VC intermediaries are being eliminated faster than anyone expected. Family offices and private wealth firms are taking direct steps to write checks, sit on boards, and even grow companies from the ground up. And more founders are starting to realize. In February alone, family offices made 41 direct investments, including a Midwestern company that led to a $230 million Series B in an AI chip startup.
In this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan interviews Mitch Stein and Ari Schottenstein, founder and head of alternatives at Arena Private Wealth, respectively, to find out what this change means for founders, cap tables, and the future of AI investing.
Listen to the full episode and hear what’s next.
How Arenas took the lead in Positron’s $230 million Series B and why the CEO specifically wanted them on the cap table. How Arena conducts due diligence on technology companies. What a “tourist capital” really is, and the red flags founders should be aware of as family offices rush into AI deals. Why some VCs are quietly unhappy with this trend (and why Arena thinks it’s their problem).
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