S3 Ventures

🎉 We have big news to share today! 🎉 We are thrilled to announce that we have raised $10 million in our Series A! This funding round, led by Quadri Ventures and including M12, Microsoft's Venture Fund and First Rays Venture Partners, will enable us to expand our overall product capabilities, enhance AI innovations, and grow our international footprint. Since Allstacks was founded in 2017 it has been our mission to empower engineering and product teams with the data they need to demonstrate the strategic impact of software development with their organization. Learn more about what we are planning in our latest blog post announcing the news: https://lnkd.in/g664ns45

We had a great turnout at Software Day yesterday! An Intro to Central Texas Seed Stage VCs, hosted by Aziz Gilani with Mercury, featured a discussion between some of his most notable VCs, Eric Engineer, Rajiv Bala, Cat Dizon and Mike Marcantonio. If you missed the chat, here are some key takeaways: ✍️ When you approach VCs, make sure you can tell your story in a few sentences: What problem are you addressing? What's your solution? How is it unique? How big is the market? If you aren't able to talk about your story succinctly, you aren't ready to reach out to VCs. 💡 Find the right VCs by doing your homework in advance. Read their websites and do your research, both on the firm and the partner's backgrounds. Find out what sectors and stage the VC invests in. Don't send out a generic mass email to a bunch of investors. Personalize your email. 🚩 What are the red flags that deter VCs from an entrepreneur? Not being: coachable, willing to answer questions and accept feedback, and not being transparent about what you don't know and the risks. VCs know that all startups are imperfect, so be willing to say, "I don't know, but I'll find out the answer." 📈 Generate urgency to invest in your company by making legitimate progress with other VCs, creating a sense of competition to invest in your startup, making revenue progress and showing that you are bringing on customers. But remember: accepting venture capital is like a marriage — it can be a 10 year relationship with an investor. Going slow can help you make sure you are comfortable with that investor. 💻 If you don't get a response from a VC, you can follow-up, but the best way is to provide updates and show you are making progress with your company. 📣 You SHOULD send a pitch deck. Have a well-structured pitch deck of 10-12 slides. Your executive summary should be upfront and is the most important part. Don't make the VC try to figure out your business, and your email to them should be short and simple.

We are proud to share that ZSuite Technologies has secured the No. 456 spot on the 2024 Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies! 🏆 CEO Nathan Baumeister reflects on this achievement: "Reaching this milestone is a true testament to our team's hard work and innovative spirit. We are honored to be acknowledged alongside so many exceptional companies, and we’re eager to keep pushing the boundaries in the fintech industry." This prestigious recognition underscores our unwavering dedication to innovation and the collective efforts of our outstanding team. As the leading provider of digital escrow and subaccounting solutions, we empower financial institutions across the U.S. with an advanced platform that streamlines operations and fosters commercial deposit growth. Driven by customer-focused service and a performance-driven culture, we now support over 98 financial institutions in 28 states, serving more than 6,800 businesses nationwide. 🚀 Thank you to everyone who has been part of our journey. Here’s to continued innovation and success! 💪 #Inc5000 #Fintech #Growth #Innovation #ZSuiteTech

Five of the leading Texas software VCs will join a panel today at 4pm at the Ion Houston (Mercury Fund, S3 Ventures, Clutch Ventures, Active Capital, and LiveOak Ventures), followed by elevator pitches from 18 hand-picked, promising early-stage software startups. Join us as we bring the software ecosystem together. The pitches will be followed by networking at Second Draught at 5:20pm. Great opportunity to meet startups and investors and the software ecosystem! More info: https://lnkd.in/dQvyZrpu Thanks for Aziz Gilani and Mercury for co-hosting today's program! Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship Rice Innovation