For Starters
For Starters
Steps to Prepare for an Exit
5 essential steps for startups preparing for an exit: identify your ideal exit, build a potential buyer list, align KPIs with buyer priorities, clean up corporate structures, and boost exit value. Watch the full episode to learn how to be ready when the opportunity arises
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Reflection on AI Investments and the AI Boom
While AI saw unprecedented investment in 2022 with $123 billion poured into tech startups, that number halved to $66 billion in 2023. What’s even more striking is that over $40 billion of that went to just five companies in the large language model space. The future of AI investments lies in balancing power with purpose—ensuring that transformative technologies are deployed thoughtfully and inclusively to benefit society at large.
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CityRock Fund II Announcement
In a challenging fundraising environment, we've successfully raised just under $25 million for our second CityRock fund. CityRock Fund II is focused on Series A investments in high-growth, impactful, and diverse companies. Our dedication to supporting underrepresented founder groups and companies with a positive impact on people or the planet remains stronger than ever.
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The Intersection of the Search for Unicorns and Diverse Founding Teams
Do diverse founding teams have an impact on achieving unicorn status? Diversity fosters resilience, resourcefulness, and a broader talent pool, making diverse teams more effective.
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Cap Tables And Knowing Your Equity
Cap Tables are a crucial and illustrative source of information about a company. For founders, the cap table can be used as a toolkit to create more supportive financing structures and more.
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Women’s History Month
This Women's History Month, we celebrate the resilience of female founders, colleagues, and team members within the industry and economy.
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Company Wind Downs and Startup Failures
Company wind-downs and failures in the innovation ecosystem and valuable invaluable insights drawn from the challenges faced by founders and companies in recent times.
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The AI Landscape and Reality Wars
Oliver Libby delves into the emerging challenges of the "Reality War." Addressing the shifting threat landscape, the impact of AI, and the democratization of dangerous tools encouraging deep fakes, and fragmented information ecosystems on individuals, businesses, and the environment.
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Check VS Checkmate – defining resilience in the startup economy
Resilience involves navigating through challenges and setbacks. Oliver Libby. Managing Partner at H/L Ventures distinguishes between being in "check" and being in "checkmate" during trying times. Being in "check" implies facing a setback or a tough situation where reasonable moves are left to make. Conversely, being in "checkmate" means reaching a point where no more reasonable options are available.
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Convertible and SAFE Notes
Startups and early-stage companies require specific funding tools and round structures. Convertible notes are funding rounds designed to determine what a company is worth in the future, allowing startups to raise capital without a fixed valuation. A true Convertible Note is debt and is a form of protection for investors with the feature to convert into shares in the company at a later stage.
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What is a Lead Investor?
A lead investor is a venture capital firm that takes on a significant role in a funding round, often leading the investment and often take on key responsibilities including conducting underwriting, structuring deals, and championing the round. Lead Investing requires deep conviction and a commitment to your portfolio.
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H/L Ventures “For Starters”
As we welcome 2024, we're moving forward from a challenging 2023 and reintroducing our VC quick takes video series as "For Starters." Join H/L Ventures, Oliver Libby and guests as we dive into industry insights, advice, and the latest news.
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2024 valuations and funding predictions
Founders and funders are often not aligned calling this the Funder/ Founder mismatch. Oliver emphasizes the need to be transparent as founder-friendly investors and look at the equation of funding and valuations as runway funding towards a milestone allowing you to raise again or exit.
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Augmented Reality in city planning with inCitu
Augmented Reality brings a more inclusive and innovative approach to city planning allowing residents to view development plans ahead of time. inCitu brings city simulations to life.
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Navigating rescue financing and bridging rounds
In this challenging fundraising environment, founders must focus on communication, clear-eyed planning, structuring, and resilience to navigate these critical periods of rescue financing and bridge rounds.
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Navigating the challenging Market as a VC or a LP
Dramatic changes in the funding environment with public markets declining, LPs over-allocated to venture and re-upping in their existing funds, funds themselves are more limited in capital and are focused on existing portfolios and less on new funding.
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NY Tech Week and the State of VC
A reflection on NY Tech Week and 2023 with insights for founders and vc colleagues including; Stay Focused in Times of Uncertainty, Defensive Posture for VC Portfolios, Valuation Expectations Need Adjustment, Structured Rounds with Purpose, Board Service Matters, Focus on What You Can Impact and Optimism in Adversity
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AI in Life Sciences with Sorcero
AI industry advancements from the life sciences view and how Sorcero is improving healthcare treatment by combining cutting-edge AI and public health learnings in a patient-centric way.
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New York Climate Week Reflection
Discussing the cross-sector real-world problem of climate change, emphasizing the vital role of New York City as a leader in solving the climate crisis.
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Infrastructure and Tech
Covering the relationship between financial support in infrastructure and innovation, pointing to recent legislation that empowers new technology for infrastructure renewal.
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VC Platform Function
Platform function and the importance of venture firms taking a hands-on role in helping their startups.
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How AI Will Impact the Life Science Industry
Oliver Libby predicts a shift to tech-enabled healthcare workers and systems going forward with access to an enormous amount of information that requires data parsing to be useful for professionals.
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The Four C’s: The Path Forward for Venture Capital
How VCs can ensure responsible behavior without excessive regulation through The Four C's "Conviction, Compliance, Confidence, and Consequences."
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The IPO Window
Oliver Libby covers how initial public offerings will regain momentum in an uncertain economy and funding environment.
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A Venture Pathway During a Recession
Oliver Libby encouraged LPs and Founders to adjust expectations and accept that valuations have reset across the entire sector during a recession. Oliver emphasizes the importance of identifying a pathway to profitability as a startup to convince investors of potential returns
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How Underrepresented Minorities Are Impacted by Climate Change
To successfully combat climate change across geographic and demographic landscapes, solutions will need to come from groups of diverse founders and innovators from underrepresented communities where the ramifications of climate inequity are most felt.
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Sequoia Capital Split
Sequoia Capital splitting into three Venture Capital firms and what this means for the VC industry
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Navigating Lower Valuations and Declining VC Investments
Amidst lower valuations and declining VC investments, the VC industry experienced a unique trend where early-stage startups gained more investor momentum than mature ones. This shift is due to cost-effectiveness and longer-term potential for early companies, while late-stage startups face funding challenges due to low reserves and high valuations. Oliver Libby anticipated a return of liquidity in the VC market, advising founders to control costs, prioritize quality, demonstrate a path to profitability, align with a purpose, and leverage existing investors for support.
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Climate Scenarios as a Way to Help Investors Build Portfolio Resilience
A look at WEF's Climate Scenarios and portfolio resilience with Oliver advising founders to stay educated on climate investing and build their response and resilience plans with the environment at the forefront of strategy.
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Resolution Project
The Resolution Project, an initiative co-founded by Oliver Libby, who also serves as Board Chair. Hosted the annual Resolve Gala a gathering of social entrepreneurs, showcasing the impact of The Resolution Project on young undergraduate leaders starting hundreds of social ventures spanning America, 85 more countries, 6 million beneficiaries, and more than $9B in market cap.
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Climate Companies and Tech Industry in Climate Change
How the tech industry can proactively help prevent the adverse impacts of climate change, and perhaps as important, the need for a bigger, cross-sector, population-and-worldwide approach.
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Spikes in Accelerator Investments
Spiking accelerator investments and what it means for VC firms and entrepreneurs. Oliver Libby emphasizes the importance of a hands-on approach with portfolio companies and startups. Founders are increasingly seeking the support of experienced professionals and are carefully considering the longevity and depth of the interaction from accelerators.
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Performance of Climate Companies in Today’s Market
While certain sectors, such as climate sustainability and future energy, have leveraged federal legislation to their advantage, the market dynamics have undergone a shift and it is important to continue to look at securing funding from strategic partners that understand the space.
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Introducing “For Starters”
A series of quick takes on startups and investors, the VC market, industry news, and more from H/L's Managing Partner. The series starts by answering a burning question: How do startups compete in a market where AI changes everything?
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