LvlUp Ventures

Have you ever noticed how some founders seem to attract capital, intros, and conviction faster — even without perfect metrics? It’s rarely hype. It’s trust. 📌 In our newest article, The Trust Flywheel: How Authentic Founder–GP Relationships Shape Venture Outcomes, LvlUp Venture Scout, Roshaan Narkedayy, breaks down why authentic founder–GP relationships often shape venture outcomes more than momentum ever will. In the piece, he explores: ✅ Why trust compounds faster than capital ✅ How candid, consistent founder updates create investor conviction ✅ What both founders and GPs can do to build long-term alignment If you’re fundraising, investing, or building in early-stage venture — this is a must-read. Read More: https://lnkd.in/eanJTd68 #VentureCapital #Startups #Fundraising #FounderMindset #VC #SeedStage #EarlyStage #Trust #Startup #Founder #Investor

📬 LvlUp Weekly — Edition #3 just dropped This week, we’re sharing exclusive Seed-stage funding insights straight from the LvlUp Ventures Investment Committee — grounded in our own dealflow and benchmarked against market data. After reviewing 10,000+ Seed applications in 2025, we break down: 🔹 Where Seed valuations are actually clustering 🔹 How round sizes are shifting as investors get more selective 🔹 Why AI continues to capture outsized attention 🔹 What our IC is prioritizing heading into 2026 Plus: 🔹 Practical IC takeaways for founders raising Seed 🔹 3 articles from our Venture Scouts + GP 🔹 Details on our upcoming NYC Founder & Investor event 🔹 How to apply for funding through LvlUp (one form, many paths) If you’re a founder raising Seed or an investor underwriting early-stage companies, this one’s worth your time. 👉 Read Edition #3 & Subscribe to LvlUp Weekly to get IC-level insights delivered weekly. #SeedFunding #Startups #VentureCapital #Founders #EarlyStage #VCInsights #LvlUpWeekly #Fundraising #VC #Startup #Founder #Funding #Tech #Seed #Investor

🚨 CPG Founders — We’re hosting a LvlUp Labs CPG Infosession on Wednesday, Jan 21st 🚨 If you’re a post-revenue DTC CPG brand, this is built for you. LvlUp Labs CPG is LvlUp Ventures’ 10-week bespoke virtual accelerator and operating platform for emerging consumer brands across food & beverage, wellness, beauty, personal care, consumer electronics, and beyond. We help founders accelerate DTC growth, improve marketing efficiency, expand their retail & distribution reach, and build the operational foundation needed for scaled growth and future fundraising. Founders receive hands-on venture support through a centralized execution hub and a deeply embedded CPG ecosystem spanning DTC operators, growth marketers, fulfillment partners, manufacturers, retail, and capital partners — all aligned around sustainable, repeatable DTC growth. The program culminates in a curated Demo Day, where founders present to a targeted group of CPG-focused investors, operators, and partners actively looking to deploy capital and support the next stage of growth. What makes this different: 🔹 Structured accelerator + operating platform 🔹 Direct support from an active venture team 🔹 Access to retail, distribution, and CPG operators 🔹 Demo Day exposure + ongoing capital pathways 🔹 Includes an upfront investment for participating companies 📌 Interested? 👍 Like this post. 💬 Drop your company name + a one-liner in the comments. ✅ I’ll DM you to get you on the Infosession! #CPG #CPGFounders #DTCBrands #ConsumerBrands #FoodAndBeverage #WellnessBrands #BeautyBrands #PersonalCare #ConsumerElectronics #Retail #Ecommerce #BrandBuilders #StartupAccelerator #VentureCapital #StartupFunding #Founders #Entrepreneurship #LvlUpVentures #LvlUpLabs #DemoDay LvlUp Ventures

Calling ALL NYC Founders & Investors! On Thursday, February 26, we’re hosting a curated event in New York City, bringing together 150+ Tech & CPG founders, investors, and operators who are actively building, deploying, and scaling. This is a carefully constructed room designed for high-signal conversations, real connections, and real dealflow. Register now! What you can expect: 🔹 A handpicked mix of Tech & CPG founders and investors 🔹 Live brand tastings and product showcases 🔹 Open bar + elevated food 🔹 Conversations that lead to follow-ups, partnerships, and capital If you’re fundraising, investing, or scaling a company, this is the room where momentum happens. 📍 New York City (private venue, shared with approved attendees) 📅 Thursday, February 26 We're proud to partner with SHOPLINE, Pilot.com, and Efficient Capital Labs, whose support makes this event possible. 📝 Register Here: https://lnkd.in/ehJRbMp3 #NYCStartups #VentureCapital #Founders #Investors #Tech #CPG #StartupEvents #Networking #LvlUpVentures #NYCTech #VC

🚀 Calling all consumer brand founders! At LvlUp Ventures, we’re on a mission to back the next generation of category-defining CPG brands — from food & beverage and wellness to beauty and consumer electronics. The challenges facing modern consumer startups are real: rising acquisition costs, fragmented channels, and the need for strategic support beyond just capital. That’s exactly where our CPG Fund steps in. 💡 Through our partnership with SHOPLINE — one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing e-commerce platforms with 600,000+ merchants — we’re offering founders: 🔹 Strategic capital: Up to $200K initial checks 🔹 Deep, hands-on support from founders-turned-investors 🔹 Access to an expansive ecosystem of portfolio companies, mentors & partners 🔹 White-glove Shopline integration to accelerate your commerce infrastructure We’ve already backed a diverse roster of 40+ innovative brands that are reshaping retail and direct-to-consumer experiences — and we want to meet you next. 👉 Apply now or learn more: https://lnkd.in/et-qeyxz #CPG #ConsumerBrands #VentureCapital #Startups #Shopline #LvlUpVentures #VC #Fundraising #Startup #Founder #Consumer #Ecom #Entrepreneur

AI is everywhere. Biotech is quieter — and far more patient. In a world chasing the next breakout in AI, it’s easy to forget that some of the most important innovations don’t move fast — they endure. In this piece, LvlUp Venture Scout, Sarah Tuğba O. shares a deeply personal perspective on why biotech matters. Born in a rural town in Turkey, Tugba’s life was saved by a single vaccine made possible through decades of scientific research, global collaboration, and long-term capital. That experience shaped her career — and her belief that innovation isn’t about hype cycles, but about human outcomes. While venture capital often rewards speed and scale, biotech demands rigor, patience, and conviction. Clinical validation can’t be rushed. Regulatory hurdles can’t be skipped. And when it works, the return isn’t measured in engagement metrics — it’s measured in lives extended and futures preserved. This is a powerful reminder that while AI may change how we live, biotech is changing whether we live. 👉 Read the full article by LvlUp Venture Scout Sarah Tuğba O. here: https://lnkd.in/etq2bbvP #Biotech #Tech #VentureCapital #Startup #DeepTech #HealthcareInnovation #Fundraising #Founder #LvlUpVentures #VentureScouts #VC #Startup #AI #Bio #Health

LvlUp hits Dubai!

NYC founders & investors — this is one you’ll want on your calendar. On Thursday, February 26, we’re bringing together 150+ top Tech & CPG founders, investors, and operators for a curated evening in New York City focused on real conversations, meaningful connections, and actual deal flow. This isn’t a massive conference or a noisy happy hour. It’s an intentionally curated room designed for people actively building and backing the next generation of companies. What to expect: • A curated mix of Tech & CPG founders and investors • Brand tastings + live product showcases • Open bar & elevated food • A high-energy but relaxed NYC atmosphere • Conversations that turn into follow-ups, partnerships, and capital Whether you’re fundraising, investing, or scaling, this is the room where things actually happen. 📍 New York City (private venue — shared with approved attendees) 📅 Thursday, February 26 👔 Smart casual Proud to be hosting this night in partnership with SHOPLINE, Pilot.com, and Efficient Capital Labs. #NYCStartups #VentureCapital #Founders #Investors #Tech #Starup #CPG #StartupEvents #Networking #LvlUpVentures #NYCTech #Event #VC

🚀 LvlUp Weekly — B2B SaaS Edition This week’s edition of LvlUp Weekly pulls directly from how our Investment Committee is evaluating B2B SaaS companies heading into 2026. Across thousands of reviews, one shift is clear: the bar for what qualifies as a strong SaaS business has changed. Growth alone isn’t enough anymore — it has to be explainable, repeatable, and capital-efficient. In this issue, we share: 🔹 The three signals our IC consistently looks for when evaluating B2B SaaS businesses 🔹 Why net revenue retention and payback matter more than raw growth post-PMF 🔹 The biggest red flag we see in otherwise “promising” companies: non-repeatable momentum 🔹 When founder-led sales becomes a bottleneck — and what repeatable GTM actually looks like 🔹 How these dynamics inform smarter fundraising decisions in today’s market We also include three deep-dive articles that reflect how we pressure-test SaaS fundamentals — not theory, but what actually holds up in IC. If you’re building or scaling a B2B SaaS company and want to understand how investors are really evaluating businesses right now, this edition is for you. 👇 Read & subscribe to LvlUp Weekly below 👇 #LvlUpVentures #B2BSaaS #Startups #VentureCapital #Founder #SaaS #Fundraising #GTM #Newsletter #VC #Startup #Entrepreneur #B2B #Tech

India’s venture ecosystem may be quietly entering its next phase. The RBI’s proposed 15% rule could reopen the door for institutional capital to flow back into Indian venture funds — after months of uncertainty that left many managers and founders in limbo. On the surface, it looks like a technical regulatory update. In reality, it has meaningful implications for: 🔹 How domestic capital participates in venture 🔹 The future role of banks and NBFCs in AIFs 🔹 The long-term depth of rupee-denominated venture funding LvlUp Ventures Venture Scout, Varun Chikhale, breaks down what changed, why it matters, and what this could unlock next for India’s startup ecosystem — without the policy jargon. If you’re a founder, fund manager, LP, or operator watching India closely, this one’s worth your time. 👉 Read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/e4F29RDJ #VC #IndianStartups #VentureCapital #StartupEcosystem #AIF #RBI #PrivateMarkets #Startup #Investor #Founder #Fundraising #Funding #InstitutionalCapital #FinTech #Policy #EmergingMarkets #IndiaVC