The Bulletin #7: Exploring the creator economy & what it means to level the playing field
Welcome back to the Bulletin, featuring everything Van Wickle Ventures is reading, listening to, thinking about, and more in the world of VC.
What We're Consuming in Venture:
Articles we've enjoyed
Cover, a modular home builder that’s modeled in ways after Tesla, has raised a $60 million Series B
It is interesting to read about how startups are modeling themselves off of Tesla. While Tesla has a huge market cap, its fundamentals aren't great. For example, Tesla's stock rose a lot because it announced that it sold 1,000 cars to Hertz, but 1,000 cars is not a huge number. Cover is attracting Tesla and SpaceX engineers as well as the VCs that backed both startups. Is the Tesla model actually working or is there a lot of hype?
SignalFire’s Creator Economy Market Map
A comprehensive resource for fundamentally understanding what the creator economy is, including data about the size of the market and discussions about the emergence of related sectors
Podcasts
Learn more about how businesses can work to level the playing field, especially in VC.
People to Follow
Smart people whose Twitter feeds we like to stalk
Elad Gil: A tech entrepreneur investing/advising companies like Airbnb, Coinbase, Instacart, Square, and Stripe. Follow him for insightful threads, retweeted articles, and more news/updates from other VC firms.
Josh Constine: Principal investor & head of content at SignalFire, Josh is an excellent person to follow on Twitter to learn more about the creator economy
Memes
Because venture capital memes are a very real thing
Recognize anyone??
For our shark tank fans out there.
Van Wickle Ventures Updates
A Spotlight on some of the Companies We've Been Talking to
Canned fish in the US is low quality, so Fishwife is making “ethically-sourced", premium, and delicious tinned seafood”
Adhesive bras are unhygienic, unsustainable, and costly so perkies is offering a product with changeable adhesives rather than disposable
Beam Impact offers a free way to donate to nonprofits and increase brand reputation for companies
Recruiting Spotlight, pt.2
Are you a Brown or RISD undergrad/grad student interested in learning more about venture capital? We are hiring new associates!
As an associate, you will have the opportunity to meet founders, evaluate startups, and make real investments with real money.
In your first semester with the fund, you will learn what it means to be a venture capitalist by engaging in a curriculum we developed, which includes workshops, case studies, and guest speakers. In subsequent semesters, you will then source opportunities, perform due diligence, and recommend investment decisions to our Investment Committee of industry experts. Through developing an academic foundation and gaining hands-on experience, you will be well-prepared for a life of innovation and impact.
Applications are due Nov 8 at 11:59, please reach out with any questions. We are looking forward to reviewing your application!
We welcome undergrads (first-years through juniors), as well as graduate students who aren't in their last year. No prior experience required! There’s truly no archetype of what we’re looking for, other than someone hungry to learn and embrace all things entrepreneurial.
VWV Wishlist
If you are a Brown/RISD alum with a startup we should hear about, reach out vwv@brown.edu!
For more subscribers to our Newsletter! Let your friends + family know!