Shimité

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” George Bernard Shaw #innovation

Was at @khoslaventures reception last night in SF. It’s clear why this is a tier 1 VC fund. So many brilliant founders innovating in health. Building the future. Can’t wait to cover these stories in @forbes #JPM26 #JPM2026 #VentureCapital #HealthcareInnovation

@HarryStebbings Interesting but why wouldn’t company valuations / market adjust to these expectations in valuation if investors feel this way ? Aren’t you dictating the terms and also driving the increased valuation expectations?

Series A is the worst place to be investing today. Company progression from seed is minimal. Pricing is 4-5x the seed round. So the price to progress ratio is f******. Paying 150x ARR for little sign of PMF, at best. Plus, the competition is mega both domestic and US. Go early or go late. The reality of venture in 2026.

@endowment_eddie @mobibany Yep…

@drewfallon12 Comps

🚨M&A COMPS DATA GIVEAWAY🚨 I compiled a database of 200 M&A transaction in consumer goods from 2025 and created a comprehensive category-by-category PowerPoint breaking it down, along with expert perspectives on the M&A environment from leading investment banks and operators like: - Centerview Partners (leading consumer investment bank by total deal value) - Raymond James (leading consumer investment bank) - Amy Hass (Fmr. CFO Simple Mills, acq. for $795m) - Hudson Leogrande (Founder Comfrt, fastest growing apparel brand ever) - Darren Litt (Founder, Hiya, acq. for $260m) The ultimate guide to understanding the M&A landscape & valuing your business in today's consumer industry. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET IT is like and comment "COMPS" on this post, and I'll dm you the link to the presentation AND the underlying data sheet for the next 4 hours. Plus, If you want the comps data going all the way back to 2023 along with each brands investors, a valuation calculator for YOUR brand, and more - I'm sending out a way more comprehensive database in my newsletter this Friday. Sign up at the link pinned to my profile 😊

@Brian__Gong Wow! Fascinating and very insightful outlook.

I moved back to Boston 3 months ago because I saw what every good VC sees in a startup: untapped potential. Since I've moved back, I've spent every day talking to local VCs, founders, and other stakeholders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem here. My takeaways so far: Boston shows up for Boston, but not yet for the world. Startup Boston Week, Boston Fintech Week and AI events pull thousands of New England operators and investors, but very little gravity from NYC, SF, or international hubs. By contrast, NY Tech Week and SF founder weeks attract a significant portion of investors flying in from across the country, especially the West Coast. Boston needs that same inbound circulation of founders and capital, not just a tighter New England loop. Our best alumni are literally getting on planes. Operators from @klaviyo, @HubSpot, @toastpos, @Wayfair and others know how to build durable software and consumer companies, but when they spin out, their default is to raise in NYC/SF because the map of early stage capital here is fragmented and opaque. We should have visible Klaviyo, HubSpot, and Toast mafias. Instead, we have dozens of unconnected alumni quietly building or leaving, plus lore from @jrkelly about the early days of Ginkgo Bioworks grinding through early fundraising and founders like @nikitabier getting screwed over from predatory VCs in the city. Local pattern recognition is stuck in the last cycle. Too many investors are still hunting for 2013 style SaaS profiles in a 2026 world: slow, linear growth, tidy funnels. The next billion dollar companies look like messy, AI native, consumer driven products that break those patterns. Founders either contort their story to fit legacy SaaS templates or fly to markets where volatility, fast iteration, and community driven distribution are recognized as features, not bugs. The lifestyle equation quietly pushes young builders out. Boston trains elite engineers, PMs, and designers at @MIT , @Harvard, @Northeastern, @BostonCollege and others, and then watches a huge percentage head to SF/NYC, where they earn similar comp but get a denser 20 something social and tech scene. Cost of living is high, nightlife is thin, and most of what we market as fun is family centric. For many young builders it feels like the peak Friday night options are work, gym, and (maybe) pickleball. Here is what I think policymakers and investors could do to unlock the upside: Targeted tax credits for small, high growth teams. Create meaningful state and city tax credits for startups below a certain headcount or revenue threshold, tied to job creation and local hiring, so early teams feel the benefit of planting their HQ in Boston. Modern, founder friendly capital programs. Launch a Massachusetts or Boston version of the NJ Innovation Evergreen Fund. Pool taxpayer capital via tax credit auctions, become an LP in venture funds, and co invest directly into Boston based startups with clear guardrails. Mandate that participating funds deploy a fixed percentage of capital into Boston HQ businesses, so public dollars translate directly into local cap tables and local jobs. Fix the fun and the friction. Do transportation reform that makes it easier and safer to live car light, go out late, and commute between innovation hubs (Kendall, Seaport, Allston, Fenway, Downtown) without wasting hours. Bring back happy hour via a modern, safety conscious update to the 1984 ban and let cities run controlled pilots that tie nightlife to downtown recovery and young professional retention. Boston does not have a talent problem or a company quality problem. It has a routing and ambition problem. For policymakers, local VCs, and national investors who move early, the next decade here is massively underpriced upside. Boston is the most undervalued tech asset in America.

OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health, partners with b.well mobihealthnews.com/news/openai-la…

@SebJohnsonUK @vriparbelli @synthesiaIO 💡💡💡

"It is now less impressive to close a deal than it is to retain that deal 12 months later" - @vriparbelli, Cofounder and CEO of @synthesiaIO It's never been easier to sell new software to enterprises as everyone is desperate to implement AI. Everyone is quick to buy and everyone is quick to sell. The real challenge is getting your customers to stick around. Retention > ARR growth

@ValaAfshar Very good advice. Surround yourself with people who believe in you more than you believe in yourself.

Airbnb CEO: the best people in your life can see potential in you, that you cannot see in yourself

@perchdotapp This is so real. I will devour so much content while I’m cooking, cleaning, eating…not driving tho I need music for that. :)

Marc Andreessen: "I'm reading every spare minute that I have" Expanding on his information diet, the a16z cofounder says AirPods have been the single biggest technological leap: "They're the unlock for me for audiobooks, podcasts, and interviews. I'm doing audio content probably 2-3 hours per day -- getting up in the morning, going to bed at night, all the drive time . . . If nothing else is going on, I'm always listening to something." Text-to-speech has also been an unlock with apps like Substack, NaturalReader, and Apple's audiobooks -- "It sounds spectacular," Marc says, "[AI voice technology] is really starting to work." Marc uses podcasts and YouTube interviews to go down rabbit holes on topics, but otherwise he's trying to get back to audiobooks: "I try to get back to audiobooks as much as possible, and the reason is audiobooks are my opportunity to really learn a new area that I probably don't know anything about. And so if I can scrape aside 10-20 hours of audio time for a period of history or something like that, I can really go deep on it." Marc generally tries to barbell his information intake: "It's either stuff that's super current or it's stuff that's timeless. I'm basically trying to not read anything that's from yesterday through like 10 years ago. I'm trying to be super current, and the form of being super current is talking to people who are currently experts or it's Twitter. Then for timeless, that's almost all books, but I kind of go back and forth between these modes." He continues: "I'm either listening to a book that's usually on history or a biography or something like that or some new domain that I'm trying to learn. Or I'm up to the minute on what's happening in AI today." source: @david_perell (2023)

@cngarabedian @BioVentureVoiCe @PolarisVC Very insightful !

Listen to Episode 31 of @BioVentureVoiCe video podcast w/ Amy Schulman of @PolarisVC and hear about her early career as a lawyer led to her General Counsel and Business Unit Executive at Pfizer before becoming a VC at Polaris, where she has led life science investments for over a decade as Managing Partner. The full video is here on @BiotechTV (and also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts): biotechtv.com/post/bioventur…

I’m starting to set up meetings for #JPM2026. My goals are to meet with investors, capital providers, innovative companies and other players in the health ecosystem (law firms, advisors, consultants) Going? Hosting a reception? Message me #HealthcareInvesting #jpmorganhealthcare

Keen observation. And a cautionary tale for companies raising too much capital. It really diminishes exit options.

@ankurnagpal Would like to see it!

I wrote a Notion guide on what I would do differently as a founder if I were to start from scratch: I talk about equity, fundraising, raising money, taxes, hiring & paying my team, running finance, selling secondaries & exiting Leave a comment & I'll DM you a copy

Some people don’t know how to receive new ideas. They are closed. And it’s okay. Just don’t waste your time talking to them…or trying to convince them..or complaining about them. Go where people can see your vision and receive the ideas you have to offer. #ThoughtForTheDay

My Latest for Forbes: Solidcore Founder @AnneMahlum Shares Formula for How She Built & Sold Company for $100M: forbes.com/sites/shimiteo… #mergersandacquisitions #privateequity #venturecapital #femalefounders #exitstrategy #annemahlum #solidcore #women40plus #WomensHistoryMonth

First time attending M&A South hosted by @acgatlanta. Wow! Over 40 connections w/ high-level executives, PE, lenders, etc. Genuinely enjoyed the interactions and looking forward to doing business together! #PrivateEquity #dealmaker #mergersandacquisitions #ceosuccess

Très intense but I like it. Will try some of these productivity and career growth tips..

@dijadontneedya @SpelmanCollege @Morehouse Congrats !

Yesterday, I started a new role in supporting #Blackowned. I returned to my 💙 @SpelmanCollege to lead the LIFT Incubator for Black-led Atlanta startups launched this year by the Center for Black Entrepreneurship (built in conjunction with @Morehouse). 🙌🏽

Again? DJT needs to look inward and realize, You reap what you sow. The chickens have come home to roost. Karma is a bitch. If you lay with dogs you’ll rise with fleas….Yall get the point.

I am honored to have been able to meet and interview this exemplary CEO, Dr. Ted Love for @Forbes The fact that it's #BlackHistoryMonth is just icing in the cake! forbes.com/sites/shimiteo… #sicklecelldisease #mergersandacquisitions #pfizer #unicorn #billiondollarclub