David Clark
@daveclark85
CIO at VenCap International plc
Is this just sheer luck or do a firm’s advantages compound with every successful deal they are involved in? We believe it’s the latter, although there are still ways great firms can falter (usually by growing too big or screwing up succession).
Index Ventures doesn’t get enough credit. Largest shareholder in Wiz, second largest in Scale AI, largest in Figma, all are generational >$15b exits within 4 months. Top 3 VC firm globally, and arguably #1 IMO due to the consistency in fund size and returns they put out
No surprise to see some of the usual suspects heading up the Figma cap table. @IndexVentures @GreylockVC @kleinerperkins and @sequoia
Am I the only one who thinks there is no shortage of scale up capital in the UK for world-class founders building global businesses with large TAMs. Revolut, Wise, Synthesia, ElevenLabs…. Raising capital is the easy part.
How can the UK turn more innovative startups into global tech giants? New report by @InstituteGC 🧵 bit.ly/3FHUMa4 The UK’s scaleup ladder is broken – fixing it will help boost growth and security #LondonTechWeek Scaleups make up just 0.5% of UK SMEs, yet generate…
Optimise for quality, not fund size. linkedin.com/posts/0100-con…
More evidence that the VC market is rationalising. If you’ve backed great companies then you’ll do well. If you haven’t then you don’t deserve to survive. LPs need to look past the narrative as every VC has a compelling story.
Early takes from Upfront: - Mass extinction of emerging managers is coming (LPs underwriting survivability) - Many perceived to be great firms are not so quietly being recognized as on the decline - Folks are tired of being “soft” and want to focus on performance>politeness
I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed this conversation with @Beezer232 and @nchirls.
Where do VC returns come from? And how to navigate the power law? One of my fav Origins episodes to date we decided to bring it back. @daveclark85 is a VC data guru & brings healthy debate to the show around investing in emerging vs established managers. Don't miss this one.👇
Really enjoyed this conversation with @DWeisburd getting into the weeds of investing in VC funds.
In this episode of the How I Invest Podcast, I interview @daveclark85 , CIO of @Vencap, to discuss the venture capital landscape. We discuss assumptions about small vs. large venture funds, unpack survivorship bias in performance data, and explore the power law dynamics in…
The three rules for LPs investing in VC funds: 1. Invest with firms with a history of backing the best founders 2. Maintain a consistent investment pace 3. Don’t let your ego screw up 1 and 2. #3 is harder than it sounds.
New article from @eringriffith on scaling VC. From an LP perspective this is not an either/or. Also, not all platform firms are created equal. Ultimately it’s about who can back the top 1% founders. nytimes.com/2024/12/13/tec…
