AI is "Whatever hasn't been done yet"

Anyone who's played with ChatGPT or seen the content it's generated knows we've hit a new era.

Content creation will become using tools to generate drafts, expertly drafting your queries (as in the early days of search engines) and manually editing the results.

AI sceptics will continue to say AI is "Whatever hasn't been done yet". That is an ever-shrinking target.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Evening update - 7 Dec 22

#TodayI

Took the kids to school.
Had coffee with Mila Whitman who is the new Secretary of the Guernsey Cambridge Society and talked about our plans for next year and her five-week-old baby.
Posted about how Gen Z are unfairly complained about.
Chatted with Ezechi Britton MBE of Impact X Capital Partners LLP about deal flow, the joys and tribulations of investment banking, and fundraising. Impact X Capital Partners LLP invests in underrepresented founders across Europe.
Was pitched by Peter Graham of Kudo Insurance whose car insurance rewards better drivers.
Had a remedial massage from Todd Patterson of Infascia.

#NowI

Need to collect my son from table tennis.

#ThenI

Have to get back to a founder.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Everyone complains about Gen Z

Older generations, Millennials included, complain about how Gen Z live their lives and in particular their work expectations at startups where the culture can be work every hour.

I believe every generation lives the values their parents espouse. Their parents talk about those values but live their parents' values.

Gen Z are likely living lives closer to your values than you realise.

What do you think?

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Late update - 7 Dec 22

#TodayI

Took the kids to school because my wife wasn't well.
Attended a site meeting for my house build. (Thank you Infinity and DLM Architects Ltd.)
Watched son number four at his swimming gala.
Made a personal post.
Prepped for next week's posts which is my last week of the year.
Had a call with Fred Warren of Wonder 14 who has a very interesting business. Thank you Andrew Warren for the intro.
Had a call postponed with a fund I have recently co-invested with.
Was informed some board minutes have been signed off which were clearly in dispute.
Watched Morocco beat Spain on penalties.

#NowI

Am cooking dinner for the kids.
Have to take the bins out.
Need to get back to five founders.

#NextWeek

Meet me for coffee in London. Link in comments.

Old enough to make his own decision (personal post)

Personal post (don't read).

We are going away to the Cotswolds over Xmas and New Year. My 15yo is complaining and insisting he will spend all his time on his computer and saying he's old enough to make these decisions for himself.

Any tips?

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Evening update - 5 Dec 22

#TodayI

Ran to the office courtesy of Runna.
When I got to the office, realised my backpack was open and I was missing various items of clothing. (Runna, please sell running-appropriate backpacks in-app.)
Had to improvise (don't ask).
Posted about a great question to ask investors.
Was pitched by Kevin Lenehan of Fanzine.
Spoke with Jan Deruyck of Guud whose round is about to close.
Shared Kevin Lenehan of Fanzine's public pitch.
Attended Lunchtime Meditation at Guernsey Library.
Chatted with Adam Whyte of Stealth Web3 Startup about web3, how tokens are a way to get past the cold start problem and the power imbalance between investors and founders.
Had a call with Lucy Mullins and Matthew Addison of StepLadder UK.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Public pitch - Kevin Lenehan of Fanzine

Delighted to share, with permission, Kevin Lenehan of Fanzine's video pitch.

Fanzine's mission is to become the biggest sports fans community in the world.

Please let me know if you would like an intro or feel free to reach out directly.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

The best founder question I’ve ever been asked

Last week Hamish Blythe of Trilo asked me the following question:

"What's your two-sentence pitch of what we do?"

This is a fantastic end-of-pitch question. It checks the investor was paying attention and it may help you with your elevator pitch. I recommend all founders use this.

What's your two-sentence pitch?

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Evening update - 2 Dec 22

#TodayI

Posted about the features of startups I have recently committed to.
Had breakfast with Barrie Baxter of Brixx Software.
Made an investment commitment.
Had a no-show.
Was pitched by Hamish Blythe of Trilo.
Shared Hamish Blythe of Trilo's public pitch.
Caught up with Euan Cameron and Andrew Wood of Willo®.
Spoke with a stealth startup.

#NowI

Need to buy milk.

Have a great weekend everyone.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Public pitch - Hamish Blythe of Trilo

Delighted to share, with permission, Hamish Blythe of Trilo's video pitch.

Trilo is making getting paid by friends, settling up bills, and hitting the shops, rewarding and hassle-free.

Please let me know if you would like an intro or feel free to reach out directly.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Recent investment commitments

The startups I have recently committed to fall into two categories:

Pre-seed: Very strong founders, strong signs of early traction, huge potential markets.

Seed: Very strong founders, fast growth, strong conviction they will hit £1m ARR in less than a year, great unit economics.

These aren't criteria though they could become them.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Evening update - 1 Dec 22

#TodayI

Ran to the office again courtesy of Runna.
Posted to ask about good incubators and accelerators. Thank you to everybody who responded.
Had a call with Claire Rampen of Reath.
Met a founder who wishes to remain anonymous.
Met another founder who wishes to remain anonymous.
Was pitched by Sam Tucker of Common Surface.
Shared Anabel Maldonado of PSYKHE AI's public pitch.
Had a quick call with Nick Ellwood of Playter.
Spoke with Nelly Lavielle of Bethnal Green Ventures to understand their investment remit. I have only ever heard people say good things about Bethnal Green Ventures.

#NowI

Have to get back to a founder.

#ThenI

Am going to the Locate Guernsey Xmas drinks.

Have a good evening everyone.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Incubators and Accelerators

Founders, what are the best incubators and accelerators out there for digital tech businesses?

Asking (genuinely) for a friend with a great business and no venture experience.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Evening update - 30 Nov 22

#TodayI

Posted about how to figure out if an investment meets the bar and what that bar should be.
Had a call with Larisa Budaeva of Nation.better.
Was pitched by Mayur Upadhyaya of Contxt.
Attended a panel I volunteer on.
Spoke with Evan Mcgloughlin of Weeve.

#NowI

Need to book my flights for the inaugural unbundled vc founder ski trip.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Is it good enough?

There are loads of great businesses out there. How do I figure out if a potential investment is good enough?

My first pass metric is to see how it stacks up against businesses I have recently committed to.

If it compares well, I will invest. If it compares poorly I won't. If it's in the mix, I will consider my volume and quality of deal flow and how fast I'm likely to allocate capital given that.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Evening update - 29 Nov 22

#TodayI

Ran 5.7k to the office.
Posted an investor founder strength hack.
Was pitched by Niraj Dattani of Now To Vow.
Had coffee with a local entrepreneur who wishes to remain anonymous.
Was pitched by Jakob Knutzen of Butter.
Prepared some words for this evening's Guernsey Cambridge Society AGM and Xmas Dinner.
Chatted with Isabella Sumner of InHaus.ai.

#NowI

Have to get ready for the Guernsey Cambridge Society event.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Founder strength hack for investors

How interested would you be in investing in this founder's next startup without knowing anything about it?

If the answer is very and you are seriously considering investing in their current business, you should just do it.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Evening update - 28 Nov 22

#TodayI

Posted my backlog.
Worked on my backlog.
Was pitched by James Dyer of Ante.
Shared Kimberley Page 🌎 of isosconnect's public pitch.
Attended Monday Meditation at Guernsey Library.
Had coffee with Sarah Hansmann Rouxel and chatted all things improv.
Worked more on my backlog.
Had a call with Nikolas Huth of B3 Capital to understand their investment remit and how they help their portfolio companies.

#LaterI

Need to spend time with my family.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Public pitch - Kim Page of isosconnect

Delighted to share, with permission, Kimberley Page 🌎 of isosconnect's pitch.

isosconnect provides simple & safe software to keep independent health & well-being practitioners connected to their clients.

Please let me know if you would like an intro or feel free to reach out directly.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

My backlog

#MyBacklog

Follow up on founder intro.
Add VC bullet points to my records so I know which opportunities to share.
Find four other VC bullet points in my notes somewhere and add them to my records.
Tell venue about the two people who are unable to make the Guernsey Cambridge Society AGM and Xmas dinner.
Send my sister-in-law money for my niece's Bat Mitzvah gift.
Send money for Sylvans merch.
Put loan end date in my diary.
Deal with the 'box of things' my wife removed from our home office because they were everywhere.
Talk to neighbour about boundary.
Reply to landlord after speaking to my wife.
Respond to video pitch.
Reply to reply on pass feedback.
Renew IoD membership.
Reply and arrange to meet someone who want to understand better what I'm looking for in startups.
Book flights for unofficial unbundled vc ski trip.
Reply to another reply on pass feedback.
Admin on a panel.
Review EIS round details.
Review difficult to agree board minutes.
Read email on stealth startup.
Meet founders of stealth startup.
Reply to opera invite.
Feedback on mock Oxbridge interviews.
Figure out what laptop son number two should buy.
Reply to accountant emails.
Admin for accountant.
Check if lead has made investment public yet so I can (x2).
Automate pass and next step and post pitch info emails.
Figure out how to update my criteria given what I've learned in the last three months.
And more.

How's your backlog?

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic