EVCA Newsletter | April Edition - the latest VC news, jobs, and events
Ever since the collapse of the crypto exchange FTX in late 2022, the crypto market hasn’t been the same. The crypto bulls never lost their optimism, but the venture capitalists quickly soured on the industry. Just like that, one of the most hyped industries became the forgotten child, shuttled into that misfortune state known as the “trough of disillusionment.”
In recent months, however, the crypto market is showing signs of new life. For the first time in two years, crypto venture capital funding increased, hitting $1.9B in Q4 2023, a 2.5% quarterly increase. Bitcoin also had a stellar run, topping above the $70,000 mark in the last month. Why the sudden resurgence now? Some crypto VCs point to positive legal outcomes last year for companies like Ripple and growing positive sentiment toward crypto among institutional investors. Then there’s the other observation, that the crypto-focused firms and companies around today were simply able to endure the market shocks and stay alive. Whether you’re a crypto enthusiast or skeptic, the moral of the story is illuminating: in the long game of venture capital and startup life, sometimes winning is just a matter of surviving.
And with that bit of introductory fanfare, welcome back to this month’s EVCA newsletter!
Spotlight Feature: Meet Kira Noodleman, Partner at Bee Partners
We had the chance to interview Kira Noodleman, who is a Partner at Bee Partners, a pre-seed DeepTech venture capital firm. Kira shares her story—from starting her career in product, living abroad in South America, and investing in early-stage founders. Kira also shares her thoughts on life and career.
Featured Investor
This month we highlight Alexandra Burbey of G Squared and Matt Savage of Renegade Partners as our featured investors of the EVCA community.
Alexandra Burbey is a Vice President at G Squared, a growth stage venture fund focused on investing in both primaries and secondaries across Consumer Internet, SaaS, FinTech, and Mobility 2.0. Alexandra primarily focuses on application software, with an emphasis in Consumer and Vertical Software. Highlights in her portfolio include Bombas, goop, Knowde, Lucid Software, PandaDoc, Sunbit, and Maisonette. Prior to G Squared, Alexandra spent several years in M&A at DBO Partners. She began her career as the founder and CEO of Acuity for Moms, an HR and EdTech platform designed to help moms re-enter the workforce after taking time off to raise children. In her free time, she enjoys exploring San Francisco’s many restaurants and cafes, heading up to Tahoe to ski, or taking a quick trip to the beach to kayak.
Matt Savage is an investor at Renegade Partners, an early-stage venture firm focused on Series A & B investments. Prior to Renegade Partners, Matt was a strategy consultant at Bain & Company where he worked primarily with growth equity and private equity firms on commercial due diligence across sectors. He has a degree in Economics and Finance from Washington University in St. Louis. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, he enjoys trying new restaurants, traveling to new cities, runs by the Bay, and a good book.
EVCA Leaders: AgTech Vertical Lead, Bijoy Shah of Fulcrum Global Capital
This EVCA Leadership Series is intended to help the broader community get to know what's going on behind the scenes at the EVCA and highlight the contributions of the over 50 leads across the venture capital industry who make the EVCA possible.
Bijoy Shah is an investor at Fulcrum Global Capital, an early-stage venture fund focused on boosting global food production through investments in AgTech, Animal Health, and Supply Chain. While at Fulcrum, Bijoy has spent significant time in the Ag Robotics, Automation, and AgriFinTech sectors. A graduate of Boston College with a background in finance, entrepreneurship, and social impact, Bijoy co-founded the first student-led venture studio at Boston College in partnership with SSC Venture Partners. He is a Venture for America fellow, a network of early professional entrepreneurs ecosystems across 13 US cities, and serves as the Kansas City fellow lead for the group. After moving to Kansas City, he has continued his leadership pursuits in the community where he serves as the President of Impact KC, Kansas City’s most dynamic giving circle.
What We’re Reading
Here we share our favorite content produced from EVCA members across the world:
AI and Business Model Shifts - Cliff Maxwell of Rose Park Advisors, shares his thoughts about AI’s transformational potential to fundamentally shift industries from one business model type to another
How Influencers can Legally Raise Capital for Funds and Companies - David Teten of Sydecar, provides some best practices for how influencers can legally raise capital for companies or funds, while staying compliant with general solicitation rules
CDAO and Accelerating DoD AI Adoption - Maggie Gray of Shield Capital, adventures into data integration, CJADC2, the data mesh, and more along with the AI adoption in the Department of Defense
The Importance of Sports as a Lucrative Media Asset - Keaton Nankivil of Alumni Ventures, explores the dynamic landscape of sports broadcasting, tracing its growth from linear TV’s dominance to the advent of streaming and personalized content delivery
I — Gut Instincts: Unlocking Health’s Frontier Through the Microbiome Market - Pace Ventures dives into the scientific advancements and developments that are shaping a new frontier in health and wellness, highlighting why the microbiome market is ripe for investment
Events
Fintech Founder's Night: Panel & Demos | April 18 | Hosted by Codi & Women in FinTech
VentureTogether: VC Service Series | April 19 | Hosted by Hannah Dopico
ClimateTech Confluence | April 23 | Climate Week Event
Path to a Successful IPO | April 24 | Sidley Austin
➡️ For all EVCA events, which are private to EVCA members, please check the Slack community or your inbox for our monthly Member’s Digest.
Jobs
Director in Washington, DC area at Stand Together Ventures Lab.
Associate and Senior Associate roles in Boston, MA at RA Capital Management.
Analyst / Associate (Investment Team) in San Francisco, CA at Baukunst.
Senior Associate Intern in Silicon Valley, CA at MFV Partners.
Analyst in San Francisco, CA at Trimer Capital Management. If interested, please send your resume along with and transcript in PDF form to recruiting@trimercap.com with the subject line of your name, the role, and your school name.
Head of Venture & Finance at Ateklo Inc. If interested, please send your resume along with a short cover letter to contact@ateklo.com.
Connect with us: EVCA, Sam, Adam, Isaac, Ani, and Mane
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