🟣 The Lean Way to Launching a Successful Venture Capital Firm

Launching a VC firm can feel like an overwhelming process. Many aspiring fund managers think they need to have everything meticulously set up before they even begin raising capital. They hire lawyers, create complex fund models, and compile detailed data rooms—all before talking to a single potential investor.

But here’s the problem: this traditional approach is risky and inefficient.

It’s like a startup founder building a product in isolation for years, only to discover too late that no one wants to buy it. Just as successful startups focus on early customer feedback to shape their products, successful VC firms use a lean, iterative approach to secure their first commitments.

Here’s how you can apply this strategy to build a market-driven, scalable venture capital fund.

PS: Are you a founder under 30 that’d like to join LOI’s next founder cohort? Here’s the link. They have 1,500 alumni, $1B+ in enterprise value and it’s a free, virtual 12 week program to scale your venture to the next level. Mention EverythingStartups sent you for a guaranteed interview slot ;)

🟣 This Week in VC Marketing

Biweekly marketing lens for venture capital firms. 

How can you stand out as a VC?

I'm so excited to present this brief but jam-packed interview to you with the Head of Marketing at LOI VC, Joel Hansen.

I've wanted to interview a seasoned VC marketer for a long time now, so this is a big milestone for me! As someone on a mission to dive deeper into how marketers build standout VC brands, Joel’s expertise and success immediately caught my attention.

With over 50,000 followers on LinkedIn and a track record of helping LOI VC weave an exceptional brand identity, I knew this would be the perfect person to interview.

Read on to learn about:

• 4 things that make a strong VC brand

• Platforms & strategies for success

• What to look for building a VC marketing team

• Top 3 tips for VC marketers

🟣 VC Internships Galore

1. VC Internship - Amex Ventures

   Location: New York

   Apply here
   

2. VC Internship - 25madison

   Location: New York

   Apply here
   

3. VC Fellowship - SJF Ventures

   Location: Remote

   Apply here
   

4. Strategy & Investment 2025 Summer Internship - Corient

   Location: New York

   Apply here
   

5. Venture Fellow - Pegasus Angel Accelerator

   Location: Remote

   Apply here
   

🟣 21 Angel Syndicates You Can Join

Where are VCs betting big in 2025? (it's not only AI)

Did you know some AngelList syndicates let you start investing in startups with as little as $1,000?

Here are 21 angel syndicates you can join:

🔲 1. Flucas Ventures

Founder: Ashley L. Flucas Median Investment (Lead): $1,000 Median Investment (Syndicate): $290,100

🔲 2. Flight.VC

Founder: Gil Penchina Median Investment (Lead): $3,500 Median Investment (Syndicate): $115,000

🔲 3. Duro Ventures

Founder: Sundeep A. Median Investment (Lead): $1,000 Median Investment (Syndicate): $121,300

🔲 4. Zach Coelius

Founder: Zach Coelius Median Investment (Lead): $5,000 Median Investment (Syndicate): $278,300

🔲 5. SaxeCap

Founder: Amrit Saxena Median Investment (Lead): $10,000 Median Investment (Syndicate): $161,700

🔲 6. Operator Ventures

Founder: Craig Hunter Median Investment (Lead): $2,000 Median Investment (Syndicate): $151,800

🔲 7. Adapt Ventures

Founder: Ammar Amdani Median Investment (Lead): $1,000 Median Investment (Syndicate): $130,200

🔲 8. Jonathan Wasserstrum

Founder: Jonathan Wasserstrum Median Investment (Lead): $1,000 Median Investment (Syndicate): $93,500

🔲 9. Climate Capital II

Founder: Sundeep A. Median Investment (Lead): $10,000 Median Investment (Syndicate): $80,000

🔲 10. Rob Ness

Founder: Rob Ness Median Investment (Lead): $25,000 Median Investment (Syndicate): $152,300

🔲 11. Better Capital

Founder: Vaibhav Domkundwar Median Investment (Lead): $3,000 Median Investment (Syndicate): $208,000

🔲 12. MyAsiaVC

Founder: Sajid Rahman Median Investment (Lead): $1,000 Median Investment (Syndicate): $108,000

🔲 13. Unpopular Ventures

Founder: Peter Livingston Median Investment (Lead): $25,000 Median Investment (Syndicate): $139,400

🔲 14. Mana Ventures

Founder: Morgan Schwanke Median Investment (Lead): $15,000 Median Investment (Syndicate): $184,000

🔲 15. Riverside Ventures

Founder: Bryan Rosenblatt Median Investment (Lead): $2,500 Median Investment (Syndicate): $113,000

🔲 16. Calm Ventures

Founder: Zachary Ginsburg Median Investment (Lead): $1,000 Median Investment (Syndicate): $254,000

🔲 17. DVC

Founder: Dan H. Median Investment (Lead): $1,000 Median Investment (Syndicate): $117,600

🔲 18. Spacecadet

Founder: Daniel Eckler Median Investment (Lead): $1,000 Median Investment (Syndicate): $154,000

🔲 19. Thomas Williams

Founder: Tom Williams Median Investment (Lead): $10,000 Median Investment (Syndicate): $205,100

🔲 20. Ride Wave Ventures

Founder: Oleksiy Ignatyev, Ph.D. Median Investment (Lead): $1,000 Median Investment (Syndicate): $151,700

🔲 21. Red Beard Ventures

Founder: Drew Austin Median Investment (Sydicate): $195,800

🟣 For the Founders: The Most Powerful Buddhist Principle You Can Apply to Business

Simplicity has become “the goal” in our overstimulated world. Escaping the noise, information overload, and a culture of excess is a growing desire, particularly for younger generations like Millennials and Gen Z who champion work-life balance and movements like "quiet quitting."

Minimalism, with its "less is more" philosophy, reflects this yearning for a slow-down approach across all aspects of life. However, true simplicity transcends aesthetics. It's about focus, clarity, and the ability to separate the essential from the trivial, prioritizing what truly matters.

Ultimately, simplicity isn't a…

🟣 VC & Startup Favorites

Latest tidbits, resources, and social gems from the ecosystem.

What VCs really think of your startup

Most projects chasing VCs are wasting their time

Paul Graham’s latest essay - The Origins of Wokeness

The State of Venture

The Emerging VC Stack: AngelList vs. Carta vs. Sydecar

5 Steps to Growing Your Audience with Claude

Hot Takes 2025

The highest leverage things a startup founder can do after they raise

For Friday fun 🙂 - the terrifying beauty of the ocean

🟣 Top Pre-Seed to Series A funding rounds of the week

⚫ AI ⚫

🔶 1. Boardy, a startup building an AI-driven professional networking platform, raised an $8 million seed round.

Investors: Creandum
Founded by: Andrew D'Souza, Matt Stein, Shen Sivananthan, Ankur Boyed and Abhinav B.

🔶 2. Ranger, a startup automating software test processes, raised a $2.4 million pre-seed round and a $6.5 million seed round.

Investors: XYZ Venture Capital, General Catalyst, and others
Founded by: Josh Ip

🔶 3. Thoras.ai, a startup providing an AI-driven cloud resource management platform, raised a $5 million seed round.

Investors: Wellington Ventures, Sinewave Ventures, and others
Founded by: Nilo Rahmani and Jennifer Rahmani

🔶 4. Pipe17, a startup using AI to automate online retailers’ order processes, raised a $15.5 million Series A round.

Investors: LFX Venture Partners, GLP
Founded by: Mo (Mohamad) Afshar and Dave Shaffer

🔶 5. Nevermined, a startup enabling AI-to-AI commerce, raised a $4 million round.

Investors: Generative Ventures, Polymorphic Capital, and others
Founded by: Donald Gossen and Aitor Argomaniz

⚫ Retail & Predictive Insights ⚫

🔶 6. Daash Intelligence, a startup offering predictive commerce insights for retail brands, raised a $5.5 million seed round.

Investors: Bullpen Capital, GFT Ventures, and others
Founded by: Philip Smolin, Justin Stewart, and Melissa Munnerlyn

⚫ Cybersecurity ⚫

🔶 7. LetsData, a startup detecting information operations, raised a $1.6 million pre-seed round.

Investors: SMOK Ventures, Wayra, and others
Founded by: Ksenia Iliuk and Andriy Kusyy

🔶 8. Vasco, a startup aligning sales, marketing, and customer success teams, raised an $8 million seed round.

Investors: Inovia Capital, BY Venture Partners, and others
Founded by: Guillaume Jacquet and Sébastien Rothlisberger

⚫ PropTech ⚫

🔶 9. qbiq, a startup generating optimized floor plans and 3D visualizations, raised a $16 million Series A round.

Investors: Insight Partners, JLL Spark, 10D, and others
Founded by: Leeor Solnik, Elad Kaminer, Noam Diamantstein and Roey Granot

⚫ Fintech ⚫

🔶 10. Sydecar, a startup automating SPV and fund formation, raised an $11 million Series A round.

Investors: Deciens Capital, Pipeline Capital Partners, Runa Capital
Founded by: Nik Talreja and David Meister

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