betaworks

"I knew about the funding and the network when we joined. What I didn't realize was how much the physical space matters." We love having the Superposition team working here at Betaworks, helping other founders hire AND print physical products 🤗

Waitlist is full but this this is going to be a fun one!

Last year, John Borthwick, jon chin and I set out to do something borderline silly — raise a bigger fund in 2024. We upsized from ~45m to north of 65m in an historically difficult year for venture fundraising. We did it because after nearly two decades investing, and with two early stage funds deployed and performing, we proved that the model works. It might seem complicated but it’s actually simple: - 25ish core deals: get into the best on-thesis companies at the earliest stage in a collaborative way (usually the second or third position on the cap table) - 50ish camp deals: go ultra high-touch with early stage founders and give as much as we get Maximize ownership and portfolio effect at the same time. Fund 3 closed quite a while ago and we were so busy building we forgot to announce it. But announcements from companies in the portfolio have been pouring out already, and there are so many more that are just on the horizon. Onward!

We love our camp founders 🫶 and hearing how the program helped take their vision to the next level It's not too late for YOU to apply - we've extended the deadline until Friday 7/11 https://lnkd.in/eByURC_y

Accelerators that demand a deck or a financial model don't get it Spending time tinkering in a spreadsheet on a bunch of SWAGs (sophisticated wild ass guesses) when you're that early is waste of time All you should be thinking about is building and testing your ideas with customers Which means an accelerator that asks for a financial plan is expecting you to create one from scratch for them. They don't understand where your time is best spent And if they treat your application like a bank giving a mom n pop shop a loan, how helpful will they be helping you create a massive generational company? The most positive signal I got from my betaworks application form was No mandatory deck Wants to see a demo Showing what you've built and that people are using it is the only signal that matters this early I spent less than 15 minutes on my Betaworks application Because I'd already spent 100s of hours building and talking to customers If 15 minutes for $500k seems like a good ROI, applications are still open (link below) #startups #accelerator #build

Can you say the following thing about your startup? "Our interface would be impossible without AI" If yes, I strongly suggest you apply to betaworks. Trampoline AI was there this winter and we had a blast. If you consider applying, drop me a note ;) We're building the interface of the future for RFP response and proposal management and I love getting inspiration from people thinking deep about interface unlocks at the dawn of this new AI-driven computing paradigm shift. Betaworks is probably one of the best place to think it through as their work environment and team invites creativity. https://lnkd.in/e8JbtU4u

We’ve always aimed to surround ourselves with nonconformist, original thinkers. When I met John, jon, and Jordan at the end of 2023, I knew instantly I wanted them onboard. Betaworks just opened applications for the next Camp program (starting this August) — they’re backing early teams rethinking how humans and machines interact. If you’re a creative founder building something truly different, I can’t recommend it enough: https://lnkd.in/edE6d4TJ Feel free to DM me with any questions!

The theme for the latest Betaworks camp is close to my heart – Interfaces. Computers don't have to be so frustratingly computer-y anymore. They can be more natural, they can understand, meet us half-way. But we need the imagination to dream up brand new interfaces to fully realize that. It's a big part of what Unternet is working towards. This will be one to watch, I encourage any builders excited by these ideas to consider applying. https://lnkd.in/gxRxkqdF

Some people tried to convince us not to do betaworks program when we were accepted, and I'm really glad we didn't listen to them. Easily one of the most valuable things we've done for Dessn at the pre-seed stage. $500k, NYC, small cohort (~12 companies), visionaries pushing the boundaries of what's possible. Application deadline for the new cohort is in 5 days: https://lnkd.in/eRRUYpxP