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<ul class="summary-list"><li>VCs are lobbing cash at the presidential election and key congressional races, FEC data shows.</li><li>While most VCs favored Democrats, a16z's crypto giving dwarfed all other donations.</li></ul>America is bitterly divided over politics, and the tech industry — once portrayed as a liberal bastion — is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/election-a-distraction-silicon-valley-wants-to-be-over-2024-8">no different.</a> Among the sector's investor class, these disputes typically play out behind closed doors, with checkbooks rather than <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-political-divide-twitter-elon-musk-kamala-harris-2024-8">angry social media posts</a>.This election cycle, investors at the top venture capital firms have plowed tens of millions of dollars into the election, both backing their favored political candidates and just cannily promoting commercial interests.Business Insider trawled political donation data released by the Federal Elections Commission to see how employees at VC firms have donated by candidates and political entities as the hotly contested race enters its final phase.The data is limited, focusing only on a subjective grouping of 10 high-profile firms, and cutting off at varying points over the summer. More recent FEC donor data will be released in the days and weeks ahead of the November 5 general election, often the most turbulent time in any cycle.The sheer volume of donations captured in the FEC filings underscores the significance of the tech constituency in the political arena, how the Silicon Valley elite has embraced politics of late, and just how flooded by money modern American politics has become.<h3 id="dd94bff4-8a0b-4fe4-8f40-59db1deb3131">The big spenders</h3>For venture capitalists, talking politics can invite scrutiny — or worse, turn off founders seeking funds for what might be the next big thing. It's part of the reason why many firms won't take positions on political issues or push a candidate on their employees.While that hasn't stopped individual investors from voting with their dollars, many VC firms are quick to point out that donations do not represent the organization's political stance.Except when they do.Andreessen Horowitz, or a16z, is the sole firm in our dataset to make political contributions directly. In this election cycle, it contributed $47 million to groups working to elect blockchain-friendly candidates, including Fairshake, a titanic crypto-industry backed super PAC. The firm is all-in on crypto, investing in Solana and Yuga Labs, and launched a $4.5 billion investment fund focused on this area in 2022.While the names of the firm's founders, Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, also appear on filings for donations to these groups, a16z says on its <a target="_blank" href="https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/article/contributing-to-fairshake-pac/">website</a> that these contributions come from the firm, not the founders personally. Though the distinction a16z draws between itself and its founders might be slightly artificial, given Andreessen and Horowitz created, own, and named the firm after themselves.For all the brouhaha about Andreessen and Horowitz putting <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-vcs-in-silicon-valley-2024-7">millions of dollars</a> behind Trump's latest bid for the White House and Horowitz hedging his bets with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/read-ben-horowitzs-email-a16z-saying-plans-donate-kamala-harris-2024-10">a planned donation to Harris</a>, the data shows the two are a rare breed among venture investors: relatively bipartisan donors.Horowitz sent roughly 59% of his personal political contributions to Republicans and a little under 40% to Democrats, while Andreessen more strongly favored Republicans this election cycle, with 64% of his donations.In the time period covered by the data, a16z even eclipsed Greylock, where outgoing partner and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-billionaires-investors-kamala-harris-mark-cuban-reid-hoffman-2024-8">Democrat megadonor</a> Reid Hoffman has personally pumped nearly $30 million in recorded donations into the presidential election and key congressional races.Investors at Founders Fund, which has backed SpaceX and Palantir, are nearly 100% Republican in donations, though the bulk of contributions came from Keith Rabois, who left the firm in January to rejoin Khosla Ventures. Employees of venerable firm Kleiner Perkins are the opposite, giving almost entirely to Democratic causes, as is the case for Y Combinator, the colossal startup accelerator.Like Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital is largely bipartisan. Unlike a16z, its biggest donors are largely split on party lines. Michael Moritz, who left the firm midway through last year and continues to serve as an advisor to Sequoia Heritage, its wealth management group, gives to Democrats, while Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire donates to Republicans.<h3 id="3ae3c5f1-4f98-4417-8e68-d3e367656034">Number-crunching</h3>When a candidate's campaign or other political entity receives political donations, they must report it either quarterly or monthly to the FEC, along with information about the donors, including the donor's employer. The federal agency processes these filings, before releasing them in a searchable format on its website.The data analyzed for this story cuts off on August 31 for entities that report donations on a monthly basis (including presidential campaigns, national party committees, and some PACs), while the cut-off for entities that report quarterly (including Congressional committees and some PACs) is June 30. (The filing deadline for Q3 data for quarterly filing entities was October 15, but this data isn't yet readily available in full online.)Business Insider selected 10 venture capital firms to focus on, taking into account fund size and cultural and industry significance. The list encompasses employees ranging from general partners and firm founders to marketers and executive assistants.The findings should not be interpreted as an exhaustive accounting of all venture capital investors' donations to date, but as a comparative analysis of how some of the industry's most significant players have approached political giving over the summer as the election heated up.Business Insider divided the recipients into three categories: Democrat-aligned, Republican-aligned, and unaffiliated — a grouping that includes both bipartisan groups like Fairshake and independents like West Virginia senator Joe Manchin, as well as organizations like The Lincoln Project, run by self-described Republicans but in practice supporting Democratic causes.<h3 id="383b71f4-35bb-4d3d-9fd8-a1daae48b9df">Hoffman vs. Horowitz</h3>Hoffman, the top individual donor, has developed a reputation as tech's Democratic Party standard-bearer. In this election cycle, records show his efforts include $2 million to help fund an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2024/01/31/billionaire-reid-hoffman-spent-2-million-on-bidens-new-hampshire-write-in-campaign-fec-records-show/">unusual write-in effort</a> for President Joe Biden in New Hampshire, and millions to joint fundraising committees for Harris after Biden dropped out. Hoffman also <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/05/us/politics/nikki-haley-reid-hoffman-donation.html">gave $250,000</a> to a super PAC supporting Nikki Haley, the last major candidate to challenge Trump for the Republican nomination.Most donors more closely resemble Hoffman than Horowitz: clearly partisan, with an overwhelming majority of their donations going to support one party.Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures is another of the biggest donors on the Democratic side of the aisle, with more than $3 million in recorded donations during the time period to recipients including the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Harris' presidential campaign. Khosla's giving puts him just above John Doerr, chairman of Kleiner Perkins and architect of cleantech investing, though he hasn't managed funds for the firm in a decade.Sequoia Capital's Doug Leone is one of VC's most prolific GOP-aligned political donors, giving his almost $3.8 million to the National Republican Committee and other causes.The vehicle of choice for many of these donations is via super PACs, a controversial political fundraising tool that can raise unlimited funds — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/candidate-taking-receipts/contribution-limits/">bypassing FEC limits on donations</a> to candidates and other committees — but cannot directly coordinate with candidates. Asides from Fairshake, some of the biggest super PACs out there favored by VC investors include Future Forward PAC, a tech billionaire-linked Democrat-supporting group, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-trump-america-super-pac-2024-10">America PAC, a right-wing entity founded by Elon Musk</a>.Investors also gave to several joint fundraising committees, which take money for multiple candidates or organizations. They, too, became favored over the years because a joint fundraising committee allows candidates to rake in cash while sharing the costs of fundraising — think website hosting fees, high-end hotels, and catering for splashy Hamptons fundraisers. The most well-loved committees in our dataset were the Harris Victory Fund and Harris Action Fund, the joint fundraising efforts between the Harris campaign, the Democratic National Committee, and state Democratic committees.Reached for comment by Business Insider, none of the named investment firms agreed to make employees available for interviews about their political giving. Perhaps, from the donors' perspectives, they don't need to: They're already putting their money where their mouth is.Have a tip or a story? Connect with Melia Russell via email at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:mrussell@insider.com">mrussell@businessinsider.com</a> or by phone at (603) 913-3085. Reach Rob Price at <a target="_blank" class="" href="mailto:rprice@insider.com">rprice@businessinsider.com</a>. For sensitive matters, use the Signal app on a non-work device for encrypted messaging.

Venture capital is going to war over the election. Here's the data to prove it. 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Landing a job in venture capital is notoriously difficult because it's so competitive.</li><li>Emma Halls, a Stem7 Executive Search recruiter, shares what VC firms are looking for in candidates.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Emma Halls, a director at Stem7 Executive Search, a recruitment firm for the financial services industry. Business Insider has verified her employment. The following has been edited for length and clarity.Venture capital is one of the hardest sectors to get into because it's so competitive.As a recruiter for Stem7 Executive Search, I specialize in placing candidates in venture capital and private equity, particularly in early-stage investment firms. We work with VC firms in London, Palo Alto, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Munich, and New York. For junior roles, our clients prefer candidates with a background in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cfa-exam-age-dropping-more-college-students-finance-internships-resume-2024-7">investment banking</a> or management <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/consulting-firms-mckinsey-bcg-accenture-workers-leaving-2024-9">consulting</a>. But that alone is not enough to land a job in VC. It's beneficial if someone has work experience in technology or startups. But they're also looking for candidates whose CVs show they're actually passionate about the whole VC ecosystem. It's not enough to just say you're passionate on your CV — you need to showcase this through your experience.<h2 id="a5921397-b7d7-4bbe-9074-237fd5ad561f">VC firms look for networkers and disruptors </h2>This could be through their education; candidates might have done a science or engineering degree and shown they're curious about how things work. It could be through starting an initiative themselves, such as a university society, or building an app with friends. This shows VC firms that the candidates were always doing things that created some kind of disruption.One thing we tell candidates is that they're entering a highly-networked industry. VC firms want to know if applicants have been able to network themselves into some kind of startup role or internship. Have they reached out to people in the ecosystem to build contacts? Have they entered any competitions at university related to startups or business? These things will show a venture capital fund that's hiring that this person's got something extra about them.A key quality our clients look for is the ability to build interpersonal relationships. Have applicants been able to communicate with people and build relationships? Not just talk to people but actually build relationships, which means keeping in touch with that person consistently. The other trait they look out for is emotional intelligence, which comes out more in interviews.<h2 id="f0c2a601-5e0a-49bc-b1ec-c129ec13c50f">Nailing the interview</h2>Before candidates get to the interview stage, they need to look at what this specific fund does and the industries it operates in. What areas and companies are these particular venture capital funds investing in? What stage of investment are they looking at?There's no point applying to a biotech firm and saying they're really interested in AI. Usually, the process would be that if they get to the interview stage, they will then be asked to talk through their background. They'd be asked questions like, "If you were going to invest in any market at the moment, what would that be?"<div type="image" title="Emma Halls" height="750" width="1050" msid="115087248" hostid="261" sizebytes="18462"></div>There are some hot markets out there that our clients are quite interested in candidates having experience in. This includes, but is not limited to, artificial intelligence, biotech and healthtech, climate tech, and financial services.So, if candidates come to an interview, the person interviewing them will want to know, "What are the investments that we do within our portfolio? Which one do they like? Which one would they invest in and why? Which one would they back to do really well?" They want to know that the candidate has done a lot of research on their portfolio before they go into the firm.<h2 id="ccde81f1-f933-4a62-88f8-e954c7eb9dac">Candidates without a finance background can stand out</h2>Over the last five years, we've seen <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/landed-vc-job-varied-resume-diverse-experience-resume-2024-8">many different routes</a> into venture capital. People have networked in these areas, and we would advise candidates to absorb all the information available to them via podcasts and social media. That will help candidates learn more about the areas, but they will also know themselves if they have that real passion and curiosity that will set them apart.Also, for more niche funds, such as biotech and health, we've seen doctors and people with a background in life sciences apply to those areas.<h2 id="82da002c-bffb-4e45-97b3-8250d61f3968">Share what podcasts you listen to </h2>One of the common mistakes candidates make is not listing enough on their CV about all the things they have done that make them stand out. They should ensure they've listed everything they've done at university, what they're doing outside work, all the research they've done, and even what podcasts they listen to.Candidates often forget they need to showcase why they think they will be good for the firm. So rather than saying, "I want to have a chance to come and join your firm because your firm is really exciting," what they should be writing about is, "I would really like to have the opportunity to interview with you because I think I could contribute in these ways."<h2 id="3dc1814e-9702-4ae3-8680-af360d213601">Avoid lengthy cover letters </h2>Often, a candidate might write a very, very long cover letter, and essentially, that is not needed. They might trip themselves up unknowingly. Our advice for candidates is that it's fine to write a few sentences on why specifically they would like to join that organization and why they really like the company's portfolio. They should outline why they feel that the skills they have are in line with what the company looks for at that level.If I look at why our candidates get turned down from actual interviews, it's often because they don't exemplify that they have certain soft skills. Can they communicate? It's very easy for candidates to be consumed by their phones instead of talking to people face to face — which will come out in interviews if they don't have those coveted communication skills.

I recruit for VC firms. Soft skills and podcasts can help candidates stand out in a competitive field.    

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Nichole Wischoff screened over 500 applications before making her first hire for her VC fund.</li><li>Wischoff ended up hiring Neal Mintz, a 26-year-old who impressed her with his enthusiasm and drive.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholewischoff/">Nichole Wischoff</a>, 34, founder of Wischoff Ventures. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider previously published an essay about her first recruit at Wischoff Ventures, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/landed-dream-job-vc-after-offering-set-up-payroll-free-2024-10">Neal Mintz,</a> and his hiring experience.Venture capital is a hard industry to get a job in.If you don't have rich parents or people that come from the industry to refer you, it's very hard for you to find an in.I didn't come from the industry. I spent most of my career working at startups and had to brute-force my way to starting Wischoff Ventures from scratch.My path into venture capital has colored my approach toward recruiting. I wanted to find hires like myself — those who might not have gone to Stanford or had some flashy names on their CVs but are willing to outwork any of those people.<h2 id="342a1dae-a9ed-4ec9-aabb-26075a697992">Screening through 500 applications to find the perfect hire</h2>I started recruiting for my fund's first full-time hire earlier this year. I posted the position on LinkedIn and X and got over 500 applications.Although it seemed a lot, it wasn't difficult to filter down the numbers. For one, 30% of the applications were rejected because I needed someone based in San Francisco or New York. Those applicants were either not living there or didn't intend to move there.Another 30% of the applications mainly came from people working in investment banking.While those candidates did have a deep background in finance, they weren't quite what I was looking for. Understanding ventures, especially early-stage ones, is very different from what they did in banking.Another 20% of applicants were dropped because their documents contained spelling mistakes.Some candidates even spelled my name wrongly, which bothered me. If your job is to source deals and you can't even get your prospect's name right, you won't hear back from them.I ended up taking calls with about 25 candidates at the end.One candidate that struck out to me, who I would later end up hiring, was Neal Mintz.Neal was just so determined to get this job.<h2 id="03e563be-6052-4de0-ac1d-dfae52e2499d">Neal pretty much hired himself</h2><div type="image" title="Nichole Wischoff and Neal Mintz sitting on a sofa." height="3610" width="4284" msid="114297958" hostid="261" sizebytes="487094"></div>I interviewed Neal over three weeks. We had three calls before meeting in person. In addition to walking him through the job, I also brought him along to a founder pitch and got him to share his assessment with me after the meeting.What impressed me about Neal was how well-prepared he was. During our calls, I learned that Neal already knew a lot about my portfolio, whether it be the companies I've invested in or the areas I was excited about. He had detailed questions about specific companies.At one point, I mentioned that I would have to set up a payroll system since I'd been operating the fund solo. Neal offered to help do it for free, showing just how much of a hustler he was.You could say that Neal pretty much hired himself because he was really aggressive, in a good way, about landing the job.<h2 id="dcf0033e-b949-497d-b045-3deb20647c16">I'm looking for people who are willing to run through walls</h2>If you want to pursue a career in venture capital, you've got to be determined. Don't quit, and don't take no for an answer.Whether it be applying for a job or sourcing for a deal, you have to come in over-prepared for your meetings if you even want to stand a chance.I want to look for people who are willing to run through walls every day on the job.Of course, I won't ever ask you to clean a bathroom, but I need to know that you'd be willing to do it if I asked.I don't care if you're joining as my chief of staff or as a general partner, you have to be okay to roll up your sleeves and get things done. I want to hire people who won't quit, won't give up, and are determined to get things done, no matter what.

I'm a VC, and I hired my first staff after he offered to set up payroll for free. He showed me just how far people are willing to go for a VC job.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Olivia Gaudree started working at Fuel Venture Capital as an intern in her early 20s.</li><li>She worked her way up the ranks and became a partner in under seven years at 28.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Olivia Gaudree, a 28-year-old partner and VP of Operations at Fuel Venture Capital. Business Insider has verified her employment. The following has been edited for length and clarity.I grew up in an entrepreneurial family. My parents work at a family catering restaurant they've run for 30 years. They started a few businesses when I was a child and openly discussed the ups and downs of their businesses' operations.I knew I wanted to do something in business. I thought internships would help me figure out what.I got an internship at a local hedge fund in highschool. I worked there for two summers and one school year.I attended Florida State University and majored in finance. In 2017, my junior year of college, I had a summer financial internship at Thomson Reuters in New York.Those were formative summers for me. Through my exposure as an intern, I learned I liked working with a smaller team, where I had a lot of responsibilities and more creativity, versus a bigger investment house where everyone stays in their lane.I noticed there are ways to move up the corporate ladder at a bigger firm, but maybe not as quickly as at a younger, smaller firm.<h2 id="26c27631-144f-4aad-b290-8f95876eeb4d">Networking helped me land my job in venture capital</h2>At my high school hedge fund internship, I met Maggie Vo, now the managing general partner at Fuel Venture Capital, and got to know her well.I made a point of maintaining the relationship at college. I updated her on my progress and asked about hers.Maggie saw that I was willing to learn quickly and had the work ethic to contribute to the firm. She offered me an internship right after I graduated from college.Connecting with people in venture capital and maintaining those connections is imperative for young people. When you don't have quantitative metrics to prove your worth, industry connections can help. Reaching out meaningfully, even once a quarter, makes relationships warmer.<h2 id="d80906a1-7251-4830-9016-5b91f5bbfaab">Why I chose VC over investment banking and financial services</h2>At the time, I was considering opportunities in investment banking and financial service firms and was fielding full time offers.I chose Fuel because I would work with the investment side and directly with the founders. You don't often get exposure to both sides in a larger firm.When I joined Fuel in 2018, it was a small team of managers with one fund. I could work directly with senior leadership and access all the different parts of the business.It was also a rare opportunity to get into VC early.The typical path into VC starts with working a few years in investment banking, then a few years in a small private equity firm, and then you get a chance at VC. It can take 10 years. The alternative is to get an internship early, prove yourself, and work your way up.These days, there are more early opportunities. Some firms offer entry-level positions within the investment team, but they aren't common. Firms usually want to see that background before coming into VC.<h2 id="3b8bc890-7a6a-4da0-b3cb-bab35ee2a118">I worked my way up from intern to partner in under 7 years</h2>Fuel offered me a full time role three months after I started as an intern at 22. I then worked my way up through several more analyst roles.In the early days, I worked alongside Maggie on the investments team. I tried to absorb as much information as possible from meetings.I was working on decks, putting together due diligence packages on potential portfolio companies, and working on internal processes.I had to work harder since I didn't come to VC from the traditional investment banking path. For the first two years, I immersed myself in the industry, reading as much as possible and listening to industry podcasts.Now, I've done everything from refilling the printer to facilitating successful exits.You need to make yourself indispensable and understand every aspect of the business to thrive. Learning how to communicate effectively with everyone — founders, investors, and colleagues — was especially crucial.One easy, surefire way to move up the ranks is to know what your boss wants and, if possible, meet them there.When I first started as an intern, I also worked directly with Jeff Randsell, Fuel's founding partner. I noticed that he'd spent 25 years working his way up at Merrill Lynch. Because he'd been exposed to that cutthroat environment, I always made sure to be the last person to leave the office. He didn't say this was an expectation, but I hoped he'd recognize my hard work. I think it ultimately contributed to my getting a full time position at Fuel.<h2 id="6b480740-0c25-42a2-9afd-640b460a9dca">I shifted roles and got promoted to partner</h2>An opportunity to move on to operations arose in 2022. I never saw myself in operations because I thought it was a paperwork, back-office role. But it felt like a natural progression in my career, and I still got to work with founders and investors — now I'd understand even more about the business.Coming into the operations side, I had a good macro view of the firm I'd built up in my first four years.In this role, I work with third-party partners, run the audit process, and work directly with the tax and legal teams. I'm also involved in the investment side but with compliance. I even learned how to form a fund from the bottom up.I was promoted to partner,which was very important.<h2 id="d7507795-b2ba-4968-8b0f-430ba4120462">I've put in 110% effort to make it as a woman in VC</h2>With most jobs in finance including VC, there are fewer women at the table. You have to prove yourself and overcome implicit bias when you're a woman or a minority.I account for this by putting in 110% effort and a lot more planning and preparation to ensure I'm viewed as equal to everyone around me.Switching gears and interacting with a stressed founder and then a member of the tax team has been valuable to my career progress. The women I work with are very good at balancing many different things simultaneously. They are also observant and ask hard questions.These skills were especially useful in 2021 when founders went from capital exuberance to more scarcity. Everyone found this challenging.<h2 id="9be33f2f-2918-4b52-9330-3a9e63106dc0">VC means long hours, but it's fulfilling</h2>It's an 80 to 100-hour workweek industry. You have to enjoy the work. If not, it will be miserable.VC has turned out to be a great fit for me, and it's a career path I'm fully committed to.My entire journey has been so fulfilling with Fuel. I've seen founders' growth trajectories and how that's positively impacted all the people they employ and the generational wealth they're creating for their own families.While numbers heavily drive VC, it's also about gut instinct, relationships, and networking. You have to have intuition and move on it. It's not about waiting for direction. While you learn along the way, curiosity, and emotional intelligence are essential at the entry level.

I broke into venture capital at 22 and became a partner by 28. I learned one easy, surefire way to move up the ranks.

<ul><li><keyword id="15097710" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Angel-investment-platform-IPV" source="Orion">Angel investment platform IPV</keyword> has 7,295 investors on its platform.</li><li>Average investments of these angel investors is anywhere between Rs 5-7 lakh a year</li><li>More than 10% of IPV’s investments are in startups spread across Tier 2 and 3 towns</li></ul>Technology has democratised many businesses that were earlier the preserve of a few. Angel investing is one such business that has now become relatively more transparent compared to earlier times and even investors with a ticket size of ₹2.5 lakh a year can now become angel investors. The fallout of this is that great businesses and smart founders now have many more avenues to raise capital without the usual runaround. It is this philosophy that is the driving force behind the four-year-old <keyword id="15097711" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="angel-funding-platform" source="Orion">angel funding platform</keyword> <keyword id="7036829" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Inflection-Point-Ventures" source="Orion">Inflection Point Ventures</keyword> (IPV). Vinay Bansal, CEO and founder of IPV, discovered some obvious pain points that both investors and startup founders faced for the smallest of funding rounds. While the process was tedious for the founders, lack of clarity was a big issue for angel investors. These problems also resulted in a low success rate of <keyword id="2023759" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="startups-in-india" source="Orion">startups in India</keyword>. IPV set out to resolve all three issues with its own unique propositions. “We decided to solve these problems and started investing in a few startups with a sharp focus so that the founders could grow. We also provided them with mentorships. Some of these startups include the likes of Milk Basket and Fitso that went on to become very successful.” IPV decided to do things differently to improve the success rate of startups in India, which also improved returns for investors. In less than four years, IPV has invested in 140 companies and the IRRs (internal rate of returns) are significantly higher compared to many others. India has spawned many unicorns in the last three years, as the pandemic led to innovative models to solve problems thrown up by the lockdowns. India saw 44 unicorns emerge in 2021 and the trend continues in 2022, albeit at a slower pace. Interestingly, the startup bug is not just restricted to the big cities. Today, there’s a startup in each of the 625 districts of India and 50% of these come from Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns. IPV is one of the few players that has had its eyes on such players since 2020. Nearly 10% of its portfolio companies come from the hinterland. Born in 2019, this platform has funded some very interesting startups that nobody was willing to bet on – these were from India’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, but were solving problems that are unique to the country’s hinterland. The venture platform is agnostic to sector, stage and geography in which the startup is in. What matters to IPV is the quality of the founder, idea and valuation. “Great people can come from anywhere and we took bets on startups nobody was betting on back in 2020. We go by great ideas that can come from anywhere, which is why we funded BluSmart in Ahmedabad and Multibhashi from Jaipur. These founders are sharp, smart and hardworking to their core,” explains Bansal. Thanks to ventures like IPV, television shows like Shark Tank and a media blitzkrieg are helping more startups in Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns. What also makes IPV unique is that its model of raising capital is more broad-based, which is why its investments are not held hostage by any funding winter or moves made by the Federal Reserve. “We want to continue to democratise investments for average Indians who have a ticket size of ₹5 lakh.” The platform has 7,295 investors on its platform and it continues to grow. “The way we set ourselves up was to be different from others. We were able to fund even during the pandemic and all these investments are between Series B and D today. We went against the market in 2021 and started exiting from our investments. We don’t work on the dry powder concept as we get funds from salaried investors. Over the last couple of months we have cut million dollar cheques. Winters are good for us as we get access to good companies at better valuations. We have to overcome our fear of investing when others are not,” says Bansal. The average ticket size that the angel investors cut out each year ranges between ₹5-7 lakh. IPV’s investors come from not just India but also from other countries. To invest, all that the angel investors need to do is fill a form and get started. The process is equally easy for startups that need funding. IPV replies to founders within 20 days of sending an application. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/rupee-headed-lower-as-rbi-intervention-unlikely-to-be-aggressive/articleshow/94473133.cms">Rupee headed lower as RBI intervention unlikely to be “aggressive’</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/indian-markets-take-a-breather-after-huge-sell-off-on-monday/articleshow/94468819.cms">Indian markets take a breather after huge sell-off on Monday</a>

Inflection Point Ventures’ focus on great founders takes it to Tier 2 & 3 towns

<ul><li><keyword id="15023564" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="moneyplanned" source="Orion">MoneyPlanned</keyword> is an Indian personal finance platform that helps clients automate their financial goals. </li><li>The round was led by <keyword id="7036829" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="inflection-point-ventures" source="Orion">Inflection Point Ventures</keyword>, with participation from California-based startup accelerator <keyword id="15023565" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="expert-dojo" source="Orion">Expert Dojo</keyword>, Joseph R Saviano – partner at Dot Capital, New York, and <keyword id="241332" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sameer-khan" source="Orion">Sameer Khan</keyword>, executive director corporate <keyword id="6374832" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="treasury" source="Orion">treasury</keyword>, <keyword id="133737" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="dbs-bank" source="Orion">DBS Bank</keyword>, Singapore. </li><li>MoneyPlanned currently has 10,000 weekly active users and 35,000 monthly active users, with the platform collectively tracking financial goals worth ₹ 6,500 crore. </li></ul> Fintech company MoneyPlanned on Monday raised over ₹2.5 crore in a seed funding round led by Inflection Point Ventures. The other investors who participated in the round include California-based startup accelerator Expert Dojo, Joseph R Saviano – partner at Dot Capital, New York and Sameer Khan – executive director corporate treasury, DBS Bank, Singapore. Founded in July 2020 by Sameer Shashank Gattupalli and Nikhila Putcha, MoneyPlanned is a fintech platform assisting clients to automate their financial goals. The funds raised will be used for marketing and user acquisition, deepening the tech infrastructure and expanding the tech and business teams. “India has a large base of salaried people with more youngsters joining the workforce every year. Financial planning is not a luxury anymore but a necessity, that's one of the biggest lessons from the Covid pandemic. MoneyPlanned’s platform is built to offer a personalised service at scale. At IPV, we invest in businesses that have the ability to scale while maintaining a healthy business matrix,” <keyword id="6342098" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="vinay-bansal" source="Orion">Vinay Bansal</keyword>, Founder CEO, Inflection Point Ventures, said. MoneyPlanned currently has 10,000 weekly active users and 35,000 monthly active users, with the platform collectively tracking financial goals worth ₹ 6,500 crores. The founders aim to build an advanced financial planning platform powered through technologies like AI and blockchain that performs like an in-person financial planner. According to a survey conducted by <keyword id="6355630" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="securities-and-exchange-board-of-india" source="Orion">Securities and Exchange Board of India</keyword>, only 27% of India's population is financially literate. The ratio of advisors to investors is only 1:76000, which can be solved using technology, states MoneyPlanned. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/amazon-great-indian-festival-sale-best-deals-and-offers/articleshow/94004700.cms">Amazon Great Indian Festival sale announced – card offers, cashback, new launches and more</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/call-of-duty-warzone-mobile-announced-heres-how-to-pre-register-on-android/articleshow/94297494.cms">Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile announced — here’s how to pre-register on Android</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/anil-agarwal-profile-vedanta-resources-listing-in-london-stock-exchange-gujarat-semiconductor-chipset-plant/articleshow/94297057.cms">Anil Agarwal – how a Bihar boy who knew only ‘yes’ and ‘no’ went onto list the first Indian company on London Stock Exchange</a>

Fintech company MoneyPlanned raises over ₹2.5 crore from Inflection Point Ventures, others

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Neal Mintz beat over 500 applicants to get his dream job at Wischoff Ventures.</li><li>Mintz said that during the hiring process, he offered to set up the firm's payroll for free.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nealmintz/">Neal Mintz</a>, 26, a senior associate at Wischoff Ventures. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified his education and employment history.I have wanted to pursue a career in the venture capital ecosystem since I was in college.While pursuing my bachelor's degree at Washington University's Olin Business School, I spent two summers living and working in Tel Aviv, which has an incredible startup ecosystem.It was difficult to break into venture capital straight out of college. Instead, I started my career in consulting with Ernst &amp; Young, where I spent two years in their digital strategy consulting practice.At EY, I worked with clients that included Fortune 500 companies. I did everything I could to align my interests with my work, but I recognized that it would be harder to jump into an investing role as I became more senior.That was when I knew that I really needed to start looking elsewhere.After EY, I landed a role at a venture studio working with start-ups. That was where I learned how to perform due diligence on early-stage business opportunities.I then moved on to Ground Up Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm. I was the only employee there besides the fund's four partners, so I had to learn quickly on the job.After nearly two years at Ground Up Ventures, I wanted to try working at another fund to see if there was room for upward mobility.That's how I ended up at my current job at Wischoff Ventures, a firm started by a woman whose work I admired — Nichole Wischoff.<h2 id="915a9294-61f5-4d9f-ad32-d1378e4b0470">I went through three weeks of interviews and pulled out all the stops</h2><div type="image" title="Nichole Wischoff and Neal Mintz sitting on a sofa." height="3610" width="4284" msid="114100622" hostid="261" sizebytes="487094"></div>I wanted to work for Nichole because I knew that as the fund's first full-time hire, I would have the opportunity to work with her directly and learn the ropes.The competition for the role was intense, and Nichole said I'd beaten over 500 candidates to get hired.The interview process took about three weeks, including three one-hour calls and an in-person meeting. In addition to the interviews, Nichole also asked me to weigh in on some due diligence opportunities and startup investments.Throughout the process, I did everything I could to show Nichole I knew how to do this job and that she wouldn't need to handhold me.At one point, Nichole mentioned she would need to set up a payroll provider for her first hire. Even though we were still in the interview process then, I offered to do it for her for free.<h2 id="7157d802-6f42-4e22-a400-78ccc7ae1135">People think I'm a try-hard, but that's just what it takes</h2>Some people have criticized my approach to securing the job at Wischoff Ventures.I recognize that the prospect of putting in so much effort to get a job may be discouraging. But we must remember that venture capital is an extremely competitive industry. The interview process is indicative of what working in venture capital is really like.If you want to succeed as a junior investor, you'll get a lot of rejections from founders all the time. If you want to thrive, you have to think creatively about how to get in front of founders. On top of that, you have to do your due diligence and research if you want to land a deal.Even after spending dozens of hours with a prospect, you could still get rejected, but that's just how deals work. So, for better or for worse, there are just so few roles within this industry. And you will have to go above and beyond if you want to make a mark.I offered to set up payroll for Nichole because I wanted her to know I was willing to do whatever it took. So whether it's implementing a customer relationship management system or planning happy hours — I'm all in.Breaking into venture capital is a long game. It took five years of my career to get in the door. But while the journey may sound intimidating, it's attainable for anyone who's excited and committed to what they're doing.

I landed my dream job at a VC fund after I offered to set up payroll for free. People called me a try-hard but that's just what it takes.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Lucia Polverino landed a coveted role as a venture capital analyst in London in her early 20s.</li><li>She said her experiences in PR and product management were instrumental in this transition.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Lucia Polverino, a 24-year-old analyst at a venture capital firm based in London. Business Insider has verified her employment. The following has been edited for length and clarity.I was always passionate about getting into the workplace as quickly as possible after university. After graduating, I dabbled in a career in public relations and product management before landing my role as a venture capital analyst — but my varied experiences helped me get to this point.My first office job was a placement in my first year at university, where I studied for a degree in business administration. I worked at Piper Sandler, an American investment bank. I spent six months in their healthcare M&amp;A division. It was a really good first formative experience, but it was challenging.My next placement was in my third year of university. I worked at KKR in their private credit team. But because this happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, I had to be proactive as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/recent-college-grad-quit-dream-job-work-from-home-2024-4">we weren't in the office</a>, and try to get my colleagues to give me more work to do. It was a really valuable experience.After graduating, I was adamant I wanted to try something less corporate. My first job out of university was at a tech PR firm. I've always been interested in entrepreneurship, media, and communications. It was a 15-person team when I joined, which made for a startup-like environment — very entrepreneurial and dynamic. I worked with eight clients across AI, cyber security, e-commerce, and business-to-business sectors. That was an inflection point because it diverted my career toward the tech world.I loved working with tech companies and startups, so after nine months, I decided to go in-house and work at a tech company. As a recent graduate, I was still eligible for roles targeted toward recent university graduates which provide a structured career path into a particular sector. I loved the sound of product management. You can work with a bunch of different teams, such as engineering, marketing, and UX; this was similar to the way I worked in PR with different clients. I was lucky enough to secure a grad job in the product team at ICIS, which is a data team within LexisNexis, a software company.My job in product management was instrumental in leading me to venture capital. I understood the key levers in a tech company that influence its growth. I've always liked wearing different hats, and these threads led me to join Playfair, a generalist VC fund.<h2 id="371fbf1a-872d-41fd-a6a6-311ea68a2add">I was so surprised at how relevant my PR experience was</h2>I was so surprised at how relevant my PR experience was because so much of VC is investor relations. It's really important to form friendships with investors, not just transactional relationships. Equally, because I was working with tech companies in my PR role, it was easy to verbalize and justify why I loved tech companies and working with startups in my interview. It's really important for young people in interviews to bring in their past experiences and talk about how it will help them be good candidates.For <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/day-in-the-life-of-gen-z-vc-in-london-2022-7">young people who want to apply to VC</a>, it's really important to figure out the kind of fund you want to apply for. If your background is generalist and diverse, that kind of VC fund would likely suit you. But if you started your career with a technical background, you'd perhaps be suited to a deep tech fund. You should understand where you will add the most value.Being a pandemic graduate also made me less worried about finding a linear career path and sticking to it for five years. During the pandemic, I thought, who knows what will happen in six months? Nothing was certain — it seemed like the pandemic would never end. This impacted my mindset, and I was more willing to take risks and figure out what I actually liked. I think it's also more of a Gen Z trend because we are <a target="_blank" href="https://fortune.com/2024/04/23/gen-zers-millennials-job-switching-accelerating-pros-cons-careers-employment/">more likely to job-hop</a> than previous generations.<h2 id="a0326792-b564-4676-ac2d-e5686145c0cd">You don't need a background in investment banking to get into VC anymore</h2>It may have been true in the past that you need an investment banking background to get into VC, but that's not the case anymore. I've met more people that don't come from banking than do. In my case, at a pre-seed fund, making a financial model from scratch would be less useful a skill to have.VC is such a broad industry — and your experience will be shaped by what stage your fund invests in. The hiring managers usually like young people who have had startup experience, such as being an operator. I've also met so many people who come from software engineering and technical backgrounds and work at deep tech funds. I've also met a lot of people coming from NGO and charity backgrounds. This ultimately speaks to the sector you may want to specialize in once you get into VC.You could also show you have an entrepreneurial mindset to some degree. My hiring managers loved that I had a fashion blog when I was at university and that I would reach out to brands to partner with for my videos. It's really important to show that you love entrepreneurship and working with founders.Try to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-recruiters-hiring-staffing-tech-job-wall-street-headhunters-2024-4">leverage recruiters</a> if you can. At Playfair, we have a very transparent hiring process, and the fund markets the position as much as possible — but that's not the same for all VC funds. I found my job through a recruiter called JumpStart, and it's a very helpful avenue for younger grads.

I landed a job in venture capital at 24 after changing my career path twice. Here's how I got the coveted job with a varied résumé.  

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Business Insider's Seed 100 and Seed 40 lists are created based on data from Termina.</li><li>Termina began with data on over 1,800 investors, analyzing 25 success attributes, such as exits.</li></ul>The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/seed-100-best-early-stage-vc-investors-2024-5">Seed 100</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/seed-40-best-women-early-stage-vc-investors-2024-5">Seed 40</a> lists are derived from a statistical analysis of investor track records. We've been working with Business Insider to publish these lists for the past four years, but this is the first year we're doing so under the <a target="_blank" href="https://termina.ai">Termina</a> brand. Incubated by Tribe Capital, Termina is an AI-software platform that powers quantitative due diligence for leading investors around the world.Our methodology is the same as it was in past years. It analyzes each investor's performance in 25 areas using Crunchbase and PitchBook data. Since one of our goals is to analyze investor's potential success rather than focus solely on past achievements, we only assess investors who have made a minimum of five investments between 2009 and 2024. Our list includes <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/solo-capitalists-startup-investors-shaking-up-venture-capital-2021-9">solo venture capitalists</a> and angel investors who are assessed based on their investments in US companies.To be named to the list, seed investors must have:<ol><li>Investments that performed well, including successful IPOs or acquisitions (exits that were meaningfully above "liquidation preference" or showed increased company value rather than simply raising capital).</li><li>Show intermediate signs of future success with seed investments that consistently receive follow-on investment.</li><li>Be active in the seed-investing ecosystem, with moderate-to-high levels of activity over the past two years.</li></ol>Though each criterion is weighted equally, exits (IPOs or acquisitions) statistically have the most influence in differentiating investors.Over 1,800 investors met the above criteria, an 18% increase from last year. The seed-investor ecosystem grows every year, making the list more competitive. We're also delighted that there were 187 female candidates with sufficient data, a significant increase that allowed us to release an expanded Seed 40 list this year. Ten percent of all seed investors in scope were women, up from 8% when the first Seed 100 was released in 2021.The final rankings had 35 new investors, 21 who improved their rank, and 39 with the same or lower rank as last year.<h2>AI is storming seed investing and beyond</h2>One reason we look at seed-stage investments is because they tend to be leading indicators of innovation in the coming years. OpenAI released their GPT-4 model just over a year ago. The model reached an inflection point of capability that has ignited the imagination of entrepreneurs and investors worldwide. The result in just one year is the largest-ever rebalancing of how investors allocate seed capital across sectors. In our analysis, AI tech receives over 16% of all seed-investing capital, with a significant jump in the 12 months following GPT-4's release.In the chart below, we show five seed-investment categories to contextualize the growth of AI investment. This is not an exhaustive view of seed-investment sectors. In this view, though there has been a steady expansion of AI investing at the seed stage, the jump last year clearly stands out.<div type="image" title="For Seed 100 methodology post" height="637" width="1600" msid="109881431" hostid="261" sizebytes="52084"></div>We believe AI will allow more seed-stage companies to bring products to market with less capital, similar to how cloud computing accelerated processes and reduced the capital required to launch products. If true, this will make seed-stage investing even more critical as AI begins to form the infrastructure that launches new tech products and services.Jake Ellowitz is the chief technology officer and cofounder of Termina.

How Termina selected and ranked the 2024 Seed 100 and Seed 40 lists of the top early-stage venture capitalists

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Having a "power outfit" can help anyone look and feel their best while at work.</li><li>But compared to traditional finance attire, venture capitalists' style can be a bit more laid back.</li></ul>Unlike traditional finance jobs where a suit and tie can be mandatory — though that's been <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wall-streeet-styles-investment-banker-wardrobe-for-women-and-men">changing after the pandemic</a> — venture capitalists have garnered a reputation for rocking <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vc-starter-kit-patagonia-2019-3">Patagonia vests and Allbirds sneakers</a> while networking with founders and limited partners.For up-and-coming investors in the sector, the more casual world of VC and tech can be a breath of fresh air since many came from the buttoned-up world of banking and consulting. "As a recovering management consultant to financial institutions, I'm ecstatic to have ditched a suit for jeans and a t-shirt," said Laura Bock, a partner at QED Investors.Still, having a great go-to statement piece or a more structured look can give any VC the confidence boost they need to shake the right hands and land the hottest deals —and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rising-stars-venture-capital-tech-startups-2023-11">Business Insider's rising stars of venture capital</a> have perfected their signature sense of style.We asked this year's honorees to share their go-to "power-outfit" for when it's time to hop off Zoom calls and meet with their portfolio companies face-to-face, score a competitive startup deal, or speak at a conference with their industry peers. Many of this year's VC rising stars told Business Insider that their go-to power outfits included apparel like tailored sport coats or <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/guides/style/fall-chelsea-boots-men">Chelsea boots</a>, and more casual pieces like hoodies and well-fitting jeans. But ultimately, all of these outfits helped with one thing: inspiring confidence.<h2>Dressing for everyday comfort</h2>For most of this year's rising stars, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bankers-back-to-office-attire-suits-business-casual-tailor-trends-2021-5">comfort is the name of the game</a>. Very few investors are wearing collared shirts with their jackets, opting instead to pair it with a t- shirt and jeans.Nmachi Jidemna told Business Insider that for her everyday wear, her go-to was "usually a structured blazer with a relaxed pair of jeans."Many investors on the list shared an interest in streetwear designers, too. "I would define my style as business/tech casual meets streetwear," said Javier Grevely, an investor at Wellington Management. "I like brands like Off-White, FOG, &amp; Ralph Lauren; and typically embed them within my outfits."Felicis' Tobi Coker prefers to ditch the sport coat for a Buzz Rickson bomber jacket, unless it's a more formal meeting.Other investors, like Janelle Teng, like to show off their pride in their deals by rocking a "portfolio company t-shirt and leather jacket" while out and about.<div type="image" title="Converse Chuck 70" height="600" width="600" msid="106301484" hostid="261" sizebytes="25532"></div>But without a doubt, it wouldn't be a venture-capital power outfit without some kind of sneaker. Patron's Amber Atherton told Business Insider that she and Jason Yeh, the cofounder and general partner of the firm, compete over who has the "hypest" sneakers when they're in the office together.Their choices vary from white Converse high-tops to running shoes that can double as practical footwear for outdoor meetings. "I'm a very big walking-meeting person. More than just good exercise, walking meetings have been proven to boost energy levels, productivity, and creativity levels," said Ashley Paston.Surprisingly, no one mentioned a once-favored tech community favorite: Allbirds.<h2>Sharper looks for conferences and public events</h2>For days where networking is the focus, most of the up-and-coming VCs will still swap their jeans for trousers, they shared."There's nothing quite like the confidence boost I get from wearing a well-tailored business suit," said Seae Ventures' Justin Williams. The sharp lines, the perfect fit – it's not just clothing, it's a statement."The blazers will stay on for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/techcrunch-disrupt-2023-outfits-photos-best-dressed-tech-celebrities-2023-9">conferences,</a> VCs said, but sometimes they may be swapped for brighter ones. "I love a good cape or statement jacket," said Mahati Sridhar.<div type="image" title="Grady Dick poses in a sparkly red blazer at the 2023 NBA Draft." height="1837" width="2449" msid="106301485" hostid="261" sizebytes="307658"></div>If they're a panelist at a hot tech conference, investors are willing to opt for more formal footwear. "For speaking opportunities, I invested in a sharp blazer and high-heeled boots — who doesn't feel powerful when they're a bit taller?" said Pear VC's Vivien Ho told Business Insider.Dressing up doesn't always have to be for events, though. For some investors it can be a personal point of pride, and remind them of home. "I often find myself missing my hometown of London, so I love a textured blazer and some Chelsea boots for my most important meetings as they remind me of winters back in the UK," said Kyber Knight Capital's Ary Vaidya.And for some women on the list, dressing up can also convey to others in the typically male-dominated VC world that they're important players in the room, too.<div type="image" title="Lori Harvey (left) and Heidi Klum (right) wearing red outfits." height="1080" width="1440" msid="106301486" hostid="261" sizebytes="95078"></div>That's why Base 10's Luci Fonseca likes to don a red boucle blazer with a silk scarf. "The human brain associates the color red with courage. One of my favorite sayings is there is no courage without fear, and when I wear red, I always feel a bit more courageous and powerful," she said.Here's what other VCs shared about which outfits give them that confidence boost: "Given the autumn season, likely a pair of jeans, boots, a long coat, and a colorful sweater featuring a funky animal of some sort." (KJ Sidberry, GV)"Most events I host or attend are with founders and investors in the tech community. My informal power outfit comes down to the shoes! I find myself wearing a simple, plain-colored short-sleeve henley with pants and a nice cardigan sweater to go on top. The power is in the form of sneakers, which likely have more color and pop! They are generally a pair of Jordan's or Nike limited edition collaborations with RTFKT (see my latest pair on a <a target="_blank" href="https://sunsetventures.mxbanyan.com/62bb219b05e9894faad78ccb/l/jwN2abyPEQbd8ZOR6?rn=&amp;re=i02bj5iclRWaz5WaA9WYyxmI&amp;sc=false">LinkedIn post</a> that got more engagement than expected)." (Brandon Hoffman, Sunset Ventures)"My go-to is a local designer called Mute by JL who makes amazing statement pieces that go well with everything! I'll pair a top/dress from her with some Birdies for comfort and I'm good to go." (Sarah Wu, Emerson Collective)"My power outfit typically consists of form-fitting dresses or blazers of premium fabric. I favor vibrant colors to stand out in any setting, and I like to add a touch of sparkle with blingy accents and highlights to catch the eye. It's an ensemble that exudes confidence and makes a memorable statement." (Fiona Huang, DCM)"Red jacket and high-top sneakers. Game On!" (Demi Obayomi, Sapphire)"I love a jumpsuit - simple, professional, solid color. I'll pair it with fun shoes (whether sneakers, heels, or boots). I tend to wear a lot of black, but I was recently gifted a "color analysis" and told by an expert that I should not be wearing black anymore! This is a problem because 90% of my closet is black clothes. I have since been trying to incorporate more warm and vibrant colors into my power outfits, so we'll see how that goes." (Natalie Borowski, Coefficient Capital )"As a proud Canadian, I'm an Aritzia girl through and through. Their Effortless pants give me all the confidence I need!" (Alysaa Co, Bain Capital Ventures)"Black on black on black. Black flowy trousers, black turtleneck, and chunky black boots." (Daisy Wolf, Andreessen Horowitz)

Here are the go-to styles for 2023's rising stars of VC 

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11894337" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="russia" source="Orion">Russia</keyword>'s invasion of Ukraine is speeding up a shift into <keyword id="9417913" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="private-markets" source="Orion">private markets</keyword>, according to <keyword id="11896068" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="mohamed-el-erian" source="Orion">Mohamed El-Erian</keyword>.</li><li>The threat of financial tightening, inflation fears, and geopolitical tensions risk uncertainty, he wrote in a Bloomberg op-ed.</li></ul>Mohamed El-Erian believes geopolitical uncertainty arising from Russia's invasion of Ukraine is accelerating an investor shift from <keyword id="13516327" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="public-markets" source="Orion">public markets</keyword> into private <keyword id="11893875" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="markets" source="Orion">markets</keyword>.In a <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-03-31/ukraine-war-hastens-investor-migration-to-private-markets">Bloomberg op-ed</a> published Thursday, the top economist wrote about how this transition was already building up before the war due to other challenges."Private markets offer the potential for flexibility that is needed in this more uncertain world," he wrote.Before the crisis, the Fed's massive injections of liquidity were coming to an end, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-stagflation-explained-oil-outlook-low-growth-high-inflation-2021-10?r=US&amp;IR=T">prospect of stagflation</a> loomed large, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/08/biz-optimism-on-us-china-back-to-trump-era-amcham-survey-says.html">US-China tensions</a> continued to threaten globalization, El-Erian noted. At the same time, companies were being pushed to meet social and environmental responsibilities, he added.The risks arising from the Ukraine war adds to the range of outcomes depending on the path taken, the Allianz advisor said.This all points to a simple conclusion for the investment-management industry — a switch from public markets to areas like private equity, <keyword id="11897927" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="venture-capital" source="Orion">venture capital</keyword>, and real assets, El-Erian wrote.He noted that <keyword id="11893878" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="stocks" source="Orion">stocks</keyword> still remain the asset of choice, despite the worsening outlook for the economy and corporates. But he said the essence of "risk-free" assets, like US Treasury bonds, has crumbled.The economist warned this week that the bond market is reflecting signs a <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/bonds/bond-yields-invert-recession-stock-market-mohamed-el-erian-2022-3">recession may be near.</a>Factors including a wider range of investment techniques and more appropriate pricing of liquidity encourage staying in the private market trade during unsettling volatility.Hedge fund managers had already begun <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-private-investors-hedge-funds-startups-d1-tiger-global-coatue-2021-7?r=US&amp;IR=T">turning toward private markets</a> last year, investing billions of dollars into top start-ups — either to raise capital for private funds or to bolster their private positions.However, a majority of institutional investors were found to be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-institutional-investors-view-hedge-funds-private-markets-push-2022-2?r=US&amp;IR=T">more interested in specialized private equity</a> or venture capital managers, rather than hedge funds. The decision to invest in private companies or funds is becoming one of how, not why, and gaining access to the best managers and the best structure are key factors. Even Swiss bank UBS has pointed out that private equity provides capital to tech cycles at various stages of their life cycle. It recommended investors consider allocating to technology like fintech services and cybersecurity via private equity holdings.Increasing demand for access to private markets will need to be met with better choices, according to El-Erian."Investment-management firms will need to bring to the table a greater degree of cognitive diversity, more of a multidisciplinary mindset, a more global footing (including in more developing countries), and good local presence and solid execution capabilities," he said.As the world shifts away from the safety net that public markets have provided so far, investors will need to consider larger allocations to private markets in order to boost returns and limit risk, he added. "And the industry will have to adapt in both offerings and management," he concluded.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/altcoin-investing-ftx-crypto-ventures-blockchain-layer-bets-amy-wu-2022-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Amy Wu heads up FTX's monster $2 billion venture operation. She breaks down the big bets they are making for a cross-chain future — and why GameFi will become a niche category for crypto whales</a>

You Searched For "VC Inflection Point Ventures" and got 11 results

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