Ray Leach

Tune in to the upcoming webinar by Shils Entrepreneurial Fund on July 16th at 7 pm Eastern Time. The webinar, titled "Raising Capital and What it Takes," will feature Jane Levy, the Co-CEO of Plan Forward. This webinar is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to gain confidence in the process of raising capital from angels, family offices, and venture capitalists. #FamilyOffice #VentureCapital #Investors #Invest #Capital #Finance #ReverePartners #FundRaise #Tech #PrivateEquity #Equity #StartUp #Founders

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In 2013, Lori Torres felt an undeniable spark when she conceived the idea for Parcel Pending, a smart locker solution designed to tackle the package crisis in apartment buildings. Despite being the primary breadwinner in her family with a thriving real estate career, she took a monumental risk. She left her secure job, sold the family’s cherished home, and even persuaded her mother to risk her property for a loan. Within a year of these sacrifices, Lori had developed her first smart lockers. Her innovation soon caught on, with her lockers becoming a key solution for property management companies and residents. By the end of 2014, Lori’s commitment had not only secured her first major order but also attracted investors, setting the stage for tremendous growth. Within six years, Parcel Pending was sold for $100 million, turning her mother’s loan into a $1 million return and ensuring her family's future. Lori’s story highlights a key lesson for anyone seeking investors: truly committing to your vision can make a world of difference. By investing your own resources and security, you show investors just how dedicated you are to your idea. When you put everything on the line, it not only proves your commitment but also makes a strong case to potential backers. If you’re all in, it’s far easier to convince others to believe in your dream, and it could be the turning point in making it a reality. Are you prepared to go all in on your entrepreneurial dreams? Grab a copy of my book, “Thinking Bigger”, at the link below to read my personal experience chasing my dream and the advice I would share to anyone starting today. https://lnkd.in/dZpQYX6D #Entrepreneurship #WomenInBusiness #Startups #Investment #ThinkBigger

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We're absolutely thrilled to announce a monumental milestone for Flo Health Inc.! After years of dedication to women's health, Flo, a long-standing member of the Target Global family, has secured over $200 million in Series C funding led by General Atlantic.This incredible investment propels Flo's valuation beyond $1 billion, officially making it a unicorn – a rare and remarkable feat in the femtech space. This accomplishment isn't just about numbers. It's a testament to the power of prioritizing women's health. Flo has seen phenomenal growth over eight years, becoming the #1 downloaded app in the Health & Fitness category. Today, Flo empowers nearly 70 million monthly active users (MAUs) and boasts close to 5 million paid subscribers. Notably, 1 in 4 US women trust Flo, solidifying its position as a leader in the global movement for women's health. But this is just the beginning! This investment fuels Flo's mission to revolutionize female healthcare experiences worldwide. By directing resources towards areas of critical yet unmet needs (which, let's be honest, encompasses a vast majority of women's health!), Flo will continue to be a driving force for positive change. Congratulations Dmitry Gurski,Yuri Gurski, and the entire Flo Health Inc. team! More in the Financial Times here ---->https://lnkd.in/dJZdajM4

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A Journey of Growth and Adaptation: Nick's Story Join us as we catch up with Nick, reflecting on his journey over the past two years. Discover how he navigated challenges during the pandemic, focusing on tightening foundations and scaling up his projects. Learn about his latest endeavor, a commercial project in Illinois. Share your thoughts and experiences below! #NickStory #PersonalGrowth #PandemicReflections #EntrepreneurshipJourney #BusinessDevelopment #CommunityDiscussion #ProjectManagement #RealEstateDevelopment #ScalingUp #Adaptation

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ENTREPRENEUR WISDOM   The most reasonable plan is planning on your plan not going according to plan.   Venture With Vision   Steven James “SJ” Maranville, Ph.D. is chairman of Maranville Enterprises—a tiny titan catalyzing unicorn-bound ventures that it scouts, skills, and scales. A Strategic Advisor and Board Director, SJ is the Guide by the Entrepreneur’s Side. He uses his extensive expertise in business strategy to lead visionary entrepreneurs through the chaotic complexities of starting and scaling their high-growth ventures. These ventures are distinguished by the Intelligence Advantage. By partnering with Maranville Enterprises, entrepreneurs accelerate fledgling start-ups into gazelle scale-ups and escalate those gazelles into shake-up unicorn ventures that learn, adapt, and dominate.    Let's keep the conversation going! Share and discuss in the comments!  Let's spread the message! Share this with your network.   #Entrepreneur #Startups #StartupDevelopment #StartupVentures #BoardDevelopment

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An Entrepreneurial Board of Directors A Value Maximization Model For Public Companies #corporategovernance #governance #boardsofdirectors #shareholdervalue #performance #capitalism #institutionalinvestors

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What's the fast river in alts? Listen to the latest Alt Goes Mainstream podcast with Mercer's Gregg Sommer & CAIS' Neil Blundell to hear how they are helping advisors approach private markets. Gregg, Neil, and I had a fascinating discussion about how the wealth channel can approach alternatives and how they can think about both diligence and customization. We covered: * The case for alternatives. * How advisors currently approach alternatives and how they can think about it differently going forward. * How to think about portfolio construction that includes alternatives. * How alts can help advisors differentiate their practice and attract clients. * Following the fast river in a career and why alternatives are “the fast river.” * The meaning of “structure over strategy.” * The rise in popularity of evergreen funds. Thanks Gregg and Neil for sharing your thoughts and expertise on private markets. Thanks to our sponsor, Ultimus Fund Solutions, for making this episode possible. https://lnkd.in/eBtyw6Fm

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Velocity Catalyst Fund is something I truly believe in and I can't think of anyone more capable and passionate than Desiree Vargas Wrigley to lead it. Please see below for more information on how to get involved! 🚀

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Why Do I Need to Be in Birmingham for the Prosper Health Tech Accelerator? We get this question a lot. And Sometimes, it's accompanied w/ expletives. I understand—it's a significant commitment, and it may seem inequitable. Participating in our program requires founders to have a lot of free time and a strong support network, this is especially true for caregivers. Our in-person model can indeed be a barrier for some. This is a reality we address through our funding, curated housing options, and by fostering a community for you while you're here. But here's another fact: it works. For those who choose to immerse themselves in #PHTA for 82 days, it can be a game-changer. Healthcare is a legacy, high-trust industry. Building trust in this field can't be done from behind a laptop. Success in healthcare moves at the speed of relationships. #today join us during your lunch hour @ 11am. Our PM Amanda Williams will share what it's like building on-sight Birmingham and the benefits our founders have experience. https://lnkd.in/eXHfnQiS

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The practical application of AI to help manufacturers eliminate unplanned downtime is key to our current and future offering. We do not label ourselves as purely an AI company, as that is one component of our value delivery, but I can say we have a world class team of AI Engineers building incredible tech alongside a team of world class Condition Monitoring Engineers. I am bullish and excited to see how Central Ohio emerges as a global AI hub with Intel as an anchor. cc: Brian Graham, Seyed Mohammad Parvasi, Ph.D., Jaidev Krishnan, Matt Longhouse, Chris Berry

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Good and alternative state of Venture capital. I lean more toward Bryce and Indie.vc's view. This is the future. The other end of factory farm industrial VC. https://lnkd.in/g2DzZzTu

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Below is a link to today’s MDB Vested Interests conversation, Traditional Venture vs Public Venture, in case you missed or want to revisit it. MDB Capital President & Chief Market Strategist Lou Basenese sat down with Dave Berkus, TCA Venture Group Chairman Emeritus and Managing Director of TCA ACE Funds, to exchange insights on these approaches to venture-stage investing. Watch video here: https://lnkd.in/gwM3Cwsd

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At 135 Madison, we specialize in transforming founders' visions into investor-ready memos and decks that secure meetings and get funding. We do this week-in-and-week-out with startups at all stages. When preparing for fundraising, developing an investment memo before diving into the pitch deck can be a wise approach for startups raising Series A and beyond. Stay ahead by being fully prepared to answer any questions investors may throw at you! Swipe to see a detailed comparison below. Find this valuable? Follow Peter Korbel for more! #venturecapital #startups #fundraising #entrepreneurship #investmentmemo #pitchdeck

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Wondering about the Nebraska ecosystem resources. See the attached chart below…and more to come!

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😃 Want to learn more about have to navigate #privateequity landscapes as an #executive? Click to read this article by Gerald O'Dwyer, 'The PE Guru,' now! https://buff.ly/4b4e1Fj   💡To Learn More about BlackmorePartners at: https://buff.ly/42iNmB3

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Stony Hill Advisors, Inc. M&A Advisory services include M&A Coaching. If you've identified that acquiring a business (and/or additional businesses), selling your business, pursuing a merger (including reverse mergers), whatever it might be around M&A we can help. We can help you devise that strategy, and figure out what is best for your business. #MergersAndAcquisitions #BusinessGrowth #AskTheExperts #coaching #buyingabusiness Roy Y. Salisbury Geoff Miller Paul Visokey Joseph Radic Bryan Coble Dave Severance Johnny Cram Christopher Carroll

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Energized after participating in the "AI Innovation Panel: Funding AI Powered Startups" at Columbus AI Week 2024 alongside brilliant minds in the AI and venture capital space. The discussion reinforced key insights on commercializing AI technologies that we've seen drive success in our portfolio companies at HauerX Holdings. 10 key commercialization insights for AI startups: 1. Laser focus on solving real business problems: Successful AI startups address specific, high-value pain points for enterprises. It's not just about having the most advanced AI, but delivering tangible, measurable value that's significantly better than incumbent solutions. 2. Proof of concept to proof of value: Move quickly from demonstrating technical capabilities to showing business impact. Quantify the ROI your solution provides to early adopters. As you build, focus on key metrics that demonstrate traction: number of customers, strategic logic in your GTM strategy, referenceability, revenue, and NRR. 3. Vertical or value chain-level AI vs. one-off GenAI LLM wrappers: Develop proprietary IP, a unique edge, or a differentiated, valuable solution that goes beyond simple AI implementations. 4. Clear go-to-market channel: Avoid selling into fragmented, undefined value chains. Establish a focused, efficient path to your target customers. 5. Execute extremely fast with compounded learning: Rapid iteration and learning from each customer experience is crucial in the fast-paced AI landscape. 6. Target a niche in a big, growing market: Find your specific place in an expansive, evolving sector. 7. Land and expand strategy: Start with a focused use case that delivers quick wins, then expand to adjacent problems within the organization. This builds trust and opens doors for wider adoption. Make sure your pricing and product strategy enables early trials but also flexes to enable and capture value from significant enterprise traction. 8. Co-innovation with customers: Engage closely with early customers to refine your product. Their feedback and use cases are invaluable for product development and future sales. 9. Clear, value-based messaging: Articulate your value proposition in terms of business outcomes, not technical features. Speak the language of your target buyers. 10. Navigate adoption challenges: Factors like AI awareness and readiness within enterprises, threat of lost jobs, lack of understanding, and stakeholder misalignment can decrease deal conversion. Control what you can by building a larger, strategic pipeline of opportunities and hack your way into trust and respect through strategies like channel partnerships. Grateful for the insights shared by my fellow panelists Sarah Lerner-Mantel and Tyler Mantel (Roll Tack Ventures), Navin Goyal MD (LOUD Capital), and our moderator Brett Renzenbrink. Congrats to the Enterprise Technology Association and Nexigen teams Summer Crenshaw, Zachary Huhn, and Jon Salisbury for another successful AI Week!

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I think Adams Street Partners are spot on in this very thoughtful piece! · Rising interest rates are creating headwinds for buyout portfolios · Leverage reliant GP's returns are to be negatively impacted · GPs focusing on scaling via earnings growth are more likely to outperform · Sellers should rein in their valuation expectations What does this mean for PE market like #ASEAN where returns are inherently #growthdriven? Rather simplistically put, higher interests rates are levelling the playing field between Developed Markets (DM) and Emerging Markets (EM) The more returns need to rely on growth, the more regions or countries with strong GDP growth fundamentals become attractive. Granted there are many more nuances that come into play, but one could hardly argue that for the last decade+, low rates and generous leverage packages have supercharged returns in DMs. Unlevered EM businesses needed to grow earnings 3 to 4x faster than DM peers to just match the returns, quite a tall order even in booming economies. With a more "normalised" rate environment, portfolios would benefit from regionally diversified exposures to growth and we believe #ASEAN displays the most promise! #CollyerCapital #CCPL #LeveragedReturns #GrowthReturns #Buyout #interestrates https://lnkd.in/g9xDCjMY

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