Raising early-stage capital is no simple feat, and founders have to have the right mix of ambition, clout, and optimism to get investors to buy into their vision. Now, with the downturn hitting tech companies hard, early-stage founders are having to professionalize their pitches at a much faster rate.
Recently, Natasha Mascarenhas, Senior Reporter and Equity co-host, noticed a change in the type of pitches early-stage founders are using when seeking capital. Foundrs are now more focused on making the metrics and monetization of their company more concrete, instead of creating the narrative of an all-conquering messiah figure.
This shift in pitch strategies is discussed further on Tech Crunch+ in an article written by Natasha, titled “Founders Change Their Pitch”. On her newsletter, Natasha is also delving into the latest trends in artificial intelligence (AI) attribution, venture layoffs, as well as modern entrepreneurship. She invites readers to follow her on Twitter or Instagram to continue the conversation, as well as to subscribe to her very own Substack.
Layoffs have become a daily occurrence in the tech sphere, with Dropbox recently citing “the AI era of computing” as the reason to reduce its staff by 16%. In line with this fact, there is speculation on how further redundancies will occur—what sort of workforces might be affected, and whether AI could replace everyone’s jobs.
In terms of venture layoffs, Mary Ann Azevedo from Tech Crunch reported on the layoffs from fintech-focused VC firm Anthemis Group, which has reduced 28% of its staff in order to look towards the future of early-stage investing.
Natasha Mascarenhas also recently interviewed Ocho’s Ankur Nagpal on her Equity podcast. They spoke about how the landscape of solo GPs has changed, the impact of building in public, and the qualities of a great CEO. Nagpal suggested that one must have enough “sociopathic” qualities in order to excel in the role, while also staying true to one’s values.
Besides the latest trends in entrepreneurship, Natasha Mascarenhas also looked at other news items in the fintech sector such as the emergence of Muslims in the fintech boom in Southeast Asia, and the Ansa project which was founded by Adyen and Affirm alums in order to help merchants create virtual wallets.
Overall, the article written by Natasha Mascarenhas gave us an insight on the changes in early-stage fundraising, and the latest news items surrounding the fintech industry. As we continue to follow her work and continue the conversation, it’s interesting to see how the future of fundraising in tech takes shape.
