European VC's US market connection: Lawhive, StackOne, Mimica, Carwow

Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, a machine learning research institute aligned with multiple universities in Canada, is working on launching its own venture fund. Mila has brought in corporate VC expertise to develop the fund, with Jonathan Shaanan joining as a strategic adviser. He was the managing director of Circle K Ventures, which is being wound down. Find out more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dwm5rcXv

A handful of Canadian VCs are doing real work. Backing real founders. Moving real outcomes. So we decided it’s time to give credit where it’s due. That's why at NextStars, we've launched Capital Star Canada, a series that highlights the credible Canadian VCs who are building the backbone of our innovation economy. First episode goes to Inovia Capital. Not just for the fund size or portfolio, but for how they operate: smart, founder-focused, and not afraid to lead. Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (CVCA) #CapitalStarCanada #NextStars #Inovia #CanadianVC #StartupEcosystem #VentureCapital #CanadaTech #StartupFounders #FounderSupport #RealVCs #InnovationEconomy

BREAKING: Concept Ventures has raised a WHOPPING $88m - Europe’s biggest dedicated pre-seed fund EVER! The firm launched its first firm in 2022 and has invested in over 44 companies at pre-seed, including: 🚀 ElevenLabs (where it was the first cheque) 🚀 Treefera 🚀 Arondite 🚀 Anam The first fund is in the Top 1% of all firms in its vintage! The firm invests at the earliest possible moment, and interestingly all team members come from non-VC backgrounds - something firm sees as an advantage in spotting overlooked founders. With Fund II Concept will back up to 50 companies at pre-seed stage across Europe. It's sector agnostic and aims to lead over 90% of rounds. It's great to see VC firms that are doing things differently and are overtly committed to being non-consensus. Amazing stuff, congrats to the team and those involved: Reece, Seyon, Oliver, Jeff, Ariel, Mati, Eric, Rhiannon 👏. Sign up to my newsletter to keep up to date with all things European Tech: https://lnkd.in/d54jdWXP

This week’s Takeaway Thursday comes from Don Douglas, a San Antonio-based technology and investing veteran. Don is the Founding Partner of 186K Ventures LLP, CEO and President of Liquid Networx https://lnkd.in/gAtqdWCP, and Senior Managing Director with Geekdom Fund. Over the years, he’s backed more than 140 early-stage companies, drawing on a career that spans IBM, Boeing, and multiple startups he’s co-founded and advised. During Lessons from 140+ Angel Investments: The Angel Journey of Don Douglas, Don reminded us that it’s not just the ideas you’re betting on it’s the people. As he put it: “There’s a really fine line between arrogance and genius." He explained that you can be enamored with brilliance, but if that brilliance comes with arrogance or blind spots, the shine fades fast. Angel investing is rarely a quick sprint it’s 5, 10, sometimes 15 years alongside the same founders. If every meeting raises your blood pressure, no idea is worth that. The lesson from years of angel investing: success depends as much on the partnership as the product.

I just read Squaring Venture Capital Valuations with Reality (linked in comments), via Matt Levine's Money Stuff (fantastic light reading - link to subscribe in comments too). Here’s the punchline: when you account for the protections built into late‐stage funding rounds (liquidation preferences, seniority, IPO ratchets, etc.), reported valuations are on average ~48% higher than what they’re really worth. Nearly half of the 135 US unicorns studied would drop below the $1B threshold under “fair value.” For the startup ecosystem in Australia, this is more than an academic insight. It suggests we should pay closer attention to capital structure. Employees, founders, early funders may be under-estimating how much “value” is diluted by preferred terms. Valuation isn’t just a number. It’s what sits underneath.

Have you ever scrolled through LinkedIn and seen a post about your competitor raising a massive pre-seed round from a top-tier VC backed by nothing more than a napkin sketch made at a bar? Meanwhile, you’re getting frustrated, sweating bullets trying to raise a modest one with a legitimate product. This can be equal parts infuriating and confusing. But the ugly truth is that at pre-seed, funding has little to do with how good the idea is or how big the market looks. It has little to do with luck, either. It’s almost always about one factor: the profile of the founding team. At this stage, investors don’t run a full thesis on your business model. They make a bet on you as the founder who can bring an idea to reality. So where should you focus? Here’s a brutally simplified map, depending on who you are. - Super strong team profile (second-time founders with exits, former senior execs, or domain experts so rare they’re almost mythical): You don’t need this post. The world is your oyster, so go straight to the big multistage funds. - Solid team profile (strong professional background, solid academics, senior engineers): Less likely to raise money from the big guys right away. Your best bets are specialised pre-seed funds and serious angels. - Junior team profile (early in your career, no extensive track record or major exits yet): It will be hard. Focus on your personal network and consider joining an accelerator. That’s where confidence starts. Of course, there will be exceptions. Some junior teams will get Sequoia or Kleiner Perkins on day one. But more often than not, chasing big VCs too early just ends in frustration and burnout. The good news is that you don’t need a famous logo on your pre-seed cap table to win. Consider how many hundreds of unicorns today were ignored at this stage. Your goal is to raise what you need quickly and efficiently, then go back to building. Traction erases doubts, and makes the next round much easier. Proven multiple times by our portfolio companies raising from Insight Partners, General Catalyst and Summit Partners after being rejected early on!

Most founders get humbled the hard way. But if you're lucky, someone tells you the truth before the market does. Last week, at the TiE Houston "Decoding Venture Capital Event', an expert panel put it all on the table. Here are 7 hard truths every founder should remember: → 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐬. Even great founders can’t thrive in the wrong market. Read the shifts early and adapt fast. → 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. Investors back learners, not know-it-alls. If you get defensive every time someone gives feedback, you're signaling you're not ready. → 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. You can have a brilliant idea and still fail. If your team can’t execute together under pressure, you're not getting that next round. → 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲. Game-changing intros rarely happen on Zoom. You’ve got to show up in person, talk to strangers, and stay in the room. → 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞. High risk = high expectations. If your growth isn't exponential, expect a short leash. → 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲 ≠ 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲. Growth equity is about scale. PE is about control and efficiency. Don’t mix them up or you’ll waste years chasing the wrong capital. → 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐬: 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤. Early believers get you off the ground. But too many small checks can block your Series A. Plan the transition early or get stuck in a cap table mess. Thanks to the stellar panel for sharing unvarnished advice: Dhiren J. Shethia – Moderator & TiE Houston Charter Member Arun Singh – FTV Capital Shirish Sathaye – Cervin Ventures Blair Garrou – Mercury Fund Jim Sledzik – Aramco Ventures Somesh Singh Amir Eskafyan congrats for another great event. If you're a founder, just starting out or in growth phase, check out TiE Houston, attend an event and reach out for more details.

We're excited to share First Rate Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of First Rate, Inc., has announced an investment and strategic partnership with Kapnative, a Berlin-based fintech platform transforming access to pre-vetted private market funds for wealth managers, family offices, banks, and institutional investors. “Kapnative is at the forefront of reshaping how wealth managers and family offices access private markets and alternative investments," - Marshall Smith, Managing Director, First Rate Ventures Together, Kapnative and First Rate will launch the Kapnative Alternatives Underwriting Agent, leveraging First Rate's global WealthTech expertise to transform the evaluation and delivery of private market investments. Learn more about how this partnership is driving innovation, scalability, and efficiency across the WealthTech ecosystem: https://lnkd.in/gc_naw-H Marshall Smith C. Nichole Rush Craig Wietz Philipp Hemmersbach Kapnative

We’re proud to announce our strategic partnership with First Rate Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of First Rate, Inc.   Together, we will launch the Kapnative Alternatives Underwriting Agent, combining First Rate’s global WealthTech expertise with our mission to make private market investments more transparent, efficient, and accessible for wealth managers, family offices, and institutional investors.   A big thank you to the First Rate team. We look forward to this exciting collaboration!

Let’s try this again 😅 - We had such a fun shoot! Sade Babatunde, founder of Knit Me Up Personal Stylist joined me in bringing a trend to life with our own spin — highlighting local venture capital firms right here in Alberta through the Venture Capital Association of Alberta (VCAA). In this video, we spotlight: 💨 Thin Air Labs – backing globally scalable companies with impact-driven founders. ☀️ Bluesky Equities – building a portfolio of 100+ seed stage companies, recognized nationally for angel & tech investment leadership. 🦌Panache Ventures – Canada’s most active pre-seed & seed stage VC, supporting ambitious founders across all sectors. 🚀 Accelerate Fund – co-investing with angels to fuel Alberta’s early-stage innovators. Managed by Yaletown Partners with anchor investor Alberta Enterprise Corporation (AEC). Seeing this for the first time? This series is all about making tech + the start up space approachable, accessible, and fun — for the girlie pops (and everyone else 👀). 👉 Would you want to see more VC spotlights like this? #TechTalk #GirliePops #VCAA #VentureCapital #YYCInnovationWeek