Jesse Kay

🚀 Spotlight on Venture Capital: Q3 2024 Update Houlihan Capital’s latest Q3 2024 Venture Capital Update is here! This report offers a deep dive into the latest trends and data shaping the VC landscape. 📈 Highlights include: ✅ Key industry performance metrics ✅ Sector-specific investment trends ✅ Shifts in funding strategies ✅ Insights on the evolving startup ecosystem Stay ahead of the curve with actionable insights from our expert analysis. 👉 Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/g9dyaDfT #HoulihanCapital #VentureCapital #VC #IndustryReports #FreeVCIndustryReport #VCMarketUpdate #VCInsights #Valuation #ValuationProvider #VCValuationProvder #IndpendentValuation #FundValuation

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Advice from a CFO who’s crushed 4 private equity deals: In our recent Thrive community Q&A, Robert (Bob) Gold shared a simple but critical insight: "The skillsets are just so different... You need to laser focus on inbound and outbound cash and be very adept at liquidity management." Why? Because in private equity, managing cash flow and liquidity is even more important than having experience with exits. Here are the 3 biggest lessons Bob shared for CFOs looking to excel in PE: 1️⃣ Cash Flow is King: It's not just about budgeting—it’s about knowing exactly where every dollar is coming from and going. 2️⃣ Liquidity Drives Decisions: Ensuring your business has the cash it needs to stay agile and invest in growth is non-negotiable. 3️⃣ Working Capital is a Game-Changer: Managing payables, receivables, and inventory effectively can be the difference between success and failure in PE. For aspiring CFOs in private equity, this advice is Gold (pun intended 😅 ). Focus on these fundamentals, and you’ll be set up for success. 💡 Want more insights like this? Join our newsletter for exclusive tips, strategies, and advice from top private equity leaders. Don’t miss out—stay ahead in your career! 👉 https://lnkd.in/eMkPX8kr 

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BluWave has a deep bench of 800+ interim CFOs that allow us to quickly and expertly connect private equity firms and their portfolio companies to the exact-fit interim CFOs they need.    In one case study example, a PE firm came to us in need of a stopgap interim CFO for their automotive operations portfolio company. Here's the details of how we helped:   The Situation - Needing to make a leadership change in their portfolio company, a PE firm came to us in urgent need of an interim CFO who could focus on the portco's cash flow and working capital optimization while the search for a permanent CFO was underway. Given the protfolio company's industry, the PE firm not only needed an interim CFO with financial acumen, but one with the ability to handle a complex operational landscape and turnaround skills.   How BluWave Helped - Thanks to BluWave's deep network of exact-fit interim CFOs, we quickly connected them with a select few interim CFOs with the exact experience they were looking for.    The Outcome - The client selected their preferred interim CFO from our presented options. Their leadership marked a significant turning point for the automotive manufacturer, helping them tighten cash flow, meet reporting requirements and guide them through a crucial transition period.   When you need an exact-fit, PE-grade interim CFO, contact BluWave and we'll be ready to support.   #interimCFO #interimchieffinancialofficer

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The Information broke news that Insight Partners has just secured $10B in funding for their latest flagship fund. This is perfectly timed given their multiple $1B+ companies sold over the past week. This is a clear sight that #limitedpartners still have in their #privateallocations even during the current slow markets for #IPOs and #M&A. This would also appear to be good news for #AIfinancing and #SaaSFinancing. What do you think? #Management #VentureCapital #PrivateEquity #CapitalMarkets https://lnkd.in/gXu_s8Qj

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Brian Horner, president emeritus of TCA Venture Group Los Angeles, provides insights into the investment approach of angel groups. He highlights the variability in check sizes, as individual angels make independent decisions. Horner shares when he was with TCA, the group would invest $12-15 million annually across 40-50 companies, with an average check size of $300,000. However, he notes significant deviation, with some deals attracting 30+ investors for multi-million dollar rounds, while others may only have one angel writing a $25,000 check. This flexibility allows angels to collectively support promising startups. #angelinvesting #startupfunding #startups #entrepreneurship #venturecapital #pegasusangelaccelerator

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Navigate Q4 with Strategic Insights from the Pepperdine Private Capital Markets Report Market Trends Analysis: The report offers a comprehensive overview of current trends in private capital markets, including demand for various capital types, interest rates, and economic outlooks. Benchmarking: Use the benchmarks provided in the report to compare your company’s performance against industry standards. Capital Access: The report details the behavior of different capital providers, such as senior lenders, mezzanine funds, and private equity groups. Risk Management: Insights into the cost of capital and the risks associated with different types of financing can aid in developing a robust risk management strategy. Strategic Planning: The economic forecasts and market conditions outlined in the report can inform your strategic planning for the upcoming quarter. https://lnkd.in/g8ZwtQqQ

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At our annual meeting last week, Carta Head of Insights Peter Walker shared a master class on #seed VC deal dynamics with a special focus on the South. Carta is Valor's fund administrator, and we sure enjoyed having Peter come out from SFO to join our community of courage in person. Listening to his talk, founders and investors will learn: 1) How #valuations and amounts raised play out for founders right now--including the perceived (but not that meaningful) differential between the South and Silicon Valley 💰 2) Where #SAFE dilutions are trending, and why stacking SAFEs is more dangerous than ever ⚠️ 3) How #M&A in the South has recovered, even surpassing the Northeast in the most recent quarter 📈 Here are some highlights and a video for those who want to dive in. https://lnkd.in/gYwsQ6Jv Please share with smart founders and investors you care about. CC: Steve George Catherine Abely Megan McDougall Gary Peat Jean-Luc Vanhulst Cliff Baker Sean Cook

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Venture debt volume is on pace for a record year as high-growth companies navigate the current #VC investment environment. With equity becoming more expensive, venture debt has proven to be a useful tool for late-stage #startups looking to fuel growth and extend their runway. Check out this new article from SVB’s Mike Devery + Kyle Larrabee for a quick overview of recent venture debt trends and tips on how to size a debt facility for your company: https://lnkd.in/gf7F2gbn

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The Lower Middle Market (LMM) — a dynamic yet challenging space in private equity — holds immense opportunities for PE professionals. However, with underqualified intermediaries and inexperienced sellers, navigating agency risk becomes crucial. Eric McCarthy, CFA sheds light on the unique hurdles of the LMM and actionable strategies to mitigate risks, including better broker communications, engaging legal advisors early, and negotiating directly with sellers in #EnterprisingInvesor He also illustrates how to turn potential pitfalls into smoother negotiations and successful closings. Read the blog: https://lnkd.in/ed9YZny4

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We mapped out the biggest software PE investors of the last decade!🚀 📊Leading the pack are TA Associates, Vista Equity Partners, Thoma Bravo, Hg, and Battery Ventures. 👉They are not just backing companies but are helping founders scale their software business to new heights. 🌟 For founders in the software space looking for PE investment, we have covered detailed profiles of these PE funds that include their investment criteria such as investment size, geographical focus, revenue requirements, and board seat preferences. 👉The strategies of these funds range from growth equity to full buyouts, impacting software companies at various stages. 🔥Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dXzrEG2B #software #privateequity #softwareinvestor #mergersandacquisitions

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Another very interesting piece of Thought Leadership by our Polish Globalscope Partners Ltd partner, Aventis Advisors, regarding the biggest PE investors in the Global Software vertical in the last decade. Congratulations Marcin Majewski and the rest of the team for such an insightful research. 🔥Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dXzrEG2B #LiberdadeCapital #AventisAdvisors #GlobalscopePartners #GlobalTeam #ThoughtLeadership

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With the rise of new technology, CFOs must be more strategic, more disciplined and more forward-thinking than ever. That’s why we’re launching the BCV CFO Advisory Board to gather financial leaders across industries and geographies in order to share ideas among members, BCV and our portfolio of companies.

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Excited to partner with Antonio, James, and the XP Health team. The need for vision care and benefits in the United States is substantial. More than 200M U.S. adults (79%) use a form of vision correction. 2 out of every 3 U.S. adults have some type of vision care coverage, even those with 20/20 vision. Vision benefits are considered table stakes for employers, who are generally not likely to sacrifice this coverage even during economic uncertainty. Yet, it dominated by 2-3 outsized legacy vendors and encumbered with horrible customer experience and exorbitant out-of-pocket costs for consumers. XP Health is revolutionizing the experience of eyecare across eye exams and eyewear shipping, through a digitally native product that significantly enhances customer satisfaction through personalized care and reduces out-of-pocket costs. Read the full TechCrunch article: https://lnkd.in/ggVicTHm QED Investors Amias Frank Shruti Adams Laura Ashley Rachel Nigel

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In the season finale of Brex's Controllers Classified podcast, BCV partner Sarah Hinkfuss spoke with Erik Zhou to discuss the VC investment landscape and how BCV approaches due diligence for growth-stage companies. For founders, there are three things that are important to share with investors: 1. Your unit economics, or how you think about your business drivers. It’s by far the most important thing today and those inputs (e.g. customer cohort data, gross margin, sales and marketing costs) give you a complete picture of the business. 2. Your business model, or how you think about your future. It doesn’t have to be a huge, complicated spreadsheet. Rather, it’s an important instrument to show people how you think about the business. What is your view of the future and what do you believe are the most important drivers of the business? 3. Your memo, or your narrative. A popular format today is to tell your story in a memo, not a deck, and it’s great because the writing process forces more complete thoughts to give investors a full view of your business and vision.

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Check out the Elevate Ventures opportunities in the comments!

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FASB reaches tentative board decisions related to derivatives, hedging and interim reporting disclosure requirements in its board meeting held Wednesday, April 10, 2024 The FASB provided a summary of tentative board decisions that were reached in their board meeting held Wednesday, April 10, 2024. The FASB’s tentative decisions relate to Topic 815-Derivatives Scope Refinements, Topic 815-Hedge Accounting Improvements, and Interim Reporting-Narrow Scope Improvements. Following discussions over Topic 815-Derivaties Scope Refinements, the Board asked staff to begin drafting a proposed Accounting Standards Update based on the tentative decisions reached related to predominant characteristics assessment in Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging, and the interaction between Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, and other Topics related to the accounting for the grantee of a share-based payment in a contract with a customer.  A summary of the tentative decisions can be found here: https://lnkd.in/evrGDCYq

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