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Sara Deshpande

10 Consumer Trends That Will Spark Innovation In 2020

January 16, 2020May 27, 2020 Sara DeshpandeStartups, Venture Capital
As we head into a new year and a new decade, the pace of innovation and technology adoption has never been higher. Consumer attitudes and interests are changing just as rapidly. Here are ten areas where consumer preferences are shifting […]
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Maven Ventures Closes $65M Fund III to Keep Predicting and Funding Billion-Dollar Tech Startups

September 25, 2019September 25, 2019 Sara DeshpandeVenture Capital
Today, we’re incredibly excited to announce that we’ve closed Maven Ventures Fund III, an oversubscribed $65M seed-stage venture fund to continue investing in big consumer trends. Read more about our plans for Fund III in today‘s article from Forbes: “Why One […]
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Four Levers to Optimize your Funding Round

February 6, 2019February 6, 2019 Sara DeshpandeVenture Capital
Too many founders optimize their fundraising based on a single metric: valuation. Of course, I understand where this comes from, and the desire to minimize dilution. As early-stage investors, we also care about the dilutive effects of follow-on rounds, both […]
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Maven Investment Themes: Where We’re Putting our Money Now

December 14, 2017December 14, 2017 Sara DeshpandeVenture Capital
Our investment thesis at Maven is to identify emerging consumer trends and invest in software technology that transforms millions of lives. Here are some of the areas we’re exploring right how. If you’re starting an early-stage company related to one […]
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Required Reading for Aspiring VCs

April 27, 2017December 14, 2017 Sara DeshpandeVenture Capital
As the level of interest in starting and joining early-stage tech companies grows, so does interest in funding them. Usually once a week or so, I’ll hear from a new college grad, fresh MBA, or career soul-searcher who is eager […]
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What’s the next billion dollar digital health idea?

February 14, 2017December 14, 2017 Sara DeshpandeStartups
I’ve spent the last year and a half meeting healthcare startup founders. About six months ago, I wrote about several challenges in consumer healthcare and why I hadn’t invested yet. Since then, I made one investment (which I’ll be excited to share […]
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Three Reasons I Haven’t Invested in Consumer Health — Yet

August 25, 2016December 12, 2017 Sara DeshpandeStartups
It’s an exciting time to be an investor in consumer healthcare companies. Before becoming a VC, I was a management consultant focused on healthcare strategy at Deloitte Consulting. During the passing of the Affordable Care Act, I worked with clients […]
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How We Choose Startup Founders

December 23, 2015December 12, 2017 Sara DeshpandeVenture Capital
This guest post was written by Sara Thomas, Principal at Maven Ventures. Follow Sara on Twitter @saraannet. Earlier this month, we held our second annual Maven Ventures Holiday Party, and it was great to welcome the holiday season with our […]
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Why We Invested in Eden

November 17, 2015December 12, 2017 Sara DeshpandeStartups
This guest post was written by Sara Thomas, Principal at Maven Ventures. Follow Sara on Twitter @saraannet. Why are printers such a pain? When I moved into a new apartment in San Francisco and set up my home office, I […]
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Recent Posts

  • Hope after the Coronavirus Pandemic: Are These 10 New Consumer Behaviors Here To Stay?
  • 10 Consumer Trends That Will Spark Innovation In 2020
  • Maven Ventures Closes $65M Fund III to Keep Predicting and Funding Billion-Dollar Tech Startups
  • Where did Zoom come from?
  • Four Levers to Optimize your Funding Round

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