What if investing in high-growth startups didn’t require being ultra-wealthy or writing a six-figure check? That’s the shift happening now. Funds like Connetic Ventures are removing outdated barriers by lowering investment minimums, removing accreditation requirements, and making venture available to everyday investors. It’s still private markets investing, but designed to be more accessible. On this week’s episode of The Alternatives Mason, Brad Zapp, CFP® breaks down how interval funds are making room for more investors and what that means for the future of venture. Tune in to the full episode now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts! 🎧Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dYimm3TF 🎧Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gAZj4PtU #TheAlternativesMason #venturecapital #alternativeinvestments

AI Hype: Will Your Startup Survive? When investor terms get aggressive, founders can end up with nothing, even after years of building their company. 🚨 From 40–50% equity grabs to 3X liquidation preferences, these deal structures can look more predatory than supportive. In this clip, Daniel Eyman (Managing Director, Meld Valuation) breaks down how certain venture and private equity deals leave founders at risk of losing it all. Listen to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/e8vc4eQc You can also listen to this podcast episode on:  - Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/e8vc4eQc - Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eJUMQBHs Why not subscribe there today? That way, you never miss an episode! #BusinessValuation #PrivateEquity #VentureCapital #CFOInsights #FounderChallenges

AI Hype: Will Your Startup Survive? When investor terms get aggressive, founders can end up with nothing, even after years of building their company. 🚨 From 40–50% equity grabs to 3X liquidation preferences, these deal structures can look more predatory than supportive. In this clip, Daniel Eyman (Managing Director, Meld Valuation) breaks down how certain venture and private equity deals leave founders at risk of losing it all. Listen to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/e6j5PPZf You can also listen to this podcast episode on:  - Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/e6j5PPZf - Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eiB_vvM8 Why not subscribe there today? That way, you never miss an episode! #BusinessValuation #PrivateEquity #VentureCapital #CFOInsights #FounderChallenges

In the latest episode of The Alternatives Mason, we asked Brad Zapp, CFP®, Head of Investor Relations at Connetic Ventures, how he decides who to back. He told us about a founder with a big idea: take on 5-Hour Energy with espresso shots. It didn’t gain traction at first. But instead of walking away, that founder shifted focus from their product to their brand. And they rode the cold brew wave all the way to the top. That startup? Bizzy Coffee. Today, it’s the top-selling coffee brand on Amazon. This is what happens when a relentless founder meets a venture fund that knows how to spot potential. Tune in wherever you get your podcasts to hear more of Brad’s insights. ����Spotify: https://lnkd.in/g7nWAe_d 🎧Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gAZj4PtU #TheAlternativesMason #venturecapital #AlternativeInvestments

🚀 New launch: Investor’s Corner on the TechExits Podcast! Our first guest is Daniel Ibri, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Mindset Ventures, who brings the investor’s perspective to today’s wave of tech M&A. Daniel discusses the 21% rise in venture-backed tech exits, the role VCs play in preparing companies for acquisition, and which sectors he’s most excited about right now. He also shares how founders and investors can stay aligned when it comes to timing and valuation. Tune in for fresh insights from one of the most active cross-border venture capitalists in the market. 🎧 Listen here: https://lnkd.in/ev_UvwVP     Also available on the WFS Podcast page, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Youtube.  #TechExits #InvestorsCorner #Podcast #MergersAndAcquisitions #VentureCapital #TechExitsPodcast 

More than 80% of US companies making more than $100m of annual sales are private. That figure caught me by surprise when Baillie Gifford’s chief executive raised it. But it explains why – from Stripe and SpaceX to Revolut and Anthropic – investing beyond the public markets is critical to our efforts to find and back the planet’s best growth companies. “The more we can be part of giving as many people as possible access to these companies, the better,” Tim Campbell tells me. In Short Briefings on Long Term Thinking’s latest episode, Tim explores this and other ways we distinguish ourselves, including: 🌞 considering what might go “really right” for a business when first discussing a possible investment, before exploring what could go wrong. 🔭 thinking about what changes are inevitable over the next 10 years-plus, rather than focusing on the next set of quarterly earnings. 🎯 basing portfolio decisions on our own deep research and meetings with company leaders about their long-term goals. 🤖using AI to synthesise information and identify trends – giving our investment managers more thinking time to spot opportunities others miss. “When you have fewer and fewer market participants approaching the investment task in the way that we do – long-term, trying to understand businesses, trying to find those great disruptive growth businesses of the future –  that becomes an increasingly valuable differentiator and, frankly, quite an important task.” I hope you enjoy the podcast, and I would love to know if anything surprised you. Spotify: http://bit.ly/3VkvSBE Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/48ooMng YouTube: http://bit.ly/4mHpLTj Article: http://bit.ly/46tG9AH

The future of investing won’t be defined by quarterly earnings, but by the ability to see what could go really right over the next decade. With 80% of $100m+ US companies still private, the edge belongs to those who think long-term, embrace AI as a lens for synthesis, and back disruption before it becomes obvious. This is where tomorrow’s transformative growth will come from

One investor told startup founder Nikki Tugano, MAPPCP what to wear to be 'easier on the eye.', another said she was becoming 'too confident'. Kane Jackson spoke with the SeenCulture founder about the psychology behind funding bias and why founders who've overcome more to get opportunities often have to continue working harder to succeed. Watch on YouTube https://lnkd.in/gbj77373 Listen on Spotify https://lnkd.in/gchtnAxS Listen on Apple Podcasts https://lnkd.in/gchtnAxS

Should startup founders really be wearing every hat? 🎩 On ScaleUp Radio, I spoke with Matias Carpio, co-founder of Onlyscience, who believes that true efficiency comes from specialisation. Yes, in the early days of a startup you need to juggle every role. But as Matias points out, growth comes when you stop trying to do it all yourself. He has shifted from coding the algorithms to leading as CEO focusing on strategy, sales, and marketing while building the right team around him. It is a powerful lesson for any founder: knowing when to let go is as important as knowing how to start. On ScaleUp Radio, Matias shares: 🎩Why efficiency depends on specialisation, not multitasking 🎩How investment is helping his transition from “builder” to “CEO” 🎩What it really takes to evolve from founder to business leader 🎧 Listen to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eaZtZAs5 …or find ScaleUp Radio on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or anywhere you listen. #ScaleUpRadio #BusinessStrategy #LeadershipDevelopment #ScalingBusiness #CEOMindset #FounderLife

Alex Navin, Managing Director, recently sat down with Shiloh Bates on “The CLO Investor” Podcast to discuss the challenges and opportunities in the CLO market. “CLO equity is for sure a trade for Goldilocks scenarios. If the market is too hot or doing too well, you're going to get this negative convexity effect with so much loan repricing.”  Listen to the full interview on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Flat Rock Global, LLC #PerformanceTrust #CLOInvestorPodcast #CLOTrading   YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gCr_eYYm Spotify: https://lnkd.in/g8q_Nw3n Apple: https://lnkd.in/gBq5qHrz