Funding & Disrupting

Karista - A VC Firm Investing in Game Changers from Scratch to Success

Show Notes:    ●      Catherine Boule is a molecular biologist turned venture capitalist, with expertise in healthcare, market, and healthcare technologies.   ●      Karista's relies on internal due diligence and external expert consultation to decrease risk and develop relationships as early-stage investors in complex ideas.   ●      Karista hires managers with diverse backgrounds to ensure they better understand the people they are financing.   ●      Karista's exits and experience in M&A, IPOs on Euronext and NASDAQ, and even a rare occurrence of management buyback.   ●      Expectations for tech companies seeking VC funding include being prepared to share power and strategy with investors, establishing trust with VC partners, and finding investors who share their company's vision.   Background:   Catherine Boule [https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-boule-5039128/?originalSubdomain=fr] is a Molecular biologist who previously worked as a Scientific Researcher at Institut Curie [https://institut-curie.org/]. However, she realized that she did not want to spend her entire career in the lab and was advised to gain some business experience. To this end, she pursued an MBA, which opened up a whole new world outside of her lab work.  At that time, there were very few VC firms in France, and Catherine's first job was as a Project Manager for Life Sciences at IDFI Incubator, now known as Incuballiance [https://www.developmentaid.org/organizations/view/259990/incuballiance]. Later on, she joined Karista [https://www.karista.vc/] VC firm, where her expertise in healthcare, market, and healthcare technologies was highly valued. Karista’s Portfolio: Karista [https://www.linkedin.com/company/karistavc/], a Paris-based firm, has been operating for 21 years with a team spread across France, the UK, Portugal, and Spain.  Initially, they invested in a broad range of high-tech companies including healthcare and digital, through a generalist fund. However, now they specialize in deep tech and space tech. Karista’s Exits: Karista has had around 25 exits with experience in many different outcomes. They have dealt with M&As in Europe, the US, and Asia, as well as IPOs on Euronext and NASDAQ. While they prefer M&A, they were also seed investors in three of the six French biotech companies listed on NASDAQ. In a rare occurrence, they even had one company where the management bought back the company. What should tech companies expect when they get VC for the first time? When seeking VC funding, it's important to be prepared to share power and strategy with the investors. Karista won't invest if they can't have a say in the direction of the company. Founders need to establish trust with their VC partners because investors are investing in the dreams and visions of entrepreneurs.   Connect With Catherine: You can get in contact with Catherine and Karista via email: Catherine.Boule@Karista.VC [Catherine.Boule@Karista.VC]   Connect With Funding and Disrupting: Follow us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/funding-and-disrupting-podcast-252047201/] or Twitter [https://twitter.com/FDisrupting] Apply to be a guest on the show Subscribe to our email list Connect with the show on Twitter [https://twitter.com/fdisrupting], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/funding-and-disrupting-with-keith-herman/], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtktidR74qnzrYAfpr81j7Q]

Tim Flannery: CEO & Co-Founder of PassThrough

Tim Flannery [https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothyflannery/] co-founded Passthrough [https://www.linkedin.com/company/passthroughinc/] and currently serves as its CEO. He's known for his entrepreneurial spirit and competitive drive. In his 30s, he took up rugby and now enjoys playing the sport with his two children and his work. Show Notes:  ●      Working as a VC exposed Tim to different business models and leadership styles, but he realized he enjoyed building things more than investing in them. ●      Passthrough was created to solve the problem in the onboarding process of venture firms. They developed a solution that makes it easier for people to invest in venture funds quickly, and they are now helping around 250 fund managers.   ●      Passthrough bootstrapped its business and raised $5 million in seed funding in 2021, followed by another round of $10 million in 2022.   ●      Positive Sum, an investor in Passthrough, has a large network and takes a hands-on approach that has been invaluable to Passthrough. They also provide a highly effective distribution channel through Patrick O'Shaughnessy's podcast "Invest like the Best." Passthrough - Automates The Subscription Process For Private Funds. Focusing on Less Time Spent Going Back and Forth, Better Compliance, and Structured Investor Data Check the podcast for: • Tim's Entrepreneurship Path to Passthrough • What Tim Learned in VC and Why He Transition to Founder • Passthrough Overview • Passthrough's Capital Raising Experience • Passthrough's Initial Interactions with Positive Sum • Other Ways Positive Sum Supports Passthrough • No two Investors are the Same • Advice for Vetting and Connecting to Partners • The Plan to Scale Passthrough   Currently, Passthrough [https://www.passthrough.com/about] is providing fund closing services for fund managers, and their goal is to become their go-to option. However, they also see potential opportunities in serving enterprise and API customers. Over the next few years, they'll explore these avenues and figure out how to scale them.   Connect With Tim:   You can get in contact with Tim and Passthrough via email: sales@passthrough.com Connect With Funding and Disrupting:  Follow us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/funding-and-disrupting-podcast-252047201/] or Twitter [https://twitter.com/FDisrupting] Apply to be a guest on the show Subscribe to our email list Connect with the show on Twitter [https://twitter.com/fdisrupting], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/funding-and-disrupting-with-keith-herman/], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtktidR74qnzrYAfpr81j7Q]

Marcos Gonzalez: Founder and Managing Partner of VamosVentures

Show Notes: * How Marco's education and career path led him to venture capital * Why Marcos created VamosVentures and their investment thesis * The role failure plays in the success  * The importance of curiosity  * VamosVentures ideal investment, typical involvement, and exit strategy * Investing in All Up and how it came together * The mindset Marcos looks for in founders * An overview of where VamosVentures is with fundraising and investing today Connect With Funding and Disrupting * Apply to be a guest on the show [https://fundingdisrupting.com/podcast-application/] * Subscribe to our email list [https://form.jotform.com/222645137778667] Connect With Marcos and VamosVentures * You can get in contact with VamosVentures by visiting their website [https://www.vamosventures.com/], Medium [https://medium.com/@VamosVentures], Twitter [https://twitter.com/VamosVentures], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/vamosventures/], or LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/vamosventures/]. * You can get in contact with Marcos through his Twitter [https://twitter.com/marcoscgonzalez], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcos-gonzalez-b567042/], or direct email. [Marcos@VamosVentures.com] Connect with the show on Twitter [https://twitter.com/fdisrupting], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/funding-and-disrupting-with-keith-herman/], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtktidR74qnzrYAfpr81j7Q]

Kyle York: Co-Founder, CEO, and Managing Partner of York-IE

In this episode, Keith interviews Kyle York [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyork20/], the Co-Founder, CEO & Managing Partner of York-IE [https://york.ie/]. York-IE invests at the earliest stage through Series A startups. They are exclusively focused on business-to-business (B2B), subscription, and Software as a Service (SaaS) companies. In this discussion you’ll hear about: * Kyle’s background and what lead him to create York-IE * His experience at Oracle and how it impacts how he invests today * York-IE’s investment thesis and what differentiates them from other VC firms * What due diligence looks like with York-IE * Vetro [https://vetrofibermap.com/]: What they do, how Kyle met them, and why he decided to invest * Kyle’s advice for investors and founders Connect with the show on Twitter [https://twitter.com/fdisrupting], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/funding-and-disrupting-with-keith-herman/], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtktidR74qnzrYAfpr81j7Q]

Dr. Melody Lang of MPA Learning Fund and Vivi Friedgut of Blackbullion

This episode marks an exciting milestone for Funding and Disrupting with our very first interview of both a female VC Firm Founder and a female Tech Company Founder. Our VC firm guest is Dr. Melody Lang [https://www.linkedin.com/in/melodylang/], the Founder of the MPA Learning Fund [https://www.mpaeducation.com/], and our Tech Company Founder is Vivi Friedgut [https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivifriedgut/], the CEO & Founder of Blackbullion [https://business.blackbullion.com/ ].  * Introductions to MPA and Blackbullion  * A look into Dr. Melody Lang’s background and what makes her a unique investor  * What differentiates MPA Learning Fund * How Vivi and Melody met and their experience working together  * What excited Melody about Vivi’s vision * How Blackbullion is turning learning into action  * Due diligence from Blackbullion’s and MPA’s Perspective * Vivi’s advice to other entrepreneurs * How MPA is working with Vivi to support her vision * Melody’s advice to women entering the venture capital space * Vivi's advice to other female tech founders considering partnering with a VC firm Connect with the show on Twitter [https://twitter.com/fdisrupting], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/funding-and-disrupting-with-keith-herman/], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtktidR74qnzrYAfpr81j7Q]