Michael Bodley

3 days ago | pitchbook.com | Michael Bodley

Wisdom Ventures has raised an initial $16 million of a $50 million target for a second fund, betting in part on tech startups working to curb technology addiction. The firm’s new fund comes as Silicon Valley and the world beyond grapple with the early impacts on users of the fast rise of AI and other emerging technologies. Numerous studies and reports indicate that average screen time is increasing and that heavy social media usage has exacerbated adolescent mental health issues.

1 week ago | pitchbook.com | Michael Bodley

Discounts on venture secondaries are on the rise—but that’s not influencing StepStone Group‘s strategy. The investment firm found that VC fund secondary interests acquired at discounts of more than 15% booked a 3x return, while smaller discounts returned 3.5x, according to a new study it conducted and shared exclusively with PitchBook. StepStone’s approach instead: paying more (via a slimmer discount, or even selective premiums) for top secondary stakes.

1 week ago | pitchbook.com | Michael Bodley

The SEC is intensifying its push to grant retail investors greater and easier access to private markets, opening up a largely untouched investor base for VCs.Firms are still figuring out the SEC’s evolving stance on retail investors and whether raising capital from this group is even sensible. One challenge for venture firms: investing in early-stage startups while still providing the level of liquidity that retail investors expect.

3 weeks ago | pitchbook.com | Michael Bodley

Should startup interns be paid? The answer appears to be yes, and the law requires it in many cases. That became clear this week to Max Greenwald, co-founder and CEO of the AI startup Warmly, after he posted on LinkedIn looking for an intern “who wants to experience the chaos of a scaling early stage VC-backed startup.”The catch? The internship, based in the Bay Area, would be unpaid. The criticism on social media arrived swiftly.

3 weeks ago | pitchbook.com | Michael Bodley

Denver Ventures, an angel investor group, has raised more than $20 million to back pre-seed and seed startups with its first venture fund, CEO David Prichard shared with PitchBook exclusively. The collective tackled the bulk of its fundraising in 2024, pulling off the feat during an especially challenging period for emerging managers. Participation from the network’s angel investors as LPs was key to hitting the fund’s target.