MAGIC Fund

Ever wondered what makes a startup appealing to investors? Our General Partner Temi Marcella reveals the secret sauce: an exceptional team!

Nailing Customer Conversations as a Founder "Talk to your customers" is standard advice for startup founders. But no one tells you how. Truth is, most founders struggle with these conversations. They know they're important but: - Don't know what questions to ask - Get vague, polite feedback - Miss the real insights This guide breaks down exactly how to nail these conversations - whether you're: - Understanding a problem - Validating your MVP - Accelerating growth Do not forget to save this guide before your next discovery call!

Nailing Customer Conversations as a Founder "Talk to your customers" is standard advice for startup founders. But no one tells you how. Truth is, most founders struggle with these conversations. They know they're important but: - Don't know what questions to ask - Get vague, polite feedback - Miss the real insights This guide breaks down exactly how to nail these conversations - whether you're: - Understanding a problem - Validating your MVP - Accelerating growth Do not forget to save this guide before your next discovery call!

Novo began with a vision to revolutionize business banking by offering a mobile-first, fee-free, and user-friendly experience. Today, it has transformed into the leading platform for entrepreneurs, fostering financial freedom and fueling their ambitions. As Novo continues to grow, its commitment to innovation and collaboration ensures it remains the trusted partner for the future of business banking.

Building a great product is only half the battle. Your Go-to-Market (GTM) strategy can make or break your startup's success. In this guide, we break down: ? The 5 core components of a winning GTM strategy ? How to choose the right GTM model for your business ? Critical success metrics to track ? Common pitfalls to avoid ? Practical frameworks for execution Whether you're preparing for launch or optimizing your current strategy, swipe through for actionable insights that we've gathered from years of experience building and scaling startups. ?? Pro tip: Save this post for your next strategy session!

Our General Partner, Temi Marcella, shares her remarkable journey in Forbes! From running Nigeria's foremost health institution to investing in Africa's entrepreneurial talent, Temi's story is a testament to her innovative spirit and leadership. Read the full feature here?- https://lnkd.in/gBw6Wfve

Want to unlock hidden insights that can supercharge your product development? Look no further than your Power Users. These are the customers who push your product to its limits because it solves a key challenge for them. They’re your biggest advocates, always the first to test new features, find bugs, and use existing tools in creative ways. Their deep understanding makes them perfect for providing product feedback, testing unreleased features, and even inspiring new ones. By monitoring your Power Users, you gain valuable benefits—like identifying features that boost retention, creating strong case studies, and enhancing customer support based on their advanced usage. How do you find them? Look for customers who spend the most time on your platform, frequently use key features, or stick with their subscription plan. Power Users are a goldmine for your product’s growth. Are you tapping into their potential?

About to start fundraising or already knee-deep into it? Here are 7 tips to help get the best out of your fundraising campaign. ?? Keep Outreach Brief: Investors receive countless emails. Keep yours short, direct, and impactful. ?? Prioritize Investor Alignment: Identify and reach out to funds that have clear investment mandates for your specific industry, team dynamics such as diversity or women-led initiatives, or values such as societal impact. ?? Lead with Your Strengths: What makes your startup unique? Showcase your founding experience, team, product, or traction right from the beginning to capture attention. ?? Have a Strong Pitch Deck: While your email is your first impression, your pitch deck leaves the most lasting impression on investors. Ensure it's concise, visually appealing, and has the key components of a deck like problem statement, solution, market size, founding team, key assumptions, use of funds, etc. ?? Leverage automation tools: Tools like Airtable, Mixmax, Zapier and other automation tools can help simplify your investor outreach campaigns and reduce the risk of burnout ?? It’s a Numbers Game: Expect rejections; they are part of the process. Stay persistent—each "no" gets you closer to a "yes." ?? Show Your Progress (Bonus Tip): Keep investors in the loop with regular updates. Sharing milestones builds trust and keeps them engaged in your journey.

Exciting growth and innovation from our portfolio companies! We're proud to support their journey as they redefine the future. Here's a glimpse of what they've been up to! ?? Operant AI, a pioneering cloud security platform, announced a $10 million Series A funding round led by Sinewave Venture and Felicis. This strategic investment will accelerate Operant's mission to provide comprehensive, real-time security for cloud-native applications, including AI-driven defenses. ?? Promoted.ai announced a strategic integration with Upwork, the world's largest work marketplace connecting businesses with top independent talent. This collaboration will enable Upwork enhance user experience and competitiveness through improved search accuracy, and optimized native ads. ?? Proglix has been named one of Forbes' Top 100 Startups to Watch in Asia. Since its inception in 2022, Proglix has focused on connecting small businesses with essential raw and finished metal materials for construction, manufacturing, and other industries. ?? Kuzco, an LLM inference marketplace, joins the a16z Crypto Startup Accelerator (CSX) Fall 2024 cohort, alongside 20 other promising crypto startups. This selection provides Kuzco with mentorship from top crypto founders, expert guidance, and connections to the broader crypto ecosystem. ?? onezone has announced a partnership with leading restaurant-tech company, OpenTable, to increase exposure for its partner restaurants and reach a wider audience. This partnership strengthens OneZone's curated discovery platform by providing live availability to enhance the dining experience for its users. ?? mdhub (YC S24) was accepted into the prestigious Y Combinator Summer Cohort, recognizing their innovative AI-powered healthcare platform that connects healthcare providers, patients, and payors to make healthcare delivery more efficient, effective, and transparent.

Generative AI is reshaping how value is created across industries, with fintech set to be a major beneficiary. In the first edition of MAGICal Insights, our fintech investments lead, Michael Lisovetsky, explores its transformative potential and how our portfolio companies are driving innovation. Explore how generative AI is driving personalization and efficiency in financial services, and what it means for the future of finance. Check out the full article (Link in the comment section)