I work with Startups, Venture Capital, M&A, Corporate Development, IP, Patents, Licensing, Commercialization, R&D, Design, Data Rights. Views/posts are my own.

Joined December 2008
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I couldn't agree more. The City of @Pittsburgh zoning code is long in need of a review/refresh. Projects that should get greenlit can't, and developers resort to trying to use the ZBA to get variances (which isn't appropriate).
"Although we understand proposed changes must go through proper vetting and a public approval process, there needs to be a more urgent call to action." bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/n…
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It’s great to see an increase in venture capital to cities outside of coastal hubs. Often, there are distinct problems that exist as a function of geography/population/industry that local entrepreneurs/technologists are best suited to solve. ⁦@axiosaxios.com/local/nw-arkansas/…
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Another early-stage biotech deal in Pittsburgh - Imagine Pharma raises over $32 million to further novel medical product development on the heals of rounds by @abridgehq & @LyGenesis_Inc bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/i… via @PittsburghInno
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I think this is a relatively accurate assessment of what’s currently happening in Pittsburgh #startups #tech How Pittsburgh Has Become a Hot Tech Center. Sort of. - via ⁦@WSJwsj.com/tech/pittsburgh-hot-…
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With a strong technological and entrepreneurial ecosystem here in Pittsburgh, along with reasonable valuations, it should be no surprise that there are many attractive opportunities to invest in startups in the Steel City. #startups #pittsburgh #tech oneamericaworks.org/mid-poin…
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VC investments in Pgh startup co's reached $716.8Mil last year, up 21% from $592.2Mil in 2021 and driving the total amount invested in the city’s new technology co's to over $1Bil according to new report from @EY & @IWPgh post-gazette.com/business/20…
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PitchBook has rolled out a AI tool to predict which startups will successfully exit. Tools like this may be interesting as a comparison against historical data, but anyone relying on such predictions heavily will likely find poor results. #startups #venturecapital #ai #vc (1/)
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Disruptive technologies, paradigm shifts, black swan events, and other events without historical precidence will all be discounted (if counted at all) in these models. Not to mention any systemic bias that is inherent in the limited training data set(s). (2/)
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Like any AI decision making tool - it's important to know what it's advantages and limitations are before relying on them. And even then, they shouldn't be dispositive and will only, at best, be another tool in a due diligence kit. (3/3)
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Just had a conversation with an investor about a company that did this, and essentially made the Series A not investable due to the low SAFE caps on early rounds not getting converted.
Many founders unfortunately don’t understand the downstream impact of SAFE or convertible note that’s doesn’t convert and therefore doesn’t dilute. Put it simply - it is going to cost you more equity down the line! Let’s unpack this to understand what’s going on 👇🧵
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Jason Somma retweeted
Many founders unfortunately don’t understand the downstream impact of SAFE or convertible note that’s doesn’t convert and therefore doesn’t dilute. Put it simply - it is going to cost you more equity down the line! Let’s unpack this to understand what’s going on 👇🧵
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Now that the acute issues with SVB are subsiding, more things like this are going to come out. Who emerges as buyers for these loans backed by patent assets will be fascinating, as well as how they will handle defaults.
SVB holds a security interest on tens of thousands of U.S. patents including those owned by Spine Wave, Inc.; Ubisense; Refine Intelligence; ThetaRay; Eight Sleep; AEGIS Hedging; Sprinklr; Guardhat Inc.; Molekule; AppsFlyer; Redis; Appspace; CoreTigo - In…lnkd.in/gHgPeVFt
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Jason Somma retweeted
SVB holds a security interest on tens of thousands of U.S. patents including those owned by Spine Wave, Inc.; Ubisense; Refine Intelligence; ThetaRay; Eight Sleep; AEGIS Hedging; Sprinklr; Guardhat Inc.; Molekule; AppsFlyer; Redis; Appspace; CoreTigo - In…lnkd.in/gHgPeVFt
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Jason Somma retweeted
10 Feb 2023
💡 US VC-backed startups with patents & patent applications raise bigger funding rounds at higher valuation than peers who lack patents/patent applications. Angel deals show the largest difference in pre-money valuations with late-stage deals following. pitchbook.com/news/reports/q…
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💯glad to help any of yinz too.
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Legal Tech venture investments seem to be tracking the the broader market. Total deals and money raised fell, but early stage deals are relatively strong. While not easy, seed deals can get done. via ⁦@Legaltech_news#startups #vc law.com/legaltechnews/2023/0…

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It's great to see @PNCBank and @founding partner up to support underrepresented entreprenuers. Founders Institute Pittsburgh is a fantastic program; the investment by PNC should pay off in spades. post-gazette.com/business/mo…
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Glad to see a robotics focused program like this in Pittsburgh, leveraging the technical community and the resources of @iwpgh and @RoboPGH
The @Robo_Factory led by @iwpgh, along with the @RoboPGH, the @AlleghenyConf, and other regional partners, will further develop a globally prominent robotics ecosystem in the Pittsburgh region. Visit our website: roboticsfactory.org
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