How to Use SPIN Selling to Raise Capital

“One of the biggest issues I see with salesmanship in VC is that most pitches start with an awkward… ‘so should I start with a little about me and the fund I’m raising’.  For most VCs, the default is to just start giving their canned stump speech and steamroll through the meeting.” So says Dave...

[Continue Reading]

Tracking Portfolio Company Finances, Metrics, and Updates

How can you best track the progress of your portfolio companies, both to report to limited partners and also for your own allocation of time & resources? I summarize here the vectors I generically recommend you use for tracking portfolio company activity. Of course, every VC fund needs to customize their model based on their...

[Continue Reading]

Building an AI Tech Stack focused on Y Combinator companies

One of the many reasons I’m so excited about the privilege to help build Orange Collective is that we are living in the future.  Given that we are very tightly focused on investing in Y Combinator companies, typically pre-Demo Day, we are all-in on the unique YC ecosystem. We are rebuilding our tech stack from...

[Continue Reading]

Search Funds and AI: Aone Partners Tech Stack Profile

We’re happy to share the latest in AltsTech’s series profiling how investment managers are using AI, tech, and analytics to generate alpha. We’re fortunate to interview Gelila Bekele, Founder of Aone Partners. David Teten: Please give us an overview of your firm.  Aone Partners is a search fund partnership backed by 14 enterprise software CEOs,...

[Continue Reading]

New video: How Private Equity and VC Investors Accelerate Portfolio Company Success

I just spoke at the Venture Intelligence Day 2025 NYC on How Private Equity and VC Investors Accelerate Portfolio Company Success, based on my Journal of Private Equity research study. I’ve embedded below my presentation and the video....

[Continue Reading]

SumZero: world’s largest community of investment professionals

We’re happy to share the latest in AltsTech’s series profiling how investment managers are using AI, tech, and analytics to generate alpha. We’re fortunate to interview Divya Narendra, Founder and CEO, SumZero. David Teten: Please give us an overview of your firm.  Divya: SumZero is the world’s largest community of investment professionals working with the...

[Continue Reading]