Hustle Fund

I'm seeing a lot of posts these days that read, “It’s a tough time to be a VC.” And they're not wrong. Many LPs are choosing to invest into mega funds rather than back emerging fund managers. Being a solo GP is hard even in the best times, and right now it's even more lonely and challenging. But you know what’s missing? Posts about what you can actually do to attract LPs in today’s world. Enough doom and gloom. Let’s bring back helpful, actionable content. Enter: Carson Monson. When I first met Carson, I knew immediately that he was a special kind of human. He's kind, generous, easy to talk to, and wicked smart. Carson has been investing in fund managers for nearly a decade. He’s backed micro funds. He’s backed brand-name spinouts. He’s seen what works and what doesn’t and how to spot a standout GP. And at Camp Hustle 2025, he’s gonna share his insights. His session, “Standing out as an emerging fund manager – an LP's perspective,” is for anyone who’s raising or thinking about raising a fund. He’ll cover: ? The patterns he’s seen in successful fund managers ? How to get the attention of LPs ? The clues LPs use to evaluate GPs We’re making sure there’s plenty of time for Q&A. So bring your questions. Join us to meet Carson and set yourself (and your fund) up for success. Get your ticket to Camp Hustle → camphustle.co See you there!

Austin founders, it was amazing connecting with you and getting the scoop on what you’re building at Batter Up Austin last night! Thank you for making it such an incredible evening! We can’t wait to catch up with you all again soon. Congratulations to the winner of last night, eddie micklovic of nero, who walked away with their very own Dunky! Huge thanks to Arturo Pina for emceeing, to our panelists Dan Ellis, Nick Ivanecky, and Nirmal Utwani for facilitating this pitch competition, and to TiOluwa Olarewaju and Nick Ivanecky for their help running things. And a massive shoutout to our hosts at Oracle NetSuite, and our partners at Amplitude and Braze for making this event possible!

Singapore founders, it was amazing connecting with you and getting the scoop on what you’re building at Batter Up Singapore on Tuesday night! Thank you for making it such an incredible evening! We can’t wait to catch up with you all again soon. Congratulations to the winner, Alexander Khor of Belli, who walked away with their very own Dunky! Huge thanks to Shanaz Rauff emceeing, to our panelists Eugene Tham, Jit Singh, and Vivek Raghavan for facilitating this pitch competition, and to Alain Peddle, Terri Xue Wang 王可嫣, Ansel Chew, and Qiyang Ke for their help running things. And a massive shoutout to our hosts at Aspire, and our partners at BLOCK71 Global for making this event possible!

Investors often book follow-up calls with founders when they're interested in the opportunity, but not sold quite yet. At this stage, they know a bit about your market, your problem, and maybe even you. But they’ve still got questions. Your job? Turn that “hmm, maybe” into a “heck yes! take my money." So… how do you do that? Think like an investor. They’re looking at five key things: 1?? ?????????????? ?????????????????? – Can this thing actually solve a real problem? Show them proof. 2?? ???????????? ???????????? – Are customers ready to throw money at this? Even early traction counts. 3?? ???????????????? ?????????????????????? – How will you find and keep customers without burning all your cash? 4?? ?????????????????????? ?????????????????? – Why you and not the other 50 startups in your space? 5?? ???????? ???????????????????? – Can your team execute? Investors bet on people, not just ideas. ?? Bonus tip: Don’t ignore risks. Investors know the road ahead is bumpy. Show them you’ve thought about the potholes and have a plan to navigate them. And maybe most important of all... build trust. You'll be in a relationship with your investors for years, so show them you're someone they want to grow old with. That means being transparent, communicating, and for the love of cookies, know your metrics. No one expects you to predict the future. But they do expect you to be prepared. You got this. ?? What’s the toughest investor question you’ve ever had to answer? Drop it in the comments! ?? Investor calls got you sweating? This article’s got your back. Read it here! https://lnkd.in/g7YFS-zB

The fintech revolution in Latin America is here. And it’s moving FAST. For decades, a handful of giant financial institutions ran the show. But now? Digital-first fintech startups are rewriting the rules —and serving boatloads of historically ignored customers in the process. The growth of the startup ecosystem in Latin America is exploding: ?? In 2017, LatAm had 703 fintech startups across 18 countries. ?? In 2024? 3,000+ startups across 26 countries. (That’s 340% growth in six years. No big deal. ??) So… what’s fueling this fintech fire? Let’s break it down: ?? Huge untapped market – 650M people, many still underbanked. Fintech startups are changing that. ?? Digital adoption boom – COVID pushed 40M+ people into online banking in just five months. ?? Regulatory green lights – Governments are making it easier to build & scale. ?? VCs are excited – $1.2B in funding flowed into LatAm fintech in just the first half of 2024. ?? Banks got too comfy – Traditional players dominated for decades… but they were too slow to innovate. ?? Enter the fintech disruptors. And Tony Cueva Bravo — Angel Squad member and fintech mastermind — has been tracking 200+ well-funded startups in the region for months. He’s mapped out the ecosystem across lending, payments, neobanks, infrastructure, and insurtech. Here’s where LatAm fintech is headed next: ?? Lending that drives inclusion – New models = more entrepreneurs, more economic growth. ?? Payments infra is the play – We're moving from consumer products to seamless payments transactions. ?? Neobanks are scaling up – They’re not just banks anymore… they’re full-service financial hubs. ?? Infra unlocks new products – Foundational fintech tools are enabling next-gen solutions. ?? Insurtech is getting smart – More personalized, accessible insurance = huge market shift. ?? The big picture? By 2024, 57% of LatAm fintechs are targeting underbanked or unbanked users (up from 36% in 2021). This isn’t just growth — it’s an economic revolution that will impact an enormous number of users. Wanna hear more about fintech in emerging markets? Tony Cueva Bravo will be leading a session on this topic at Camp Hustle. Grab your ticket and join us → camphustle.co Want the inside scoop + Tony’s market map? Here ya go: https://lnkd.in/gjJeVYwr

Exciting lineup of events heading your way! Check it out: ? BU Austin, March 11 ? BU Singapore, March 11 ? BU NYC, March 25 ? Camp Hustle, May 12-14 As a reminder ???????????? ???? is where you’ll pitch your company (or listen in) and get real-time investor feedback. Some of the companies who have pitched have gone on to raise from the investors in the room. So cool to see. And ???????? ???????????? is our flagship investor event for VCs and angels looking to build connections, share their insights, and nerd out on niche topics. Camp Hustle is genuinely my favorite week of the year, and the attendee quality this year is insanely high. See you there? https://lnkd.in/dWff-uKu

?? LAST CALL: Batter Up Singapore is almost here! ?? Missed the deadline to pitch? No worries, you can still be part of the action! Join us at Batter Up Singapore on Tuesday, March 11 to watch innovative startups and hungry founders step up to the plate and swing for the fences. ?????? ?????? ???????????? ???? ??????????: ? Discover what top investors are actually looking for in early-stage startups ? Expand your network with founders, operators, and investors ? Learn from the founders pitching onstage and apply those lessons to your own startup We’re beyond grateful for our amazing panelists who’ll be bringing their expertise to the judging table: ?? @Eugene Tham ?? @Jit Singh ?? @Vivek Raghavan Guiding us through the night as our ???? is the incredible @Shanaz Rauf! And a huge shoutout to our sponsors, @Aspire & @BLOCK71 Global, for making this all possible. If you’re not in the room, you’re missing out. So grab your spot now: https://lu.ma/BU-Singapore ?? Will we see you there? Let us know in the comments below.

The best part of Camp Hustle is the people. And the best way to actually connect with them? Jumping into small group discussions where you can nerd out on topics that actually excite you (or just wanna learn more about). Here’s a sneak peek at some of the ?? sessions we’re running this year. ?? Deeptech + DeSci w/ @AdamDraper @BoostVC He backed 5 unicorns at pre-seed. Now, he’s breaking down the future of deep tech—AI, crypto, space, robotics—and how DeSci is shaking up scientific funding. If you love tech and innovation, this one’s for you. ?? Investing in African startups w/ @MariaRotilu @OpenSeedVC Africa’s startup scene is exploding, but most investors are sleeping on it. Maria’s been on both sides—operator & investor—and she’s here to share what you need to know. ??? Raising in Public w/ @JoshMuccio @ThePitch Josh built & sold The Pitch podcast, bought it back from Spotify, then launched VC fund in public. They raised $6.25M from 230 LPs. Want to learn how? You'll love this session. These are just three of the many topics you'll find at Camp Hustle 2025. ?? Tickets are going fast. Grab yours here → https://www.camphustle.co

?? Check out the latest episode of #UncappedNotes! ?? In this episode of Uncapped Notes, Eric Bahn and Janel Spilker break down how AI tools are changing the startup landscape, allowing founders to grow with less capital and, in some cases, scale to $100M+ in revenue without raising another dime. They discuss how AI is shifting the balance of power, why multi-stage VC firms might struggle to deploy capital, and what this means for the future of venture. If you're a founder or investor navigating this shift, you don’t want to miss this episode. ?? Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/gAUbn5gJ ??

?? Trying to get press for your startup? For the love of cookies, please don't rely on cold emails. Reporters get hundreds of pitches a day, and yours is just another drop in the inbox ocean. Plus (and we say this with love) reporters don't really care about your fundraising round. Yes, it's huge news for your team and your investors... but for most readers, it's not newsworthy. So not only are reporters overflowing with pitches and cold emails, they're also looking for much bigger and more interesting stories than "we raised our seed round". If you want real press, you’ve gotta play the long game. ???????? ??: Follow the journalists who cover your industry. Engage with their content. No pitching — just be a real human. ???????? ??: Be a resource, not a one-time requester. Offer insights on your industry before you ever need coverage. Become a trusted voice in your field. ???????? ??: Pitch a story, not just an announcement. No one cares that you raised a round (sorry and congrats) — but they do care about surprising trends, wild growth strategies, or surprising data that tells a story. Press isn’t about one article mention — it’s about building relationships and becoming a go-to voice in your industry. Start planting those seeds now. ?? What’s the best piece of press coverage your startup (or a startup you admire) has ever gotten? Drop a link in the comments! ?? Want to read the full article? Here ya go: https://lnkd.in/gnN7YeZP