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Note to reader: some browsers will clip part of the grIP Brief. We recommend you click "View this email in a browser" above to view entire grIP Brief |
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grIP Venture Studio Partners with Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs (HAE) to Commence Joint Programming for HAE Members |
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grIP Venture Studio and Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs (HAE) have started a partnership for grIP to provide training programs and office hours on topics relevant for entrepreneurs and venture capital as well as pitch nights for HAE members. HAE is an international non-profit organization and official Harvard University affiliate with 20 chapters around the world, connecting over 18,500 members. grIP’s first series of HAE courses (available here) include: Business Modeling for Starts, Data-Driven Decision Making, Digital Marketing Mastery, Government Contracts: Strategies for Startups, Seed Funding Simplified, Supply Chain Essentials, and IP Essentials for Entrepreneurs
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Communicating Data Effectively: 7 Hacks to Enhance Your Skills
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Read about the importance of strong communication skills for data professionals to ensure their insights effectively reach their audience. These seven strategies help improve communication, including establishing a regular dashboard schedule, using straightforward data language, and leveraging storytelling to present findings.
Ryan Janssen
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A 2030 Vision of AI In Financial Services |
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As artificial intelligence continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, its impact on the financial sector grows exponentially. While we can observe and analyze current trends, the true transformative potential of AI in finance lies ahead—a future that is both exhilarating and challenging to grasp.This article offers a deep-dive exploration into the impacts of AI on the industry.
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Reaching New Heights: grIP Advisor’s Inspiring Kilimanjaro Hike for Cancer Research |
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Stephanie Oestreich
grIP Senior Advisor for Life Science and Biotech Stephanie Oestreich's journey to climb Mount Kilimanjaro was inspired by her dedication to cancer research, particularly through the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. Her intensive training and preparation reflected her commitment to making this mission a success, both physically and mentally. Memorable moments during the climb, including playing violin at sunrise on the summit, highlighted her deep connection to the cause. Alongside her team, she raised $250,000 for cancer research, using creative outreach and personal stories to engage donors. Her accomplishment serves as a testament to resilience, teamwork, and the impact of purposeful action.
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Integrated Strategies for Sales and Marketing
Bill Hortz |
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Sales and marketing in financial services often operate in silos, focusing on separate tactics rather than an integrated strategy that aligns with customer needs. A unified approach can boost ROI, streamline resources, and enhance customer experience through consistent messaging and data sharing. Digital engagement data helps sales teams prioritize leads and tailor approaches, while sales insights allow marketing to refine campaigns and create relevant materials. Together, this synergy not only increases sales but also strengthens brand presence and credibility in the market.
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grIP Founder Represents Three Clients in Connection with Priced Rounds
In the fall, grIP Founder and corporate attorney Jed Weiner represented Method Materials, a construction equipment business, in its priced seed round to Whirly Bird Dreamer, LLC. Jed is currently representing two other grIP clients in connection with Series A rounds.
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Jed Weiner is Head of Corporate Practice at Mei & Mark LLP. He advises emerging and seasoned companies and investors in corporate finance transactions, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, board matters, corporate governance, executive compensation, management equity, restructuring, corporate compliance, and commercial transactions.
Click here for Jed's profile >>
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grIP Senior Advisor’s LLM-Powered Business Intelligence Platform Zenlytic Raised $9M Series A Round Reaching $15m Raised
In October, grIP Senior Advisor and CEO of Zenlytic Ryan Janssen raised $9M for Zenlytics Bi platform. In the current funding environment, only 12% of seed companies have raised Series A funding in the last two years, indicating a shift toward proven business results. Zenlytic has distinguished itself by creating an advanced business intelligence platform that leverages cutting-edge AI technology, gaining significant market traction. The company's success is attributed to a loyal customer base and strong user support.
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Ryan Janssen is an entrepreneur, data scientist, and technology investor. He’s the co-founder and CEO of Zenlytic, a root-cause discovery tool for ecommerce and DTC operators. With the help of Zenlytic, in just three clicks DTC merchants can understand what drives their business’ growth in a data-driven way without using code.Previously, Ryan worked as a VC and growth-stage technology investor with London’s AGC Equity Partners. At AGC, he made up to $50 million investments in technology businesses. During his tenure there, Ryan served on half a dozen boards across three continents.
Click here for Ryan’s profile >>
Click here for Ryan's profile >>
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grIP Senior Advisor Secures 6th Place in North America at 2024 Financial Modeling World Cup
grIP Senior Advisor for Business Strategy Sameer Jagetia was ranked 6th in North America and 18th world in the Financial Modeling World Cup.
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Sameer Jagetia co-founded Robuzz, a machine learning/natural language processing (ML/NLP) application that pushes real-time news alerts to people and companies. Prior to Robuzz, Sameer acquired Redbooks in 2010 and then successfully managed the sale of Redbooks in a private equity backed transaction.Prior to Robuzz and Redbooks, Sameer was a hedge fund investor at TCS Capital Management and investment banker at Salomon Smith Barney (now Citigroup).Sameer is ranked top 10 globally in financial modeling (Modeloff 2019, Financial Modeling World Cup 2020, 2021).
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American Bar Association's Fintech Subcommittee Hosted Crypto and A&I Panel in Fall (grIP Founder serves as Vice-Chair)
In the fall, the Subcommittee hosted a panel titled Legal Considerations at the Intersection of Crypto and AI. The panel discussed ways blockchain and AI intersect, the use case of smart contracts, the role of AI in decentralized decision-making, crypto legal disputes, regulations, and impact on data privacy and cybersecurity. Speakers included Preston Byrne, Managing Partner of Byrne & Storm, Sunjay Dave, Principal at The Brattle Group, Carla Reyes, Associate Professor of Law at SMU Deman, David Adlerstein, Counsel at Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz, and Jonathan Cardenas, Corporate Attorney.
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grIP Venture Founder Hosted an Oxford Entrepreneurs Network Event on Entrepreneurship and Fundraising in Boston
In December, grIP Founder Jed Weiner hosted an OxEN event in Boston with Oxford alumnus Asheesh Advani, CEO of JA Worldwide on Building an Entrepreneurial Mindset and Lessons for Raising Capital. Asheesh also discussed his new book Modern Achievement: A New Approach to Timeless Lessons for Aspiring Leaders. JA provides 17 million student experiences each year in over 100 countries, and was nominated for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize. For more information click on the link below.
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Jed Weiner is Head of Corporate Practice at Mei & Mark LLP. He advises emerging and seasoned companies and investors in corporate finance transactions, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, board matters, corporate governance, executive compensation, management equity, restructuring, corporate compliance, and commercial transactions.
Click here for Jed's profile >>
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American Craft Spirits Association Enlists grIP Senior Advisor to Author Chapter in Distillery Guide
The American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) has announced the appointment of grIP senior Advisor for Spirits Susan Mooney to author a new chapter titled Sales, Marketing & Social Media in the upcoming Distillery Guide. This pivotal addition aims to provide distillers and craft spirit producers with valuable insights and strategies to enhance their marketing efforts in an increasingly competitive landscape. With over 15 years of experience in marketing and brand development, Mooney has worked with numerous craft distilleries, helping them navigate the complexities of modern marketing while establishing strong connections with their target audiences |
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Susan is the founder and CEO of Spirits Consulting Group, a leading consulting group in the wine and spirits industry. Spirits Consulting Group specializes in product innovation and new to market brands for domestic and international companies.
Susan has thirty years of experience with start-up businesses, innovation and product development across a variety of industries. She has played a vital role in the strategy, launch and success of new brands, including several start-ups that went on to lucrative exits. In addition to her time spent in global executive positions in Brazil, Europe and China, Ms. Mooney has proven herself by successfully growing outstanding teams, profitable companies and launching distinctive products. As a recognized leader in the spirits industry, Susan regularly publishes industry related articles and has been a featured speaker at numerous wine & spirits events and conferences. Click here for Susan's profile >>
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LIFE SCIENCES AND BIOTECH |
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grIP Senior Advisor for Life Sciences and Biotech Participated in a Panel on AI's Future in Life Sciences
In November, grIP Senior Advisor Stephanie Oestreich moderated a panel on The Blue Sky Future of AI in Life Sciences for Women in Bio. She discuss how Harvard Business School authored a case study, Biocentury wrote an article about her fund and together with the CEO of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, she co-authored an op-ed about the importance of philanthropic venture capital. |
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Stephanie Oestreich is Managing Director of the Investment Fund of the MMRF (Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation) and serves on the boards of the German American Business Council in Boston and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Women’s Network and is the chair of the McCloy Alumni Association. She is also on the faculty of MIT, a member of the Launchpad Venture Group, an advisor at grIP Venture Studio, to Biognosys (a Bruker company), Invitris, CART company CelineTx and to the drug development and investment company OrangeGrove Bio and a member of the W20 Entrepreneurship task force, the official engagement group of the G20.
Click here for Stephanie's profile >>
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grIP Hosts SEO Workshop for Startups with City of Bogotá
Last December, grIP Venture Studio held a workshop on Search Engine Optimization with Senior grIP Advisor Michael Lewittes for Invest In Bogotá (IIB). IIB is the investment promotion agency for Bogotá, Colombia tasked with advancing entrepreneurship.
Michael Lewittes is a media industry expert, entrepreneur, and investor, with a track record for scaling businesses.
His latest venture is Ranktify, a software company that improves the quality and helpfulness of content on the web. The easy-to-use tool puts the power of SEO directly into the hands of content creators. Though still in stealth, Ranktify is already being used by top publishers.
During Michael’s 25-plus year career, he has held leadership positions at Hearst, News Corp., and NBC. He was also largely responsible for turning the relatively unknown magazine Us Weekly into the entertainment bible it has become by reorienting its readership, resulting in a 200 percent increase in newsstand circulation.
In 2009, Michael created Gossip Cop, the first and only website to fact-check entertainment news. The company would go on to gain a reputation for its accuracy, in-depth reporting, and commitment to transparency. After 10 successful years as its founder and CEO, Gossip Cop was acquired by a private equity-backed digital publisher.
Click here for Michael's profile >>
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grIP Venture Founder Hosted Oxford Entrepreneurs Network (OxEN) Event on Startup Strategy in NYC
In November, grIP Founder Jed Weiner hosted an OxEN event in New York City together with Nataliya Langburd Wright, Assistant Professor at Columbia Business School specializing in global tech startup strategy, titled Scaling Strategically. Nataliya’swork focuses on the strategic and technological drivers of global entrepreneurial growth. It draws inspiration from her prior policy work as a senior consultant and staff economist at the World Bank and White House and startup work as a co-founder, adviser, and board member. She earned her PhD from Harvard Business School, MPhil from the University of Cambridge, and BA from Yale University. She also participated in the Oxford summer certificate program.
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grIP Senior Advisor Host Monthly Webinars on Non-Dilutive Funding for Life Sciences: G2G’s Monthly GBG Reporting Service Webinar
Every third Thursday of the month, grIP senior advisor for government Liz Powell's consulting firm G2G hosts this online event to give bioscience companies (e.g. therapeutics, diagnostics, medical device, digital health, etc.) the chance to learn about non-dilutive funding opportunities, such as grants and BAAs that could accelerate company growth. We will share insights from our research and provide some Q&A during the first half hour. We then take a deeper dive on non-dilutive federal government funding sources and related priorities with consultation during the second half hour for G2G clients and GBG customers.
January 16, 2025 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET Register Here
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G2G’s MHSRS Webinar: Hear from Experts on DoD Funding for Life Science & Biotech Companies
MHSRS is the Department of Defense’s (DoD) premier annual military medical research meeting, drawing ~4,000 attendees. It provides an environment for military leaders and providers with deployment experience, DoD program managers, scientists, academia, and industry to meet and collaborate on the unique medical needs of the Warfighter. The DoD wants to hear from companies with research, innovations and technologies that address critical gaps in military medical care in the areas of Combat Casualty Care, Military Operational Medicine, Clinical and Rehabilitative Medicine, Information Sciences, Military Infectious Diseases, and the Radiation Health Effects and uses the abstract submission process to learn about private sector innovations in these areas.
January 22, 2025 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET Register Here
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grIP Venture Studio supports clients by providing sector and technology knowledge and expertise across a broad spectrum of industries and technologies. We also leverage a vast network of investors and leading professionals in support of our clients’ goals.
In addition to advising companies, grIP serves as a critical resource for venture investors. We assist investors in making better informed decisions and in managing, growing and raising money for portfolio companies.
With a multidisciplinary approach, grIP advises on a wide range of subject matters critical to venture capital and emerging companies including:
Legal & Intellectual Property, Fundraising, Marketing, Business Strategy & Modeling, Data Analytics, Pricing, Software Development, Media, SEO, Political Risk, and Patent & Trademark Strategy
We offer top-level industry specific advisory work in:
Fintech, CPG & Retail, Food & Beverage, Supply Chain, Media, FDA, Sustainability, Fashion, ESG, Manufacturing, Cannabis, Non-Dilutive Government Funding & Contracts, and Biotech, Life Sciences & Medical Devices
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Copyright © 2024, All rights reserved.
For more information about grIP, contact Laura Gutierrez at |
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grIP articles and presentations in the grIP Brief are for informational purposes and do not constitute legal advice. You may not rely on any information above as legal advice or for any other purpose. grIP team members are fully independent from grIP Legal Services PLLC, are not partners, employees, or agents of grIP Legal Services PLLC and participate in grIP Venture Studio in their individual capacities. Attorney-client privilege may be limited to grIP attorneys and may not extend to other grIP team members. |
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