Jason Keck

#ASVLP2026 Masterclass PR for Founders: Winning Customers & Credibility Without Big Budgets By Jonah Solomon - ANIPR PR is not press releases. It’s positioning. And if you don’t control your narrative, the market will write one for you. Too many founders burn capital chasing visibility instead of building credibility. The startups that win understand this: perception drives trust, and trust drives customers, partners, and investors. Jonah Solomon has spent over a decade helping African startups punch above their weight in competitive markets — turning unknown brands into respected voices without oversized PR budgets. In this Masterclass, you’ll learn: ✓ The Founder’s PR Toolkit - Craft narratives that resonate with customers, investors, and media. ✓ Credibility on a Budget - Build authority without burning cash. ✓ Customer‑Winning Storylines - Turn your product journey into a narrative people amplify. ✓ The DIY Media Playbook - Where to start before you ever hire an agency. If you’re a founder, growth lead, or investor supporting portfolio companies, this session will help you convert visibility into traction - and traction into leverage. 45 minutes. Practical frameworks. Immediate application. Bring your story. Bring your questions. Leave with a narrative that works for you - not against you. #ASVLP2026 #FounderPR #NarrativePower #AfricaStartups

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This is an excellent post which raises a great tip for founders. Every investor has a score card like this one here. Sometimes it’s formal, a literal checklist, while other times it’s just a list of important guidelines which must be met ad hoc. So the point when meeting with investors is ASK WHAT THEIR INVESTMENT CRITERION ARE. Don’t try to guess and use some “one size fits all” pitch deck and hope you are checking all their boxes. ASK! BTW, you should have some idea what their important investment criterion are BEFORE meeting them but ask to be sure.

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We just released SimpleClosure’s 2025 State of Startup Shutdowns report, and there are several signals every VC should be tracking as we close out the year. Across the shutdowns analyzed this year, a clear pattern is emerging: the companies reaching difficult decisions today look meaningfully different from those in prior years. The mix has shifted by stage, vintage, and sector, and those shifts carry real implications for how funds support their portfolios. What this means for VC funds: 1. Runway and age of the company are no longer reliable predictors of survivability. Teams with real products and revenue are still reaching points where the model no longer supports raising another round. 2. Firms need clearer internal frameworks for guiding founders through “continue, pivot, or wind down." The rules of the ZIRP era no longer apply, and decision-making requires sharper guidance than ARR growth or runway math alone. 3. Investors should expect more inbound from founders, particularly in December. This is our busiest period, with state taxes, annual fees, and compliance renewals materially influence timing and can accelerate end-of-year decisions. 4. AI portfolios warrant closer attention. Most AI shutdowns are wrappers and application-layer products, and while infra/dev-tools also shutdown, the stakes are higher with more capital raised and mounting competition. These trends point to a market that’s recalibrating, with founders making more deliberate choices about their path forward, and VCs needing clearer playbooks on how to support them. 👉 Take a look at our full data report in the comments

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The Headline family is experiencing incredible momentum, and today our portfolio company DeepIP is announcing a $25M Series B, bringing total funding to $40M.  This is the kind of company that doesn’t just add AI to a workflow, but it sets the standard for an entire category. The momentum speaks for itself: 1️⃣ 10x ARR growth in < 18 months 2️⃣ Trusted by 400+ law firms and leading corporate IP teams globally 3️⃣ 2M+ chats on the DeepIP platform We’ve had the chance to back FX (Francois-Xavier) L. and Edouard D., leading their Seed round with Headline. Watching them take on a problem as complex and high-stakes as patent work has been genuinely impressive. And working with them has been an absolute pleasure: these 2 are coupling very high ambition and humility. Tech built in Europe, but opening the US office very early and FX starting a life in NYC with his family with 0 hesitation in order to build a global category leader in the IP industry. What convinced me early is still what stands out today: patent teams don’t need another standalone AI tool. They need something that fits the way the work actually happens: documents, long-running matters, multiple stakeholders, and zero room for sloppy context handoffs. Big congrats to the whole DeepIP team + Korelya Capital, Balderton & Serena Proud that we’re doubling down at Headline and continuing the support for what’s next!

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