October 2019 Edition
Hello Reader,
To me, September always feels like the start of a new year. It's been well over 20 years since I graduated from university, but that feeling of the start of a school year is still resonant.
This year, I attended summer school. In the last two weeks of August, I immersed myself in venture capital, in the venture capital heart of the world at Stanford University. I really enjoyed VC Unlocked, a professional development program for venture capital investors operated by 500 Startups. I loved hearing from Cheryl Cheng of Blue Run Ventures, Ann Miura-Ko of Floodgate, Christine Tsai, CEO of 500 Startups, Jeff Clavier of Uncork Capital, Stanford faculty and lecturers including Mike Lepech, Trevor Loy of Flywheel Ventures, and Pedram Mokrian. I not only brushed up on my technical expertise in investing, but I also had the chance to experiment with Pique's investment thesis and to reflect upon my journey building the firm and attempting to change the system of how entrepreneurs access capital.
This summer has been a period of intense reflection for me. I was drawn to stories by other people similarly experiencing change and challenges, about the self-care and work they had to do to beat the odds. Now it's the start of a new (school) year and a chance for a fresh start.
As I focus on new opportunities to make investment decisions, work on investment strategies, finance and invest in entrepreneurial businesses, and launch and lead innovative initiatives, I'm going to take a break from publishing this newsletter. Thank you for subscribing.
Thanks to Sarah Peck, I learned about Leanpub and set up a profile there. I'm working on a few books and hopefully I'll start publishing the works in progress there. You can also continue to read my news and occasional writing by following me on LinkedIn or Twitter.
All the best,
Bonnie Foley-Wong
CEO, Pique Ventures
Author, Integrated Investing
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PORTFOLIO COMPANY NEWS
ePACT Network Grows and Raises Series A Investment
Building a company is a marathon, not a sprint. Pique Fund portfolio company ePACT Network, led by Christine Sommers and Kirsten Koppang Telford, has raised a $4.5M Series A round of investment to fund its growth. Pique Fund, an early-stage fund managed by Vancouver-based firm Pique Ventures, invested in the Series A round after initially investing in ePACT in 2015.
Read more
Via Pique Ventures
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FROM THE PIQUE BLOG
Always Doing Due Diligence
"I have been doing due diligence all my career, but venture capital is another beast altogether. I am always doing due diligence, whether the other person knows it or not, and I assume people are doing due diligence on me." Bonnie Foley-Wong wrote about her experience and insights from the first week of VC Unlocked.
Read more
Via Pique Ventures
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FROM THE PIQUE BLOG
Leadership Lessons from VC Unlocked
"After hearing from guest speakers from successful VC firms that were founded by someone who worked for a unicorn or led and exited a unicorn or had invested in a unicorn early on, I started to question my strategy and my ability to succeed in VC. Many successful firms are multiples times larger than the second fund I was contemplating. Mind you, where I am now is comparable to where they were 12-15 years ago."
Read more
Via Pique Ventures
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WHAT WE ARE READING
Changing the World as Female Angel Investor
"I was exhausted. I resented every email and phone call and request for assistance and introduction. I avoided the phone and dreaded opening email. I realized that I needed to find a better way to operate as a female investor and find the joy in it once again. No matter what I did, it was never going to be enough to make a difference for underrepresented founders."
Read more
Via Medium
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WHAT WE ARE READING
State Street Global Advisors: More Than 300 Companies Have Added Female Directors
"Since the launch [of the Fearless Girl campaign in 2017], 215 US companies have added female directors to their boards, while an additional 14 have committed to making those additions in the near term; Canadian response to the campaign has also been strong, with 23% of identified companies adding a female director or committing to do so."
Read more
Via State Street
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Follow @PiqueVC on Twitter, Pique Ventures on Instagram, or Like the Pique Ventures Facebook page to get more information about investing in Pique Fund and to hear about the upcoming events where you can meet us.
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