Best of LinkedIn: Venture Capital CW 16/ 17

KPMG’s Q1 2025 Venture Pulse shows global VC deployment stabilising; US deal value rebounds to a projected $126 billion annualised, while Canada registers its weakest quarter since 2020

Germany raises €1.6 billion in Q1, up 14% year on year, yet investors caution that the funding gap with the US is widening despite a strong technical talent pool

Bain & Company’s VC Scanner flags Italy as Europe’s fastest‑growing AI destination; generative‑AI remains the largest category across North America and Europe

Tariff uncertainty sparks a defensive tilt: US funds double down on domestic bets, and EU founders sharpen capital‑efficiency playbooks to offset slower cross‑border rounds

Liquidity constraints push secondaries to the fore; rising interest in dedicated secondary funds offers earlier cash‑out options for LPs

VCs stress relationship depth over pitch volume; networking is framed as a year‑round strategic asset, not a transaction ahead of a round

Boards reward disciplined revenue recognition; growth targets alone no longer override path‑to‑profit scrutiny, especially for AI‑native startups

Best practice sequence: start with a narrow MVP that proves problem–solution fit, then layer incremental functionality only after user validation

UK investors outline SEIS, EIS and VCT as cost‑effective routes to unlock early capital and de‑risk first institutional cheques

Founders are advised to bootstrap initial quarters, preserving equity until clear traction justifies priced rounds

Generalist platforms carve out domain‑specific funds in climate resilience, digital health and industrial AI to differentiate sourcing and align LP mandates

US managers lobby for lighter tech‑sector regulation to maintain competitiveness, while European peers emphasise ethical‑AI frameworks as a value‑add

Y Combinator reiterates a “founder‑first” stance, prioritising talent quality over valuation multiples in its latest batch

Mapping of Ireland’s top 20 VCs highlights concentration in B2B SaaS and fintech, signalling a maturing local ecosystem

Operating partners report that growth stalls now trigger recapitalisation reviews before raise‑or‑sell decisions

Secondary transactions, including GP‑led continuation funds, gain traction as exit timelines extend beyond historic norms

Panels advise start‑ups to prioritise strategic spend tied to concrete acceleration targets when working with budgets under £100,000

Data on female fintech founders in the United States highlights a persistent funding gap despite comparable performance, prompting calls for bias‑aware deployment targets