VC Theses #81 | Electrifying Everything, Characteristics defining Gen Z & more

June 19–25th | Insights from Energize, A16Z, Bain Capital, Index, and more

Ali Afridi

Jun 26, 2022

Welcome to our new subscribers! SandHill.io aggregates and shares the latest investment themes, market insights, and best practices for operating and investing from 650+ VCs, analysts, and operators.

This newsletter curates a selection of posts featured on the website each week.

Investment Themes, Theses, & Outlooks

Electrifying Everything (Energize Ventures Team)
Unlocking the Metaverse: New Opportunities in Games Infrastructure (James Gwertzman, GP @ A16Z)
The Future of Sleep (Part 1) (Annabel Acton & Adam Smith, AfterWork Ventures)
Beyond Verticalization of NFT Marketplaces (Kyle Samani, GP @ Multicoin)
Decentralized Finance: Driving Towards Mass Adoption (Lauren Weston & Roshan Mohammad, Thomvest)

Industry Developments & Analyses

10 Characteristics That Define Gen Z (Part I) (Rex Woodbury, Partner @ Index)
The evolution of machine learning infrastructure (Bhavik Nagda & Sakib Dadi, Bessemer)
The middle class of open source software (Rak Garg, VC @ Bain Capital)
The emergence of B2B SaaS super apps (Manan Modi, PM @ Lendflow)
NFTs in a Recession (Meagan Loyst, VC @ Lerer Hippeau)
Web3 Use Cases: Today (Packy McCormick, GP @ Not Boring)

Guides, Case Studies, and Best Practices for Operating

Product Strategy is Really About Offense vs. Defense (Ely Lerner, EIR @ Reforge)
Defending a Startups Greatest Asset through Recession & Recovery (Tomasz Tunguz, MD @ Redpoint)
Wait, are our customers actually solvent? (David Frankel, MP @ Founder Collective)
Where Product Launches Are Missing the Mark – 6 Ways to Amplify Customer Impact (Insight Partners Team)

Additional Reads

How VCs Value Rainbow Foals in 2022 (Tomasz Tunguz, MD @ Redpoint)
The End of The Era of Indifferent Capital (Eric Paley, MP @ Founder Collective)
Concentrated Or Bust? The Case for Late-Stage Diversification in VC (Part I) (Luke Skertich, VC @ FJ Labs)
How to Start a Career in VC (Earlybird Ventures’ Team)
The Natural Selection of Time (Kyle Harrison, GP @ Contrary)

Did we miss something?

We’re now pulling posts from over 650 Medium writers, Substack newsletters, and blogs (full list here). Let us know if you notice someone we’re missing and we'll include their content starting with our next digest! Just respond to this email with their URL if that’s the case.

Enjoying SandHill?

We’d really appreciate it if you shared it with a friend who would find it valuable.

Did someone send you this email? Subscribe below.