Jim Scheinman

Maven Portfolio Company Chariot Acquired by Ford Smart Mobility!

September 9, 2016 1 Comment

The Maven team is excited to announce our portfolio company Chariot was acquired today by Ford Smart Mobility, a new arm of Ford Motors. This is an incredible opportunity for the Chariot team to further their mission of solving everyday commutes with affordable, reliable rides. We first met founder and

Unlock Hypergrowth at the Maven Retreat

August 12, 2016 No Comments

We’re excited to announce our inaugural Hypergrowth Retreat on September 23rd in the Presidio of San Francisco. At this exclusive event, attendees will learn how to take their startup from growth to hypergrowth to billion dollar exit from the Maven team and our speakers – an incredibly talented group of the top experts in scaling consumer software

Cruising to a Huge Outcome

March 11, 2016 1 Comment

One teen’s dream of self-driving cars turns into a $1B exit General Motors announced today that it will acquire Maven portfolio company Cruise. Terms have not been disclosed, but it is rumored to be north of $1B. I couldn’t be happier for Kyle, Dan, and the talented Cruise team and

Two Must-Haves to Close your VC Round

March 9, 2016 2 Comments

Vision and Grit: The Story of Why We Invested in Homemade I’m really excited to share the story of our latest investment, Homemade. This is a vision worth fighting for that we’ve been looking to back for three years and we’ve finally found the right team with the passion, perseverance

Year in Review: What 2015 Looked Like at Maven Ventures

January 21, 2016 No Comments

As we plan for 2016, our team took a deep dive into our 2015 results. Here’s a glimpse into what our pipeline and deal pace looked like last year for our seed stage VC fund, and how we got to the 7 investments we made: Top of the funnel: We

How to Pitch Your Startup to Investors

January 14, 2016 1 Comment

We see hundreds of in-person pitches each year and coach our founders through hundreds more. As a result, the Maven team has put together our perspective on what we like to see in a funding pitch meeting. Each investor has their own approach and preferences; for instance, we often like

Virtual Reality is HOT at CES 2016

January 8, 2016 No Comments

The 2-hour wait to see the new Oculus at CES says it all. VR was everywhere at the show. Maven has made one investment in VR so far, and we are looking for more, because 2016 will be the year of VR. One big reason is that Facebook’s Oculus announced

Consumer Startups We’re Seeking for 2016

December 31, 2015 2 Comments

With a focus on consumer software, I’m constantly looking for new trends that will impact consumers’ behavior in the coming year. As my team and I begin investing from our newly-raised Maven Fund II in January, here are some of the trends we’re considering for investment in 2016: Consumer Health:

Startup Thanksgiving Gratitude

November 25, 2015 No Comments

Thanksgiving is a great day to step back, take a breath, and be GRATEFUL. It’s something that we simply don’t do enough of in the tech startup world and it would serve us well. In an industry of endless demands and possibilities, we’re so busily focused on the future that

Einstein’s Secret to Investing in Early-Stage Consumer Winners

November 10, 2015 3 Comments

Einstein’s Theory of Relativity is now over 100 years old, yet it’s as relevant today as ever before. One of the most remarkable theories in the history of science, Einstein’s methods of discovering new ideas is surprisingly similar to discovering early-stage consumer startups. I’m often asked how Maven knows which

Author: Jim Scheinman