Headline

Brandon Werber, Founder & CEO of Airvet, grew up in what he sweetly called the “Dr. Dolittle House.” 🐕 🐈 🐀 With a dad as a veterinarian, Brandon was usually followed around by a gaggle of dogs, cats (and even rats) each day. “I loved it,” he previously told Headline Partner Mathias Schilling, so much so he considered following in his dad’s footsteps as a vet. It took until adulthood for Brandon to realize that he’d grown up with a luxury — a father who could assess a pet’s health at a moment’s notice, not having to worry about whether an issue was treatable at home, life-threatening, or might possibly rack up an unexpected $5,000 bill. The digital health revolution brought with it a unique opportunity: Finally allow pet parents an accessible telehealth platform to assess and treat some of the most common ailments. “I thought, ‘Why help 50 pets a day if I could help 50,000?’” Brandon said. On Airvet, anyone can take a call with a vet to get a professional’s opinion at a moment’s notice — bringing peace of mind to pet parents everywhere. Today, Airvet is booming with a Series B fundraise last year and a slate of new enterprise clients now offering employer-sponsored pet care to their workers. Read the full story of Airvet and Brandon’s founder journey here: https://lnkd.in/gQ63tsnu

In the ever-evolving landscape of 2024, mediocrity is not an option. The rapid advancements in AI and other technologies have transformed the business arena, creating a fiercely competitive environment for all. With world-class engineers and state-of-the-art tech at everyone's fingertips, the stakes have never been higher. So, how can your startup not only survive, but thrive, in this high-stakes game? Join Headline VP Nicolas von Blottnitz as he unveils seven crucial insights from startups that are currently making waves and achieving remarkable success. Discover the secrets behind their triumphs and learn how to integrate these winning strategies into your own startup to stay ahead of the curve. Ready to elevate your venture to new heights? Let’s dive in!

The Toronto #fintech scene is electric like no other!⚡ We had a blast hosting an intimate fintech fizz & biz happy hour last week to bring together fintech aficionados in a hi-fi listening cocktail bar. We were stoked to be able to spend more time in Toronto and get to know more of the many great #founders emerging from the Canadian tech landscape. Special thank you to our co-host Tal Schwartz from Canadian Fintech and to everyone who joined us that evening! This is the first of many events in #Toronto, and we hope to see you at a future Headline community event in a city near you. Ketul Patel Sophia Samutin King Goh, CFA

Everyone wants to understand Gen Z, from their spending habits to their work culture needs. Headline investor Zehra Naqvi, creator of The Z List, sat down with Allie Garfinkle at Fortune Brainstorm Tech to discuss what Gen Z wants at work — and in life. Here's why this generation hits different. Read more. ➡️➡️➡️

Building a company has as much to do with thinking on your feet as planning your steps. Shane Hegde, co-founder & CEO of Air, a digital workspace for creative assets, likens the process to his ideology around cooking. “Whether you’re cooking or starting a company, you have to wing it,” he explains. “I’m not following a recipe. You’re going to make a million mistakes, and they don’t matter.” What other lessons has Shane learned as a founder? 🌟 Bring people on your cap table who you can ultimately learn from. 🌟 Acknowledge your founder skill gaps and find creative ways to bring those skills into your business. 🌟 Don’t simply force others to mold to your working style; learn from theirs. 🌟 Every modern company is a media company. It’s important to tell the story of your business. Check out the rest of Shane’s interview with Headline Partner Jett Fein in our Air Founder Spotlight. ➡️➡️➡️

Great news for startups! Helcim is launching integrated payments, which is "the easiest way for developers and software platforms to offer credit card and ACH payment acceptance" for their clients. This offering comes complete with world-class customer service and a built-in revenue-share. Check out more about integrated payments below! https://lnkd.in/gTMdhKp3

Startup funding shows signs of recovery, with valuations rising and $55.6 billion in deal value in Q2 2024 — the highest in eight quarters. But VC headcounts are shrinking, with many leaving the industry. Is it because of AI? Our Christian Leybold doesn't think so, and spoke about it with PitchBook: “Ultimately, our business is about relationships. The best people in VC are the ones who can build trust very fast with entrepreneurs,” he said. “You will get a deal by building trust with an entrepreneur faster than other people do. And for that, you’ll always need people—that is where the value is.” Full article: https://lnkd.in/eJw4ZAn5 (Side note: With this mindset, Headline has never hired as much as in the past months!)

For Daniel Nathan, France-based CEO and co-founder of Homa, his itch to build came from reading inspiring stories of entrepreneurs, like in the early days of TechCrunch when Michael Harrington the publication's sole contributor. For our Founder Spotlight series, Daniel chatted with Jonathan Userovici, Partner at Headline in Paris, about what it's really like being an entrepreneur — and what he'd write a book about one day if he could. (Spoiler alert: Daniel wants to elevate the way people think about life and the impact of peer pressure.) Check out the full interview. ➡️➡️➡️ https://lnkd.in/es_vbqzJ

"Berlin was once the center of Germany's tech scene. But over the years, startup growth has happened around the country. A third wave is now here." Our General Partner Christian Miele (investor in Mistral AI, Numa, Robco, Planradar, Sparetech, and many others) sat down with CNBC for the latest episode of the podcast "Beyond the Valley," whose name closely matches our view that great companies can be built anywhere 🌎 Link to the episode in the comments! #venturecapital #startups

Headline Partner King Goh, CFA is hunting for some ideas in AI. He recently told Fortune Term Sheet writer Allie Garfinkle how he's hoping founders will leverage AI tech to support B2B businesses (especially small businesses) in closing the payment loop with check digitization, invoicing, and CRM software that automatically requests payment, follows up, and reconciles errors. King is also looking for AI-centered businesses that can help small shops truly unlock new vehicles for growth. “Imagine a world where a mom-and-pop manufacturing company uses AI software that knows all the safe but relevant information about their customers—payment reliability, growth potential, industry performance," King said. "Then, this information actions these insights in an automated fashion, so the mom-and-pop business can finally grow?” Read more about what King is looking for where fintech meets AI. ➡️➡️➡️