Greetings!
Welcome to the third volume of Touchdown's email newsletter: The Huddle
Entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and corporate innovators find themselves navigating turbulence in the global economy. Fueled by inflation, ongoing supply chain shocks, and a changing environment for liquidity, the talk in the investment world is resetting valuations.
For their part, corporate venture capitalists remain focused on "bringing order to chaos" by finding opportunities for their parent companies and startups. According to Pitchbook and the NVCA, corporations participated in 27% of U.S. venture capital deals in the first quarter of 2022.
At Touchdown, we continue to see rising demand for mutually beneficial relationships between entrepreneurial innovators and established corporations.
Please contact us with any opportunities you think would be a fit!
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We are proud to announce the launch of AB Health Ventures and our ongoing work with AmerisourceBergen to help manage the fund. Ranked #8 on the 2021 Fortune 500 List, AmerisourceBergen is one of the largest distributors of pharmaceuticals and
healthcare products.
AB Health Ventures will leverage its parent company’s deep expertise, global footprint, and strong relationships across the pharmaceutical supply chain to add meaningful value to its startup portfolio.
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Spotlight - NFL extern Rodney McLeod |
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Former Philadelphia Eagles free safety, team captain, and Super Bowl winner Rodney McLeod joined Touchdown Ventures for two weeks in March, shadowing our firm across a variety of investment activities.
In addition to his day job as a professional football player in the NFL, Rodney is also an owner of venture capital firm Broad Street Ventures, representing a growing class of athletes who invest.
As part of his externship, Rodney also participated in our high school financial education efforts, helping to inspire and educate students from Verbum Dei High School in the Watts section of Los Angeles. Rodney and his wife Erika started their foundation, Change Our Future, to empower youth through education, advocacy, and awareness.
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Our blog on best practices for corporate innovation, venture capital, and entrepreneurship lives on Medium, and some of our team members also contribute to Forbes, TechCrunch, NACD, and VC Journal.
Here are a few of our recent articles:
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Our senior associate Rachel Gutnick analyzed the launch of new corporate venture funds in 2021, covering a diverse range of industry sectors, stages, and geographies |
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We're proud to announce the following promotions:
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"Creating order from chaos"
How can big companies and startups understand each other when their cultures are so different? The rules of the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons may hold a surprising clue
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Mike Devlin and Jack Taylor were named to Global Corporate Venturing's Top 50 Rising Stars list, joining other Touchdown professionals who've previously received this award
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Listen to her podcast interview with Brian Ardinger here
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We've recently opened new offices in Center City Philadelphia and in Los Angeles. Our team is embracing a new model of hybrid work, balancing time together in the office, work from home, and social activities to build strong personal bonds. |
Our recent team hike in Malibu |
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Orion Choy was previously on the corporate development and strategy team at InterDigital, where he worked on the company's M&A activity in wireless, video, and IoT technology. Orion graduated from Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations and received the CFA designation.
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Noah Leshan focuses on property technology, home improvement, and water management investments. Before joining Touchdown, Noah was an investor at Pegasus Tech Ventures, advising the NGK Spark Plugs fund. Noah graduated magna cum laude from Towson University in Maryland and has a Master of Science in finance from ESADE in Barcelona.
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Mike Montague joined as an Analyst focusing on the healthcare and pharma technology space. He began his career at CVS Health in the Pharmacy Growth and Innovation team where he worked on product development for patient care programs and services to improve medication adherence and the patient care experience. Mike holds a BA in cognitive science from the University of Pennsylvania.
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Harout Nazarian focuses on investments in retail, industrial technology, and sustainability. Prior to Touchdown, he spent four years at Nex Cubed and Sway Ventures. Harout holds a BS and MS in engineering and construction management from the University of Southern California and received his MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management with a specialization in marketing.
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Isabel Senior was the first employee at Realize Design, an early-stage startup focused on machine learning and artificial intelligence for e-commerce, and led business development. Isabel holds a BA in Psychology and a certificate in Markets and Management from Duke University.
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Eric Steager leverages over 20 years of venture capital and private equity experience to support the management of Touchdown’s existing corporate vc funds. Previously, Eric established and led the corporate venture capital program for Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. Eric holds an MBA with Honors from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business and a bachelor’s degree from Drexel University.
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We continue to expand in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco, with our current job opportunities listed here. Plus check out the job listings of our corporate partner portfolio companies here.
Please forward our newsletter or career page to anyone you think would be a good fit.
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Sign up for our newsletter, click here
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Unless otherwise indicated, commentary herein reflects the personal opinions, viewpoints and analyses of the authors and should not be regarded as a description of services provided by Touchdown or its affiliates. The opinions expressed here are for general informational purposes only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual on any security or advisory service. It is only intended to provide education about the financial industry. The views reflected in the commentary are subject to change at any time without notice. While all information presented, including from independent sources, is believed to be accurate, we make no representation or warranty as to accuracy or completeness. We reserve the right to change any part of these materials without notice and assume no obligation to provide updates. Nothing herein constitutes investment advice, performance data or a recommendation that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. Investing involves the risk of loss of some or all of an investment. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. |
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