Drew Sharma

The insurance industry touches every aspect of our economy, but it’s long overdue for an update. As an AI-native brokerage, Harper (YC W25) is bringing insurance into the future. Quick coverage guarantees allow underwriters to refocus energy on bringing necessary coverage to our everyday businesses, not manually coordinating between the 400,000+ American insurance brokerages.  Insurance quietly secures the world around us. Harper’s end-to-end platform makes sure that same security is ready for the AI era. Read more on why Emergence Capital and Carlotta "Lotti" Siniscalco are backing Harper’s $47 million raise: https://lnkd.in/gphhP4PA

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In this episode of Higher Exchanges, Ron Gershoni shares how Jetty became one of California’s most enduring cannabis brands and what it takes to expand nationally. We cover: • 🚀 Jetty’s founding story and lessons from brand building • 💨 Product evolution: from vapes to solventless and pre-rolls • 🛡 Navigating “Vape Gate” and setting clean product standards • 📊 California market challenges and Jetty’s growth strategy • 🌎 Lessons from expansion into NJ, NY, and NV Thanks for tuning in!

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How has private equity capital entering the RIA space changed the wealth management industry? Hear wealth management industry pioneer and Envestnet Co-Founder and former CEO and Founding Partner of iAltA Bill Crager share perspectives on how capital has created scale and changed the wealth management industry. Watch the entire conversation on Alt Goes Mainstream here: https://lnkd.in/ehgC6XbN

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Imagine telling a founder "No," only to see them raise $1M the next week. That’s exactly what happened to my latest guest on Demo Day, Paul Orlando. If you don’t know Paul, he’s the guy leading the incubator at University of Southern California, teaching the next generation of world-class founders. He told me about a time he had to choose between two health-tech startups. Both looked strong. Both had great teams. Paul did the work. He looked at their "specific knowledge" and decided to go with the team he thought had more progress. One week later? The founder he rejected hit his inbox: "Just wanted to let you know we just raised $1M." Keep in mind - this was 10 years ago. $1M back then actually meant something. Paul’s first thought: "Did I just make a massive mistake?" I love this story because it’s the reality of the startup world. Whether you’re an investor or founder… you can’t always control the outcome. You can’t control the timing. You can’t control the "luck" factor. But you can control your process. In this episode, Paul Orlando and I dive into: - Why "specific knowledge" is the only moat that matters. - How USC is building the future of incubators. - The psychological shift of being proven wrong by a "No." If you’ve ever had a "one that got away" moment in business, you need to hear this. Follow us so that you don’t miss the episode releasing on Monday: Youtube: https://lnkd.in/gYZcEGnh Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gMmh-yHJ Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gJbcpt3S Huge thanks to Paul Orlando for being so open about the wins and the misses 👊

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We invest at Pre-VC and Pre-Seed, and then help our founders find a Seed round when they're ready. Here are 27 Seed investors that we *know* are active right now. Blue Moon Bonfire Ventures Chingona Ventures Flying Fish Partners Foothill Ventures Great North Ventures ground game HealthX Ventures InsurTech Venture Partners KCRise Fund Las Olas Venture Capital Leva Capital Maven Ventures Monte Carlo Capital Moonshots Capital OneSixOne Ventures Oval Park Capital Pixel Perfect Ventures Range Ventures Revolution SNAK Venture Partners Startup Capital Ventures Supernode Global Susa Ventures Trilogy Equity Partners True Ventures True Wealth Ventures

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Why Franchisors Set Minimum Opening Requirements (And Why Most Miss Them) What are minimums? Franchisors often require a set number of members or opening performance metrics before a location is allowed to open. It’s in the FDD for one reason: success. Why do they exist? Because rent, payroll, and software start day one. Without pre-sold revenue, the owner eats every expense—and the customer experience suffers. Why do franchisees fall short? Because in a few short weeks they’re expected to: *Hire and train a team *Learn new systems *Market, sell, and manage construction *It’s too much. Most launch late, under quota, or not at all. How do you fix it? That’s why we built GPS Launch Assurance. We drive the pre-sales engine—marketing, buzz, and conversion—so franchisees hit their minimums and open strong. Franchisors set the standard. GPS helps you reach it. Because no one wins in franchising if the franchisee fails. Follow Growth Point Solutions if you want to open strong.

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👉 https://lnkd.in/gNkunxgH 🚨 Are Keywords Dead in 2025? Not quite—but they’re definitely not what they used to be. In today’s SEO world, Google’s semantic smarts mean it’s not just about stuffing keywords anymore. But here’s the twist: exact phrasing still does impact rankings. So, while keywords aren’t king, they’re not irrelevant either—they’re your strategic compass, not a tactical checklist. This blog explores both sides of the debate: ✅ Why the “keywords are dead” camp has a point ✅ Why smart SEO still leans on keyword research ✅ How to use keywords without ruining content quality 📈 Whether you’re a content marketer, SEO pro, or business leader, this one’s worth a read. 💬 What’s your take—are keywords still core to your SEO strategy in 2025? #SEO #ContentMarketing #DigitalStrategy #KeywordResearch #MarketingTrends #LinkedInCommunity

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NOW LIVE: Episode 26 of Open Residency with Matt Gray 🎙️ Matt Gray has helped thousands of founders turn content into profitable audiences. In this episode we go deep on audience building, lead magnets, and the systems required to turn attention into revenue. Enjoy 🧠 Full episode with Matt Gray here: https://lnkd.in/g8SF-CkU 


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Spray-and-pray affiliate marketing is the fastest way to kill your business. I take the same model as an in-house affiliate manager and work strategically with specific partners. When I approach a brand like Gemini, I start with two to three carefully selected placements, even if I have ten potential partners ready. "Here are partners I'm already working with to help them monetize their existing efforts, I’ll say. "I wouldn't be reaching out if it wasn't a fit." For each placement, I break down the traffic type: "This is organic, won't be high volume but should be high value." I explain demographic overlap. I work hands-on: "Here's the placement, here's the copy, should we be doing it here? How's your traffic? Will the demographic overlap?" The "here's a link, run with it" mentality will destroy your business.

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👇🔥💪 Startup investors: never again be unprepared for your first meeting. A fully vetted pre-meeting brief. 15 seconds of your time, done in less than 5 minutes. Try it out the Sago Brief! Link in first comment #AgenticAI #AIforInvestors #VentureCapital #FutureOfInvesting #AIagents #StartupTools #DeepTech

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Your Ideal Investor Profile (IIP) is as important to your fundraising as your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is to your sales process. If you don't know who you're selling to you're unlikely to be successful at it. This is true no matter what type of business you have or what type of product you are selling. When you are fundraising you are also selling a product: your equity. There is an ideal type of investor for your startup. These investors are: - Easier to convert - More likely to pay - Less likely to leave (or ask to leave) - More likely to refer other IIPs More in the article: https://lnkd.in/gAcNXwWj

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