We’re entering a new chapter at Southern Equity. 🌍 As we continue to evolve, we invite investors, founders, and innovators to follow along as we share industry insights, portfolio updates, and perspectives on the trends shaping the future.

Pre-seed funding is the earliest stage of startup financing, often used to validate an idea, develop a prototype, and conduct early market testing. ⌘ At this stage, startups usually raise smaller amounts of capital from founders, friends and family, or angel investors before

Meet Dan Stone and @Jack_Dille, Co-Founders of @icebreaker_xyz, the first open professional network where we believe you meet exceptional people. ✦ Dan has spent his career building products from 0-1 at the intersection of predictive analytics, AI/ML, and privacy. He most

The Bay Area continues to lead as the top U.S. startup ecosystem by total funding, followed by New York and Boston. Rounding out the top regions are Los Angeles, Austin, Seattle, Denver, San Diego, Chicago, and Washington D.C.—each with growing investor activity and innovation

PlayVS and @SpursOfficial have partnered to launch ‘Game to Glory,’ a youth gaming challenge connecting soccer and esports. ⚽︎ The initiative unites students across two EA SPORTS FC 26 tournaments, culminating in a live-streamed finals broadcast. Game to Glory blends the

The U.S. government shutdown introduces short-term uncertainty for startups and the broader technology sector. ❖ With federal agencies pausing operations, visa processing, and certain regulatory approvals, founders may face challenges in hiring, deal execution, and fundraising.

A turnaround strategy is a structured plan a company will implement to recover from decline and restore profitability. Having one in place can be a valuable safeguard, helping businesses address challenges that threaten survival or stakeholder confidence. ❖ Turnaround

Meet Gabriel Kho and Mark Ricciardi, Co-Founders of @tryfinosu, a loan servicing company that is personalized with voice, text, chat, and direct mail with the goal of making consumer servicing seamless. 모 Before co-founding Finosu, Gabriel attended Stanford University where he

In September 2025, the Federal Reserve lowered the borrowing rate by a full percentage point and signaled the possibility of two additional cuts before year’s end. While the immediate impact on private equity may be limited, we believe this policy shift could help propel more

In the past few years, early stage startups have seen higher numbers in acquisition than those who are in the later stages. These numbers are only continuing to rise with these younger startups seeing much higher rates than before. In the first half of 2025, 304 young companies

When it comes to venture capital, a ‘unicorn’ refers to a startup company with a valuation over $1 billion. These companies are most often found in capital-intensive sectors such as technology, where significant investment is required to scale groundbreaking ideas into

Meet George Azih and Christopher Ramsey, Co-Founders of @finquery_tech, an AI-powered accounting automation and contract management platform that is built for accounting and finance teams. $ George and Christopher are alumnus from the University of Georgia. They have a passion

Since 2019, the percentage of capital going towards repeat founders has increased year by year. A repeat founder is defined as someone who has founded a previous VC-backed company. ∞ In 2025, these founders secured more than 50% of both Seed and Series A funding, while also

The robotics sector is beginning to see an increase in venture investment, and we believe this momentum is not solely driven by the recent boom in AI. ★ After a decade of trial and error, businesses in this space seem to have gained a clearer understanding of consumer needs,

Congratulations to @Career_Karma on being acquired by @ClimbCredit, where they will be combining forces with a goal of making career-focused training more accessible, affordable, and student-centered! ◎ Together, they will offer a variety of services such as strong discovery

Meet Ritesh Gupta, CEO of @GreenSkyProgram, a company that is designed to help home improvement businesses grow through a frictionless point-of-sale lending solution that offers access to increased buying power for qualified customers. Ritesh began his tenure as CEO for GreenSky

Want to keep up with how we at Southern Equity view the future of investment strategies? From founder spotlights to portfolio news, industry insights, and trend breakdowns, our newsletter is built for entrepreneurs and investors who want to stay informed and connected. ⌁ Sign

Otto Aerospace is showcasing the Phantom 3500 this week at #NBAA2025 in Las Vegas — a next-generation business jet reimagining private aviation. ★ With its revolutionary windowless design, digital panoramic views, and 35% reduction in air resistance, the Phantom 3500 represents

Meet Shaun Newsum and Cedric Rogers, Co-Founders of @CultureGenesis, a media-tech company that is focused on empowering multicultural publishers and creators to monetize their content. ϟ Culture Genesis is the largest Black-owned digital network verified by Comscore. Leading

Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed into law on July 4th, and it set out to reshape the way businesses are taxed. We believe that founders and entrepreneurs may have some benefits under this new law. Some of the benefits may include: ☞ Research and development costs are now

When evaluating investment opportunities, it’s important to have a clear measure of potential growth and profitability. The Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is the discount rate that makes an investment’s net present value (NPV) of cash flows equal to zero and estimates the annual