Michelle You

2009: The financial crisis had crushed fundraising. Barely any new capital went into venture funds. Yet the vintages from those years went on to deliver some of the strongest returns in history. Fast forward to today (2024/2025): Venture capital fundraising is at its lowest point in more than a decade. What does that mean? - ⁠Less money will be available to startups over the next years - The bar for raising capital goes up again: quality matters - ⁠Entry valuations will reset to saner levels --> Funds raised now are likely to outperform, just as history shows The paradox of venture: the best time to commit capital is exactly when most people hesitate. Investors (Limited Partners) should lean in now, not when the next boom makes it easy.

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Every VC website says "value-add." Most have never operated and are selling help they can't actually deliver. After 100+ investments, here's what real value looks like (and how to spot the BS). Last week, a founder asked me: "What value do you actually add beyond the check?" Fair question. I've heard every VC claim they're "value-add." Most aren't. The Marketing BS: "Access to our network" = We'll send one intro email, maybe "Strategic guidance" = We'll give opinions on things we don't understand "Operational support" = We'll suggest you hire a recruiter "Brand value" = We have a nice logo for your website I've watched founders waste months chasing these empty promises. What Actually Matters: After backing 100+ companies, here's the only "value-add" that counts: 1. Speed of Decision The best VCs get back to you in 48 hours, not 4 weeks. Time killed waiting for answers is time not building. One of my founders needed emergency bridge funding. Decision in 3 hours. Money wired same day. That's value. 2. Useful Introductions (With Context) Not "Hey, you two should meet." But: "Sarah, meet John. He solved the exact payment processing problem you're facing at scale. He's expecting your call Tuesday at 2pm." Context. Relevance. Follow-through. 3. Pattern Recognition That Saves You Money "I've seen this movie 5 times. Here's what killed the others..." When I tell founders not to hire a VP of Sales before product-market fit, I'm saving them $400K and 6 months of pain. 4. Being There When Things Break Every VC loves you when you're up and to the right. Real value shows up during layoffs, failed product launches, and co-founder breakups. 3am calls. Emergency board meetings. Actual support when everything's on fire. 5. Getting Out of the Way The most underrated value-add: knowing when to stop giving advice. Your company. Your vision. Your execution. The best VCs amplify, not override. The Litmus Test: Ask any VC: "What specific help did you provide your last 3 portfolio companies?" If they talk about their "platform team" or "exclusive events," run. If they name specific introductions, saved costs, or crisis moments they helped navigate - that's real. The Truth: Most "value-add" is BS because most VCs have never operated. They're selling a product they don't understand. The real value isn't in the services they list on their website. It's in the scars they earned building and failing themselves. I tell every founder the same thing: Judge VCs by their actions in your worst moments, not their promises in pitch meetings. What's the most valuable thing an investor has ever done for you (beyond writing a check)? #VentureCapital #Startups #Fundraising #RealTalk #Founders

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We had Tom Charman (Co-founder at Blok) on Ventures, Fresh out of stealth having raised $7.5m He explains why their star-studded team is building Blok "A lot of companies aren't particularly good at predicting how their customers are going to behave, but more importantly, they're not necessarily targeting the right customer." "Most companies will optimise for short-term benefit as opposed to long-term gain - what's actually happening is in the long term they're shooting themselves in the foot." "Nine in ten experiments are failing, it's taking too long to run experiments, teams don't know which experiments to run." "If we're going to move towards a world where it's multimodal interfaces with lots of different UI, knowing what to generate for who and when is going to become significantly more difficult." You can watch the full conversation by searching "Tom Charman, Co-founder @ blok: How We're Predicting User Behaviour Before Writing Code"

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