Mighty

Rare is it that a tech conference has the power to wow. No new approaches to “conferencing” have emerged since before COVID. Until last week when SF Deep Tech Week gleefully took over the the Bay Area. It was REFRESHING for many reasons, primarily due the fact that this was purposefully designed NOT to solely focus on AI, but other industries like Robotics, Biotech, Aerospace, Neurotech, etc. The energy was palpable; it felt like SF was actually back. Candace had the chance to meet Andrew Cote, the brain behind it, at one of the 41+ events that happened. He was ecstatic and distracted, busily answering constant text and Discord messages, and clearly onto something. This guy claimed to have organized it in about two months. He kept telling me “I’m just going with it- making it happen as we go” - that’s the spirit we need. With over 5K people registered, much of the event was crowdsourced, along with a handful of key anchor events.You could fill out a Google Form to get your event listed on the Luma app and on the website.? It opened with a huge kick off event on the USS Hornet, and the main gimmick was airlifting Cybertrucks, a DeLorean and a kebab truck onto the ship as spectacle. It ended with more DJs and lasers at The Loom, a place where many Burning Man Project art installations are currently being built. You could buy tickets a la carte via Eventbrite, vs. paying $2,500 for conference pass. Worth mentioning, Andrew took a lot of his inspiration for the format of the event from Burning Man, and sought art cars for his events, playa DJ talent, and even had a fashion show akin to what happens in Center Camp. It made sense. Mighty jumped in by co-hosting an AI Salon billed as a “Warm Pool Party + BBQ” at a private home in Mill Valley. 300 people registered, but we only had capacity for 100. This is the second event Mighty has co-sponsored with connector extraordinaire Nicole Patrice, and her business partner Mick Eddy of Ethos VC joined in along with our main host, John Kuch, whose decks and gardens offered spaces for conversations we curated over the course of the evening. People are craving community, and still figuring out how to network again. We made it easy and relaxed in a beautiful outdoor environment, and had to usher folks out when the clock struck 11pm. Ping us for an invite to the next one. And make sure to attend SF Deep Tech Week next time it comes around!

Always rewarding to see DCM General Partner Hurst Lin make the esteemed Midas List, especially excisting to see him jump up 8 rungs on this ladder of 100! Congrats!

In the U.S., a third of food that’s grown is never eaten. Our client, Afresh is tackling food waste by leveraging predictive AI to help grocers like Albertsons better manage fresh food inventory and ordering. Check out this New York Times article for more. https://lnkd.in/ebg3JkBZ

More GDC goodness from last week. Great to see fitness on VR take off on the Quest!

Last week, our client FitXR hosted a panel at GDC about the future of fitness and how VR developers are creating cool things that are getting people up and moving. It was a great conversation and here are the big takeaways.

Our client FitXR, one of the leading VR fitness platforms, is hosting a GDC panel tomorrow showcasing the future of XR health and fitness! We’ll be there. Come say hi after it wraps if you are, too. Details below: Date: March 21 Time: 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM Location: Room 2011, West Hall, Moscone Center, SF More Details Here: https://lnkd.in/gYmxCMAZ

Mighty is at GDC this week! We’re excited to see the latest and greatest in games and VR, and we hope to see y’all there. If you see any of us, please say hi! Team GDC includes Elizabeth Hoang, Nicole T., Luis Acevedo, Rozeta Andres, Shannon O'Flaherty, Avery O'Neil, Brandi Licciardo, and Candace Locklear.

Good to see FromeDome writing about wellness, too!

If you’re in any way related to the food and wellness industry, you need to read this report from Dan Frommer and The New Consumer. Here are a few takeaways. Later fad diets, you are OUT! Today, most people are now striving for a healthy combination of less sugar, more veg, and a whole lot more protein. GLP-1s reign supreme. The buzz around Ozempic is incredible, and the survey says that almost everybody on it feels like a different person. The big headline here for marketers? US consumers will spend an extra $100 a month to live longer. Big thanks to Dan Frommer and The New Consumer for the fresh data and valuable insights. https://lnkd.in/gbrQWpK4?

AI continues to be the hot spot for VCs. Long-time client DCM recently invested in two exciting start-ups in the space, TextQL and FlowGPT.? The resulting coverage went wide, including stories in TechCrunch, SiliconAngle and more. You can check out some of the details on the TextQL round here: https://lnkd.in/gGRuNKEc?