Clarence Wooten

🌟Innovative VC Firm Overcomes Exits Drought with Secondary Sales🌟 ⛵Navigating a challenging landscape where exits are scarce, Santa Barbara Venture Partners (SBVP) has pioneered a novel approach to sustain its growth and attract investors for its second fund: secondary sales. Instead of waiting for traditional exits like IPOs or acquisitions, SBVP opted to sell shares of its portfolio companies, demonstrating its ability to generate returns for investors and stand out in a competitive market. 🎤According to Dan Engel, founder and managing partner of SBVP, these secondary transactions have been a game-changer, sparking investor interest and bolstering the firm's credibility. By leveraging its recent successes, including a lucrative stake in sports-betting company DraftKings Inc.' acquisition of digital lottery app Jackpocket, SBVP seized the opportunity to return profits to its limited partners (LPs) and pave the way for its second fund. 💡Engel highlighted the challenges faced by young VC firms in raising subsequent funds, particularly amid a downturn in exit activity and heightened investor scrutiny. With traditional exit routes becoming increasingly elusive, the pressure is on for firms to demonstrate tangible returns and establish a track record of success. ✨"For us, secondary sales have been a game-changer. They've helped us return profits to our LPs and attract investors for our second fund," said Dan Engel. 💰For SBVP, the decision to pursue secondary sales was driven by the need to provide liquidity to LPs and validate its investment thesis in the eyes of prospective investors. By strategically offloading portions of its holdings in high-performing portfolio companies like Bark Technologies and Rad AI, SBVP not only generated substantial returns but also bolstered investor confidence in its ability to deliver results. ⚠Despite the complexities and potential stigma associated with early share sales, Engel emphasized the importance of prioritizing investor returns and seizing opportunities to unlock value for stakeholders. With a focus on profitability and transparency, SBVP remains committed to its mission of delivering sustainable growth and maximizing returns for its LPs. 🔍 "Returning profits to our investors is our top priority. By strategically selling shares, we're proving our commitment to delivering results and driving value for our stakeholders," added Engel. As SBVP continues to explore secondary transactions and expand its investor base, the firm stands as a testament to innovation and resilience in the face of market challenges. 🚀 ✅ Looking to raise capital for your #fund and increase the international pool of your LP #investors?   🤝 Need warm #LP introductions?   📝 Selling #secondaries to increase liquidity?   🧐 Looking for co-investments?   ▶ G+QUANT's link for inquiries and fund decks: https://lnkd.in/gjC_EuTE #VCInnovation #SecondarySalesSuccess #InvestorReturns #ValueCreation 

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#SanFrancisco VC Contact Database. Over 275 venture capital firms, more than 2,100 VC professionals (including partners and principals), and 1,600 email addresses available. https://payhip.com/b/idx8b #startup #startups #vc #venturecapital #investmentbanking #privateequity #managementconsulting #b2b #founders #entrepreneurs

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An interesting article below, that demonstrates out how San Diego is punching above its weight.  And how Connect's strategy and execution over time, contintues to be central to that success. The article describes the current state of the market in Seattle.  (And i love Seattle.) It's a market that we tend to track with relative to venture fundings.  They used to kick our butts, we outraised them each of the last three years.  This despite the fact they have 3x as many funds there, and 9x the amount of resident capital there. (per pitchbook) Some key takeaways:  * They continue to compare themselves to SIlicon Valley. Instead, we leverage our proximity. *They whine there's not enough local investors (see note above - they have more than us). We bring over 200 VCs to SD annually! * They say founders are not connected with one another. We bring CEOs together regularly, in a variety of ways - private dinners and through our Springboard program. * They say they need to elevate their image on a national & international stage. Why we created and continue to build Five.Ten.Thirty (aka Inno Day).  * And the last paragraph - they need to concentrate on making their region a great place to live. Our mantra: "It's about Better, not Bigger." (See XEO, TL Fund). THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT. WE ARE ON A MISSION TOGETHER!!!  (Comments, whining, suggestions on SD always welcome.) https://lnkd.in/g6Rq_f2Y

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Two weeks ago I spent 3 days with brilliant human beings discussing the state of AI investment with other angel syndicate leads, angel investors and VCs at Hustle Fund's #camphustle in Los Gatos. It was brilliant. Truly awesome to learn so much from insanely accomplished investors. But was so clear to me again is that the US and the UK are two countries divided by separate languages of ambition. Aspiration and ambition underlined by the cluster effect of successful exits, incredible talent and venture capital driven by operators and founders rather than accountants. But one reason why the US often trumps (pun not intended) the UK is they learn from failure. Run a startup that didn't reach the dizzying heights of venture-scale returns? Learn, reset and go again. What they certainly do not do is look at failure with glee and an "I told you so" attitude. Which is what I sense when I read most of the narrative around the failure of Cazoo. Alex Chesterman swung and missed. The business was flawed, unit economics didn't add up and in reality - there was very little innovation outside the vertical alignment of a well-understood business. But when we look down upon what he tried to do and 💩 💩 it all we're doing is making it harder for someone else to be equally as ambitious. Focus on what went wrong. Focus on the fundamental underlying business models that drive efficient use of capital and the push for profitability. But let's celebrate people shooting their shot and not celebrate the failures.

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Today marks a groundbreaking moment for BLCK VC and our fellow collaborators—Diversity VC, All Raise, 2Gether-International, SomosVC, StartOut, and VetsinTech—as we proudly announce the launch of the Diversity Data Alliance. This important alliance underscores our unwavering commitment to nurturing a venture capital and entrepreneurial ecosystem abundant in equity and inclusiveness. By standardizing and linking our data, we empower ourselves with the essential tools to track deeper trends that have, until now, eluded us to identify and fill funding gaps for historically excluded investors, founders, and operators. We can’t change what we do not measure, and now with the Diversity Data Alliance, we're now equipped to do both. Join us in this mission. Learn more and get involved: https://lnkd.in/eEZKdrac #DiversityDataAlliance #BLCKVC #VentureCapital #MeasureToChange

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Prime Coalition has long taken a different tack to climate finance compared to its for-profit brethren. It makes the usual venture-style investments in startups through Azolla Ventures and also helps philanthropists direct their money to climate-related projects that it deems high impact. Trellis Climate follows the latter model with a focus on middle stages, where capital has grown scarce. #climatetech #climateVC #climatefinance

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Fellow UC Berkeley grads— As a proud alum, I'm excited to share an exciting opportunity ICYMI last week: Foundation Capital Cal Build. Here's what you need to know: → What is Cal Build? It's a program designed to assist Berkeley alumni in launching and growing their Enterprise startup. Whether you've recently started your business or plan to do so in the near future, we're here to help. → Who can join? Our initial invite extends to all Bay Area-based UC Berkeley grads. We're eager to welcome 10 new Cal founders to our community every month. → What does it offer? Expect exclusive access to a host of benefits—including in-person and virtual events, mentorship, office space, and more—all without any cost or equity exchange. → Interested in joining? Apply for our 3rd cohort before the end of September and be part of the network that includes successful Cal-founded companies such as Tubi, TubeMogul, Inc., SafelyYou, Conviva, Anyscale, CaptivateIQ, Arize AI, and more. → What is the time commitment? We ask for ~2 hours of your time per week. We hope you spend significantly more outside of the program building. Learn more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/guyAagiu

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⭐ Assess Your Startup In 9 Steps: https://lnkd.in/eEB6tmnw 📝 In this video, our guest shares the story of a young kid saving starfish under the hot California sun—a simple act with a big lesson. As thousands of starfish lay stranded, this kid tirelessly throws them back into the ocean one by one. When someone questions the impact, he simply responds, 'It will for this one.' This story reminds us that meaningful change doesn’t always have to be monumental; sometimes, it’s about making a difference for one at a time. Let's discuss how this perspective can empower your entrepreneurial journey.

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🌟 7 Crucial Elements for Scaling Startups to Successful Exits 🌟 Reflecting on my recent experience at the OPEN Silicon Valley Forum in Santa Clara, some of us engaged in a deep discussion on what repeatedly drives startups from inception to successful exits. Our collective experience pointed to these seven essential elements: 1️⃣ Timing is Everything: Ensure the market and technology are ready for your solution. Being too early or too late can hinder success. 2️⃣ Align with Your "Why": Success requires internal motivation. Knowing your “why” keeps you resilient and purpose-driven. 3️⃣ Master the Problem, Not Just the Product: Deep understanding of the problem is far more critical than focusing solely on a product or idea. 4️⃣ Define Culture from the Start: The first five hires set the tone. Invest in "A" players who embody the culture you envision. 5️⃣ Obsess Over User Experience: A relentless focus on user experience can make or break your product’s adoption. 6️⃣ Build for Scale from Day One: Architecting for growth is not optional—it’s essential for long-term success. 7️⃣ Map Out Your Go-to-Market Strategy Early: Before building, have a clear thesis on how to generate revenue and achieve product-market fit. These principles are tried and true across multiple industries. If you’re launching a startup or scaling a business, how do these resonate with your experience? What would you add to the list? #startups #entrepreneurship #growth #scaling #productmarketfit #OPENsiliconvalley #innovation #founders Tashfeen Suleman Amer Haider Umair Khan Junaid Qurashi Wardah Inam

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Friends, Q2 was a quarter of progress and learning for us at HawkTower, where we invest in early-stage startups applying breakthrough computing technologies to maximize California's natural resource markets. Our focus is on technology-enabled interventions (e.g., AI-enabled geospatial radars for lithium-ion batteries in the waste stream) for critical, market-level imperatives (e.g., disaster prevention) that can drive rapid commercial adoption (e.g., placed on every recycling truck in the world). Our current investment priorities are: - Agricultural productivity and efficiency - Biomanufacturing - Labor and mobility automation - Waste stream optimization and decarbonization - Disaster prevention and management Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been up to: Milestones and Investments: - In late April, we officially launched our fund, filing with the SEC. Yay. - By June, we completed our first fund close ahead of schedule, with backing from family offices, foundations, high-net-worth individuals, and organizations aligned with California's future. - Our portfolio now includes three early-stage investments (Farm-ng, Agriful Software, and Nexstera Tech). Strategic Partnerships: - We believe that startups operating closer to their customers and resources, especially in agriculture and biomanufacturing, have a strategic advantage. For instance, the Salinas Valley, a major agricultural hub, is less than an hour from Silicon Valley and serves as a center of thought leadership in the convergence of agriculture and AI (from Western Growers, Taylor Farms, and others). - Similarly, the North San Joaquin Valley is emerging as a biotech and agtech innovation hub, and we are proud to support BEAM Circular, a startup hub for the circular bioeconomy. Key Relationships: - Karen Warner, CEO of BEAM Circular, joined HawkTower as a strategic advisor. - Jackie Cruz, Ed. D. Cruz, Hartnell College’s VP of Advancement, advises on Salinas Valley and workforce development. - Ben Palone from Western Growers, with his technical background in agriculture, became a trusted advisor. - Matthew Hoffman from Driscoll's Global R&D team provides insights on global agriculture, product positioning, and investment strategy. - We collaborated with Monterey Bay DART for workforce development and automation in agtech. - Dominic Milano and the Milano Technical Group from Merced collaborated on key initiatives and advised us on investments. - HawkTower is participating in Santa Cruz Works's accelerator cohort as a mentor and advisor. Thank you Doug Erickson. - We published an overview of entrepreneurship across the UC system with input from across the University of California system. Moving into the fall, we remain deeply committed to supporting founders shaping California's future natural resource markets. Stay tuned and be in touch! : ) Db

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Topics: Growing investments in impact, growing the number of #femalefounders and #femaleinvestors in #impact and #deeptech. Critical in light of the disparity between rich and poor and government and the people's interests. Grateful to RevHubOC - The Orange County Center for Innovation & Social Enterprise and Julie Cranston for the opportunity to address women and men #impactfounders and speaking alongside rockstar #womeninvestors @shannoneusey @katelafleur @katiengyenkalvoda @laurengrattan.

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Check out the latest issue of my investor-focused newsletter Not From Concentrate!

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Team San Diego! I though you may find this as surprising as I did...we are not alone. Read this quick article from Jon Prentice's (Silicon Valley Bank) interview with with James Newell (Voyager Capital), published in GeekWire on Seattle's innovation ecosystem....they lament the SAME issues as we do in San Diego: * Lack of angel investors, (Especially, it calls out, given the local giant tech co's) * "We need low-conviction check writers." * Lack of "cachet associated with being an angel investor" - We have similar efforts (as described in the article) to drum up angel activity: NuFund Venture Group and, Interlock Capital (read the article and you'll see why the Interlock effort is tops as relates to "paying back into the ecosystem") Connect.org strives to 'connect' innovative companies with investors of all types (angel, VC, PE...) - just see "Innovation Day". Their Springboard program provides another great way for experienced entrepreneurs to give back through mentorship...as for the companies going through Springboard: "Ask for advice, and you often get $$" Your thoughts on the article or San Diego innovation ecosystem? https://lnkd.in/gfwq6mfq

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As we get prepared for our Angel Conference program, we run workshops to help get things lined up for the right conversations between investors and early pre-seed startups. We have a deadline coming up on August 27th for startups. One of the places that we see companies having a bit of trouble is on the customer discovery side of things. So we have a couple of workshops on that early customer discovery and associated efforts to get traction early before your MVP. As Angel Investors, we need to think with a portfolio mindset instead of investing in one or two companies to "see how it goes". We have a panel of SAC alumni talking about their perspectives on their portfolio of companies. We also know that startups don't practice pitching enough. So we we have workshops for improving pitches before people pitch for real. You can see the upcoming workshops here: AI+Lean  Building automated content experiments for customer discovery Tuesday, August 6, 2024 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM PDT https://lnkd.in/gJMiyQZC Building Your Angel Investment Portfolio Tuesday, August 6, 2024 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM PDT https://lnkd.in/gD9ATSyG Pitch Deconstruction and Review Thursday, August 8, 2024 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM PDT https://lnkd.in/g-RRajrX Finding your first paying customers Tuesday, August 13, 2024 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM PDT https://lnkd.in/gN-DaRJ8 Angel Investing and Taxes Thursday, August 15, 2024 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM PDT https://lnkd.in/gjs9cQfy Solving Real Problems: The Key to Market Success Tuesday, August 20, 2024 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM PDT https://lnkd.in/gYkJFD-X Structuring a Pitch Deck That Engages Investors Thursday, August 22, 2024 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM PDT https://lnkd.in/geyYR4wB Seattle Angel Conference (SAC 26) Application Deadline Tuesday, August 27, 2024 9:00 PM to 9:05 PM PDT  (But REALLY … Apply early)  https://lnkd.in/gM_fSmbZ  Companies need to apply here - https://lnkd.in/gWbtkAaf Please let the folks around you know about these workshops.

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On June 6th our small and mighty California Senate Bill 54 team was honored on the floor for our groundbreaking work introducing data transparency to the venture capital industry. Participating in our regulatory process was life-changing for me. Everything was a novel experience: initial ideation, writing a bill, collaborating with Senators I deeply respect, testifying in front of the Judiciary Committee, and the tumultuous period before Governor Newsom signed it into law. I'm immensely proud of all of us for our work, collaboration, and impact. Standing on the Senate floor surrounded by my friends, colleagues, and family left me lost for words (and that's hard to do). We took part in our country's democratic process and made history. I was truly inspired. Regardless of your political "side," it's easy to feel helpless and revert to inaction. It's easier not to act. It also makes you feel scared and empty. I urge you to take action however you can. Once you start, the small steps turn into big ones. You'll feel in control and fulfilled. Legislators are people and they need to hear from you so they know what their constituents want. Here are some ideas: 👉 Look up your district Representative and Senator. Read their short bios and check out what Committees they're on. Write each one an email to introduce yourself as their constituent and list issues that are important to you. 👉 If you run a company, invite your Representative and Senator to visit, learn about what you do, and share what issues impact your business. 👉 Look at bills introduced by legislators in your state (they don't have to be your district) and follow the people you align with. If they introduce a bill you support, ask for an email template you can send to your Rep. This is super easy and truly makes a difference. So many people ask me how to get involved in advocacy. There's no magic here. Say what you think publicly and take action. Boom. You're involved. Kelly Kimball Marquesa Finch Divya Reddy Derek Ali Tracey Warren Samantha Katz Amy Kalokerinos Alison Overholt Amy Spurling Gitanjali Swamy Modjossorica (Rica) Elysee Karen Kelly 🌈 Lakshmi Balachandra Victoria Yampolsky #CivicEngagement #Advocacy #Legislation #TakeAction #SB54 #VentureCapital #DataTransparency #CaliforniaPolitics #CommunityImpact #GetInvolved #PublicPolicy #ChangeMakers #PoliticalAction #GrassrootsMovements #DemocraticProcess #Leadership #Empowerment #Innovation #PolicyChange #Entrepreneurship #Fundraising #Founders #Entrepreneurs

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💡 Are vertical AI startups the future of industry-specific SaaS? SignalFire's latest blog outlines a compelling case for how AI-enabled vertical SaaS solutions could transform industries, tapping into a $6 trillion market opportunity. By applying seven innovative frameworks, startups can address unique, industry-specific challenges like handling unstructured data, achieving data defensibility, and automating workflows. One standout approach is the “networked SaaS” model, where diverse stakeholders—from end-users to insurers—can connect on a single platform, driving efficiency and deep integration. Curious about these frameworks and examples of companies pioneering this space? Dive into the full article! 📈👇

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Great time on the Embracing Erosion podcast w/Devon O'Rourke! We talked about: 🚀 How to scale a company from concept to 9-figure exit 🔄 How to break away from the traditional consulting model and apply product approaches ⏩ Why it’s important to iterate quickly and often with messaging 💸📈What signals are important to pay attention to when investing in startups and much more!

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Super excited to be joining this amazing group of panelists at TechCon SoCal, the largest gathering of investors, innovators, and entrepreneurs in Southern California! With just 13 days to go, I can't wait to share insights and connect with fellow industry leaders. Looking forward to discussing investment strategies and entrepreneurial growth. See you there! #TechconSoCal2024 #InnovationSummit #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #InvestmentStrategies

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