Jan Lynn-Matern

I couldn’t be prouder to be a Venture Partner at Isomer Capital (aka the best European FoF - at least for me) as we just announced the launch of our pioneering £100m secondaries fund. This fund is dedicated to acquiring stakes from LPs in various VC funds, tapping into a massive and largely unexplored market. 🌟 Key Highlights: - Focused Investment: Primarily targeting stakes in VC funds, with selective investments in private companies. - Robust Funding: Already over 20% funded, thanks to strong support from Nordic family offices and a German foundation. - Market Potential: With a growing number of private tech companies and a VC liquidity crunch, Europe's VC secondaries market is poised for rapid growth. - Track Record: This isn’t Isomer’s first foray into the secondaries market. As a firm we’ve done several secondaries deals with portfolio companies and VC firms, including early-stage VC Seedcamp (in 2021) and mobility giant Bolt (in 2023). - Expert Team: Welcoming the amazing Omolade (Rachel) A., formerly of Coller Capital, as a principal to lead this initiative. 💡 Investment Strategy: - 65-75% of the fund will buy "LP interest" stakes in VC funds. - 15-25% will be directed towards stakes in companies. - Up to 15% reserved for flexible investment opportunities. 📈 Looking Ahead: We're targeting returns of 2-3x, with significant distributions expected in the next 4-7 years. As one of the few players in this space, we're not just participating in the market—we're driving it forward. Read all about it here: https://lnkd.in/dc7sbC3G #VentureCapital #SecondariesFund #EuropeanVC

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Survival of the Fittest in a Shifting Funding Landscape Founders are adopting a low-key approach, focusing their energy on internal growth. Armed with capital secured in 2021, many are strategically revitalising their businesses. But the big question remains: What will the dealmaking landscape look like in 2024? "Overall, capital infusion will be concentrated on a narrower spectrum of companies than in all. The private capital raising landscape is anticipated to be robust, showcasing significant improvement from 2022. However, the capital infusion will be concentrated on a narrower spectrum of companies compared to the prolific scene of 2021." Read More: https://lnkd.in/d3536qvA In the meantime, share your thoughts! Are you a founder facing a funding crunch? How are you adapting your strategy? #StartupFunding #Founders #Growth #DealMaking #SibaPanda

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Great insights from Adam Agius on what to consider when raising debt for a search fund buyout. Most relevant to the UK market, but a worthwhile read for all searchers. There's more debt capital keen to support search acquisitions than ever before, but approaching it naively can be very costly...

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10 things you should know about fundraising in 2024... Since 2018, I have now worked on 200+ funding rounds, I stopped counting at £60M raised but every week, month, year.. the landscape is changing. So here are some observations from the last £3M I have supported at the early stages in Q2 2024. ↗ Cold LinkedIn Outreach Works -- But, its getting harder. Anyone, anywhere, regardless of quality can show up in your ideal investors inbox. This leaves them saturated and soggy. To stand out you have to be precise, concise, genuine, relevant and exciting. ↗ VC Is Creeping Back To Life -- Ticket sizes feel smaller, risk appetite feels lower and very little flex on what they can or can't do. The usual players Fuel, Ascension etc are firing on all cylinders and worth applying to if you are a match. ↙ Email Is Dead -- A mixture of many things but getting positive responses from email campaigns is now extremely few and far between. You need to be pumping out thousands and even then its a low reward strategy. ↗ "Jump On A Call" -- Is a weak call to action. Getting an investors attention is one thing, but what do you actually do with it? Sending to a generic pitch page doesn't work, virtual coffee doesn't work. You need a page on your own website. Own the traffic, own the investor journey. ↙ Crowdfunding Is Dead -- For the early stages, I don't think its worth considering as part of your fundraising strategy anymore. Unless you have a mailing list of 20k+, 70% raised and knockout traction, it just isn't for you. ↗ Board/Bored Advisors -- Top heavy companies are off-putting for angel investors. Walking into a business with 8 bored board advisors can be daunting. To excite new investors, keep your corporate structure light. ↗ Knowledge Transfer -- This is the hardest part, the more efficiently you can do this, the more funding you generally raise. Having a well-managed "intelligence centre" is essential. Notion, Google Docs etc all work well. ↙ Valuations Matter -- We are very much in a "buyers market" and with that in mind, the price is more important than ever. 80%+ of my rejections are coming from valuation. Providing solid rationale and an openness to negotiate is key to drop the cash. ↗ Follow Up Strategy -- Being top of the inbox lasts only a second in this world. I've recently had an investor come back to me from last October! The best founders are able to maintain the traction and momentum well enough without becoming a pain. Well-crafted updates, clear timelines and transparency on round traction help a lot. ↗ Don't Forget The Story -- One thing that never changes, investors get hooked on your story, your vision, your mission, your ambition and the opportunity. If it isn't exciting, and they cant see how THEY win, it's never going to happen. Double down on this. #Fundraising #Startup #Pitchdeck #AngelInvestor #VC

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Great article by Partners Group pointing out advantages of our quarterly semi-liquid venture fund, Loyal VC, that I didn't even realise we had. Loyal deploys, and gives returns on, all your capital all the time. Other VC funds force you to hold capital for future deployment in low-yielding assets, and don't count that forced low yield in reporting your returns. To add insult to injury, they still charge you management fees on that low-yielding committed capital!! To us the Loyal way is just more sensible, and better for LPs. It is good to see others agreeing with us. Claudia Zeisberger https://lnkd.in/gbint4Jt

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💡 The Real Challenge Begins After Raising Investment: With the Labour Party winning the UK general election, the focus on leadership and strategic decision-making is paramount, not just in politics but in business too. In the final episode with Edward from West Hill Capital, we reflect on the true challenge for entrepreneurs: transitioning from raising capital to effectively delivering results. We explore the importance of strategic allocation and the potential risks if funds are not managed wisely. Thank you for joining us on this journey. Let's continue to drive innovation and growth together. If you're looking to raise investment or need support within your business, let's connect: https://lnkd.in/e8Wf2TTa #Entrepreneurship #InvestmentStrategy #StartupSuccess #DigitalHealth #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #ExecutionMatters #WestHillCapital #InvestorInsights

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🚀 Join Us at AI Forge Incubator: Meet Solo Founders Seeking Co-Founders! 📅 When: Wednesday, 29th May 📍 Where: The Old Street Gallery, 62 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4DQ 🕒 Time: 5pm-9pm Are you a visionary CTO, CPO, or commercial expert ready to make your mark in the AI start-up space? Here's your golden opportunity! ✨ What's Happening? Our solo founders are in week 5 of a 12-week intensive incubator program. They are actively seeking co-founders to join them as CTOs, CPOs, or in commercial roles. These companies will be pitching to 450+ investors during the week commencing 8th July, with a high probability of securing funding. 🌟 Why You Should Attend: Dive into the world of promising AI start-ups. Contribute your skills immediately by joining an existing business. Be part of the prestigious AI Forge incubator program. Potentially integrate your own business ideas into an evolving proposition. Network with talented individuals and successful entrepreneurs. Gain invaluable insights and advice from seasoned founders and mentors. 🔎 Types of Businesses Seeking Co-Founders: Our 9 solo founders are leading ventures in: EdTech SalesTech LegalTech FemTech MedTech MarTech 🎉 Event Highlights: 💬 Speed Dating Sessions: Quick, focused interactions to maximize connections. 🔍 Pre-Matchmaking: Initial meetings set up to streamline the matchmaking process. 🤝 Networking Opportunities: Explore collaboration possibilities with like-minded entrepreneurs. Don't miss out on this unique chance to partner with innovative AI start-ups and accelerate your career in the tech industry. Register at Seeking AI Co-Founders · Luma - https://lu.ma/f22d1ih9 #AIStartups #CoFounders #TechInnovation #Entrepreneurship #Networking #AIForge

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A HUGE thank you to everyone involved in publishing the latest report from ESG_VC and the British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA) today! The report is packed full of useful insights into how start-ups are actually performing across their work on environmental, social, and governance issues. There's also a brand new roadmap for ESG in start-ups with specific guidance on the initiatives to implement from Pre-Seed through to Series C and beyond. A particular shout out to everyone involved in the production including Suzi Gillespie and Ewa Skornas at the BVCA, David Strong and Dianne Skurray at Marriott Harrison, and Susannah Philipson and Nadeem Muzaffar at Seven Hills, who designed this beautiful report. I'm also massively grateful for all of the hard work that our VC contributors put into compiling data from 587 portfolio companies across the UK, Europe, and around the world - a few names to mention include Ashleigh, Shanice, Lauren, Laure, Michelle, Jason, Hessel, Emily, Beth, Joe, James, Eugenia, Alex, Grace, Emma, Emily, Lucy, Cordelia, Nina, Raj, and Rob. Thank you to you all! And thanks as ever to the remaining members of our steering group for their ongoing support of ESG_VC - Antonia at Seedcamp, Leslie at Astanor Ventures, Natalie at Lakestar, Andrew at Par Equity, and of course Karen McCormick for all of your support at Beringea! Check out the full report via the link in the comments! And let us know what you think about it! #ESG_VC #sustainability #venturecapital

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Great to speak at Alma College: Lessons on Due Diligence today alongside the fantastic Rupa Ganatra Popat of Arāya Ventures. This is one of a series of events run by Alma Angels to help angel investors who want to learn more about investing. If you are an angel investor interested in supporting female founders, please check out Alma. Link in comments shortly. #founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic More at unbundled dot vc.

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📊 Investing in Innovation: With the UK gearing up for the July 2024 general election, the investment landscape is evolving rapidly. In today’s discussion, Edward from West Hill Capital and I delve into the types of companies ready for investment beyond just tech. We explore the importance of innovation and unique selling points in attracting equity funding. If you’re looking to raise investment or need support within your business, book time with me: https://lnkd.in/e8Wf2TTa #StartupInvesting #Innovation #UKPolitics #Entrepreneurship

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🌟 Building Long-Term Relationships in Venture Capital 🌟 In VC, relationships are everything. Reflecting on my own journey as well, it's fascinating to see how some connections span decades. Sion Evans sharing how they think about building relationship over at VenCap International plc: "aiming to cement strong relationships in a single fund cycle or around three years is ideal. These long-term bonds are what drive our success." #VentureCapital #vc EUVC

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On the lookout for early signs of great founders, at PeerCapital we have realised that there’s a lot common between entrepreneurship and physics. Viewing a founder from the lens of thermodynamics, can reveal a lot.  Thermodynamics evaluates the energy relationship between different ‘systems’. A startup is composed of two key systems: the founders and their team. An endothermic founder (so to say) consumes energy offered to them, while an exothermic one will energize the system around them.  While endotherms prefer stable work environments, where they want each one to focus on their particular tasks, exotherm founders are fast movers, engaging collaborators who lead their teams towards a colossal ambition.  Founder-market fit and founder-idea fit relies heavily on how the energy exchange happen between these systems of a startup. The right founder for the right business context is critical. Visionaries who drive action (exotherms) need thoughtful execution focused strategists (endotherms), but the latter may not successfully be able to rally a team.  Exotherms aren’t afraid to change trajectories, to be transparent, to tackle conflict but the need to constantly add energy can sometimes be draining.  In the early stages, exotherms need to carefully evaluate how to disperse energy across the system so that it’s sustainable, without increasing entropy unnecessarily.     If you’re one such founder, I’d love to chat. Karthik Prabhakar Rohit M A

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Calling all impact-driven angel investors ... Come join me next week at Zinc for their inaugural Impact Angel Breakfast where we'll be discussing all things impact + angel. More details and sign-up link below!

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Its's a deal flow time! We are about to share the details of 637 start-ups who joined Rare Founders London's largest #demoday 2 weeks ago with all the investors (only verified ones) in our community. If you are a #founder who is #fundraising and want to get more exposure to investors (IT'S FREE) - submit your details following the link in comments. If you are an #investor interested in pre-seed to series A start-ups join our community (link in comments) to get access access to the monthly deal flow. Please tag #investors and #founders who this might be applicable for.

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🌱 Calling all Seed Founders! 🌱 Are you an early-stage startup seeking investment? My latest article is a comprehensive guide to the UK's SEIS and the investors participating in it. Here's what you'll find inside: ✨ Understanding SEIS for early-stage 💼 Must have documents to secure funding 🕵‍♀️ List of 24 active SEIS funds across sectors If you represent a SEIS fund not yet featured, feel free to comment below or reach out to me directly. 💬 I'd love to include you and help connect more founders to the right investors. Link to article in the comments 🔗

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🌱 Emerging VC managers - a topic close to my heart, having seen it from both the GP and the LP side. 🌱 Thank you for moderating our panel Lisa Edgar, a pleasure to discuss with you and Charles Conn ,Regina Cho and Ertan Can. Thanks to everyone who listened and engaged in conversations after. For those who couldn't join us, here are two emerging managers profiles we touched upon: 1. Partners who are leaving established firms to start their own ➕ available track record to dilligence ❓can they replicate that performance without the infrastructure and support of the bigger brand ❓ can they actually build a firm from scratch, are they entrepreneurial enough 2. Founders turned funders i.e. entrepreneurs who've been through the fundraising process themselves, had some success with their ventures, typically an angel investing portfolio and are now looking to take their investing to the next level ➕ usually they can relate to founders on a deeper level ➕ entrepreneurial mindset that should help with firm building ❓ can they secure the right allocations ❓ can they think about portfolio construction in a disciplined way Regardless of profile, something that has stayed with me is a conversation with one of our GPs who said there are 3 types of people in investing, those who: 👍 like it ❤️ love it 💥 are prepared to live it If you just like venture and investing, then being an emerging manager is probably going to be too demanding. You have to be somewhere between "love it" and "live it". #SuperVenture SuperReturn #VC

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📣Thrilled to announce I've been appointed a judge for MassChallenge UK📣 You'll find me assessing the game-changers on Thursday May 23rd and Friday May 24th. 🚀 Since 2016, MassChallenge Switzerland has championed startups across Europe. Their flagship program houses early-stage startups from various industries, and in 2024, it will be teeming with programs focusing on Sustainable Food, Sustainable Industry & Climate Solutions, and HealthTech. If you’re not familiar, let me give you a snapshot: Think 720 startups. Think multiple industries. Think over $1.2Bn in funding. Wait, it gets better! This year we will run our UK early stage accelerator again. 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗜-𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆. This is an unique opportunity for startups to access bespoke resources, engage in essential scaling discussions with Corporate Partners, and compete for non-dilutive cash prizes. The next round of judging for the MCUK will take place on May 23rd and May 24th. To learn more about the program, click on the link below: https://lnkd.in/dVMYxaSi Can’t wait to see what the future holds for these incredible start-ups! 🚀🌍💡 Stay tuned for more updates and feel free to reach out if you have any question. Innovation is a collective endeavour. What role are you playing?

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In this Unlearn episode, I challenge the myth that innovation is solely the playing field of startups, alongside Elliott Parker, CEO at High Alpha Innovation. We delve into how large corporations can shake off the 'business as usual' mindset to embrace a trajectory of continuous innovation. Our discussion revolves around fostering agility, critical thinking, and a culture adaptable to challenges and evolving success metrics. For any corporate leader looking to infuse their business operations with a fresh, innovative spirit, this conversation sheds light on practical, actionable strategies to drive significant transformation. Don’t miss out on unlocking the innovative potential within your large organization. https://lnkd.in/gD8QUbKW #CorporateInnovation #MindsetShift #BusinessTransformation #InnovationCulture #PodcastValue

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My apologies to all the entrepreneurs to whom I told that they could not address (institutional) investors before having at least an MVP, an incorporated company, and the beginning of some traction, i.e., the pre-seed stage. I was wrong, and I just discovered it. Boldstart Ventures founder Ed Sim, one of the top ten seed investors in 2024 according to the Forbes Midas list, has introduced a new category for VC investing called 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜. "𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴, 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘱𝘳𝘦-𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭." "𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘦��𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘗𝘳𝘦-𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪-𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨." Inception investing highlights the increasing competition among investors to find good deals at the earliest stages - and consequently, "the race to be first". If this approach gains traction, it may redefine the role of VCs and BAs, risk-taking, company valuation methods, and exit strategies. Let's see! #Inception #First #Investors

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