EVCA Newsletter | May 2021 Edition - Tons of Jobs, Events, and Market Insights
It’s a strange feeling to reflect on how just this time last year we were still knee-deep into the pandemic, uncertain of what the future had in store. Fast forward just one year later: with vaccine distribution under way and cities nationwide making the decision to open up, the signs of a return to normalcy in the U.S. are finally starting to show. Venture capital activity, which had slowed dramatically in the first phase of the pandemic when uncertainty permeated investment circles, is rapidly accelerating. In the first quarter of 2021, YTD funding rose to nearly half of the total funding recorded for 2020. Deal activity is up 14% YoY and the number of $100M+ mega-rounds for Q1’21 hit a whopping 185 in number, up from the 102 mega-rounds in Q4’20.
These early indicators are positive signs that global economies are finally beginning to heal. For the bulk of us at the EVCA who are busy working away in our remote office setups, the time is nearing when in-person meetings, events, and other social get-togethers become a reality again. At last, we’re almost there. On that note of optimism that we’ll soon see each other in our physical forms and not merely through our digital representations, we bring you the latest edition of the EVCA newsletter!
EVCA Spotlight: He’s a Former Entrepreneur With Over Two Decades of VC Investing Under His Belt. Meet Ben Yu, Managing Director at Sierra Ventures.
We had the chance to interview Ben Yu, who is Managing Director at Sierra Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in entrepreneurs building the next generation enterprise and emerging technologies companies. Ben shares with us his origins story—from starting off as an entrepreneur after graduating from Princeton University’s rigorous electrical engineering PhD program to entering the world of venture capital at the peak of the dot-com bubble in 2000. Through his story, Ben shares his lessons on life and career from his over 20 years of experience in the venture capital industry.
Featured Investors
This month we highlight Paraj Mathur of Panoramic Ventures and Lauren Stephanian of Pantera Capital as our featured investors of the EVCA community.
Paraj Mathur is a seed investor at Panoramic Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm focused on B2B software, fintech, and healthcare IT. Prior to joining the fund, Paraj was a digital media and entertainment investor at Candela Partners, a pre-seed fund in SF, and Ulysses, an early stage fund in Boston, and holds a bachelor's degree from Franklin & Marshall College. At Ulysses, Paraj helped Major League Rugby launch a first-of-its-kind celebrity athlete esports league which had over 1.4M live viewers. Outside of work, Paraj loves video games, chess, psych thrillers (books and movies) and basketball (#Lakeshow)
Lauren Stephanian is a principal at Pantera Capital, a crypto-focused investment firm with over $5.5B in AUM, where she focuses on early stage investments. She’s also a co-founder of TLC Collective, a generalist investment collective comprised of two other investors who work at well-known venture funds and also come from engineering backgrounds. Prior to joining Pantera Capital, Lauren worked in trading at Bank of America and, before that, was a software developer at a trading and investment platform. She holds a degree in computer science from Columbia University.
EVCA Leadership Spotlight: Board Member, Courtney Chow
This EVCA Leadership Spotlight Series is intended to help the broader community get to know what's going on behind the scenes at the EVCA, as well as highlight the valuable contributions of the roughly 50 individuals across the venture capital industry who make the EVCA possible.
Courtney Chow is an investor at Battery Ventures, covering early and growth-stage consumer internet and software investments. Prior to venture, Courtney worked on the business operations (growth) team at LinkedIn, where she led product strategy focused on building active communities. Previously, she worked on the strategy and operations team at AmazonFresh, where she focused on supply chain and operational strategy, and as a venture design fellow at IDEO, prototyping venture concepts around IoT and Blockchain. Courtney graduated from UC Berkeley with a BS in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research. In her spare time, she works with a variety of non-profit organizations, including Gold House and EVCA, and loves running around the city with her German Shepherd puppy Marlowe!
What We’re Reading
Stop Chasing Disruptive Unicorns but Also Don’t Stop Looking for Them - Aya Spencer of BLCKVC, discusses the utilization of data science techniques to understand global trends and patterns for disruptive unicorn identification
A Guide to Venture Capital Funding For Video Game Startups - Rizwan Virk of Griffin Gaming Partners, examines the VC’s investing in the video game startup space
Thinking Through Quantum - Nicole Williams of Compound, talks about which areas of quantum are investable from a VC perspective
The Five Themes Cybersecurity Startups Are Tackling in 2021 - Mike Fernandez of B Capital Group, discusses the 2021 focus areas within the cybersecurity market
Can technology make the mortgage process better? - Michelle Killoran and Thom Ryan of Omers Ventures, examine the impact technology has had and could have in the mortgage space
Pay $1000 now or $100/month for a year? - Sri Muppidi of Sierra Ventures, examines how Buy Now Pay Later companies are shaping up the market
Events
DealMakers: Jasmine Richards | May 6 | Hosted by Black Women in Investing (BWIN) and BLCK VC
Venture Leader Insights: Navigating 20 Years of Networking in Silicon Valley | May 14 | RSVP on Slack
Envision Demo Day 2021 | May 19 | Envision Accelerator
US VC in Q1 2021: Reaching for new heights | May 5 | Hosted by PitchBook and NVCA
Digital Health Outlook Post Pandemic | May 18 | Hosted by Tusk Venture Partners and NVCA
Jobs
Summer 2021 MBA Investment Intern in San Francisco, CA at Cota Capital. If interested, email Eric Lee at eric@cotacapital.com
Associate/Principal Role in San Francisco, CA at Toyota AI Ventures
Full Time Summer Intern in San Francisco, CA at Toyota AI Ventures
Associate Role in Boston/Cambridge, MA at F-Prime Capital. If interested email, recruiting@fprimecapital.com
Senior Associate Role in San Francisco, CA at Fort Ross Ventures. If interested email, Ratan Singh at ratan@fortross.vc
Business Advisor Role in Sacramento, CA at UC Davis Venture Catalyst
Operations Manager Role in San Francisco, CA at Streamlined Ventures. If interested, send your resume, a link to your Linkedin profile, and a short single paragraph on why you are interested in this position in an email to michelle@streamlined.vc with the subject line: Venture Operations Application
Associate Role in Los Angeles, CA and New York, NY at Greycroft
Connect with us: EVCA, Sam, Adam, and Isaac
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