Marketplaces, mobile are big VC themes in 2013
Rick Heitzmann leads VC panel and shares why he invested in Pinterest (before it was hot)
If you want to know what venture capitalists want to invest in this year, check out this panel moderated by Rick Heitzmann, founding Managing Partner of FirstMark Capital. The panel was held in NYC during Splash NY. If you missed it, here's the video.
On the panel at Vator Splash NY were Chris Fralic from First Round Capital, which has more than 150 companies in its portfolio (50 being in NY), angel investor Deborah Jackson, Micah Rosenbloom from Founder Collective, Ben Lin from Great Oaks Capital Management, which has about 115 companies in its portfolio, and Lewis Gersh from Metamorphic Ventures.
Heitzmann digs into the differences between investments, entrepreneurs and startups in NY and Silicon Valley. For more of our coverage on the different ecosystems, see our related stories below.
You'll have to watch the video for the panelists thoughts on Heitzmann's questions about NY and the Valley. But here are some quick highlights:
Heitzmann: What was the big tech story in 2012?
Jackson: The big jump in female-led startups.
Fralic: Pinterest and the rise of the visual Web.
Gersh: Rapid pace of going international with little marketing
Rosenbloom: The disruption of traditional industries (e.g. Uber disrupting the black car industry)
Heitzmann: Key themes for 2013?
Panelists: Mobile, marketplaces (P2P marketplcase like Airbnb, Uber, DogVacay)
Heitzmann: What are you looking to invest in?
Fralic: Interested in companies that can connect brands with audiences
Gersh: Interested in e-commerce, transactional media
Lin: Enterprise, Saas. EdTech or healthcare technology with SaaS model.
Finally, listen to Heitzmann explain why he invested in Pinterest and what he saw in the founders and the product. FirstMark Capital was one of the first investors in the social commerce company.
Bambi Francisco Roizen
Founder and CEO of Vator, a media and research firm for entrepreneurs and investors; Managing Director of Vator Health Fund; Co-Founder of Invent Health; Author and award-winning journalist.
All author postsRelated Companies, Investors, and Entrepreneurs
DogVacay.com
Startup/Business
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DogVacay.com is a community marketplace that addresses the $5B market for dog-boarding and pet-sitting. Instead of paying for a crowded and overpriced kennel, our users book with experienced hosts who watch dogs in their own homes. In two months since launch the we have gained national coverage with thousands of approved hosts.
We provide multiple layers of quality control, a comprehensive insurance policy, emergency support, photo updates, and other pet services like daycare and walking.
We were founded in 2011 by a husband and wife team who boarded over 100 dogs in their home to make extra money while saving for their weddin. We are now venture capital funded by First Round Capital, Science, and several angels.
Rick Heitzmann
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Chris Fralic
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Deborah Jackson
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Founder and CEO- PlumAlley.co, Founder- Women Innovate Mobile Accelerator (WIM), Angel Investor, Investor in Golden Seeds Fund 2, prior Investment Banker 20+ years including health care internetBen Lin
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Ben is Managing Partner of Great Oaks Venture Capital and has been investing in startups at Great Oaks since 2006.Micah Rosenbloom
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Micah is a serial entrepreneur, he is currently CEO of Novophage, and previously co-founded Brontes Technologies. and Handshake.com. Micah is also a Founder Partner to Founder Collective.Lewis Gersh
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Lewis Gersh is a Managing Partner at Metamorphic Ventures which invests in seed and early stage digital media and digital commerce technology companies.