If this is your first time getting our update, welcome to the fam! VSC Ventures is built on the core thesis that it has gotten easier than ever before to start a startup, but harder than ever before for that company to get noticed. We're building a one-of-a-kind fund to invest in early stage startups AND help them break out!
For those who need a quick refresher: Since 2002, VSC our award-winning comms firm has represented 475+ brands including 3 IPOs, 13 unicorns, and 50 startups that have exited. Experimenting with our own capital to date, VSC demonstrated our access into competitive rounds, investing in 37 companies, including breakouts like Poshmark, PAX, Tonal, Nearpod, and more. Building upon the investment processes honed through investments off our balance sheet, we've raised our first outside capital for VSC Ventures Fund I, LP
Portfolio Updates
Each update, we'll share news about investments. For our LPs, we'll follow up with more detail about new marks & material updates in VSC portfolio positions.
SWEAT, TEARS... BUT NO BLOOD with GRAPHWEAR
Key Highlights on our Second Investment: GraphWear
- GraphWear Technologies is developing a skin-surface-level wearable made of graphene that will unlock needle-free glucose monitoring for the 35M+ Americans & 450M+ people globally who live with diabetes
- GraphWear was founded in 2015 by Rajatesh Gudibande and Saurabh Radhakrishnan, both of whom have Masters' degrees in nanotechnology from the University of Pennsylvania
- Eventually GraphWear plans to extend their technology platform for other chronic illnesses, like heart disease. Their team has already patented a way to use polarized fluids as transistors that could be useful beyond sensing glucose.
- $20.5M Series B round was led by Mayfield Fund, with participation from MissionBio Capital, Builders VC and VSC Ventures. This current round should take Graphwear into final phase of FDA approvals.
- While Series B rounds aren't core to VSC Ventures' focus, we got comfortable with this deal given the strength of the management team, experienced syndicate of co-investors, strong alignment with VSCs Wellness practice, and reasonable valuation given the product maturity.
TechCrunch article linked here(check out another VSC Ventures shoutout—That's 2 mentions in 2 months!)
For VSC Ventures LPs: We have a detailed written deal memo available upon request
VSC Ventures' Vijay Chattha (Left) joined CEO Rajatesh Guidbande (Center Left), Director of Operations Meet Vora (Right) and the GraphWear team in-person to celebrate their press launch and latest fundraising milestone
CONTENT CORNER—SECRETS TO GENERATING PRESS FOR STARTUPS
Given VSC Venture's unique position at the intersection of Startups, VC and Media: One of the most common questions we get asked by start-ups is "What makes for an irresistible pitch to a journalist?"We figured: Why not ask one directly. Last week we hosted this expert panel alongside our friends at Afore Capital
VSC Ventures' Jay Kapoor was joined by TechCrunch Senior Reporter Natasha Mascarenhas, Honeybook CEO Oz Alon, and VSC Partner Maggie Philbin to help demystify the press-startup relationship for an audience of almost 100 early-stage startups and investors.
Click the image above or links below to enjoy some highlights from our Expert Panel including:
- Who Should Pitch Journalists and How To Do It Well?
- When Should The Founder Be The Focus of The Story?
- How Founders Get Press Attention and Build Trust with Journalists?
- Critical Mistakes Founders Can Make In Engaging with Press
