VNTR Newsletter Feb 9, 2025 - Bahrain Roadshow
Venture Capital, Web3, and Private Equity – News, Events, and VC Reads
Hello friends,
Happy Sunday!
VNTR Newsletter is delivered to 100k+ investors and subscribers weekly to share the latest news, events, and articles from the global VC and startup ecosystem.
Scroll down to discover VNTR Community News, Upcoming Events, and the latest VC News and Reads.
VNTR Community News
VNTR Roadshow Bahrain: Join us for a 4-day VNTR Roadshow to Bahrain and the VNTR Investor Conference Bahrain on February 18, supported by In2 Bahrain and ATME. Apply to join the Bahrain Roadshow or Investor Conference Bahrain. We invite companies interested in the Bahrain market to join as partners (sponsorship packages).
We are hosting 3 events this week in Riyadh during LEAP:
Feb 10 VNTR Roundtable in Riyadh (active investment decision makers) or Luma
Feb 11 VNTR LP Roundtable Riyadh (capital allocators, family offices, active limited partners in VC funds)
Feb 13 VNTR Club Retreat Riyadh (discover Riyadh, relax, and build deeper relationships with fellow investors)
VNTR Regatta Sardinia: Join us from May 26 to 30 for an exclusive sailing experience with VNTR Club members. Don’t miss this chance to sail through Sardinia’s picturesque coastline, build deep relationships with fellow investors, and gain fresh perspectives on the latest trends in venture investing. Secure your spot now, and prepare to set sail with VNTR!
New Partner: Soonami is the fastest-growing ecosystem for innovators, empowering startups to create, build, and scale using the best of Web3 and AI solutions.
We believe in a remote-first world, fostering inclusivity for founders across the globe. The vision is to build a software-driven platform that connects co-founders with groundbreaking ideas and funds the most promising ventures. Today, more than 8,000 founders and 900+ projects trust our pltform to fuel their success. Learn about Venture Staking online on Feb 12.
VNTR Club Lifetime Membership: Only seven individual lifetime memberships are available to join the VNTR Club. The VNTR Club is an exclusive, global community of seasoned venture capital investors. Our Lifetime Membership requires a one-time fee to join a rapidly expanding platform and network, offering privileged access to professional VC investors, curated investment opportunities, and impactful events—ideal for those aiming to stay at the forefront of innovation. Contact Elise to book your onboarding call.
VNTR March 2025 Fellowship Program: VNTR is expanding its global chapter network to over 50 cities in 2025, focusing on key tech hubs throughout EMEA and Southeast Asia. March 2025 Fellowship Cohort is a 5-week program designed to help entrepreneurs transition into Venture Capital, become active investors, and serve as super connectors in their local VNTR chapters. Fellows will develop the knowledge, tools, and strategies to successfully establish and scale VNTR chapters in their regions. Apply for the March 2025 cohort and take a leadership role at VNTR.
VNTR Events
Join us at our upcoming events to connect with key investment decision-makers:
10 Feb 2025
Investor Roundtable Riyadh
during LEAP (complimentary investor passes)
11 Feb 2025
LP Roundtable Riyadh
during LEAP
13 Feb 2025
VNTR Club Retreat Riyadh
during LEAP
16-20 Feb 2025
VC Roadshow Bahrain
17 Feb 2025
Expert Session Online
with Alessandro Pace
18 Feb 2025
Investor Conference Bahrain
19 Feb 2025
VNTR Club Retreat Bahrain
20 Feb 2025
Investor Roundtable Hong Kong
during Consensus (15% discount using VNTRDESK15 code)
24 Feb 2025
Investor Roundtable Doha
during Web Summit Qatar
25 Feb 2025
LP Roundtable Doha
during Web Summit Qatar
26 Feb 2025
Investor Afterwork Paris
27 Feb 2025
Investor Breakfast Toronto
27 Feb 2025
Investor Roundtable Denver
during ETHDenver
27 Feb 2025
Investor Roundtable Kuala Lumpur
5 Mar 2025
Investor Roundtable Barcelona
during Mobile World Congress
6 Mar 2025
Speed Networking Online
11 Mar 2025
Investor Roundtable London
during Super Return
19 Mar 2025
Investor Roundtable San Francisco
during GDC
Thank you to our Partners
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Companies who would like to sponsor VNTR events can apply as a sponsor. View the top events sponsorship packages.
Or be a core supporter of the VNTR community year-round, engaging with our global investor network. Check Details & Packages.
Upcoming VC Events and Conferences
Feb 9-12 LEAP, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (complimentary investor passes)
Feb 18-20 Consensus, Hong Kong (15% discount using VNTRDESK15)
Feb 23-26 Web Summit Qatar, Doha, Qatar
Feb 25 FO Summit Dubai, UAE
March 3-6 4YFN, Barcelona, Spain
March 3-6 Mobile World Congress
March 25-26 CEE VC Summit, Warsaw, Poland
April 9-11 South Summit Brazil, Porto Alegre, Brazil
April 14-16 GITEX Africa, Marrakech, Morocco
April 23-25 GITEX Asia, Singapore
April 27-30 Web Summit Rio, Brazil
April 30 - May 1 Token2049, Dubai, UAE
May 12-13 Dubai FinTech Summit, Dubai, UAE
May 14-16 Consensus, Toronto, Canada
May 21-23 GITEX Europe, Berlin, Germany
May 27-30 Web Summit Vancouver, Canada
June 11-14 Viva Technology, Paris, France
June 26-27 LegalTech Talk, London, UK (complimentary investor passes)
If you would like to submit VC-related events, please get in touch with Yuri or Telegram @byuric
VC Reads and News
View curated VC news and articles on the VNTR Platform
The Week’s Biggest Funding Rounds: BlinkRx, Tidal Vision Lead Another Slow week
For the past couple of weeks large rounds have barely trickled in, and this week continues that trend. Just three deals hit $100 million or more as investors seem to have pulled back on big rounds early in the year.
Fed’s Waller backs regulated stablecoins to boost US dollar’s global dominance
Federal Reserve Bank Governor Christopher Waller says he supports the adoption of stablecoins with clear rules and regulations because it will likely cement the US dollar’s status as a reserve currency. Waller, chair of the Fed Board’s payments subcommittee, said in a Feb. 6 interview with think tank the Atlantic Council that stablecoins “will broaden the reach of the dollar across the globe and make it even more of a reserve currency than it is now.
Dental and vet deals drive healthcare services M&A
Healthcare services investors showed a preference for deals in the dental, veterinary and dermatology subsectors in 2024. While overall deal flow in PE-backed healthcare services finished out the year flat, PE players in the space closed the highest number of deals involving private companies in the dental, veterinary, dermatology and home-based care categories, according to PitchBook’s Q4 2024 Healthcare Services PE update.
Megarounds back with a bang in January with highest monthly deal count since 2022
January saw Europe’s highest number of megarounds since July 2022, as VC investment returned to bubbly ways after a tepid six months. Sifted counted 15 $100m+ equity megarounds last month — 14 of these raises were in healthtech, climate and deeptech; January also saw management software company TravelPerk raise $200m.
Carried interest repeal could stifle investments in startups
On Thursday, President Trump asked Republican lawmakers to end tax breaks on carried interest. The tax break allows private equity and venture fund managers to treat their earnings from investments at a lower capital gains rate, rather than as ordinary income. The removal of the tax break would be a big hit to the VC industry.
US AI import ban would reach farther than DeepSeek, but it’s a longshot
On Jan. 29, US Republican Senator and noted China hawk Josh Hawley introduced the Decoupling America’s Artificial Intelligence Capabilities from China Act, which, while not mentioning it by name, would effectively ban AI software firm DeepSeek if put into practice.
Donald Trump Jr Says Crypto Is the 'Future of American Hegemony'
Donald Trump Jr. believes crypto to be the future of American dominance, he said in a conversation at the Ondo Summit in New York City on Thursday. "I think it's perhaps the future of American hegemony, in terms of our economic status, our economic might," Trump Jr. said.
Trump’s tariff play may derail PE exit recovery
President Trump’s tariff play poses a risk to private equity’s long-awaited recovery. If it veers off course, PE funds may remain trapped in a backlog of maturing assets longer, particularly those backing companies in the impacted industries. Electronics, apparel and many other consumer goods, as well as manufacturing, agriculture and energy, are caught in the crosshairs of the president’s first round of tariffs.
Eye On AI: After DeepSeek Hysteria, The AI World Is The Same As It Ever Was
It’s been nearly two weeks since Chinese AI app DeepSeek rocked the artificial intelligence world, shaking up not just the public market but also the confidence of a lot of VCs who’ve built up massive AI portfolios. But despite the panic last week, it‘s now starting to seem like nothing materially changed in the industry as money continues to pour in for AI — with the promise of even more.
Share Of Startup Funding For Black Founders Hits Multiyear Low
The share of U.S. startup funding going to companies with Black founders hit a multiyear low in 2024, even as overall funding ticked slightly higher. Only around $730 million — or 0.4% of all funding — went to startups with a Black founder or co-founder last year, per Crunchbase data. That’s the lowest share in years, and down more than two-thirds from just three years ago. For a sense of how the numbers have fluctuated, below we chart annual funding to Black-founded startups since 2020, along with total reported rounds.
Venture Capital Investment in Global Ed Tech Sinks to Decade Low
Global venture capital investment in ed tech fell by 20 percent last year, continuing its decline from the record highs set during the pandemic era. Venture capital investors injected $2.4 billion into ed-tech companies in 2024, according to a report from market intelligence firm HolonIQ, marking the lowest level of investment in the sector in roughly a decade.
Nvidia’s 11 European investments since the AI gold rush began
Nvidia has been one of the major beneficiaries of the AI boom in recent years. Its share price has skyrocketed as demand’s swelled for its AI chips, and its revenue in Q3 2024 topped $35bn. Some of that fortune has trickled down to startups — as Nvidia has looked to turn customers into portfolio companies.
US corporates continue their preference for larger VC deals
The median US venture deal with CVC participation was $13 million in 2024, more than three times that of the rest of the market, according to new PitchBook data. It’s also up from $9.5 million in 2023. While corporate venture capital’s increasing preference for backing later-stage companies is driving this trend, they’re also continuing to shy away from acquisitions. Last year, less than 4% of CVC-backed companies were acquired by an existing corporate backer, according to the report. That amount has largely stayed the same since 2000.
Funding Is Flush For Startups Focused On Treating Pain
Big pharma and startups alike have put huge efforts over the years into finding effective and nonaddictive treatments for pain. For the most part, it’s been a slow-going slog. Last week, however, the space got a long-awaited dose of positive news with Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ announcement that it received FDA approval for a non-opioid pill, Journavx, to treat acute pain. Vertex called it the first new class of pain medicine approved in more than 20 years.
Remote Work Faces Challenges In 2025. Here’s How Leaders Can Respond
The workplace evolution in 2024 made one thing clear: there’s no universal blueprint for the ideal office setup. While some companies went all-in on returning to the office, others embraced hybrid work models. Fully remote opportunities, however, have become increasingly rare. The Wall Street Journal reported that only 8% of jobs were listed as remote in December 2024, a stark drop from 18% in early 2022.
Why Tax Compliance Is Vital For A Successful Exit
With the outlook for IPOs remaining slim, startups are increasingly turning to the M&A market to cash in on recent success, with M&A deal volume for venture-backed startups rising 7% in 2024. For startup founders planning a lucrative exit, the priority is on growing their business, refining the product and reaching profitability to make themselves more attractive to acquirers. Yet this focus on growth can cause them to neglect another issue that is critical for a successful exit.
Risk-on assets? Trump tariffs lead to mass Bitcoin, crypto liquidations
US President Donald Trump has introduced tariffs on major trading partners Canada, Mexico and China, sending markets crashing and painting a doubtful picture for crypto markets.
PitchBook’s unicorn tracker contains all new unicorn companies formed since the beginning of 2016. Explore trends in unicorn formation by filtering the chart below by time period or geography. Click on any bar to see the list of unicorns that were created in that period.
There May Be No Better Time To Sell Your Business, So Get Your IP House In Order
President Donald Trump’s policies will create a wave of business acquisitions. I predict mergers and acquisitions will skyrocket over the next few years. This prediction is based on several factors. The first is pent-up demand. Under President Joe Biden, M&A slowed considerably, partly due to his executive order calling for greater enforcement of antitrust laws, with the FTC and DOJ following through. There were policy changes and lawsuits, which increased the risk for even normal M&A deals. High interest rates were an added factor, along with the economy in general.
The State Of Startups In 12 Charts: AI Soars, Asia Tanks, Seed Stalls And More
Global startup funding in 2024 was dominated by investment in artificial intelligence companies, with $100 billion of venture capital going to AI-related startups alone — an 80% increase from 2023 — Crunchbase data shows. The AI boom was particularly concentrated in North America, which saw a 21% jump in startup funding last year, while venture investment in Asia dropped to a 10-year low.