2023 was the year of cutbacks and caution for VC investments, with global startup funding hitting a five-year low. Meanwhile, a series of high-profile lawsuits rocked the crypto sector, while the buzz around tools like ChatGPT saw AI become one of the hottest industries for investors.
More generally, widespread layoffs across the tech sectors and a string of high-profile shutdowns added further uncertainty.
Finally, 2023 closed out with the back-and-forth drama when Open-AI’s board looked to oust Sam Altman as CEO.
With all this and more packed into the rearview mirror of the past twelve months, it’s hard to put an exact prediction on where things are likely to head in 2024.
But, despite the recent bumps in the road, many VC investors are increasingly optimistic. For one, early indicators already show signs of economic recovery as inflation eases. In addition many believe exit markets will return this year.
Kevin Siskar, founder and CEO of Finta, believes that international investment opportunities will provide further potential for the VC sector and hopes to play a central role in making this happen.
The pathway to global investment
Kevin Siskar himself is no stranger to the challenges associated with financing great ideas. Prior to founding Finta, Kevin was the Director of the NYC chapter of the Founder Institute, and he also is a pre-seed investor with Firehouse Ventures and has supported over 160 startups to date.
This in-depth experience led him to create Finta, an AI-powered CRM platform that has a range of services to support investor activity and unlock powerful automation throughout the process.
In particular, Kevin hopes the platform can help investors connect with a broader range of deal opportunities that aren’t bound by traditional geographic limitations.
One of the first tasks an investor faces is connecting with start-ups looking for funding—and this can be particularly challenging for VCs without international connections. Here Finta lets investors access all this information in one place and leverage shared connections on the platform.
The platform also automatically organizes key data points like cap tables, along with all due diligence materials which makes it much more quick and efficient to review potential deals being considered.
With improved reach and powerful administration tools, both startups and investors are likely to benefit from a global approach toward VC financing in 2024.
Fast-tracking the funding process
In the wake of 2023’s down year, the pressure is on for founders hoping to secure funding this year. In order to avoid additional closure and layoffs, time is of the essence.
With Finta, Kevin hopes to give investors a way to support more deals thanks to the huge amounts of time saved throughout the whole prospecting process. Not only can investors review a higher number of potential deals more quickly, but once deals have been made Finta helps to manage these investments and the relationships with founders in the portfolio.
Finally, Finta can also help investors support the startup community more easily. For example, not every deal considered will be financed, but investors can easily make warm introductions to other investors within a similar industry who might be interested in providing funding instead.
In this way, Kevin hopes to support his mission to help more businesses grow by making it easier for founders and investors to connect, particularly abroad, and further build successful deals together.