Context VC

Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) sample drone LIDAR data and video below! LIDAR Data: https://lnkd.in/gHtAU4TQ Video: https://lnkd.in/g9yF78BG #TreeObstruction #AirfieldSafety

Tim Hsia and I recently interviewed Renata Aráuz-DeStefano, an investor at Pivotal Ventures, a firm founded by Melinda French Gates, for our AdvancingVC podcast. Renata’s journey from microfinance in Latin America and Africa to spearheading investments in women-led funds and mission-driven startups at Pivotal Ventures reflects her dedication to creating a more equitable venture ecosystem. Her work addresses critical gaps in venture capital and advancing social progress in the U.S. Here are some ?? key takeaways. ?? Shaping Venture for the Future: At Pivotal Ventures, Renata invests as an LP in women-led and co-led funds while supporting early-stage companies that align with the firm’s mission to expand women’s power and influence. She focuses on fostering systemic change in venture capital to build an ecosystem that enables greater representation at every level. ??Tackling the Series A & B Gap: Renata highlighted the disparity in funding for women-led funds, where the average size is $40M compared to $240M industry-wide. She calls this the “valley of death” for women founders who are at the Series A and B stages as there are fewer investors who can identify, alight, and invest in these stages of a startup's growth. ?? Leadership & Strategy Insights: Renata credits empathy, transparency, and long-term partnerships as the foundation for successful LP-GP relationships. She emphasized the importance of GPs crafting clear fund strategies, being receptive to feedback, and building trust to thrive in today’s challenging market. ??Advice for Emerging Managers: Renata acknowledged the difficulty of fundraising in a competitive environment, especially for diverse managers. Her advice is to build strong LP relationships, craft differentiated strategies, and remain flexible with fund sizes and portfolio construction. On AdvancingVC we have interviewed venture capitalists, limited partners, and founders who are actively working at the frontiers of our industry and are advancing venture capital and the startup ecosystem. Thank you Renata for joining our latest AdvancingVC episode! https://lnkd.in/gK3FWfN5

Great night in Dallas being part of a Veteran happy hour hosted by Context VC and Storybook Ventures. Was great to share the stage with Vincent Vargas, M.A. Nicholas Powell Ryan Shinnick and our emcee for the night Jim Lose of The Military Veteran Always a pleasure to share tips and insights on transition and helpful hints on navigating the job market and even better to network with some many great Veterans in Dallas. If you are a Veteran that is interested in roles within the VC/PE space of you are part of a VC/PE firm that is looking for Veteran talent to bring in to your team make sure and check out our website at https://www.themilvet.org/ to get updates on open roles, upcoming events, and best ways to engage our team. Our next Haapy Hour is tonight in NYC, and then Miami 3/26 and Boston 4/3. Check out TheMilVet.org for info on careers and events. Tim Hsia Brendan Aronson Lenore Karafa Tyler Gargano Danny Laylan Joe Vroman, MBA, PHR Christina Womack

?? Shaping the Future of Venture Capital ?? Renata Aráuz-DeStefano of Pivotal Ventures recently shared an insightful perspective on increasing representation in VC. While much of the focus is on investors (GPs) and founders, Renata highlights the power of allocators (LPs) in driving change. She puts it perfectly: “If we don’t have change in representation at the top, it’s going to be really hard for us to see it at the GP level and at the founder level.” ?? The future of venture capital isn’t just about who’s investing — it’s about expanding opportunities across the entire ecosystem. ?? Let’s inspire the next generation to explore impactful roles at every level, from allocators to investors and founders. ?? Representation at the top makes all the difference. Let’s work together to make it happen! Watch the full recording: https://lnkd.in/enetB7uU?? Sign up for our AdvancingVC Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gRFcFXHU #DiversityInVC #VentureCapital #Leadership #AdvancingVC

It was great to meet with so many #Dallas Veterans and friends at The Military Veteran Networking Happy Hour last night! What’d you miss? * 60 Vets-in-Business registered to build their tribe, see old friends, make new ones, and have fun. * We also had the chance to hear pro-tips on how to manage post-military careers, break into PE ops, and begin entrepreneurial ventures. Thank you to everyone who made it a great night. Special shout out to Oak Highlands Brewery LLC, our partner host Storybook Ventures, and our guest panel! Our next Happy Hour is tonight in NYC, and then Miami 3/26 and Boston 4/3. Check out TheMilVet.org for info on careers and events. “Changing the lives of America’s Veterans one conversation at a time” ?? Semper Fidelis Tim Hsia Brendan Aronson Beau Higgins Lenore Karafa Danny Laylan Tyler Gargano Joe Vroman, MBA, PHR Kate Criscolo Context VC Megan Turoci Christina Womack Alois Steinbugl Tyler Kahn, MBA, PMP McKay Pettit Raheel S. Malik Nicholas Powell Ryan Shinnick Vincent Vargas, M.A. #veteran #militarytransition #transitioningmilitary

I wish I knew about Context VC and #themilvet when I was transitioning out of the military… especially as a little e4… both times. I had to figure it out on my own, cold call people, embarrass myself asking dumb questions, etc. There are so many amazing resources for anyone regardless of your rank when getting out and there’s no excuse for not finding a place in the workforce or your journey on entrepreneurship. I get asked all the time how my unique transition happened and how I went from a low ranking enlisted guy to a serial founder: I don’t always have time to share that but here’s a start. I encourage you to start with this resource. I won’t be able to make it but I’m supporting by spreading awareness of a great org. Thanks Tim Hsia and his team for organizing these amazing events.

Warmind 0.5.1 is live. We're incredibly excited about this update - now every Soldier has their own staff of defense experts. Warmind now supports orders production by leveraging swarms of agents, specifically trained on a variety of defense functions. Mixture of Experts (MoE) accelerates the generation of operational paperwork (Orders, WARNOs, FRAGOs etc.) while dramatically improving quality. This is the future of military operations. In the fog of war, information velocity and accuracy become just as critical to lethality as bullets and bombs. As always, you retain full control over agent actions and orchestration, with complete transparency into sourced doctrine and final approval on any agent-driven actions. If you're a Warfighter that wants access to our Beta sign up here: https://lnkd.in/grC4ETJB Full patch notes on the Dunedain company page.

We’re excited to announce the release of Warmind 0.5.1, introducing powerful new features to streamline Warfighter workflows and boost productivity: ?? What’s New? ? ?? Orders Production Chat Drop your Orders, WARNOs, or FRAGOs directly into Warmind and instantly receive powered recommendations to enhance clarity, accuracy, and effectiveness. Highlight specific sections and chat directly with AI agents specializing in intelligence, logistics, operations and more for targeted insights and improvements. ??? New Lander for Improved Navigability Experience smoother, more intuitive navigation with our redesigned landing page. Selecting models and AI agents has never been easier or faster. ?? Updated Retrieval Model (dunedain-retrieval-50x-v11) Our retrieval system is now more accurate and responsive than ever, delivering quicker, deeper, and more accurate insights from DoD-specific data, enhancing your interactions across the platform. ?? Improved Mobile Support Access and search Army doctrine seamlessly on-the-go with Warmind’s enhanced mobile experience. Doctrine and workflow acceleration at your fingertips, anytime, anywhere. We Want Your Feedback! ? Your input helps us continuously improve Warmind—share your thoughts, suggestions, or ideas!

??? New Episode Tomorrow: Emery Wager, Co-Founder of Confido Legal, on TheMilVet Podcast ?? We’re excited to drop our latest episode of TheMilVet Podcast, featuring Emery Wager, Marine veteran, Stanford graduate, and co-founder of Confido Legal! In this episode, Emery shares his journey from the Pacific Northwest to the Marines, his time at Stanford, and how his experiences shaped his transition into legal tech. ?? Highlights: ?? How competitive sailing and military training prepared Emery for entrepreneurship. ?? The challenges and rewards of transitioning from the battlefield to founding a legal tech company. ?? Key lessons on leadership, adaptability, and innovation from both the military and the tech world. This is a must-listen for anyone interested in military service, entrepreneurship, or the legal tech space! ---------- ?? Check out the full episode tomorrow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube! Don’t forget to subscribe to TheMilVet Podcast for more insightful conversations on career transitions, leadership, and entrepreneurial journeys for veterans. #Veterans #CareerTransition #Leadership #LegalTech #TheMilVetPodcast #Entrepreneurship #VeteranSuccess #MilitaryToTech #VeteranLeadership

Atomic Updates: Building the Optimal Wealth Tech Stack, Part 4 – Beyond the Essentials. We have covered a lot of ground in the first three installments of “Building the Optimal Tech Stack”, roughly in priority order in terms of identifying and understanding the solutions that are critical to a firm’s survival, as those who have built an RIA or family office probably noticed. In our next installment, we'll explore the "nice to have” tools and technologies that, while not always essential, can significantly enhance the client experience, as well as operational efficiency. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gKiKmaVx