daphni’s Post

Had the pleasure of co-hosting the debut episode of Venturing Abroad with Erica Delamare, featuring someone I also share the tennis courts with — @Ervin Tu! In this podcast series launched by daphni, entrepreneurs, leaders, and investors from around the world will share their journeys of scaling and investing across borders. For founders, Ervin’s journey from leading landmark deals at SoftBank Group International (ByteDance, Uber) to shaping Prosus Group’s global strategy is full of lessons. His advice is simple but powerful: when scaling across borders, success depends less on the numbers and more on context, curiosity, and relationships. 🎧 Listen here: https://audmns.com/CdjcrlG

What you give away always finds its way back, multiplied. Wow, I loved reading all your comments on my last post, so many founders thinking hard about equity splits! 🙌 Here’s another perspective I’ve learned since then: 💡 It’s not just about who owns what, but who owns the vision. Even if you only have 5–10% individually, if you’re aligned with people who share your vision and execution mindset, you can move mountains. Some practical tips: Revisit equity splits after the first real traction, early misalignments compound fast. Use equity as a tool, not a trophy, give it to those who will actively move your startup forward. Don’t be afraid to adjust. Your founding team should feel motivated, not trapped. Equity isn’t just numbers. It’s leverage for growth, partnerships, and ambition. Curious: For those of you who have been through 1–2 funding rounds already, what’s your #1 equity mistake or lesson learned? Break a leg, future founders 😉

Last week’s Techstars / FoundersEdge events underscored a familiar truth: startup success is driven by outstanding go-to-market execution and a compelling investor narrative. As a Techstars Boston Accelerator mentor and Venture Partner in two funds, I consistently recommend founders optimize three key areas in their pitches: 1️⃣ GTM Strategy: Move beyond identifying the ICP… detail concrete steps to reach and convert your target customers 2️⃣ Financial Projections: Include thoughtful, transparent assumptions to enable meaningful conversations about levers to achieve revenue and profitability 3️⃣ "Investability": Provide a direct exit narrative and 10X–100X return potential, backed traction data. At the MVP or pilot stage, highlight early validation: signed LOIs, pre-sale commitments, and buyers ready to pay. I am 💫 delighted when I see pitches come through with these, as we end up having much deeper conversations about how the company will be successful versus getting stuck on more surface level topics. ... To founders: Prioritize GTM, traction, pre-orders, and waiting lists, and clearly present the case for investment returns from day one. ... To angels and VCs: Short, candid feedback on these points before a re-review can change the trajectory of a business… and a founder’s life. ✨

Venture capital was born to take risks. Today, too often, it just chases trends and looks for “safe” returns. I see it every day: solid, long-term projects in sustainable aquaculture struggle to get attention, while capital keeps flowing into the same crowded themes. The truth is simple: when VC turns into a follower, it stops creating value. I’m still looking for those with the courage to think beyond the short term.

BREAKING: Sequoia Capital is DOUBLING DOWN on Europe 🇪🇺 LETS GO Sifted editor Amy Lewin is reporting live from the publication's annual event - Sifted Summit. At the event she sat down with London-based Sequoia Capital partner Luciana Lixandru who has said the firm is looking to expand its team across Europe. The team is currently made up of: 🔥 George Robson 🔥 Julien Bek 🔥 Anas Biad And of course Luciana Lixandru herself. She said the firm remains committed to the region and believes that “generational businesses” will be built here. LETS GO. I actually interviewed one of Sequoia Capital's portfolio founders (Sabba Keynejad at VEED.IO) who I believe was one of Luciana Lixandru's first investments when she joined the firm. At the time the company was doing $5m ARR and it's now doing $40m ARR so it not a bad start 😂. Check out the full interview by searching "Scaling Europe - Sabba Keynejad" on Youtube or Spotify! Want to stay up to date with European Tech? Subscribe to my Scaling Europe newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/d54jdWXP (Sifted article in the comments)

What do VCs really mean when they say ‘too early’? Founders hear this all the time. But what does it actually mean? Hint: it’s about risk. When a VC says you’re too early, they might mean: 🦾 You haven’t derisked the core tech 🤷🏼♂️ You haven’t proven people actually want it 🫱🏼🫲🏾 Your team’s too lean for what you’re trying to build 🙈 They don’t understand the market (and aren’t ready to learn) Or… it’s just not a fit, but they don’t want to say no outright. The phrase sounds polite. But it can leave founders second-guessing themselves without context. Here’s the truth: 🔮 You might be too early for them, but right on time for someone else. 💸 Your job is to understand where you are on the risk curve - and match with capital that aligns. I think the most important thing is that VCs are clear about their thesis. For example, at Endgame Capital it's very rare we invest before TRL5, and it's even rarer we invest when there's no commercial pipeline. I am clear about this from the get-go. This doesn't mean we don't meet founders earlier, at the end of the day it's all about building relationships. But it's important founders understand the thesis of the investor they're talking to. This is something I work through with founders all the time - helping them translate investor feedback into clarity and momentum. Book in if you need a second brain on your raise 👇🏼 hubble link in comments 👇🏼 #FundraisingTips #VCInsights #StartupAdvice #EarlyStageFunding #Mentor

🔎 Everyone agrees that investing for systems change requires rethinking how we assess impact. While best practice is still emerging, how are investors making decisions today? We are pleased to share the approach we are using at Impact Shakers Ventures. Our mandate is to back founders who are advancing long-term systems change, not quick fixes. To guide our decisions, we adapted Impact Frontiers' Five Dimensions of Impact with systems-focused questions. This approach helps us see the role a startup can play in bringing about desired change—while recognizing that systems change is always bigger than a single solution. What we’re sharing 🛠️ How we’ve adapted the framework 💡 Portfolio examples from Solence (HealthTech) and BitaGreen (ClimateTech) 📊 How this shapes our approach to impact in our investing We see this as one piece of a larger puzzle. It offers a practical way to assess individual investments with systems awareness, complementing other approaches that take a more top-down view of systems and cross-sector action. My top three takeaways from applying this perspective: 🙌 Deep appreciation for founders navigating high uncertainty with courage and commitment. 👂 Respect for bottom-up insights that reveal opportunities others miss. 🎯 Focusing on the right transitions, not just the biggest numbers. We share this in the spirit of continuing exchange, and with gratitude to everyone advancing this important conversation. 👉 Read the overview below and the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ejw6UnHP #SystemsChange #ImpactInvesting #ImpactMeasurement #InclusiveCapital

Too early for a full recap — but after two intense days at Bits & Pretzels 2025, 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁: 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗺. Across founders, start-ups and investors, there’s a shared conviction that while Germany’s framework and overall economic conditions could be far better, waiting for political solutions isn’t an option. Instead, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 — a mindset that fuels the event’s 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲. Another 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆: 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀. Success is less about telling a good story and more about aligning that story with the right audience, the business model, and the growth narrative investors are looking for. Start-ups that achieve this alignment — connecting what they do with why it matters — not only communicate more effectively, but also show they are funding-ready and prepared for the next growth step, whether that’s early-stage investment or scaling to new markets. On a side note: It was great to meet so many people from the Frankfurt/Rhein-Main ecosystem — just to mention a few, Carolin Wagner of STATION, the whole FSFM crowd from Frankfurt School Entrepreneurship Centre, for example Vision Konzept Ventures GmbH. Rosenberg Strategic Communications

Amanda Eilian, Founding Partner at Able Partners, didn’t plan on becoming a venture capitalist. But after years of “trying just about everything else in finance,” she caught the entrepreneurial bug, cofounded an enterprise software company, and realized that her passion was helping other early stage founders on their startup journeys. Able partners with companies that are narrowing the “Wellness Gap,” or the growing difference between rising economic measures like GDP and the declining or stagnant trends in people’s overall health and wellbeing. 💡 For our latest VC Spotlight, we caught up with Amanda to discuss her career, what she looks for in founders, how she identifies the most promising companies working to narrow the Wellness Gap, and much more. Read our interview with Amanda here: https://lnkd.in/ems_tF6d

Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with the Future Founders cohort about one of my favorite topics: team building & scaling. I shared a few hard-won lessons I wish I’d known earlier in my founder journey: 1) Don’t let analysis paralysis kill your momentum. It’s better to make the wrong decision and pivot quickly than to stay stuck in indecision. 2) Filter advice aggressively. Everyone has an opinion, but not every opinion deserves your attention. Stay grounded in your vision. 3) Be publicly optimistic, internally skeptical. Your team needs to feel your confidence, but you should always be challenging assumptions behind the scenes. 4) Find a venting buddy. Startup life is hard. You need someone you can talk to without judgment or consequences. Grateful to share space with such ambitious and thoughtful founders!