First Endeavor Catalyst Investor Meeting Brings Together Top Members of the Network in San Francisco
On April 19th, 2016 Endeavor Catalyst held its first-ever investor meeting in San Francisco, California. An informative and inspirational gathering, the meeting convened 85+ members of the Endeavor Catalyst community, including many of the major investors and donors behind the $35MM Endeavor Catalyst I, as well as more than two dozen Endeavor Entrepreneurs. The invite-only event began with a seated luncheon and an update on the Fund’s performance to date by Jackie Carmel and Allen Taylor, Managing Directors of Endeavor Catalyst. The 2015-2016 Endeavor Catalyst Annual Report was also debuted, highlighting the Fund’s 30 investments (as of Q1 2016) and reporting on various social impact metrics including job creation, job quality, and ecosystem development.
The meeting represented a significant milestone for Endeavor Catalyst, established in 2012 to support Endeavor Entrepreneurs with their financing rounds and to sustain Endeavor’s long-term operations in a mission-aligned way.
“This is an important day for Endeavor Catalyst,” noted Taylor, who leads the Fund’s global investments from Endeavor’s office in San Francisco. “Four years ago, we knew this model had real potential to be transformational for Endeavor. Today, with 30+ investments, a fantastic portfolio of high-growth companies, and $11M+ in early returns, we are more encouraged than ever about the potential of this model.”
The afternoon saw an exciting lineup of speakers including Nick Beim (Partner, Venrock), Andy Freire (Minister of Modernization, Innovation, and Technology of Buenos Aires), Jason Green (Founder and General Partner, Emergence Capital), Reid Hoffman (Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, LinkedIn and Partner, Greylock), Joanna Rees (Managing Partner, West), Linda Rottenberg (Co-Founder and CEO, Endeavor), and Bill Sahlman (Professor, Harvard Business School).
Endeavor Entrepreneurs participated in panel discussions focused on their respective businesses, markets, and the role Endeavor and Endeavor Catalyst have played in their entrepreneurial journeys.
Participants included Mona Ataya(Founder and CEO, Mumzworld), Wences Casares (Founder and CEO, Xapo), Emiliano Kargieman (Founder and CEO, Satellogic), Barbaros Ozbugutu(Co-Founder and CEO, Iyzico), and Jorge Soto (Co-Founder and CTO, Miroculus).
To conclude the day, the Endeavor team previewed the Fund’s active investment pipeline and announced the official launch of Endeavor Catalyst II.
Endeavor Catalyst is the innovative co-investment fund of Endeavor, set up to invest exclusively in Endeavor Entrepreneur-led companies and to sustain Endeavor’s long-term operations in a mission-aligned way. Since launching in January 2012, Endeavor Catalyst has raised $35MM in philanthropically donated and invested capital, and invested over $19MM into 34 Endeavor companies in 14 countries to date. Endeavor Catalyst has co-invested alongside a number of leading venture capital and growth equity funds, including Accel Partners, General Atlantic, NEA, Sequoia Capital and Tiger Global. Investments include Globant (NYSE: GLOB) in Argentina; Yemeksepeti.com (acquired by Delivery Hero) in Turkey, and Ruma in Indonesia.