Webinar
Masterclass: Inside the Deal—Why We Said Yes to Bluesky
Bluesky is redefining social media with its decentralized platform, offering users control over their online experience.
In this exclusive masterclass, Alumni Ventures Partner Sophia Zhao will delve into the sourcing, evaluation, and decision-making processes that led to our investment in Bluesky.
The company recently secured a $15 million Series A funding round, following its $8 million seed raise last year. Bluesky’s rapid user growth, surpassing 10 million users, underscores its potential to reshape the social media landscape.
Sophia will discuss the criteria used to assess Bluesky’s potential and how the company stood out in a competitive landscape. This session offers a behind-the-scenes look at venture capital investment strategies and the factors that drive high-conviction decisions.
Why Attend?
- HomeDeal Breakdown: Gain an inside look at the sourcing and diligence process behind our investment in Bluesky.
- HomeVC Best Practices: Learn how top venture firms assess high-growth startups in competitive markets.
- HomeReal-World Insights: Hear directly from Partner Sophia Zhao about what it takes to back a breakout company.
Reserve your spot today for this insightful discussion.
Alumni Ventures is America’s largest venture capital firm for individual investors.
About your presenter
Sophia brings a wealth of experience in capital advisory, corporate development, and operational optimization, establishing impactful collaborations with CXOs and Founders. With a diverse industry exposure encompassing cloud computing, mining and minerals, consumer goods, and Web3, Sophia has been at the forefront of transformative technologies. Since 2018, she has been immersed in the crypto universe, working at Galaxy Digital, Huobi US, and Crypto.com. In these roles, Sophia engaged with startups and institutional clients on capital raising and trading across the Americas, EU, and Asia regions.
Actively fostering innovation and mentorship, Sophia serves as a mentor and judge at prestigious institutions such as Yale’s Tsai City for Innovation, Berkeley’s Blockchain Xcelerator, Techstars, and Layer 1 protocols, including Ethereum, Algorand, and Solana. She maintains close ties with the blockchain communities at Stanford and Yale.
Driven by a passion for shaping the future through frontier technologies, Sophia is currently supporting AI data and applications deals within her team. She holds a BBA from Simon Fraser University, an MBA from the University of British Columbia, and an MAM from the Yale School of Management.