Steve Pattison’s Post

🛸 #Aim High and Disrupt, Zippy : Calculated Risks for Explosive #Growth As we embrace the day, let’s remember that calculated risks can propel us to new heights. Bold moves—whether it’s venturing into fresh #markets, making unexpected acquisitions, or launching groundbreaking #products—can redefine our path and spark innovation. The Key to Success : 🔑To navigate these daring ventures, meticulous planning and calculated risk are essential. Equip yourself with in-depth market insights, solid financial backing, and a team ready to tackle the unknown. 🔑The road may be fraught with challenges, but the rewards are worth it. These brave decisions can disrupt markets, open new customer avenues, and elevate your company as a beacon of innovation. Plus, they nurture brand loyalty and bolster your reputation as a trailblazer. Let’s make today count and soar! #SoarToSuccess #EmbraceTheChallenge #ElevateYourGame #TakeFlight #InnovationInAction #DareToDream #BoldMoves #SkyIsTheLimit #UnlockYourPotential #LeadWithCourage #ADGTech #ADG PS : Video Credit goes to respective owner

The stunning 360° panorama view on a roof top didn't distract early-stage founders from focusing on valuable advices of panels. My favorite(?) lessons are 1. Product & founder fit 2. Building Champions 3. Open doors for other founders (warm introduction) Extra: Companies made investors regret not investing. #NYTechWeek #FundYourVision #Houseofpitch

📢 Tomorrow, Kevin Burke, Partner and Head of Strategy at Sapphire Ventures, will join an expert panel at the Mergermarket Private Equity Forum in Austin to share his VC perspective on: 💡Key drivers of technology deal flow, from software to cloud computing 💡How private equity GPs are competing with VCs and strategies for the best deals 💡GenAI: Where are we seeing real traction and where are we a few years away from seeing impact? 💡What are some top technology investment trends that venture firms predict will emerge in 2025? Joining Kevin will be an incredible lineup of industry leaders: — Martin Schwertmann, Partner at Kirkland & Ellis — Alan Cline, Head of North America at Hg — Eugene Esmonde, Co-Head TMT Private Equity at BCI — Carl Press, Partner at Thoma Bravo — Sandeep Swaminathan, Senior Managing Director at Haveli Investments Find more information at the link in the comments. It’s not too late to register👇 #GenerativeAI #MergerMarket

John Doerr is chairman of the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins (investors in Amazon, Genentech, and Google) and author of Measure What Matters. A few years back, Doerr introduced a thought-provoking framework that categorizes business teams into two distinct groups: Mercenaries and Missionaries. This framework has since become a cornerstone in the field of business strategy. The legendary VC, John Doerr, passionately argues, "we need teams of missionaries, not teams of mercenaries.” He emphasizes the transformative power of a missionary mindset, which can inspire and motivate your team to achieve greater heights. https://lnkd.in/dmkA6q-v PS: When establishing your business foundations, being aware of the distinction between Mercenaries and Missionaries is crucial. Remember, a team of mercenaries can lead to short-term gains but may need more long-term commitment and passion than a team of missionaries brings. (Note: The entire discussion is highly insightful!)

🎉 What an extraordinary milestone as Insight Partners celebrates its 30th Anniversary and the closing of Fund XIII at $12.5B! For three decades, we have proudly focused on investing in and scaling the best software companies across the globe. When I joined Insight Partners, it was to be part of the best team in the industry and contribute to something truly transformative. At Insight, we combine unparalleled expertise in software investing with the power of Onsite, our dedicated value-creation team. This unique combination enables us to partner with founders and their teams to scale their businesses the #InsightWay. It’s been a privilege to work alongside so many exceptional portfolio companies and to contribute to the success of this remarkable organization. 💡 As highlighted in a recent TechCrunch article (linked in the comments): "Jeff Horing’s Insight Partners is to New York venture capital what Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia are to Silicon Valley. And it’s a status that has been cemented with Insight’s latest closing." A heartfelt thank you to our portfolio companies, partners, and employees who make Insight what it is today. Here’s to scaling even greater heights together! 🚀

Do you know what all the top VC investors in the world have in common?? 🔍🔍🔍 DATA ............................................................................................................................................................ Today I discovered a new VC fund that is reinventing how VC is done! avra is reinventing how to do VC. Loved the description of The Generalist "Avra Capital is a trade school that monetizes through VC" Avra was founded by Anu Hariharan, the ex director ofY Combinator growth strategy. Avra We runs a 7-week long program focused on CEO scaling. Each week, we cover a different company-building topic ranging from executive hiring and management to scaling engineering and scaling people. While reading about them in The Generalist I came across their playbook. Do you know what the top VC investor all ove rthe world have in common? Yep, they are #datadriven

My biggest mistake as CEO almost killed my company. Don’t fall for the same trap. During our Series C at Classy, we had multiple interested investors. But only one offered a valuation that was 20% higher than the others. Like most founders, we went with the highest valuation. Big mistake. The next 3 years were hell: - He tried to push the founding team out - The culture tanked - Performance dropped - Everyone was miserable It was like having a cancer we couldn't get rid of. Eventually, I rallied our existing investors to buy him out. The company rebounded almost immediately and later hit $1B. But I learned a brutal lesson: The right investor at a lower valuation is infinitely better than the wrong investor at a higher one. When raising capital, don’t judge investors by the size of the checks they can write. Instead, evaluate them based on: - Strong culture fit - Aligned vision for the future - Track record of supporting founders Whatever you do, don’t get caught up in the valuation game. The wrong investor is never worth those few extra zeros. ____ 📌 PS. Join our free newsletter & community of 100,000+ https://lnkd.in/gRxdayew 📌📌 PSS. If you're a founder or CEO, you should check out Highland , my community + accelerator to help scale you & your teams. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gWqNamTw

When Colin Farlow co-founded Serotiny with his brother Justin Farlow, they used to have board meetings with just the two of them. Things get more complicated with your first funding round, when the lead investor usually gets a board seat. That's why you want to pick your investor carefully. For one thing, the board can remove you as CEO -- "that's their job," says Matt Kovac of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, if you're not doing YOUR job. Thanks to Matt and Colin for the great discussion they had today on how boards work (or, sometimes, don't, if you have an even number of directors). A few points: Your first board meeting, you'll feel a lot of pressure. "You're going to fall flat on your face," Matt says, but your investors know that. You just have to be willing to take advice and act on it in your considered judgement. Strategic investors are investing for strategic reasons. They may want to acquire you, to develop your technology -- or kill it. As a result, sometimes it's hard to have open conversations in front of strategic investors on the board. (They may be happy to step out for a few minutes.) If you have more than one strategic board member, things can get complicated. Colin says that you'll be having interactions with your board members outside the official meetings. The board trusts you to bring up only the most important matters for discussion at the quarterly meetings. And Matt says that your lead investor won't necessarily be the person taking the board seat. If you have come to have good chemistry with someone at that VC firm, you can request to have them take the seat. You want people who get along and whose visions are aligned. "You don't have time for conflict or turmoil at the earliest stages!" Colin says. 

🪙 So I Was Asked the Other Day, Why Is M&A the MVP in 2025? Mergers and acquisitions aren’t just business buzzwords this year—they’re the MVPs of transformation. Here’s how we’d explain it over coffee with colleagues: 🟦 1. Confidence is Back, and CEOs Are Ready to Play Offense After years of uncertainty, the fog is clearing. With monetary policy stabilizing and markets adapting to new norms, CEOs aren’t sitting on the sidelines anymore. They’re simplifying their portfolios and hunting for acquisitions that align with long-term growth strategies. 🟩 2. Spinoffs Are the Secret Weapon Forget “downsizing”—spinoffs are about getting sharper. When companies separate their core assets, they create opportunities for acquisitions that target innovation, agility, and focus. Case in point: Major players like Johnson & Johnson and GE are rethinking their blueprints. 🟥 3. AI is Driving a Gold Rush Everyone’s racing to own the AI frontier, and M&A is the fastest way to get there. Whether it’s acquiring startups with generative AI capabilities or scaling data infrastructure, the smartest deals in 2025 are powered by artificial intelligence. 🟧 4. Sponsors are Sitting on Dry Powder Private equity isn’t holding back. With trillions in available capital, sponsors are leading the charge in creative deal structures like continuation funds, minority stakes, and collaborative partnerships. This isn’t just about exits—it’s about reinvention. 🟪 5. It’s a Small, Global World Cross-border M&A is thriving, with companies chasing opportunities beyond their home turf. From LATAM to EMEA, the global stage is where future unicorns are born. Did you know cross-border M&A jumped 43% in EMEA last year? The momentum isn’t slowing. M&A in 2025 isn’t just a strategy—it’s the cheat code for growth and transformation. What’s your take? Are you seeing M&A dominate conversations, or is there another tool driving innovation? Let’s chat below! 👇 #MergersAndAcquisitions #CorporateStrategy #AI #PrivateEquity #CrossBorderDeals #FutureOfWork

Brilliant meeting this morning with one of Europe’s most prolific Tech VCs. There is growing demand for NED and Advisory professionals within their portfolio so, I’m keen to speak with Product leaders that have successfully exited high value tech scale-ups and looking for advisory and Non-Exec positions. You’ll sit on the board of one or two portfolio companies to provide knowledge, experience, perspective and accountability. Please share and get in touch for more info. Omnis Partners #venturecapital #ned #product #data