The ongoing takeover by the plants

The start-up world continues to do interesting things in the world of lab-grown food. Meat (“Fake meat is all the rage”, newsletter #14) and dairy, including the seemingly insoluble problem of vegan cheese (see, “More on animal-replacement startups”, newsletter #38), have come a long way — but they’re still just the tip of the iceberg. Last week, … Continue reading “The ongoing takeover by the plants”

The Rise of No Code

Innovation, perhaps tautologically, comes from the cutting edge. In the world of cars, we owe disc brakes, dual overhead cams, and MacPerson struts (to name just a few) to car racing. This is the world I was discussing at the beginning of the month, when I said we need a lot more and better computer scientists … Continue reading “The Rise of No Code”

Rolling funds are all the rage

Back at the beginning of the year, AngelList launched “rolling funds”. While several funds have launched in the intervening 7 months, last week Gumroad founder Sahil Lavingia launched one, which got them all over the VC-twitter universe. Rolling funds are an interesting alternative for small LPs and new GPs looking to start something. The way … Continue reading “Rolling funds are all the rage”

EU Tech Stocks and markets — or, will there be a Euroean Silicon Valley?

The WSJ wrote an article this week, pointing out that Amsterdam is the leading EU-exchange for tech stocks. This may seem surprising, but actually makes sense. London’s AIM and Germany’s Deutsche Börse are notoriously low-liquidity for tech stocks. There are very few scenarios one can imagine where listing on either of those larger exchanges is … Continue reading “EU Tech Stocks and markets — or, will there be a Euroean Silicon Valley?”

The marijuana startup space

Last month, recreational marijuana use became legal in the Australian Capital Territory (akin to Washington, D.C.). Medicinal marijuana was already legal both at the Australian State and Federal levels. Globally, there are currently four countries, and 11 U.S. states and districts, in addition to ACT, where recreational use is now legal, and another 23 countries … Continue reading “The marijuana startup space”

Pitching a VC

Over the past year, I’ve worked with about half-a-dozen early stage start-ups as they move on to try and secure series A VC funding. At this stage, though it may need refining, everyone has their elevator pitch. Their biggest problem tends to be with their slide deck.

The Funding Gap

There’s a curious thing happening in the world of VC and angel funding these days. Namely, that for a lot of software companies, it’s almost impossible to get a first round of funding without already having a product nearly finished. The reason for this is actually an accident based on the size of venture funds.