The key to venture business is betting on the one-off deal that will generate returns in leaps and bounds. However, innovation comes in waves, and somehow every few years, certain sectors gain momentum. Then herd mentality kicks in, often clouding judgment, raising valuations, and leading to other managerial issues. Currently, the majority of the investments are in the AI sector, which requires larger check sizes, which is concentrating the venture business. According to Pitc

Venture capitalists seek out businesses with the most innovative ideas and the highest growth potential. For much of the 20th century, however, this area of investment was offered exclusively to ultra high-net-worth individuals and their families. Fortunately, with recent policy movements in the venture capital space, such as the JOBS Act, some funds now offer this area of investment to individuals for a relatively low buy-in. With Crowdfunding turning every one into VCs, wha

Founders (or Entrepreneurs) are the pillars of a company and the venture business. However, their habits are the foundation that supports growth, innovation, and resilience over time. Understanding and adopting these habits can help aspiring entrepreneurs build businesses that stand the test of time and also make a meaningful impact. Clear Vision and Mission As rightly said, if you don’t know what you want, you will never achieve it. Thus, in order to succeed, entrepreneurs m

Founders (or Entrepreneurs) are a brave and courageous bunch that have a bold industry defining vision. On that journey, they require lot more than just financing. E.g., Domain Expertise, help with PR & Marketing, Recruiting, Viable Exit Strategy, Follow Up financing, etc. Often, these things are overlooked, and fundraising becomes a numbers game. Quantity vs. Quality takes over. How many VCs can I pitch in six months? How many investor meetings in a week or month to achieve

Venture Capitalists are known to invest in unicorns that prove to be home run for their LPs, but that depends on many factors like valuation, deal terms, market timing, etc. In any case here are a few basic things VCs look for while investing:      1. Technology An innovation changes the way an existing industry functions, also helps establish a new market and value network, displacing an earlier technology or a way of doing business. Is there a problem within the industry? W

Ms. Desai at various Startup Competitions, Panels, Universities, etc. The success of any venture fund depends on its ability to bet on winners in the market. As of 2025, there are more than 70,000 startups in the United States. So how do we (or VCs) pick whom to back? While there is no secret formula for success, a lot depends on the fund strategy, market timing, network, etc. At NIN Ventures, we start with a Founder (or Entrepreneur). Winners are backed by a clear vision and

It’s beginning of the New Year 2026 and many people are in the process of reevaluating their portfolios. A typical investment portfolio includes – stocks, bonds, mutual funds, money market, etc., which is a short sighted approach of looking at the world of investments. E.g. University Endowment Funds (Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, etc.), which take a long term approach and invest in alternatives like: venture capital.     Currently, Harvard is the largest endowment fund in th

Venture capital provides financing to early-stage emerging companies with high growth potential in exchange for equity / an ownership stake. The risks VCs take investing in these innovative technologies with business models yield higher returns their limited partners (or investors) require. As these companies grow, they create employment / jobs and the economy prospers. A typical LP base in a venture fund would be institutions, pension funds, endowments, family offices, etc. 

According to PitchBook, “US VC fundraising remained subdued as the liquidity drought continued to weigh on LP sentiment.” Only $45.7 billion was raised by 376 funds in Q1-Q3 2025. This has been the trend since the pandemic boom, where $224.6 billion was raised by 1,776 funds in 2022. Venture is a cyclical business, although every business cycle is different, historical analysis suggests that the rhythm of cyclical fluctuations in the economy tends to follow similar pattern. L

Venture Capital (VC) provides financing to early stage emerging companies with high growth potential in exchange for equity / an ownership stake. The market is flooded with various funding options, so how should an Entrepreneur approach fund raising? According to Pitchbook in 2024, 30 firms raised 75% of all capital raised by VC funds in the US. If you look at the Forbes Next Billion-Dollar Startups 2024 , almost all the startups listed in there are being funded by Branded V

As rightly said, launching a venture is about having a vision, turning that idea into reality, and then pursuing that dream. While the...

We have all heard of the magic mantra, “Failure is the stepping stone to success”. Such is the story of the Crowdfunding industry and NIN...