Launching Orange Collective: Exclusively Investing in Y Combinator Companies

I’m happy to share that I’ve joined the team building Orange Collective! Orange Collective exclusively invests in Y Combinator companies.  Our team (Jason Freedman, Ryan Bednar, Dave Yen, Tara Perillo, David Teten) have founded 8 companies which participated in 5 graduating Y Combinator batches spanning from 2009 to 2017.  The team has also collectively angel...

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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...

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The Constitution for Your New Fund: Strategy, Culture, Decision-Making, Budget, and Data

(Thanks to my coauthor Dolph M. Hellman, Esq., Partner, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP; Chair, Orrick’s Private Investment Fund’s Group.) This is part of a series on structuring the team and legal infrastructure of a new private equity/VC fund: Writing the Constitution for Your New Private Equity or VC Fund: Strategy, Culture, Decision-Making, Budget, and...

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How VCs Are Eating Our Own Dogfood: AI & Technology to Generate Alpha in Private Markets

Here are the slides and video of my keynote talk from Eagle Alpha’s alternative data conference, Feb. 12, 2025, in NYC. I spoke on “How VCs Are Eating Our Own Dogfood: AI & Technology to Generate Alpha in Private Markets.”     For more research on how investors in private companies can use AI and...

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Template Structure for the Anchor Investor in Your New Private Equity/ VC Fund

Many emerging fund managers find that large anchor investors request economics in their general partnership or management company. To help guide that negotiation, here’s a template of an opening letter to a potential anchor investor, laying out all your deal structuring options. You may find helpful a piece from Techcrunch on Should you give an...

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Seeking Cofounders for Vertical AI startup: Identify and Move the Hidden Levers of Power, and Help Advocacy Groups Execute Their Mission

Looking 4 entrepreneurial software engineer/product mgr/biz-dev killer 4 a network-based service.. pre-launch, BIG equity, big peeps involved–ANY TIPS?? If the answer is yes to any of these, keep reading. Briefly, we think there’s a substantial market for a tool to execute initiatives which require coordination with outside stakeholders, e.g., make a large sale to a...

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