M13

Being a founder is an incredibly stressful role, and at M13 we recognize the need to focus on mental wellness for all of our founders. That’s why in May for #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth, we hosted a conversation about mental wellness featuring M13’s Matt Hoffman, Bonobos founder and venture investor Andy Dunn, The Bouqs Company co-founder and M13 Partner John Tabis, and executive coach Golbie Kamarei. A few key takeaways:  1. Remember: You are not your company 2. Find the right language  3. A culture of “high performance” can be a self-imposed trap 4. Build a portfolio of mental health support Read more mental wellness challenges and solutions for founders from M13’s W. Christine Choi: https://lnkd.in/e6XcfWAY #mentalwellness

At the end of last year, M13 Partner Win Chevapravatdumrong predicted that low M&A activity would pick up in 2024. "This feels like the end of the rate hiking cycle, leading to less uncertainty in the debt market. PE investors and larger companies have dry powder waiting to be deployed, and smaller startups that have struggled to fundraise the past few years may see M&A as their only alternative," he shared in our end-of-year blog (you can check it out here: https://lnkd.in/eeqgcv6c). Looks like he was right! 👏 Last month, EY published a story about the recovery of M&A, sharing that "Q1 2024 saw a 36% increase in global deal value. Our M&A outlook shows CEOs are looking to make acquisitions, and there is a rise in those looking to divest assets." You can read their full report here: https://lnkd.in/eu_htuqh #mergersandacquisitions

For the second year in a row, M13 portfolio company Ayble Health has been awarded Validation Institute's prestigious Health Value Award. Congrats to Sam Jactel and the whole team 👏 At M13, we're excited by the possibilities Ayble is creating for the #futureofhealth: personalized, evidence-based, multidisciplinary care for people with chronic GI conditions (a large but underserved patient group). Read more about the award: https://lnkd.in/ggbmQGBK  And learn more about how Ayble is improving people's gut health and their lives: https://lnkd.in/gtzm_cPY #digitalhealth #guthealth

People often say that large mergers block consumers’ access to innovative technologies. But M13 Partner Karl Alomar believes #acquisitions give consumers more access to innovation. His take: Large companies—especially public ones—are terrible at organic innovation. When they acquire more nimble companies, they get to bet on innovation (like Microsoft did with Oculus VR and Meta did with Instagram). In turn, acquisitions give these smaller companies the resources and reach to offer their innovative solutions to more consumers. Read more of his thoughts on why M&A is a vital part of the innovation ecosystem: https://lnkd.in/e6Y5xhhR #innovation #mergersandacquisitions

We love to see a full house! It’s Dock-In at M13, the twice-annual time when we get to bring our entire team together IRL to strategize for the next six months, present on our progress, and make team memories. This year, we’re gathering in our new NYC office for a couple days of our favorite thing: in-person time.

Below, M13's Mariah Lang shares opportunities to join three exciting M13 portfolio companies in New York: -Niural, the platform that lets companies hire, onboard, pay, and manage their teams from anywhere in the world with full compliance. (Co-founder and CEO Nami Baral recently shared her perspective on AI agents at Future Perfect here: https://lnkd.in/exD2Qb2V) -PINATA, the SaaS platform providing teams with easy, efficient, and data-driven workflow optimization. -Rho, the business banking platform freeing up finance leaders' time so they can be more strategic and focus on business growth. Explore openings at m13.co/careers! #hiring #nyctechjobs

More from CAT Labs’ Lilita (Lili) I. on protecting your organization from bad actors and the shift in strategy for her when transitioning from the public to the private sector. #WSJTechLive

One thing CAT Labs Founder and CEO Lilita (Lili) I. didn’t think she’d have to worry about when it came to hiring? North Korean spies. Yesterday at The Wall Street Journal Tech Live, Lili spoke with other leading cybersecurity experts about recruiting for her company and how she had to weed out bad actors attempting to infiltrate tech jobs. Listen in. #WSJTechLive #cybersecurity 

Identifying an investor who genuinely supports your vision and stands by you through tough challenges is a crucial aspect of a startup's journey. So what do founders need from that first investor? M13 Partner Karl Alomar knows a thing or two about that, as the co-founder of two technology companies and former COO of DigitalOcean, where he helped scale the business from its first product to preparing it for its eventual IPO. He'll be at Collision Conf in Toronto on June 18th, sharing his thoughts on the most important characteristics #founders should be searching for in investors, alongside Startup Studio - Accelerator & Venture Fund Partner Maninder Dhaliwal P.Eng. ICD.D, Moderne Ventures Partner Liza Benson, and Startup Coach Alisa Cohn. Join him to discuss the relationship between #investors and founders, and learn how to ensure you make the perfect start: https://lnkd.in/eq9VyG9H #CollisionConf