SPACtacular Vs. SPACulation — Reverse IPOs are taking over Wall Street “When you compare it to an IPO, the pitch is actually very simple. It is a better way to go public.” — Chinh Chu, Blackstone Group Is there anything Softbank, Shaquille O’Neal, Bill Ackman and Paul Ryan have in common? Nothing at all one would assume, aside of this one…

By āltitude x Pacenotes — When it comes to portfolio construction, venture capital funds and fund of funds are distinct investment vehicles with different strategies and objectives. >> Understanding the main differences between these two types of funds is crucial for investors seeking to allocate their capital effectively. << Here, we (Jeroen and myself) will…

// One fund’s rejection is another fund’s triumph. — // The story of the Trojan Horse The story of the Trojan Horse is well-known. First mentioned in the Odyssey, it describes how Greek soldiers were able to take the city of Troy after a fruitless ten-year siege by hiding in a giant wooden horse supposedly left as an offering to the goddess Athena. Often the term…

Hard questions you will need to answer at some point — Emerging fund manager are a very unique breed facing an extraordinary set of challenges. The real problem about launching a venture capital fund as an emerging fund manager is that they will have to sell a product to sophisticated and experienced LPs — it’s an unbalanced battle without any room…

You can’t fast track experience, but you can learn from others — Financial success in venture capital is based on experience and of course the hand of fate in combination with great timing. Nonetheless, without in-depth experience you might be better off spending all your money in an air-conditioned casino with some drinks and entertaining company surrounding yourself. Within the past years…

Opportunity or Genuine Economic Deterioration? — The past years have been like a never ending romantic walk in the park for startups and VCs, love was in the air — no doubt. VC funds have raised massive amounts of capital within the past decade, as values have gradually shifted from public to private markets. …

The Angel is dead, long live the Angel! — “The key to making money in angel investing is saying no. You meet 100 companies and say no to 99 of them.” — Kevin Rose — The Average Joe Business Angel When it comes to accurate information on venture capital performance and return multiples there are numerous sources such as Pitchbook, Crunchbase, CB Insights and…

Startup Scams and Outright Frauds from Hegestratos to Elizabeth Holmes. Well, fraud has been around since the dawn of commerce — not surprising at all, I guess. 300 B.C., a Greek merchant named Hegestratos and his Co-Founder Xenothemis started the very first InsureTech in ancient Babylonia, with more or less…

Startup Valuation — the Reality between Art and Science — “There are a lot of ways to determine the valuation of a company, and by proxy, a venture fund’s portfolio. But there is a really important distinction to be made between valuation and worth. A company is worth only what someone is ultimately willing to pay for its shares.” —Mattermark…