Geek Ventures

My first time at Web Summit (and my first time in Lisbon) representing Geek Ventures was a blast! Not only did I hear Pharrell Williams speak and have my ping pong skills judged by AI, I loved networking with founders and investors from across the world. For those that aren’t familiar, Web Summit brings together 70,000+ people and the companies redefining the tech industry. POLITICO has said that Web Summit runs “the world’s premier tech conference”, The Atlantic that Web Summit is “where the future goes to be born”, and The New York Times that Web Summit is “a grand conclave of the tech industry’s high priests”. I personally loved meeting other investors in the Investor Lounge, meeting startups through the Investor to Startup Meetings, attending talks from top speakers, and visiting the many startup booths. I’ve been to a number of conferences, but never one this large. I’m glad I planned a schedule in advance, as well as set aside some time to explore the startup and industry booths and attend side events hosted by staaake, maze impact, Dealflow.eu, Unicorn Factory Lisboa, Borski Fund, Seersy, 500 Global, Intercom, PwC Portugal, baby vc, and START Lisbon. I truly loved my time in Lisbon; from the side event organizers to the Web Summit staff and volunteers, I always felt welcome and knew where to go if I had questions or needed assistance. Congratulations to the WebSummit team on organizing a memorable conference! I’m looking forward to building upon the connections that I made. #VentureCapital #Startups #Founders #WebSummit #EarlyStage

A year ago, we almost shut down. Today, we’re celebrating $500K in Sales! ?? Colors AI 2.0: A Studio of Agents To everyone hustling: NEVER GIVE UP. The journey is tough, but the rewards are worth it—I promise. This is just the beginning. ????

After speaking with 100s of sales folks and refining our product over countless months, I’m excited to finally introduce MidFunnel.com! We know that following up is one of the most overlooked yet crucial aspects of sales. It demands time and effort but is essential to moving deals forward. That’s why we built MidFunnel. To make following up fast, easy and impactful. Watch the video below to see what we’ve been cooking. Website link in the comments. #MidFunnel

It was amazing to gather family offices, VCs, angels—Republicans and Democrats, Americans and immigrants, women and men—all in one room. What was the common denominator? A shared drive to challenge the status quo. We make progress when we operate as teammates, agree to disagree, prioritize what really matters, and take action to elevate society while helping businesses thrive. Big shout-out to our incredible speakers from the Balancing Financial Returns with Social Responsibility panel: Ihar Mahaniok Managing Partner of Geek Ventures ($30M AUM), AI engineer, and early investor in unicorns like Instacart (110x), PandaDoc (130x), and three more. Geek Ventures is all about backing exceptional immigrant founders building next-gen software companies. Keara S. Exited founder and Co-Founder/CEO of a leading large molecule company tackling biosimilars in oncology and autoimmune disorders. With over $500 million raised in the healthcare sector, Keara leads strategic financial planning and complex syndicate deals at Sauber Capital LLC. And she’s all about empowering female founders—she says it, and she lives it. Here’s a story that speaks volumes: three hours before the event, one of our panelists dropped out. I knew we needed a powerhouse female voice, so I called Keara. I said, “I need your help. Can you be a speaker tonight?” And she simply said, “I got you.” We need more “I got you” moments in our communities, regardless of our political or cultural differences. As a female immigrant and an American who’s all about making margins, I know this: if we genuinely want systemic change, we can always find a way to balance it all. #letsunite A huge thank you to the incredible Valeria de la Pava for sponsoring our event!

“We invest in not all immigrant founders. We invest in the best immigrant founders. Meritocracy should not be the opposite of diversity.” Powerful lines from an inspiring conversation with Ihar Mahaniok from Geek Ventures. The latest exciting podcast episode from TheOnePoint is live! ??? This time, I dive deep to explore his fund, his mission to invest in immigrant founders, and much more. And there is a background to this. One year ago, we published the Diverse by Default report, taking a deep dive into the ‘What,’ ‘Why,’ and most importantly, the ‘How’ of increasing diversity in tech. The challenges facing diverse founders are real, and while we know why diversity matters—better decisions, more innovation, more substantial outcomes—the real question is how we drive that change. Now, one year later, I’m circling back with investors, digging into what’s shifting in the landscape. What progress are we seeing? And where do we go from here? In this episode, we explore together: — Journey and vision of Geek Ventures — Evolving landscape for diverse and immigrant founders — Rationalizing founders choosing VCs — Challenges and game-changing advice for founders Listen ?? to the whole episode — YouTube: https://lnkd.in/d6PmJYUE? — Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dTJu9XJy — Apple: https://lnkd.in/d2fK47np #VC #venturecapital #startups #founders #fundraising #diversity

I attended TechCrunch Disrupt for the first time this past week! TechCrunch Disrupt is where you’ll find innovation for every stage of your startup journey. Whether you’re a budding founder with a revolutionary idea, a seasoned startup looking to scale, or an investor seeking the next big thing, Disrupt offers unparalleled resources, connections, and expert insights to propel your venture forward. My key highlights: ? TechCrunch Disrupt AI Agent Hack Day: An all-day event with lightning talks, product workshops, and various challenges ? Fireside Chat with Vinod Khosla: A discussion on the groundbreaking opportunities AI unlocks, along with the seismic disruptions it will unleash ? TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield 200: The world’s preeminent startup competition with the top 20 startups battling it out on the Disrupt Stage for a $100,000 equity-free grand prize and the coveted Disrupt Cup ? The StrictlyVC Series: Exclusive to investors, this event featured insights from Connie Loizos, Nirmal Utwani, Alex Pall, drew taggart, Elizabeth "Beezer" Clarkson, Rick Prostko, Jessica Archibald, Wesley Chan, Aileen Lee, and Vladislav Voroninski ? Connor J. Wilson’s Official TechCrunch Disrupt Side Event- Afterparty For Founders & Investors: Curated for VCs and Angels who invest in Seed & Series A Founders in B2B Software, Marketplaces or Consumer, each applicant was personally reviewed to ensure high-caliber attendees ? Making Sound Investments with Ashton Kutcher: A discussion with Sound Ventures’ partners Ashton Kutcher, Effie Epstein, and Guy Oseary on their firm’s big bet on AI, the influence of celebrity status, and the trends they are tracking right now ? Consumer, Culture, and Creators with Erin and Sara Foster: A discussion on consumer investing along with their business partner Phil Schwarz What I especially enjoyed was hosting a Braindate at TechCrunch. Structured for immigrant founders in an ask me anything format, I shared Geek Ventures’ investment thesis, check size, and what we look for in founders. Thank you to the sponsors, volunteers, staff, and all of the attendees for making TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 a memorable conference! I’m looking forward to next year. #VentureCapital #Startups #Founders #TCDisrupt2024 #SanFrancisco

On November 16th, I’ll be speaking at #BelTechGlobal 2.0 in Warsaw — the largest offline conference for founders and investors that are originally from Belarus. I spoke at many conferences before, but for the first time, I'm planning to have a presentation in Belarusian. Looking forward to it with hope. Events like this are a small vestige of our national identity that is being utterly destroyed. Glad to share the stage with Yury Melnichek, Cyril Golub, Artiom Kontsevoi, Viktar Dzenisevich, Kiryl Valoshyn, Yury Shlahanau, Valery Astrynski, Alexander Chekan, Darya Tsaryk, and other prominent entrepreneurs. ??? Details:?https://lnkd.in/eF4sHuAK

Literally no one will read this because it's a Friday afternoon, but whatever. I'm still gonna ask..... ?? I'm going to hire an intern to work with me in Austin. They'll exclusively be working with me on our newsletter and written communications. (obviously will be paid) Great writing skills is a must. Someone who reads....a lot, is a plus. If you know anyone who would be interested in something like this, let me know!