Michelle Tinsley

Excited to announce our partnership with Kyle and Evan via our investment in Two Boxes 📦📦 - a company focused on streamlining returns processing for 3PLs and self-fulfilling brands. I believe they are currently one of the most dynamic start-ups in the reverse logistics sector globally. 🌎 The importance of properly managing free returns deeply impacts ecommerce brands - especially given that online merchants currently face average return rates of 20% to 30%. Two Boxes' workflow software and hardware solution streamlines the returns process for 3PLs and brands, turning costs into potential profits. 💰 By providing deep and actionable data on returns, Two Boxes helps merchants identify fraud, improve sustainability, and reduce inventory costs. As Two Boxes becomes the returns processing hub for 3PLs and brands, our team at Assembly Ventures is excited about their potential to deliver tremendous value today while expanding into other areas like recommerce and outsourced returns services. Excited to move the world with our new friends at Peterson Ventures, Vinyl Capital , Range Ventures, and Matchstick Ventures as Two Boxes executes on their mission to make returns an asset instead of a liability. #twoboxes #assemblyventures #movetowin #movetheworld #petersonventures #siliconvalley #detroit #berlin #beyond

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One of the things we see quite often at Grit Capital Partners, is a newly minted CEO. We see a big difference in the transition to CEO based upon the historical lane the CEO is coming from. There are different new muscles if you are coming from Product, Engineering, Finance, etc. In this article, we go deep on the CRO to CEO transition, which includes some thoughts from Rosie O'Meara, a particularly fine example of someone who has made the transition quite well. What were your biggest transition moments? https://lnkd.in/eEB-K2ZU

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KNOW YOUR REAL BUSINESS ECONOMICS • GAAP Revenue • Cash Flow • Cash • Contribution Margin • CAC • CAC Payback FUNDRAISING: PRESENT & SUBSTANTIATE FINANCIALS • Investor needs to know what your forecasts are • They need to believe them David Weiden, Khosla Ventures

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In the following HBR post, articulates four roles of a Chief of Staff: 1. Integrator: connecting work streams that would otherwise remain siloed 2. Communicator: linking the leadership team and the broader organization 3. Honest Broker and Truth Teller: when the leader needs a wide-ranging view without turf considerations 4. Confidant:  without an organizational agenda Personally, as a process person, the first two come naturally however it's the last two (I have found) that identify the top tier Chief of Staff. The role truly is about making the leader more effective and ensuring there are no gaps to fill. https://lnkd.in/g6M9jhAV

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Want to learn more from pioneers in the Angel and Venture Cap field? Check out the How Women Invest event next month with the talented Nancy Hayes.

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💼📈🤔Boom in Execs Seeking Board Seats – Good news or bad news for startups? According to a recent FT report, 55% of departing C-suite execs are now eyeing board roles, marking a 15% year-on-year rise. But is this influx of experience really a win for startups? On one hand, their financial expertise and strategic insight can be invaluable. On the other, is operational experience really what’s needed in fast-paced, high-growth environments? You could argue either way. The real challenge for startups is ensuring these seasoned leaders bring more than just their titles to the table. What’s your take – opportunity or risk? (link to FT article but behind a paywall) https://lnkd.in/e6kxb276

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Some midweek wisdom from Y Combinator founder, Paul Graham, on why startups shouldn't stress over competitors. According to Graham, based on Y Combinator's extensive data set, few of their startups are actually killed by competitors. He compares the protection a startup has against competitors to the vastness of space, emphasising that the market is large enough for multiple players to thrive. Graham's analogy likens encountering a competitor to suddenly finding another runner in your race lane - the best course of action? “It’s sort of like if you’re running the hundred meters and suddenly a lane appears with another runner in it. What should you do? Run as fast as you can, just like you presumably were.” #Startups #Competition #Entrepreneurship #wearehiring

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Make sure your investors and funding partners don’t inadvertently kill your business. Beyond just putting cash into your company your funding partners need to fall into one of the three following buckets: 1. SWEET MONEY: funding that’s such a sweet deal you can’t possibly turn it down. Supportive grant programs with non-onerous funding requirements fall into this bucket. 2. SMART MONEY: people who can make connections, add legitimacy, guide you, and know how to execute investments with standard terms. Savvy angel investors and professional investors fall into this bucket. 3. SHHHHHH MONEY: silent investors who want to support you and are willing to lend a hand when asked fall into this bucket. Funding partners can create bad corporate structures, distract you from your customers, or create burdensome requirements and kill your company if you’re not careful. We’ve been very fortunate to have amazing funding partners, when I looked at why it’s so easy to work with them it’s because they fall into one of these three buckets.

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I think the most interesting data companies are super niche verticals. Go deep vertically before you go horizontal. Something random like- Rubber pricing and demand. Insights on the automotive industry have always been in high demand. Deep insights into the storage facility space. A market that has publicly traded companies or a futures contract is where I see the biggest upside. What are some of your favorite companies with deep sector or industry specific datasets. I think J.D. Power is interesting. Aggregate Intelligence, Inc. is another one with a bunch of super specific industry datasets.

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Keen to learn more about the Calybre story? 📖 Check out our new article on TechCentral with the link below. #expectmore #stepahead #reallyawesomedatapeople #data #dataconsulting #dataanalytics #dataengineering #datascience #datastrategy #datagovernance #ai #artificialintelligence #datasecurity

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🏦 OpenAI showed us what is possible when you apply AI to enterprise workflows on the office floor. 🏭📦 We think AI has the ability to fundamentally transform not just the office floor, but also the factory floor and the warehouse floor. Industrial applications of AI will supercharge productivity and drive efficiency gains while enhancing safety. It is with this thesis that Woven Capital is leading the Series C round for Third Wave Automation which is delivering impressive ROI for warehouses across the U.S. with their autonomous forklifts offering. Nicole LeBlanc, CPA Prashant Kumar Bothra Jarek Khoilian Read the full press release below -

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𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆-𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀! We're conducting a benchmarking study to define success metrics specifically for vertical software companies. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: Existing SaaS benchmarks just don't cut it for your unique industry needs. This research will provide the data-driven insights to measure and optimize your vertical software business. 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽? A few minutes of your time can make a big difference.

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One of the highest compliments we can give a founder is calling them a “heat-seeking missile.” It means they’ll find their way to market no matter the obstacles. Broadlume’s founders, Todd Saunders and Dan Pratt, embody that spirit. Today’s announcement of their acquisition by Cyncly validates it—but honestly, anyone who met them early on could have seen it coming. I had the privilege of being their first institutional investor and joining their board nearly a decade ago, back when they were called AdHawk. Inspired by their Google ad sales days, Todd and Dan set out to help SMBs make smarter ad buys—a classic case of turning their job into a product. That product worked, scaling AdHawk to $1M+ in revenue with a diverse customer base. We were so impressed we invited them to present at our LP meeting in 2018. They showed up, delivered—and dropped a bombshell: they were pivoting. Flooring installers, a surprisingly large portion of their customers, presented an even bigger opportunity. Todd and Dan focused exclusively on this vertical, becoming the “Hubspot for Hardwood Flooring.” They off-boarded non-flooring clients, lost some revenue, but quickly snowballed back by doubling down on their ideal customer profile. From there, they didn’t just grow; they rolled up the industry. With $60M from PSG, they acquired companies, technology, customers, and decades of flooring expertise. M&A is a tightrope for startups, but Todd and Dan balanced it masterfully, building a powerhouse in an overlooked industry. Today’s acquisition is the culmination of their relentless drive. I couldn’t be prouder to have been their first institutional check. Of course, this wasn’t a straight line—no startup journey is. Broadlume faced struggles, like every company does. But Todd and Dan’s resilience exemplifies why I love this job. Entrepreneurship isn’t just a career; it’s a personality trait. It’s rare, and when you find it, it’s worth betting on. I may never write another check for a startup that sells vinyl tiles, but betting on people like Todd and Dan? I’ll do that every time.

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A well-rounded PE board has: • Finance know-how • Strategic skills • Execution chops • Human capital expertise ...around the same table. Same goes for a port-co leadership team. Gotta have these key ingredients. Great convo with Ryan Tansom on the Intentional Growth Podcast! #PrivateEquity #Board #Leadership #Talent

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If you're a SaaS, CPG, or e-commerce business collecting revenue in every state you need to worry about sales taxes now 😫 . Every state has slightly different rules too! I just made an investment in the space to solve this problem, read below 👇 I'm excited to announce a new investment that's targeting that problem. Zamp is announcing it's series A, they work with over 400 companies already (a mix of CPG, SaaS and E-commerce). If you're looking for a solution to the complicated situation of collecting sales taxes for your business, look no further.

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I've been a bit surprised recently with the number of decent-sized software businesses (i.e. $15M+) that don't have a legitimate VP of Finance or CFO on their leadership team. I think some product and/or industry-expert founders and CEOs view finance as simply "accounting" vs. a strategic partner to help them properly scale the business. This seems to particularly be the case with first-time CEOs. They likely haven't seen "what good looks like" when it comes to a finance leader and the positive impact they can have, so they hire an outside firm or individual to manage their finances...treating it like a "necessary evil." The role is far more critical than that. I've found that the right CFO is a fact-based, unemotional partner and sounding-board for the CEO, and an invaluable resource to other members of the leadership team as they determine strategy, budgets, etc. Plus, referring back to another recent post of mine (https://lnkd.in/eTjvqdnv), having the right CFO allows your company to better represent itself and speak the language of your investor / buyer. P.S. I was fortunate to have two strong partners as CFO at Daxko. Jonathan Sides and Winston Gillum both made a world of difference!

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