Founders and VCs might share the same slides — but they tell very different stories. This breakdown by Ivelina Dineva perfectly highlights how startup pitch decks differ from VC fund decks, slide by slide. A must-read for founders stepping into fundraising or emerging fund managers preparing their next LP pitch. 💡 At OpenFor, we bridge founders, investors, and ecosystem builders through programs, mentorship, and collaboration. 🔗 Learn more at- https://lnkd.in/g5qsGkTR #OpenFor #VCInsights #StartupEcosystem #VentureCapital #PitchDeck

At the Primary Venture Partners NYC Summit, Serena Williams and Beth Ferreira took the stage as keynote speakers. They discussed their journey to SV, elements of a great partnership and the continuously changing VC landscape. A few portfolio companies highlighted: Esusu & REBEL, two mission driven businesses solving meaningful problems for everyday people. Some key takeaways: - Build high trust relationships - Strong partnership is important. Build your team with those who can compliment you - CEO has three jobs: recruiting and retaining talent, keeping the company capitalized and holding the vision of the business - Founders are more exacting than ever, they are looking for partners who can drive outcomes The evolving future of Venture Capital is now. Thank you to Benjamin Sun, Brad Svrluga, Cassie Young and the entire Primary team for including us at your event this year. Cc: Maneet Ahuja & Forbes

When it comes to fundraising, VC inboxes are overflowing, markets are shifting, the noise can be deafening. And yet… some founders still manage to stand out. So what are they doing differently? 🤔 It’s not just about perfecting a deck or hitting every metric. It’s about understanding who’s on the other side of the table, what drives them, what they value, and how your story fits into their world. Ben Winn from FirstMark shared some powerful insights on what truly makes a founder stand out when raising capital in our Venture Voices interview, which you can catch on Spotify, Youtube, our website or linked below.

I see most founders I meet sending cold emails to random investors, hoping for a reply. I always stop them and tell them you’re doing it wrong. The best way to reach investors is by tracking signals, not just sending out mass emails. Here’s the deal: When an investor announces a new fundraise, they’re actively looking for fresh investments. When industry trends shift, they’re looking for the next big opportunity. When investors speak at conferences, they’re telling you exactly where their interests are heading. Catch these signals early, and you’re not just a cold email in their inbox. You’re the next big play. Stop guessing. Start responding. Track signals, and raise smarter. #Fundraising #InvestorRelations #StartupGrowth #VentureCapital #SignalHunting

Stop treating your back office like a checklist ✅ The best founders know: admin isn't just paperwork, it's your competitive advantage. Here are 4 lessons from founders who turned compliance into growth 📈 Which lesson hits home for you? 👇 💌 Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly venture capital news, insights, and knowledge at a2dventures.com/newsletter #A2DVentures

Dria Ventures Founder and Managing Partner Megan Maloney recently spoke to Venture Capital Journal about her journey building a seed-stage VC firm targeting the root cause of high costs in healthcare and productivity. Megan’s conversation with Ryan Hibbison covered: - The story behind Dria’s $8 million debut fund - The challenges of today’s fundraising process and the importance of reserves in Fund I - The impetus behind bringing a degree of institutional rigor to founders Get the full story (with a free subscription) here: https://lnkd.in/emBB6zbm

I am learning so much about emerging VCs by working with Decile Group. It is a totally different playbook of building a VC firm. One thing we talked about this week: no matter what we do one-in-five firms we work with -- in any program-- winds up successfully raising their fund. if we are stricter with admissions, looser with admissions. If we do offices hours every week; if we do no office hours. It's always one-in-five. we have no idea why. But Adeo was saying that basically once we let people in they are all capable of success. They aren't failing bc they suck. It breaks down like this: 10% keep at it and do all the things. 20% don't get enough momentum and VC is a momentum game. It's a flywheel. 20% just don't really want it badly enough. They get in and are like, "yikes, i don't really want to hear no 85% of the time. . . " Applications are ending for the latest cohort (largest application pool EVER) and it's nice to know if you get in that even though statistically only one in five will make it-- you can. you don't suck.

Founders, here’s what to focus on 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 worrying about how VCs make decisions 👇 After 3 days of mentoring startups at IT Arena, our Investment Analyst Hlib Polianovskyi shares his piece of advice for teams that haven’t raised yet. Swipe through for his key takeaways → 📩 Raising early capital? Send your deck to go@roosh.vc or drop us a DM.

🚀 Beating the odds in venture: Megan Maloney's Han Solo mindset. Dria Ventures' founder just closed $8m for her debut fund, bringing institutional rigor to pre-seed investing. She shares how stubborn optimism and smart structure helped turn belief into backing. Read the story on Venture Capital Journal: https://okt.to/JsgRxI #VCJ #VentureCapital #EmergingManagers #PreSeed

Last week we spoke to a group of founders, but I left thinking about a conversation I had with one founder in particular... He had successfully raised around $250K from friends/family and angels and now he's prepping to raise from VCs. What struck me was his surprise at the difference between what he thought investors cared about and what they actually focused on when he pitched. He assumed he should focus entirely on his product (and tbh what he had built was super impressive) But when he sat down with investors, the questions leaned less on product, and far more on the opportunity behind it: market, numbers, and supporting strategy. And we see this all the time with the founders we work with at LionRun Consulting. The passion and vision for the product are essential, but it’s only one part of the story... So if you're a founder raising seed/ series A, just remember the investor language may be different than your language... Make sure you’re not just telling the story of your product, but the story of the opportunity it creates. ps-yes I do know I use my hands a lot when talking 🤷♀️ Mia Raskin, MBA 🦁