July 2019 Edition
Hello Reader,
In just under 4 weeks, I'm heading to Stanford University to attend VC Unlocked, a professional development program for venture capital investors operated by 500 Startups. I'm looking forward to meeting the 500 Startups partners, Stanford University faculty, and guest speakers such as Scott Kupor of Andreesen Horowitz, Ann Miura-Ko of Floodgate, Jeremy Liew of Lightspeed, Jeff Clavier of Uncork Capital, just to name a few. Equipped with insights on Pique's investment thesis, new skills for scaling up our VC operations, and new connections to grow our network for future partnerships and co-investment opportunities, I hope to help to improve access to capital for more entrepreneurs.
Contact me if you're interested in booking a workshop or talk to hear the highlights from VC Unlocked and how you can start or grow your VC investment strategy and support your venture ecosystem. Or learn more about Pique Ventures' services. I can work with you to deliver educational and insightful content to meet your company's needs.
I also help organizations analyze future scenarios, connect the dots, and spot patterns. Reach out if your organization could benefit from my skills and experience in strategic planning, initiating projects, catalyzing change, communicating information, and influencing decisions.
All the best,
Bonnie Foley-Wong
CEO, Pique Ventures
Author, Integrated Investing
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PORTFOLIO COMPANY NEWS
Careteam CEO's Highlights from the World Economic Forum’s Meeting in China
Dr. Alexandra Greenhill, CEO and co-founder of Pique portfolio company, Careteam, shares her highlights at the World Economic Forum, including the idea of Collective intelligence presented by a Carnegie Mellon professor, Anita Williams Woolley.
Read more
Via Careteam Technologies Inc. on LinkedIn
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PORTFOLIO COMPANY NEWS
Beanworks Featured in "The Periodic Table Of Tech In Canada"
The startups selected for inclusion in the table are all venture capital-backed technology companies with at least $1M in equity funding and have obtained equity funding since 2015. The companies were highlighted for analysis using CB Insights data on funding and company health, including momentum. Pique portfolio company, Beanworks, was featured.
Read more
Via CB Insights
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PORTFOLIO COMPANY NEWS
Token Hires Don’t Help Diversity, Making Core Changes Does
Beanworks CEO Catherine Dahl writes, "Simply hiring more women or filling minority quotas isn’t going to cut it. Diversity policies can be short-sighted... To achieve true diversity, it has to be ingrained in company culture and built into the blueprint. Strategies for fueling D&I belong at the heart of a company, deep inside its values and vision. It’s time gender diversity and inclusion was taken out of HR and planted deep into company DNA."
Read more
Via The Next Web
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FROM THE PIQUE BLOG
Making Room For Ideas
After reading Let My People Go Surfing, written by Patagonia CEO and founder, Yvon Chouinard, "It got us thinking - what are the equivalent of trade shows for service-based and knowledge-based businesses like a venture capital firm? When do we examine the fabric of venture capital? What are the ways we could or should innovate in the investment industry? Let's make room for some new ideas in venture capital."
Read more
Via Pique Ventures
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FROM THE PIQUE BLOG
Seeking Validation
"For some people, getting out of the building is easy and comes naturally to them. For others, getting out of the building requires coming to terms with vulnerability... If you’re starting a venture, you’ll need to get out of the building. Growing your venture and faced with a pivot? Get out of the building!"
Read more
Via Pique Ventures
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WHAT WE ARE READING
Is This the End of Corporate Social Responsibility?
"This reveals a trend in companies developing and integrating a social purpose into their business models. For several companies, the term CSR is no longer relevant. A significant minority commented that they don’t use the term and think it is an outmoded approach... Notably, almost half the companies indicated they have, or were planning to, adopt a social purpose as the reason they exist and to build their social purpose into everything the company does."
Read more
Via GreenBiz
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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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WHAT WE ARE READING
Female-Inclusive Investment Committees Are Outperforming Their Peers
"A new study carried out by HEC Paris Business School and MVision Private Equity Advisers found that gender-diverse investment committees of private equity fund managers have experienced comparatively higher returns against their male-only peers... gender-diverse investment committees outperformed all-male committees in alpha, TVPI, and IRR by 7%, 0.52%, and 12%, respectively. This is in part due to a broader base of perspectives and the subsequent avoidance of more blind spots."
Read more
Via Chief Investment Officer
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- Women & Money: Making Money Moves that Matter - September 16-17, 2019, Austin, TX
- North America n Family Investment & Impact Conference - October 15-17, 2019, Denver, CO
- CIX - October 16-17, 2019, Toronto, ON
- SOCAP - October 22-25, 2019, San Francisco, CA
- Social Finance Forum - November 6-9, 2019, Toronto, ON
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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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