TheOnePoint

For decades, venture capital’s edge came from being in the room.The right dinners, the right syndicates, the right backchannels.But are those edges are eroding!? Companies stay private longer, DPI is suppressed, and capital pools are more crowded than ever. Selection risk is up, liquidity is down, and “alpha” doesn’t look like it used to.If yesterday’s advantage was network and knowledge arbitrage, today’s may be something different: data arbitrage.The idea is simple but radical: what if you could reconstruct the invisible graphs behind venture—who co-invests with whom, where talent migrates, which circles spot signal first? What if benchmarks weren’t generic Cambridge tables, but dynamic peer sets tailored to each segment? What if diligence cycles compressed from weeks to days, powered by proprietary models fused with LLMs?At that point, a fund-of-funds is no longer just a fee layer. It starts to look more like an operating system: allocator, co-investor, and analytics engine in one. A platform that doesn’t just access networks, but maps them before anyone else walks in the room.And that raises a deeper question: when networks and judgment can be modeled, does gut feel still rule VC—or are we watching the first serious attempt to systematise private markets bringing it a lot closer to hedge funds?That’s the bet being made by Level VC and its founder, Albert Azout.💥 “We want to be the best quantitative investor in the private markets.”As Albert puts it: “We’re trying to build the most sophisticated data flywheel in private markets.” And a lot of their tools are available to their portfolio funds and companies - that’s an instant value add.This is venture reimagined — not by instinct alone, but by infrastructure.Bonus feature: A rare inside view of their system and how they are mixing tech+AI+data to build a revolutionary platform.

In 2024, India’s startup IPO market was on fire.Thirteen new-age tech companies — from Swiggy to Ola Electric — went public raising around US$3.4 billionBut 2025 looks different.As Anoop Menon (Principal at Chiratae Ventures) told me on TheOnePoint Podcast, the IPO engine has shifted gears. Not because of India’s fundamentals — which remain strong — but because founders and boards are asking the harder question: “Are we truly IPO ready?”Here’s what that readiness really means:🔹 Predictable revenue & profit trajectories, quarter after quarter🔹 2–3 quarters of EBITDA-level profitability before listing🔹 Discipline in forecasts & communication to analysts🔹 Governance standards that can withstand public market scrutinyThe lesson? IPOs are not just about access to capital. They are about earning public trust.And in this cycle, we’ll likely see stronger, more resilient ones.The exciting part? Anoop expects 25–30 new venture-backed IPOs over the next 2 years. And not just consumer names — but fintech infrastructure, consumer tech.Interestingly, Anoop also shared that more Indian SaaS firms, previously U.S.-domiciled, are flipping back to list in India. Why? Because demand is strong, valuations are fair, and domestic + foreign institutional investors are eager for differentiated tech assets.🎧 We unpacked the macro factors, institutional pricing pressures, and why some global SaaS companies are even flipping back to India to list here.,

🔥 Excited to announce the launch of TheOnePoint — Sharp Takes.A new, punchier podcast format that is shorter, sharper, and yet impactful.And in the first episode, we talk about a touchy and overlooked topic – VC’s legal fees 💸Most startup founders don’t realize they’re paying for something they shouldn’t. Yet… 99% of VCs still include it.As Auren Hoffman (GP at Flex Capital) shared with me on the podcast, this isn’t just a small line item.It can eat up 1–3% of a round and drag out closings by weeks.👉 Imagine closing a $2M round and watching $50K evaporate straight into opposing counsel’s pocket.It’s an outdated artifact in term sheets, which is:🚫 Investor unfriendly (why should other investors subsidize one VC’s lawyer?)🚫 LP unfriendly (hidden fees eroding returns)But founders can push back. And some funds (like Flex Capital, etc.) are already proving it’s possible to run deals without burdening the founders.🎧 We broke down why this clause exists, why it’s toxic for founders and LPs, and what a more founder-friendly future might look like.And this is just the start — every episode of Sharp Takes will cut through the noise to surface the ideas, perspectives, and shifts that matter most to founders and investors.Social Links: Auren Hoffman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/auren/Flex Capital: https://www.flexcapital.com/Rohit Yadav: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohityadav23/The Big Book of VC: http://bigbook.vc/

I had a fascinating, in-depth conversation with Cali Chill, Chief Investment Officer at OurCrowd, covering a wide arc of the venture capital landscape — from the democratization of VC and how platforms are opening access to world-class deals, to different types of investors, to the geopolitical forces reshaping investment priorities, and the risks and why investor education is more critical than ever.We explored portfolio strategy, fund selection, and the unique challenges of running a global investment platform — all through the lens of someone operating at the intersection of capital, innovation, and global markets.And it’s not just about access — it’s about understanding the quality of that access. We discussed how platforms like OurCrowd have enabled opportunities in different formats and how global networks can support company growth.Today, OurCrowd has a broad community of over 240K registered users from more than 50 countries who contribute not only capital but also expertise, partnerships, and support for portfolio companies.The underlying idea we explored is simple: how venture can be opened as an asset class to a wider group while still emphasizing rigorous selection standards.The VC world is changing — and it’s being rewritten one investor ticket at a time.Chapters in this podcast:(00:00) Episode intro and introduction of the Rethinking Venture Capital strategic report.(01:41) What is OurCrowd, and how does it enable the venture asset class?(02:48) The ideology behind focusing on building a global network.(05:11) Global user base, geographic distribution, and portfolio diversity across sectors and stages.(08:08) Overview of assets, portfolio composition, and creation of index funds like OC50.(11:08) Portfolio highlights — BioCatch, ThetaRay, and late-stage access deals such as OpenAI and Databricks.(15:59) Challenges of the platform model — concentration risk, raise variability, and follow-on strengths.(20:30) Evolution of LP structures and growth of venture democratization platforms.(23:04) Why democratization matters and how OurCrowd differentiates in terms of quality.(27:36) Risks and the importance of education.(29:42) Fund strategy — emerging managers, brand-name funds, and unique sectors like space tech.(37:47) Geopolitics shaping venture globally.(45:25) What’s next for OurCrowd — introduction of the Co-Vest product.So dive into this educational podcast episode to demystify the strategic changes happening in the venture ecosystem.

You may not care about geopolitics, but geopolitics cares about you.This hit me hard during my conversation with Larsen Jensen – former Navy SEAL, 2X Olympic medalist, and now Founding GP at Harpoon Ventures.Here's what's happening RIGHT NOW that most are missing:💡 The Great Awakening: Silicon Valley is returning to its roots. We started with ARPANET, the space race, and Cold War tech. Then we moved on to SaaS and social media. Now we're back to building the hard stuff.🎯 The Perfect Storm: Three forces are converging:– Founders leaving top tech companies to build hard tech– Government budgets finally prioritizing resilience– Private capital is also filling the void⚡ Ukraine Changed Everything: This isn't just another conflict - it's "Drone War One." The rules of warfare have been rewritten faster than doctrine can adapt.🔮 The Generational Opportunity: Larsen believes this AI-driven era will be 10-100x more impactful than the dot-com boom. We're not just building software anymore - we're building the "freedom stack."The companies winning aren't just creating shareholder value - they're ensuring Western superiority for generations.🎯 What we unpacked:🔹 Why Harpoon exists: Larsen built Harpoon as a venture fund focused exclusively on technologies that uphold Western resilience — from AI and cyber to space, energy, and autonomous defense. It’s venture capital with a national security thesis.🔹 The “Freedom Stack” Thesis: AI. Rare earths. Cybersecurity. Energy. Space. Autonomy. This isn’t sci-fi. It’s a new category of venture opportunities that will define global power over the next 25 years. Harpoon calls it the “Freedom Stack” — and they’re investing early.🔹 From Zero to $1B in Government Contracts: Harpoon doesn’t just provide capital. They go into the trenches with their startups, helping them win massive government contracts. Their portfolio has secured $1B+ in revenue — before IPO or exit.🔹 The “Black Flag” Program: YC for defense tech? Pretty much. Black Flag is Harpoon’s custom-built accelerator for startups solving “impossible” problems in defense, national security, and critical infrastructure. It’s already showing serious traction.🔹 The New Venture Equation: You might not care about geopolitics. But geopolitics cares about you. Founders are waking up to this. Capital is following. Governments are modernizing. And VCs? The smart ones are moving fast.The question isn't whether you should care about defense tech, cybersecurity, and critical infrastructure.The question is: Which side of history do you want to be on?

🚀 From €10M to €1.2B+ — What It Takes to Scale a VC Firm (And What Comes Next)If you're Speedinvest, you don't just scale — you reinvent.In our latest episode of TheOnePoint Podcast, I sat down with Daniel Keiper-Knorr, founding partner at Speedinvest. What started as a boutique €10M fund in 2011 has now evolved into a €1.2B+ platform and one of the most active early-stage investors across Europe.This episode isn’t just about numbers — it’s about how you scale thoughtfully and what's next for venture capital in Europe and beyond.After publishing our Rethinking Venture Capital report, I’ve been exploring themes that often go unnoticed — and one of them is the venture fund management business itself.As we enter what we call the Venture 3.0 era, fund management is being shaped by two powerful forces: 📈 Institutionalization and 🌐 DemocratizationIt might not always steal the headlines, but it’s increasingly where the future of venture is being built.Daniel was the perfect guest to unpack this with. Having lived the full arc — from entrepreneur to investor — he brings rare clarity, sharp intuition on trends, and a candid, approachable voice.These are the kinds of conversations that remind me why I love this work.We talked about:🏗️ The structural strategy behind their growth — from fintech-only in 2011 to now 6 vertical teams covering AI, climate, deep tech, health, and more 🌍 How they built a truly pan-European footprint — and why local presence still matters 🧭 Their intentional shift toward specialized, autonomous sectoral teamsBut we also tackled the hard questions most firms avoid:🔁 What does real succession planning look like in venture? 📉 Why most liquidity plans are broken — and how Speedinvest is using secondaries and other tools like sell-side M&A to unlock real value. Speedinvest now has three full-time team members focused solely on creating liquidity for LPs. Not fundraising. Not portfolio management. Just exits. 🔗 The increasing role of consolidation — and whether Europe will see €10B VC firms emerge in the next five years (Daniel thinks we should)One venture insight from Daniel, where the industry needs a reset:💥 “VC is a marketplace — capital in, capital out. But too many GPs still see IR as a burden instead of a core function.”We wrapped with a strong call to arms:→ Europe must close its Series B/C capital gap → LPs should fund innovation the way they fund infrastructure → Founders must know: VC isn’t for everyone — and not every company needs to be a unicornThis is the playbook for Venture 3.0 — institutional, global, strategic… and deeply human.

Most VCs believe data will transform every industry… except their own.That contradiction sparked something radical.Rob Hodgkinson, MD at SignalRank, isn’t just another investor. He’s part of a quiet revolution—one that's rewriting how we pick winners in venture capital.📈 Instead of betting on founders or decks, they bet on investor track records.👀 Instead of chasing hype, they eliminate zeros through an algorithm that mimics the logic of hedge funds.And just like that, a radically new approach to venture capital reveals itself—high precision, low recall investing at Series B.💸 LPs get index-like exposure with vintage diversification. 🌍 Seed investors get pro-rata access they otherwise couldn't afford. 📈 The SignalRank Index may one day be listed like a public ETF. It’s a new paradigm. An entirely different way to be in venture.The age of artisanal investing is giving way to systematic precision.And, they have gained ground rapidly. SignalRank sees 60% of the Series B market and invests in the top 5%.And in 2 short years, they’ve become the second most active Series B investor globally, right behind a16z.Ask yourself: If 50%+ of public assets are indexed… why is venture still hand-crafted?🚀 This is Venture 3.0. Are you ready?And this is all that we discussed:Pro-Rata Rights as an Access StrategyThe Philosophical Divide in Venture: Craft vs. SystemBuilding a Publicly Tradable Venture Product Scaling Through SPV InfrastructureVintage Diversification as a Structural Advantageand so much more…If you're a seed investor looking to defend your winners, or an LP tired of inaccessible managers, SignalRank is building the bridge between exclusivity and access.

🚀 Consumer tech is riding the wave. Industrial tech is building the next ocean.While consumer tech saturates, a trillion-dollar opportunity is hiding in plain sight — and it’s in the factories, warehouses, and robotics labs of Europe.In my latest episode of TheOnePoint Podcast, I spoke with Sagar Chandna, Senior Partner at Runway FBU — one of the few VCs boldly focused on deep tech and industrial transformation.** Disclaimer: Transcript is AI-generated. ** Correction: Sagar is among the top 100 data-driven VCs globally.This isn’t just another startup conversation. This is about:🔹 Why industrial tech is still a blue ocean — untouched, underserved, and ripe for massive innovation🔹 How their portfolio startups like  WSense (subsea wireless) and Sonair (ultrasound navigation) are quietly revolutionizing robotics🔹 What the next trillion-dollar companies could look like — and why they won’t be mobile apps🔹 Why Europe needs to stop depending on legacy supply chains and start building resilient, tech-forward industryWe also go deep on the VC side:💡 What investors really look for in industrial founders💡 Why most founders pitch wrong (and how to fix it)💡 How to create investor trust — the right wayTop takeaways:❌ Don’t pitch your tech — pitch your company as a VC product❌ Don’t talk to “any” investor — know your ICP❌ Don’t be transactional — be strategic and consistent🔥 Best part? Sagar’s framework for fundraising:“Regular Updates + Excitement + FOMO = Investment.”📉 If you think industrial startups are boring or too slow... this conversation might change your mind.Where you can Sagar:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sagarchandna/Where you can find Rohit:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohityadav23/Newsletter: https://yadavrohit.substack.com/

🧠 “Humanoid robots? Overhyped. AI-powered cobots? Quietly making waves around the world.”That’s just one of the sharp takes from my latest episode of The One Point Podcast, featuring Oliver Kahl from MIG Capital — one of Europe’s leading DeepTech investors.We unpacked the industrial robotics revolution — not the flashy headlines, but the real innovation happening behind the scenes in factories, logistics hubs, and startup labs.Here’s a taste of what we covered:🤖 Humanoid Hype vs. Reality:“It looks amazing on YouTube, but the reality? We’re 10-20 years away from viable humanoids.”Power consumption, mechanics, and AI limitations still make real-world deployment a massive hurdle.⚙️ AI Is the Game-Changer:“AI is making robots finally see the way humans do.”From pallet picking to dynamic part detection, AI is enabling robots to work in chaotic, real-world settings without perfect conditions. That’s why they also invested in Inbolt led by Albane at Seed stage.💸 Investor Clarity:"Scalability. Exit potential. Team. That’s what we really look for."Oliver broke down what makes a robotics startup venture-backable — and where most pitches fall flat.📉 The Harsh Truth About Late-Stage Funding in Europe:"There’s a scale-up gap in European deep tech funding.”If you’re raising a €50M+ round in robotics — chances are you’re looking at the U.S. or Asia.🔥 We also covered:The real cost of robot deployment (hint: it’s not the robot)Why integration and ease-of-use will define the next robotics waveWhat Europe needs to fix in its capital marketsTactical advice for founders (especially from academic backgrounds) trying to raise in industrial tech🎙️This one’s for:✔️ Startup founders in robotics, AI, or hardware✔️ Operators and engineers building the future of automationIt’s an inside look at how robotics sector is evolving in Europe — and where the real opportunities lie.Where you can Oliver:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-kahl/Where you can find Rohit:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohityadav23/Newsletter: https://yadavrohit.substack.com/

🚨Venture capital isn’t broken. But emerging managers need to rethink their playbook.🎙️ I had a deep, no-BS conversation with Matt Curtolo, a seasoned LP and venture allocator, about the brutal reality of raising a first or second venture fund today — and what emerged was a masterclass in navigating the current VC landscape.💥 Key truths Matt shared:👉 LPs aren’t allergic to seed/pre-seed. They’re just choosing familiar faces over new ones.👉 The “flight to quality” = Andreessen, General Catalyst, and other platforms scooping up 50%+ of VC dollars.👉 Emerging managers need to stop pitching mismatched LPs and start owning their narrative.🏛️ The LP playbook has changed.LPs aren't risk-on anymore. They want process over promises. The default answer is “no” — and you need a crystal-clear reason for them to say “yes.”🎯 Fundraising is no longer about just a deck and a track record. It’s about: ✅ Clear GP-thesis fit✅ Repeatable investment process✅ A differentiated (or better) story✅ Knowing your ideal LP avatarYet there’s hope:🔹 LPs are showing renewed optimism.🔹 Innovation doesn’t care about interest rates.🔹 Seed-stage opportunity is still wide open—if you show why you belong.🔥 If you’re an emerging manager trying to raise in 2025, this episode is your playbook.Where you can Matt:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-curtolo-caia/Where you can find Rohit:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohityadav23/Newsletter: https://yadavrohit.substack.com/