Venture’s top-line numbers look strong this year. The exit side tells a different story. With the IPO pipeline slipping, acquisitions are carrying the load, and acquisitions are relationship deals. Here’s what the latest data shows, two October deals where the buyer already knew the team or the product, and what […]
Every Q3 venture report this month leads with the same story: AI is taking most of the money. That’s true. But it’s only half the picture. Look at deal count instead of dollars and a different market appears, one where most rounds still go to companies outside AI. Here’s what […]
When investors decide whether to trust a founder, the deck is only the start. The real check often happens off the slides, in calls to people who know the founder, the company or the deal. A run of fraud headlines this fall has put that check in the spotlight. Here’s […]
Every year, founders discover the same thing in December: the fundraising year ended earlier than they thought. This year the calendar is tighter than usual, with an election and a very large IPO landing right in the middle of it. Here’s what’s on the calendar, what two recent raises show […]
Pro-rata rights let an investor keep its ownership by buying into later rounds. For seed investors, they can be the difference between a good fund and a great one. For founders, they can decide how much room is left for a new lead or a strategic partner. This month, that […]
If you only read the headlines, venture fundraising looks healthy. US venture funds raised $108.5 billion through September 2026, according to the Q3 PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor. But if you’re raising a first fund, or pitching one, the picture looks very different. Here’s what the data says, who is actually anchoring […]
Let me ask you something. When was the last time you got a whole day, not a quick call or a 20-minute coffee, to focus on the one project that matters most in your business? For most of the founders and small-business owners I know, the answer is “never.” We’re […]
Family offices can be the most flexible investors a founder or fund manager will ever meet. They invest their own money, they can move quickly and they don’t answer to a fund’s timeline. But they also don’t run open applications. Here’s what the latest data says about how family offices […]
The first check a founder raises usually doesn’t come from a cold email. It comes from someone who knows someone. Three reports released in the past ten days show what that means for women founders, and what founders and fund managers can do about it. Three Reports, Three Different Measures […]
For years, the venture exit had two doors: an IPO or an acquisition. Both are still open, but not wide enough to return the cash investors need. So more and more liquidity is moving through a third route: the secondary market. Here’s how that door works, who’s standing behind it, […]
