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Early-stage investing is a delicate dance. It demands an understanding of markets, a knack for recognizing potential, and sheer tenacity to weather the cyclical storms of the startup world. Now in its fourth year, our Seed 40 list illuminates the women who have mastered this craft. They are on the front lines, locking arms with visionary founders to transform ideas into full-fledged businesses, often putting money and support behind those builders before others see the opportunity. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Organizations: Business

Behind most startup founders is an early-stage investor who saw their potential, nurtured their ambition, and backed their ideas. The end of a record bull run in tech rebooted the startup landscape, and now early-stage investors are embracing the change. Founders have gone back to basics, staying lean and mean from the start and harnessing tailwinds of the artificial intelligence boom. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.

Organizations: Business

☆ How former Slack and Twitter executive April Underwood used angel investing to create a career in venture capital
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Leena Rao | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

That entrepreneurial, technology-focused spirit has driven Underwood to an illustrious career at some of the industry's biggest companies, including Google, X, Slack, and Intel. As she built products at these tech giants, Underwood quietly invested in over 50 startups, including the genetics-testing unicorn Color and the cap-table giant Carta. Underwood began investing while at X, then called Twitter, where she was the company's director of product. Shortly after, #Angels was born, the investment collective cofounded by Underwood, Verrilli, Jana Messerschmidt, Chloe Sladden, Katie Stanton, and Vijaya Gadde. Since 2015, the group has backed over 100 startups, including Forward, Clubhouse, Instacart, Material Security, and Airtable.

Persons: Underwood, she'd, Slack, Jessica Verrilli, who'd, Stewart Butterfield, Cal Henderson, Ev Williams, Jack Dorsey, Verrilli, Jana Messerschmidt, Chloe Sladden, Katie Stanton, Vijaya Gadde, you've, I've, they've Organizations: Amarillo College, Business, Google, Intel, GV, Cue, Twitter, Health, Security, Slack Locations: Amarillo , Texas, Amarillo, Termina, San Francisco

Steve Bowsher, In-Q-TelSteve Bowsher, president and CEO of In-Q-Tel. He made an early bet on Palantir, blowing the doors open for Silicon Valley techies to go after federal contracts. The son of a federal employee who grew up devouring spy novels, Bowsher has always been interested in the work of the government but actually cut his teeth in Silicon Valley. After graduating from Stanford, he worked for three startups and spent eight years at venture fund InterWest Partners. By combining Silicon Valley's swashbuckling ethos with a government agency's mission-driven mentality, Bowsher has helped shepherd some of the biggest defense tech success stories of the past two decades.

Persons: Steve Bowsher, Bowsher Organizations: Magazine, Stanford, InterWest Partners Locations: Menlo Park , California, Silicon Valley

AbridgeAbridge CEO Dr. Shiv Rao. AbridgeHQ: PittsburghTotal raised: $62.5 millionWhat it does: The medical scribe startup uses large language models to document patient-doctor interactions in electronic medical records. What makes it promising: Easing administrative burdens for providers is top of mind for investors as growing burnout drives more clinicians out of the healthcare field. Abridge is using AI to tackle one of the most time-consuming, burnout-inducing processes in healthcare — clinical documentation.

Persons: Abridge, Shiv Rao Organizations: Abridge, Pittsburgh

☆ The job market for startups and Big Tech is in a weird spot
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The big storyCareer makersInflection AI, Maven, Forage, The GrandWhich startup would you recommend a friend or family member should work at? That was the prompt for Business Insider's VC and startups team as it compiled a list of early-stage companies to bet your career on . The list doesn't have specific parameters, Leena Rao, the deputy editor of BI's VC and startups team, told me. With so much money pouring into AI startups, founders' attention will naturally be drawn to the tech when thinking about their next project. Meanwhile, the volatility among startups comes at a time of broader instability for the tech industry.

Persons: —, Elon Musk, Taylor Swift, Leena Rao, Maven, Alyssa Powell, Ben Bergman, there's, Moody's, Paul Tudor Jones, We've, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, OpenAI, Samantha Stokes, Andrea Chronopoulos, Bob Iger, Lachlan Murdoch, David Zaslav, Dan DeFrancesco, Hallam Bullock, Jordan Parker Erb, George Glover Organizations: Business, Service, Business Insider's, Big Tech, Meta, Flagstar Bank, Facebook, YouTube, Google, BI, ESPN, Warner Bros, Fox, Walt Disney Company Locations: NYCB, New York, London

☆ These are 30 of the most successful early-stage startup investors in the world, according to a proprietary AI model known as 'Moneyball for VC'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Ben Bergman | Samantha Stokes | Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. TRAC , a San Francisco-based early-stage venture firm cofounded by Fred Campbell, Joseph Aaron, Scott Pyne, Steve Marek, and Dick Fredericks in 2020, has set about to take a more systematic approach to venture capital. Advertisement"A SuperForecaster is in the top 1/10th of 1% of all early-stage investors," Aaron told Business Insider. But now TRAC has agreed to name names, revealing a random sampling of 30 of the 287 SuperForecasters in its model. They rarely make follow-on investments.

Persons: —, Fred Campbell, Joseph Aaron, Scott Pyne, Steve Marek, Dick Fredericks, Phillip Tetlock, Dan Gardner's, Aaron, SuperForecasters Organizations: Service, Business Locations: San Francisco

☆ Some of the best early-stage startup investors share a common trait that should be a lesson for Silicon Valley
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In today's big story, we're looking at the best investors when it comes to early-stage companies. The big storyPicking winnersCaterina Fake, Cindi Bi, and Suleman AliInvesting can be a crapshoot, especially when it comes to early-stage companies. AdvertisementThe investors, profiled by BI's Ben Bergman, Samantha Stokes, Rebecca Torrence, and Leena Rao, have an incredible track record for early-stage investing. Silicon Valley can be known to have a herd mentality, especially when it comes to venture investors. And yet, some of the best early-stage investors have proven to have far better success going out on their own.

Persons: —, we've, Caterina Fake, Suleman Ali, BI's Ben Bergman, Samantha Stokes, Rebecca Torrence, Leena Rao, Joseph Aaron, cofounders, Tanja Ivanova, isn't, Chanos, Elon Musk, Jim Chanos, Tesla, Musk, Dan Ives, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Brittany Hosea, Satya Nadella, Sam Altman, Philipp Schindler, Google's, Alyssa Powell, Michelle Obama, Betty White, Steve Harvey, Muhammad Ali, Benjamin Franklin, Al Capone, Calvin Harris, Charles Schwab, They've Organizations: Service, Business, Reuters, Getty, Elon, Tesla, Apple, Microsoft, Google, BI Locations: pant, San Francisco, Brittany, China, Davos, ChatGPT's

☆ A formfitting blazer and Chelsea boots, or jeans and high-top sneakers? Here's how the 2023 rising stars of VC put together their 'power outfits.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | Ben Bergman | Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Many of this year's VC rising stars told Business Insider that their go-to power outfits included apparel like tailored sport coats or Chelsea boots, and more casual pieces like hoodies and well-fitting jeans. Very few investors are wearing collared shirts with their jackets, opting instead to pair it with a t- shirt and jeans. Nmachi Jidemna told Business Insider that for her everyday wear, her go-to was "usually a structured blazer with a relaxed pair of jeans." Lori Harvey (left) and Heidi Klum (right) wearing red outfits. Black flowy trousers, black turtleneck, and chunky black boots."

Persons: that's, Laura Bock, Nmachi Jidemna, Javier Grevely, Ralph Lauren, Tobi Coker, Janelle Teng, Patron's Amber Atherton, Jason Yeh, Ashley Paston, Justin Williams, VCs, Mahati Sridhar, Grady Dick, Michelle Farsi, Pear, Vivien Ho, Lori Harvey, Heidi Klum, Valentina Frugiuele, Bauer, Griffin, Luci Fonseca, RTFKT, Brandon Hoffman, JL, Sarah Wu, Emerson, Fiona Huang, Demi Obayomi, Natalie Borowski, Daisy Wolf, Andreessen Horowitz Organizations: Business, Wellington Management, Converse, Seae Ventures, Getty, GV, Nike, Sunset Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures Locations: London, Chelsea

☆ From bouldering to silent meditation retreats: Here's how this year's rising stars of VC are keeping their wellness on track while hunting down deals
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Samantha Stokes | Madeline Renbarger | Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

And these rising stars of the VC world are at the forefront of the trend, with many adopting various wellness routines. Business Insider asked this year's rising stars to name their best wellness hack that keeps them at the top of their game. Find ways to get movingMany rising stars in VC have a relationship with exercise that goes beyond an obligatory hour at the gym or a forced jog around the block. "It's amazing how taking just 10 minutes out of my day helps set the pace and structure for the rest of the day so well," she told Business Insider. she told Business Insider.

Persons: Base10, Justin Williams, Fiona Huang, Huang, Laura Bock, Amanda Herson, Taylor Brandt, Luci Fonseca, It's, Vivien Ho, VCs, journaling, Ashley Paston, Ahmed Mirza, who's, Amber Atherton, Brandon Hoffman, Tobi Coker, Wellington Management's Javier Grevely, Natalie Borowski, I've Organizations: Business, Seae Ventures, Ventures, Headline, Base10 Investors, Meritech, Sunset Ventures Locations: New York, Eastern, Brooklyn

2023 was a tumultuous year for the venture capital industry. This year, Business Insider asked the most important VCs across the US to name the most promising VCs in their cities. Business Insider also asked the general public and last year's rising stars who they thought should make the cut. And just like last year, more of this year's rising stars are women than men, indicating that more women are being brought into the pipeline of the traditionally male-dominated venture capital industry. Scroll to see 2023's rising stars of venture capital, organized alphabetically by the investor's name.

Organizations: Silicon Valley Bank, Tech, Business

☆ The top 9 AI people in finance
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Bianca Chan | Leena Rao | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Business Insider's 2023 AI 100 list included several experts from the world of finance. These people blend AI know-how with experience in trading, payments, VC, and other finance sectors. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementGenerative AI is the hottest venture capital investment theme in at least a decade. Business Insider's 2023 AI 100 list includes several experts who combine AI know-how with experience in areas of finance such as payments, trading, banking, financial data, and startup investing.

Persons: Sarah Guo, Reid Hoffman, Sonya Huang, — Organizations: Service, Business

Several venture capitalists call New York home and are writing checks to startups of all stages. The city's prominent sectors like finance and media are also prevalent in its VC activity. Insider compiled a list of New York's top VCs, based on recommendations and investment data. The Big Apple's venture capital scene is as strong as ever. This story is available exclusively to Insider subscribers.

Organizations: Street Locations: New York

Adept: a machine learning research labNiki Pezeshki is a general partner at Felicis Ventures. FelicisStartup: AdeptRecommended by: Niki Pezeshki, FelicisRelationship: No financial interestTotal funding: $415 million, according to the companyWhat it does: Adept is a machine-learning research and product lab aiming to build AI technology that can automate human tasks as varied as running software and browsing the web. Why it's on the list: "Fresh off a massive round of funding, Adept is poised to deliver artificial general intelligence that truly benefits working people," Pezeshki said. "So much software is repetitive tasks, and Adept is creating an AI that will enable workers to increase productivity and focus on more creative tasks."

Persons: Niki Pezeshki, Pezeshki Organizations: Felicis Ventures, Felicis

Adonis: AI revenue collection for healthcare providersBen Ling, the founder and a general partner at Bling Capital. Bling CapitalStartup: AdonisRecommended by: Ben Ling, Bling CapitalRelationship: InvestorTotal funding: $22.9 million, according to PitchBook. What it does: Adonis uses AI to automate and create intelligent revenue-collection software between healthcare providers such as doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies. "They are trending to significantly exceed revenue expectations in 2023 and is considered one of the fastest growing healthcare software companies in the United States. As a result, Adonis is overseeing the processing of billions of dollars of claims and impacting revenue outcomes for thousands of the nation's providers," Ling said.

Persons: Adonis, Ben Ling, Ling Organizations: Bling Locations: United States

There are thousands of firms out there, each with their own specialties and varied track records. We've narrowed it down to the best 75 based on data from Crunchbase and the firms themselves. Given that, Insider created the Seed 75 list as a new member to our Seed 100 and Seed 30 lists of the best individual seed investors. Some companies verified the Crunchbase data, some didn't respond but most others supplied us with updated data. What follows is the top 75 seed firms who scored at the top of our weighted scale.

Persons: We've Organizations: Crunchbase Locations: Crunchbase

☆ Check out the 15-slide pitch deck former Bose engineers and the founders of STAT Health used to raise $5 million for a tiny in-ear wearable to prevent fainting
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Leena Rao | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

STAT Health sells an in-ear wearable that patients can use 24/7 to track blood flow. So when Lee's elderly father began having repeated fainting sessions, Lee turned to in-ear technology to help solve the problem. His brainchild is STAT Health, an 24/7 in-ear wearable that measures blood flow to the head to better understand symptoms such as dizziness, brain fog, headaches, fainting, and fatigue that occur while standing. STAT Health's in-ear wearable. The wearable was clinically tested at Johns Hopkins University and was shown to predict fainting in users minutes before it happens.

Persons: Long, Daniel Lee, Lee, Paul Jin Organizations: Health, J2 Ventures, BonAngels Venture Partners, STAT Health, Johns Hopkins University Locations: Bose

☆ Investors shut out of traditional funding rounds are scouring secondary markets to snap up shares in buzzy AI startups like Dataminr, Hugging Face, and Anthropic
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Leena Rao | Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

As the AI craze continues, investors are eager to buy shares of these startups on secondary markets. AI startup shares have been the top in demand sector every month this year, according to EquityZen. It seems that every week there's a new hot AI startup that's raising a big round. ForgeGlobal, a marketplace for secondary transactions of startup shares, is seeing similar excitement from investors in AI startups. Sequoia, General Catalyst, Andreessen Horowitz and many others have been aggressively investing in AI startups.

Persons: Phil Haslett, Haslett, Avlok Kohli, Howe Ng, Ng, Catalyst, Andreessen Horowitz, Javier Avelos, OpenAI, Anthropic, Avelos Organizations: sixfold, SamBaNova Systems, Microsoft, Google Locations: secondaries, Sequoia, Caplight

☆ Check out the 31-slide pitch deck startup Yuvo used to raise $20 million to help community health centers grow revenue
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Leena Rao | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Yuvo wants to help the 1,400 Federally Qualified Health Centers in the US grow revenue and capacity. His startup, Yuvo, helps community health centers participate in value-based programs from insurance companies, which rewards health care providers with incentive payments for the quality of care they give people. As a middle man between the insurance providers and the health centers, Yuvo opens up access for these health centers to participate in the programs by assuming the risk involved in some of these contracts. From the success of the program, Yuvo added five other health centers in New York and Ohio, said Herrera. "We can double the revenue of health centers for many patients and that's game changing for an organization," said Herrera.

Persons: Yuvo, Cesar Herrera didn't, Herrera Organizations: Health Centers, Mastry Ventures, Federally, Health Center, AV8 Ventures, New York Ventures, HLM Venture Partners, VamosVentures, Social Innovation Fund Locations: NY, Detroit, New York, Ohio

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