GROW Inc’s Post

Flexible working, Generous equity, Advanced tech. The benefits some start-ups offer are INSANE. And big banks just can’t compete with them…. Three months ago, I met a young, ambitious aspiring CFO. He’d climbed the corporate ladder in a big bank. But he felt like it was time for a change. He saw a job advert for a fintech startup. This challenger firm was redefining what it meant to work in finance. Their fast growth was really exciting But it was their culture that stood out most. > They offered flexible working hours and a genuine work-life balance. > They were utilising some of the most advanced tech on the market > They had wellness programs and team-building events every month. > They offered generous equity packages and stock options This young FD had never seen anything like it. He knew that this was what he had been searching for. He secured the job as CFO, and he was BEAMING when we met for a coffee last week. Not only is he happier than ever in his new role… But he couldn’t stop talking about the INSANE benefits he has access to. “Its totally changed my day-to-day, and I’m more driven than ever” Here’s the lesson: Fintechs offer far more than just a job. They offer an experience.

𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐏𝐑𝐄-𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓? 🚀🚨 Are you, or someone you know, an ambitious founder or team searching for pre-seed funding? At Fuel Ventures 🚀 we’re one of the UK’s most active early-stage investors, and our investment team is on the lookout for the next big thing! 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫: We focus on 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭-𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬. Whether it’s software, marketplaces, fintech, or platform-based companies (B2B or B2C), we’re seeking bold, hardworking founders with massive global ambitions. If your vision includes a multibillion-pound market opportunity and the potential for 100𝐱 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡, we want to hear from you! 🌍📈 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧: From 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭/𝐏𝐫𝐞-𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐝 all the way to 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐀, we have funds to support your journey. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲: If you’re ready to take your startup to the next level, submit your business through our web form. It goes straight to me and our investment team of 8 for review, and we discuss applications weekly in our investment meetings. 💡 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐓𝐢𝐩: Be punchy and bold! Highlight: • Why your business is unique • The size of your market and the opportunity • Traction or progress so far Submit your business and start your journey: https://lnkd.in/d6AK2rjy We can’t wait to see what you’re building! 🚀

Just dropped in yesterday's The Early newsletter ⬇ - Open VC roles at Prelude Ventures, Forum Ventures, & more 😍 - 5 questions to ask before taking a VC role 🤔 - VC reads this week 🧠 Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gY-FWxV9 #vc #venturecapital #hiring #roles #earlycareer

Good morning, Folks (PDT) FinFirst: Empowering Global Citizens At FinFirst, we foster innovation, growth, & empowerment across diverse geographies & industries. Our aim is to help everyone be the best version of themselves & building a global institution that drives financial success & societal betterment by removing inefficiencies & promoting equity & empathy. Mission: FinFirst is dedicated to fostering innovation, growth, & empowerment. We aim to build a global institution that drives financial success & changes the way society functions by removing inefficiencies & promoting equity & empathy. Our mission extends beyond business to include art, culture, friendships, relationships, passion, & empathy. Values: Ethics & Integrity: Upholding the highest standards of honesty & transparency. Empowerment: Helping individuals & businesses reach their full potential. Innovation: Embracing new technologies & solutions. Global Citizenship: Benefiting the global community. Sustainability: Committing to long-term success & positive impact. Social Justice: Striving for a more equitable & just society. Purpose: Creating a platform for like-minded individuals where businesses can thrive, innovate, & contribute to a better world by leveraging humans, tech, & capital globally. Ambition: Aspiring to be a global powerhouse like Goldman Sachs with our uniqueness rooted in agility, innovation, disruption, vision, resilience, ambition, empathy, inclusivity, sustainability, customer-centricity, transparency, collaboration, ethics, & scalability, while emphasizing collaboration, flexibility, & social responsibility. As the dreamer, I am committed to upholding these values & driving our mission forward. My journey from Ahmedabad has taught me the importance of hard work, integrity, & community. With a global network & the support of my entrepreneurs, wife, friends, & family, we are dedicated to making FinFirst an inclusive beacon of innovation & empowerment while enjoying the beauty of human relationships before technology takes over. We’re grateful for the kindness we’ve received & aim to pay it forward by being a pillar, light, & strength for those we care about. We empower people to be their best in all aspects of LIFE—humans, work, thoughts, passion, good deeds for society ,media ,PR ,culture ,art ,comedy ,travel , & beyond. During this trip, I’m eager to reconnect with old buds, both personally & professionally. Leveraging our collective experiences & perspectives can help us create something truly impactful. I’d love to hear about what you’ve been up to & share more about #FinFirst’s journey & ambitions. If you know anyone in Silicon Valley or the US who I should connect with—especially those who could benefit from my insights on the India market, investments, companies, products, & tech & who can help me navigate the VC/PE ecosystem—please reach out with recommendations. Exploring Potential Synergies. Part 1/2 #FinFirst #Dream #NoLimitations

I recently had a chat with someone who had just left a VC position to join an early stage startup as an operator. I asked her why she made the move — after all, isn’t VC a great lifestyle job? Plus, she was killing it as a VC. She said, “I felt like I was always giving out my knowledge. I wanted to bring new knowledge in. It’s like a bank account; I wanted some deposits too, not just withdrawals :) If I accumulate more knowledge and experience, even if I go back to VC, it will make me a better VC." I guess we all need to replenish our knowledge and emotional bank accounts from time to time. Changing careers is one way to do this, but it’s not the only way. Reading books, learning new skills, and talking to people all count. The important thing is to be aware of our knowledge bank account and not just withdraw from the same account all the time, but also make deposits regularly.

I’m thinking of starting a series of posts about investment banking client success stories, case studies and deal highlights from my career to-date. As a first post, here is a bit about a great fairly recent deal (closed 3 months ago in April) for Lighthouse Financial Technologies. As guided by some earlier career Goldman Sachs mentors of mine, I’m going to try use the STAR method (situation, task, action, result): Situation: Matt See my long-time close friend and classmate from college / Wharton who I have known for more than a decade has since gone into the high stakes start-up world in San Francisco. His latest venture, @Lighthouse Financial Technolgies, found great initial success including large funding rounds and an all-star cofounder in Alan Chang , an early AirBnB exec and the first hire in Asia. Lighthouse’s revenue was growing hand over fist, it had a huge user base that was multiplying rapidly, and everything was very bright. Then came their first big down market in the tech ecosystem (these happen sometimes, if you know you know 🙂) during 2022/2023 (hey, sometimes man plans and God laughs :) ). Company faced some turbulence, money getting tighter, and the ease to execute their company vision and growth plan to do so much good and make such a positive impact in the world for their 100k+ and growing user base (while making plenty of money for their investors and other stakeholders) might just have to wait or even go quiet... Task: Help! :) Action: Reached out. Caught up. Consulted. Got the download, started with some ideas and getting to work immediately without taking a single dollar out of the company (as you may see later, I actually put money into the company :) ). Marketed the company, got money ready from myself as well as others to potentially invest into them if a good opportunity arose. Figured out where we can 1. Solve the issue internally between the two of us without needing to get outside help. 2. Make the best of the situation by improving operational efficiency, making an even better product, and enhancing user lives while competitors were slowing down. 3. Shifting to markets with easier, current opportunity sets and positive long-term outlooks - Texas was wide open so became main/sole focus. 4. Now that things were looking good, tried to do a “celebratory” funding round at a record valuation to provide additional capital to use to grow the business while preparing the company for a future as a publicly traded entity. Along the way, we even received a $200 million acquisition offer from a foreign strategic industry player, so that also required some work to analyze… Result: Quickly raised $100k and kept the company on its 100%+ projected revenue growth rates and towards an IPO or whatever else the company’s bright future may hold. We ended up declining that big strategic buyout offer of $200 million given how optimistic we are in the company’s vision and potential to be even bigger and better in the long-term. 💸😃

In 2012, I made the switch from Finance to Tech — and it’s been an energizing journey ever since! 🚀 Tech keeps you constantly aware, with so much focus on market trends, innovation, product development, growth, continuous learning, networking, and more. But along the way, I left the finance side on the back burner. This year, I’ve been working to combine the best of both worlds: staying sharp in tech while reconnecting with my finance roots. And it’s been a game-changer. If we zoom out, Tech is just one piece of the broader 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀, which also include private equity, asset managers, VC, real estate, HNWIs, and more. The private markets themselves are booming: 💡 𝗕𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟯𝟬, 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝘁 $𝟮𝟭𝗧, a 62% increase from 2024. 💡 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁-𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿, with 13% annual growth expected through 2029. 💡 The private capital market overall has grown nearly 𝟮𝟬% 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 since 2018, reaching $24T in 2023. The opportunities here are immense — and it’s exciting to navigate this dynamic intersection of tech and finance. What trends in private markets excite you the most? Let’s discuss! 👇 ----- I'm Yoann, founder of Upscalers, a private, vetted community of tech leaders from companies like Uber, Klarna, Wise, Microsoft, and more. Apply to join us to network, grow, and angel invest ! If you're in private capital markets—𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆—I’m also working on something new for B2B in this space. Let’s connect! 🚀

Everyone on the team needs motivation for the long haul. A misstep at any point could lead to misalignment that’s tough to fix down the road. What's the right founder equity split? Should it be 50/50? 60/40? 70/30? How much equity is enough for your investors? How much equity should be allocated to advisors? Allocating 10% to 20% of your equity to employees might seem like a lot, but with the right vesting schedule, it can become a key driver of retention and culture. Structuring all these means preparing for dilution, every founder’s dilemma. With each funding round, it chips away at ownership, you could lose control over key decisions and the future of your startup. So what funding instruments are you considering this year to remain afloat and keep everyone motivated? SAFEs are a great choice. Quick, simple, and efficient. But the choice between pre-money and post-money SAFEs can have a huge impact. Post-money SAFEs can offer clarity to investors. But what about you? You and your early employees take the biggest hit because post-money SAFEs don’t dilute each other, they dilute you. So if you’re raising at a high valuation with smaller checks, post-money SAFEs can work in your favor. But if you're raising at a lower cap with larger amounts, you could end up giving away more equity than you expected. Investors in the African ecosystem, in addition to revenue, want to see a clean cap table and a thoughtful equity plan. Too many fragmented shares can scare them away. Are you thinking through your SAFE strategy carefully? Are you confident that your equity split reflects the value everyone brings to the table? Get Signals straight to your inbox-📌 https://lnkd.in/g7zs5Ph8

For a while now, we’ve been quietly getting on with our mission - focusing on the development of our primary offering - Phoenix Fintech - so that we can deliver meaningful returns for clients and investors ahead and of course the all-important environmental regeneration projects that we're dedicating this work to. We’ve been so focused on getting the work done that we’ve had little time to post about it and social media has taken a backseat until now. However, as our start-up continues to evolve, we believe it’s the right time to start sharing some of our journey with you. So from now on, we’ll be providing updates on what’s happening behind the scenes and some of the milestones we’ve achieved so far. It’s been a hectic but productive time of growth and development for us - the road to building a new business is one of grit and perseverance no doubt - and we’d be delighted to bring you along for the ride. We’d love your support in spreading the word about our project. Please follow our page, share any posts that resonate with you, and connect us with potential investors, future clients and impactful projects who might be interested. Your help could make a big difference. Thank you! So here's what we’ve been busy with lately… Let’s catch up on some news! 👀 #HigherStatusGlobal #DigitalTransformation #CompanyUpdate #FutureOfFinance #FintechNextGen #InnovateInFinance #TechForTheFuture #FintechRevolution #RegenerativeFinance #Refi