NextUp Q4 2023 Update

A Message from NextUp head, Aaron Golbin

I am pleased to report on the growth of NextUp by LvlUp Ventures over the past quarter, as we created a pioneering strategic direction, expanded our portfolio from inception at 0 to almost 10 startups, launched NextUp Scale – a new post-launch bespoke accelerator – and developed strong ties between our pre-launch hybrid accelerator-venture studio named NextUp Pre-Launch, NextUp Scale, LvlUp Fund 1, and PlayersCo. These momentous achievements enable us to build substantial positions in, and add tremendous value to, promising-turned-proven ventures throughout their entire journeys with a mixture of cash and non-cash equity strategies.

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By doing so, we are taking strategic bets without investing capital and positioning LvlUp Ventures to make meaningful risk-managed bets over time. NextUp is meaningfully supporting startups at one or more inflection points through a waterfall method which flows from taking an average 2% non-cash equity stake at launch, 1% capitalless stake at growth to Seed/Series A, investment at Seed, and investment at Series A+. We take an involved approach to assisting these companies in sustainably scaling to larger feats by leveraging our team’s deep expertise and networks, finding impactful synergies, and delivering over $500,000 in sponsored perks in order to decrease their burn rates.

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Beyond our method of creating value for investors, founders, and customers, our thesis differentiates us in driving our selection of what we hope to be the most exceptional and impactful companies pre-and-in-market. We believe that Gen Z will be the primary creators and adopters of the largest technology startups over the next 15 years, influencing us to accelerate Gen Z-led emerging technology startups that will change the way that people live or work for the better. 

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Here are some of the reasons why we are steadfast in our commitment to this underlooked startup segment as our main category of interest: Generation Z has a substantial usage and interest in emerging technologies with 88% of them desiring to work with cutting-edge technology, workforce projections are forecasting that Gen Z will make up 33% of the entire workforce in 2030, and 41% of $1B+ valuation companies over the past few decades have been founded by those in the same age group as Gen Z, a statistic that our team predicts will rise to roughly 60% as Gen Z’s minimum age increases. As a Gen Z entrepreneur and venture capitalist myself with 10+ years of experience founding, co-founding, and helping build successful technology companies and business units valued at over $1.2B, I understand the trends and best practices of market adoption focused on Gen Z which most companies will have to focus on over the next few years with many already doing so.

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I am excited to continue to lead NextUp with the goal of delivering investors superior returns and upcelerating the next generation of transformative startups by continuing to delivering extensive expertise and services to our portfolio companies while diligently expanding our portfolio, bringing game-changing innovation to the accelerator and venture studio spaces, and building our communities of entrepreneurs and investors.

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Regards,

Aaron Gabriel Golbin

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