Spike Ventures Newsletter — December 2022
Content at the intersection of entrepreneurship, venture capital, and our Stanford community.
IN THIS ISSUE: Join Spike Fund 6; register for a final call webinar on Jan. 26; portfolio company news on Yassir, RapidSOS, Frore, GoodTrust, and Strivr; Stanford ranked #1 School for Entrepreneurs by PitchBook; 2022 holiday gift guide; and more.
Spike Ventures Fund 6 is Closing Soon!
Don’t miss your chance to own a diversified portfolio in 2023. If you would like to invest in Spike Fund 6, please visit our fund portal to learn more and join us, or schedule a 1×1 call for specific investing questions
UPCOMING WEBINAR
Spike Ventures Final Call
Thursday, January 26, 2:00 PM PT
The deadline for Spike Fund 6 is coming up and we are already beginning to deploy capital and build the portfolio. Join Managing Partner Todd McIntyre for a webinar discussing the fund and how the team builds a diversified venture portfolio.
Spike Ventures Portfolio Update & News
Yassir is a super app category leader in French-speaking Africa, which includes 42 out of 75 major African cities. The company is building an ecosystem of services — similar to services offered by Uber, Doordash, Instacart, and digital banking — all delivered inside a single app. Yassir announced a $150 million Series B (five times what it raised in its previous round) led by Bond. The capital will be used to roll out new services in the existing markets and directly expand into new geographies across Africa and the Middle East or via acquisitions. Spike Ventures deployed capital in this round, the company’s 2020 seed round, and a $30 million Series A in 2021. Read More »
MORE PORTFOLIO COMPANY NEWS
- RapidSOS Raises $75 Million to Expand Intelligent Safety Platform (PR Newswire)
- Frore Secures $100M, Collabs With Intel to Create a New Way to Cool Processors (TechCrunch)
- GoodTrust Featured At What’s Next Longevity Innovation Summit In Washington, DC (PR Newswire)
- Strivr Launches Partner Program to Accelerate the Expansion of VR (HCM Technology Report)
Stanford Ranked #1 School for Entrepreneurs by PitchBook
PitchBook’s annual university rankings compare schools by tallying up the number of alumni entrepreneurs who have founded venture capital-backed companies. Based on an analysis of more than 144,000 VC-backed founders, Stanford was ranked #1 out of 100 top colleges and universities. Read More »
2022 Holiday Gift Guide
We’re excited to present some of the innovative products and services from Alumni Ventures’ portfolio, including Spike portfolio company Dance Church — a high energy, dance-focused movement class that offers a fun and inclusive approach to dancing. Learn More »
FOR CURRENT INVESTORS
Thinking of becoming an investor? Access Materials »
Visit Your Club Portal
We invite existing investors to visit your Club portal for updates from Managing Partner Todd McIntyre (MBA ’94) and our team, including webinars and events, Syndications, portfolio news, and more. Visit Club Portal »
What’s New at Alumni Ventures
Learn How Venture Capitalists Vet Deals
One of the cornerstones of making a successful venture investment is to conduct the right diligence, with consideration for stage, sector, and even the business model of the underlying opportunity. In this video, we discuss areas we evaluate before we invest. Watch Now »
AV Talent Referrals
Interested in joining a cutting-edge startup or know someone who might be? Our portfolio companies are growing and always looking for high-caliber talent. Check out their open positions on our job board. If you find a match, fill out this short form, and we will try to make a personal referral. Visit Job Board »
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Contact [email protected] for additional information. To see additional risk factors and investment considerations, visit av-funds.com/disclosures.