Assertion certainty 4/5 debate potential 2/5

Blond: Growth-stage venture investing is nearly nonexistent in late 2022

Sam Blond · SaaStr CRO Confidential: How to Raise in Late 2022 with Jason Lemkin and Sam Blond of Founders Fund · Nov 1, 2022 · at 11:34

Founders Fund partner Sam Blond discusses the state of venture capital and the contraction in growth-stage dealmaking.

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“On the growth stage side many of the best companies raised a lot of money last year, and given what's happened in the public markets, it's difficult to justify, certainly an up round and maybe even the valuations at which, Those businesses raised, and many of the best ones are very well capitalized, so they don't need to raise. And so growth stage investing has really slowed or almost been non-existent.”

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