In partnership with
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here
The concentration is real. Moonshot swings only.
In venture capital, many startups are gearing up for the Fall raise. Decks and data rooms are ready, VC’s are back from Summer vacation, conferences are kicking off, and endless companies are going out for a raise.
5x is the new 3x growth. 3x is great, but not for the best of the best. $5m is the new minimum for Series A when it was previously $1m. If you haven’t figured out how to grow at speed and, in many cases, have a clear line of sight to $100m in revenue, then lots of VC investors should come off your list. Crazy? Sad? Honestly its’s just the truth about the world we are living in. You can hear the mindset of a Sequoia partner here:
Doug Leone has three questions he asks himself before investing in any company:
— David Senra (@davidsenra) August 30, 2026
1. Would I put my kids' money into this?
2. If I only make 20 investments in my life, is this one of the 20?
3. Can I return the whole fund with this investment?
“If I don't pass those three, I'm… https://t.co/EIfio8morK pic.twitter.com/rSjNj1XPRG
There is a real gap of finding investors that are backing companies that aren’t moonshots. Companies that likely won’t go public, but could be acquired. Founders need to be scrappy and scrappier than ever before. Also, everyone needs to be in fundraising and selling mode nonstop. Always fundraising, always building the fundraising network, and always remembering that sales solves everything.
Best of luck to everyone gearing up for fundraises. At Social Leverage, we have close to a dozen companies raising everything from Seed to Series D, with all of them expected at our Annual General Meeting, The Social Leverage Palooza in NYC in October. See you there!
Elon's Building Something in Tesla's Secret Labs.
Something is being built inside Tesla's facilities that almost no one is talking about — yet.
According to insider sources, Elon Musk has quietly developed a breakthrough product he claims will be "10x bigger than the largest product in history." The target launch date is July 22. And when it drops, the window to position quietly will already be closing.
Most investors will hear about this after the stock has moved. You don't have to be one of them. Our analyst named 3 stocks positioned to ride the launch — with entry guidance, price targets, a bonus 4th supply-chain pick, and a 3-phase playbook for when to buy, add, and take profits.