VC Masterclass

In recent years, the investment world has started to recognize the untapped potential of women-led startups. These ventures are not just about bridging the gender gap; they represent a golden opportunity for individual investors to diversify their portfolios and achieve higher returns. This blog post delves into why investing in women-led startups is a sound financial strategy, drawing insights from The XX Edge and the experiences at Alumni Ventures’ Women’s Fund.

Some of the most important innovations of the last century were initially dismissed as crazy, trivial, or useless. Yet, these “dumb ideas” have profoundly reshaped our world — and made some investors very rich. History shows us that natural human resistance to change and a preference for the familiar often lead to skepticism toward innovations. However, time and again, many of those inventions that initially seemed silly or pointless have become game changers. Let’s explore just a few of the supposedly “dead-on-arrival” innovations.

In the final installment of our Masterclass series on The Art of Evaluating a Deal focuses on the importance of assessing CEOs and their teams. Key points include emphasizing “founder-market fit” and scrutinizing team dynamics.

We’re continuing our blogs on how AV teams typically evaluate a deal. As part of our Masterclass series, this addresses some of the basic questions our investors have about venture.

As the CEO of Alumni Ventures, America’s largest venture capital firm for individual investors, I’ve seen firsthand the impact that VC can have on businesses and the portfolios of accredited investors. The essence of that impact is powerfully captured in The Venture Mindset, a recently released bestseller by Stanford Professor Ilya Strebulaev and tech executive Alex Dang. The duo brings a great mix of academic insight and rigor, plus boots-on-the-ground, been-there entrepreneurship. For anyone considering venturing into this asset class — or building a nimble business — it’s an insightful must-read.

In the second part of our Masterclass on The Art of Evaluating a Deal, we evaluate the lead investor in a venture round. In VC, a select group of firms consistently outperforms market indices — so as a value-add co-investor, we’re looking to invest alongside those leaders. Our checklist includes the firm’s quality, the lead partner’s sector, stage experience, and their conviction. We use a case study to bring the example to life and discuss the challenges in separating a firm’s performance from a lead partner’s.

How do venture capitalists select the companies they invest in? What do they evaluate—and how? Welcome to our four-part Masterclass blog series. We’ll walk you through how we evaluate deals at Alumni Ventures. This first installment delves into the Deal Dynamics that shape our investment decisions.

It’s happening: One of the greatest wealth transfers the world has ever seen. The impending shift of $84 trillion in wealth is not just a statistic; it’s a call for innovation and action in the estate planning and wealth management sectors.

Our most recent posts explored the diversification and appreciation benefits of adding venture capital to client investment portfolios. However, private investments can be challenging to assess and act upon for those unfamiliar with them. While this post is not personalized advice, it aims to provide some insights into a practical framework that RIAs could leverage in advising their clients looking to add individual venture capital investments to their investment mix.

Early-stage investing is a critical part of Alumni Ventures’ overall portfolio strategy. In this edition of VC Masterclass, AV’s Seed Fund team explains our approach to sourcing high-potential investment opportunities in fledgling startups, and how our Super Angel Partner Program plays a key role in that process.

At Alumni Ventures, we believe the work of builders, makers, and creators will help the world take its next great leap forward. We also believe that many opportunities exist in spaces where underrepresented entrepreneurs are aiming to solve some of the world’s most pressing issues. In his new book, Higher Purpose Venture Capital, AV Managing Partner Ron Levin profiles 50 companies that are solving problems related to social and wealth inequality — including multiple AV investments. See below to learn how some of these startups are aiming to do well while doing good.

Alumni Ventures’ investment teams monitor promising seed and pre-seed companies as they emerge across a wide range of sectors. Below is a sample of exciting sectors and emerging verticals that we’re following as we source promising opportunities for this year’s Seed Fund.