Matchstick Ventures

MN founders, funders and ecosystem - join us for an awesome event during Twin Cities Startup Week on September 18! Bread and Butter Ventures is teaming up with our friends at Matchstick Ventures and M25 to bring you an afternoon that's all about real talk, real connections, and real value. Here's what's on deck: @ 3pm: A no-holds-barred panel featuring our own incredible Mary Grove, alongside two of my absolute favorites Shannon Stobbe Shroyer and Katie Birge. We're talking early-stage VC insights you can use. (and yes, that's an all-female VC panel including our awesome moderator Abigail Johnson (Weber)) @4pm Happy hour networking that's actually worth your time. Connect with investors, founders, and industry pros who get it. Big thanks to the teams at Silicon Valley Bank, TriNet and WeWork for backing this event. Be sure to RSVP at the luma link in the comments -

The #1 question I hear from founders is "Am I ready to fundraise?" If you're based in Colorado, you might pose that to Rich Maloy, Natty Zola and Hayfa Aboukier, when they speak about the state of early stage funding next month. I'm going to ask them loads of questions about what great founders and startups look like, what will automatically disqualify a company when reviewing their pitch deck, how VCs think about AI-based pitches in the second of of 2024, and how to create true VC FOMO. If you'd like to hear all this and even chat with them during dinner, this Thunderview CEO Dinners evening is for you. September 5th. 6pm. Mercury Cafe in Denver, Colorado. Sign up for a seat at https://lnkd.in/eZpTUhvn. ----- And, btw, here are some stats to chew on: Only 12% of companies that raised a Seed in Q1 2022 had raised an A by Q1 2024. (Carta; April 30th, 2024) The rate of bankruptcies today is more than seven times higher than when Carta began tracking failures in 2019. (Carta; July 16th, 2024) Seed deals declined 56% between Q1 2022 and Q4 2023, and are well below 2018 numbers. (J.P. Morgan; February 12, 2024) SAFEs are now the preferred investment instrument for all rounds under $3 million. (Carta; April 23, 2024) That said, this isn't doom and gloom. SpringTime Ventures, Matchstick Ventures and Range Ventures have all had a robust 2024. Investors are still writing checks. The competition has simply never been more fierce. Come to dinner and talk to the people making funding decisions. #KnowingIsHalfTheBattle #GIJooooooooooooooe

We have Denver Startup Week coming 9/18-9/20! I'm helping host some great content for founders on 9/18. Sign up. 2-3pm: How to Raise Seed Capital - https://lnkd.in/gk2RF66Z 3-4pm: How to Raise Growth Capital - https://lnkd.in/g522Npsu 4-5pm: Reverse Pitch: Get to Know The VCs Investing in Colorado Startups - https://lnkd.in/g3_N9eZc 5-6pm: Founder and VC mixer - https://lnkd.in/gjFgBcxj 5-7pm: AI Builders Meetup - https://lnkd.in/gt85KFGm Full DSW schedule - https://lnkd.in/gBcyn4mW

🌄 Join us for our upcoming Founder and Funder Summer Hike in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. Hosted by KO Law, Matchstick, Range Ventures, and AVL Growth Partners!   📅 Date: August 21st, 2024 🕗 Time: 8:00am MST 📍 Location: Dakota Ridge Trailhead - Boulder, CO This is a fantastic opportunity for founders and funders to connect, collaborate, and share ideas while enjoying the scenery of the Flatirons. Don't miss out on this unique blend of networking and nature. Let's walk, talk, and innovate together! 🌟 𝗥𝗦𝗩𝗣 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 >> https://lu.ma/2b1ljxcj Looking forward to seeing you there!

🚨 PSA: Our Series A fundraise leaked last week, so here it is straight from the horse's mouth. A lot can happen in four years. Four years ago this month, almost to the day, Bryce Bunker and I connected online and discussed a pilot of what an internet-first funeral services company could look like. Three years ago this month with one full-time employee we decided it was working and we needed to go all in on the opportunity! In those four short years—which at times have felt like an eternity—we’ve gone from a half-baked idea to one of the leading innovators in end-of-life, serving thousands of families across the US. The tides in the industry were beginning to change and have changed more in the last 10 years, than the prior 100. A sea change is now coming, and while the industry has made valiant efforts to adapt to what consumers want, in many ways, it has missed the mark. After not only represents the change that needs to happen in the industry but is also leading the charge in advocating for more transparent, simple, and affordable funerals. The new way to funeral! While raising capital is a completely separate outcome from running a great company, and in and of itself is not a measure of success, it’s a small signal that we're headed in the right direction and will be a huge catalyst to our continued growth. Here’s to the next chapter! Proud to call the following existing and new investors our partners: - HighPost Capital (Series A lead) - Matchstick Ventures (Seed lead) - TEN13 (Pre-seed lead) - The Raine Group - FJ Labs - Revolution - Peak Ventures - Break Trail Ventures - Crawley Ventures - Capital Eleven - MergeLane - Sweater ...and some incredible angels!

Day one of Chicago Tech Week was a blast catching up with Let's Talk Ops friends🌟 It's always a great day when I get to hangout with Jenna Borowski & Shannon Stobbe Shroyer 😎 Big thanks to Matchstick Ventures, Drive Capital, and Cooley LLP for hosting their 'Pre-Seed Between the Coasts' event last night bringing our Minnesota friend to Chicago! Here's to more fun and connections this week! #LetsTalkOps #TechChicagoWeek #MidwestIsBest #Networking #VCPlatform #Community