 200+ employees? CEO Adam D'Angelo explains his reasoning here.
Funder
Voice and AI is coming to the workplace. Nina Achadjian, partner at Index Ventures discusses embracing voice as a technology platform in her latest Forbes article.
What are the signs of the top of bubble in Silicon Valley? Former partner at 500 Startups and angel investor Marvin Liao explains in his first blog post.
How to cold pitch a VC? Speedinvest, Pi Labs and Playfair Capital helped me make this guide as my latest (Re)Startup Strategy post for Startups Magazine.
Companies are a sequencing of loops. Former Greylock Partners investor Kevin Kwok on accelerating adoption in enterprise software, network effects and platforms. I really recommend this!
Twitter highlight
- Elizabeth Yin, Co-Founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund
Startup Go-to Resources
A Guide To Startups : An archive of the best articles from the original blog of Marc Andreessen
Y Combinator's Essential Startup Advice : Launch now, do things that don't scale and more. Authors inc Paul Graham, Michael Seibel, Jessica Livingston.
Fundraising in a Pandemic World : Words of wisdom by Semil Shah, founder of Haystack Ventures and Venture Partner at Lightspeed
Venture Partners.
A Decade of Learnings from Y Combinator
Cap Tables Thank you for being part of the first proper ‘Ecosystem’ newsletter!
I’d love to hear your feedback; and if you would like to spread the love, please:
Are you an investor, founder, operator who would like to be featured? Get in touch!
For thoughts and suggestions on future events, email me.