How hard was it to raise venture capital in Q1?

Hello, and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.

This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single person, think about their work and unpack the rest. Alex filled in for Natasha as host this week.

To celebrate the end of Q1 2023 and the start of not only another earnings cycle, but also the data deluge that we expect to arrive starting this morning, Equity invited PitchBook Senior Analyst Kyle Stanford onto the show. Stanford and his company are key providers of data concerning the domestic and global venture capital markets, making him a perfect guest to help kickstart our look at recent venture results, and trends.

We had a lot to talk about:

  • Where early-2023 venture aggregates are trending, including a chat about different stages of startup size and how investors are approaching those groups.
  • Sectors that are hot and sectors that are, well, not.
  • When we might get an exit market that actually exists, again. And why Stanford popped our fading optimism that we could get more IPOs later this year.

And we had a good time. We hope that this episode helps you form an informed posture toward fundraising for, and operating, your company.

For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website

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