EUVC Newsletter | 29.07.2023
Invitation to join the EUVC Expedition to Expand North Star in Dubai, how to use your portfolio model to manage investments & the reflections on the need for eternal health for eternal wealth.
Welcome to the GP/LP newsletter of Europe 🗞
Firstly a heartfelt welcome to the 634 newly subscribed venturers who have joined since our last post! If you haven’t yet, join the 10,839 LPs, VCs & Angels that do or share it with your besties🤗
Table of Contents
What goes up must come down
Apply to join the Exclusive EUVC Expedition to Expand North Star
Eternal Health for Eternal Wealth - the road to being around for your VC returns.
Using Your Venture Fund Forecast to Manage Investments
What goes up must come down
The magnitude of the drop in unicorn minting that we all so viscerally felt during the Lord’s year of 2022 can definitely be seen in the numbers of Affinity’s latest Unicorn report: The U.K. took a 55% hit, Germany a staggering 80%, and France a hefty 45%. Download the full report below for a good read 👀
Exclusive EUVC Expedition to Expand North Star
15 - 18 October, Dubai
Top VCs such as Andreessen Horowitz, Tiger Global and Coatue have jetted teams of executives to the region in a push to raise funds in a time that’s sizing up to be the hardest funding climate in decades.
We’ve partnered with Dubai World Trade Center to bring you the opportunity to experience the region first hand during Expand North star happening from 15 - 18th of October.
Across four days Expand North Star will present some of the world’s best startups from over 100 countries and welcome more than 1000 VCs from around the world.
The full VIP EUVC Expedition program will be made available upon acceptance to join the tour.
Eternal Health for Eternal Wealth - the road to actually being around for your VC returns.
As a reader of this newsletter, chances are you’re either a VC, an LP or Angel. You've made some big bets, and you're (hopefully) sitting on a pile of illiquid assets eagerly waiting for those sweet, sweet returns to rain down from the heavens.
But you know that your returns won't really start to kick in for another 10 years or so. That's a long time to wait.
And who knows what kind of shape you'll be in by then?
Having set the wheels in motion with eu.vc that’s exactly the position David and I find ourselves in. So guess it’s about time we turn some of our attention to expanding the years of health so we’ll actually be around to enjoy the sweet life.
That's why I've been exploring longevity research and biohacking. I want to do everything I can to extend my healthspan and live a longer, healthier life.
As a first step on this journey, I've been reading David Sinclair's book Lifespan, and I'm intrigued by his findings. He argues that aging is not a natural process, but rather a disease that can be prevented - and even reversed. This book is a must-read.
Sinclair cites a number of studies that show that things like caloric restriction, exercise, and intermittent fasting can all help to extend lifespan. Let’s look at each a bit deeper.
Caloric restriction for more good years in prosperity
This is the most well-studied intervention for extending lifespan. Studies in rodents have shown that caloric restriction can extend lifespan by up to 30% by delivering a
Reduced risk of age-related diseases
Improved cognitive function and memory
Reduced inflammation
Increased insulin sensitivity
Improved heart health
However, caloric restriction is not always easy to do, and it can be difficult to maintain over the long term. Enter intermittent fasting.
Intermittent fasting for more good years in prosperity
Intermittent fasting is a newer intervention that has been shown to have some of the same benefits as caloric restriction. Intermittent fasting involves alternating periods of eating and fasting. There are a variety of different intermittent fasting protocols, but one common protocol is the 16:8 diet, which involves fasting for 16 hours and eating during an 8-hour window. Curiously, I’ve been doing this for the last 10 years, a vestige from my days as a bodybuilder … And it has allowed me to eat pretty much whatever I want in those hours without having to shop for new pants… For me it’s been more like 18:6, though. But let’s look at the non-weight related qualities of this type of diet instead as the pursuit here isn’t washboard abs but a long life to enjoy the spoils of successful venture investing:
Reduced insulin levels Insulin is a hormone that helps the body to use glucose for energy. However, high levels of insulin can have a number of negative effects on the body, including increased inflammation and oxidative stress. Intermittent fasting can help to reduce insulin levels, which can protect against these negative effects and promote longevity.
Insulin is produced by the pancreas in response to the presence of glucose in the blood. When glucose levels are high, insulin signals the cells to take up glucose and use it for energy. However, when insulin levels are chronically high, as can happen with obesity or type 2 diabetes, the cells become resistant to insulin's effects. This can lead to a number of problems, including increased blood sugar levels, weight gain, and heart disease.
Intermittent fasting can help to reduce insulin levels by reducing the amount of glucose that is available to the body. When you fast, your body goes into a state of "ketosis," in which it starts to burn fat for energy. This process produces ketones, which can help to lower insulin levels.
Increased production of growth factors Growth factors are proteins that help to repair and regenerate cells. Intermittent fasting has been shown to increase the production of growth factors, such as IGF-1 and BDNF, which can help to keep cells healthy and prevent aging.
Growth factors are a diverse group of proteins that play a role in a wide variety of cellular processes, including cell growth, differentiation, and repair. They are also involved in the aging process. As we age, the production of growth factors declines, which can lead to a number of age-related problems, such as muscle loss, decreased bone density, and impaired wound healing.
Increased autophagy Autophagy is a process by which cells "eat themselves" in order to recycle cellular components and remove damaged or dysfunctional cells. This is an important process for maintaining health and preventing disease. Intermittent fasting has been shown to increase autophagy, which can help to keep the body's cells healthy and promote longevity.
Autophagy is essential for maintaining cellular health in a number of ways. First, it helps to remove damaged or dysfunctional cells from the body. This can help to prevent the accumulation of damaged cells, which can lead to disease. Second, autophagy helps to recycle cellular components. This can help to provide the cell with the nutrients it needs to function properly. Third, autophagy helps to maintain the cell's energy levels. This is because autophagy can break down cellular components into energy-rich molecules.
There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that autophagy plays a role in preventing and treating a number of diseases. For example, autophagy has been shown to be involved in the prevention of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and heart disease.
Exercise for more good years in prosperity
To no one’s surprise, exercise cannot be left out of the equation. For fellow contrarians like me, who have honed an artful deflectionary shield against anything that reeks of "common knowledge," let's delve into the science behind it:
Exercise increases the number of mitochondria in cells. Mitochondria are the "powerhouses" of cells, and they produce energy. As we age, the number of mitochondria in our cells decreases. This can lead to a number of problems, including fatigue, muscle weakness, and an increased risk of age-related diseases. Exercise can help to increase the number of mitochondria in cells, which can improve energy production and overall health.
Exercise reduces inflammation. Inflammation is a natural immune response, but chronic inflammation can damage cells and tissues. Exercise can help to reduce inflammation, which can protect against age-related diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer.
Exercise helps to control blood sugar levels. High blood sugar levels can damage cells and tissues, and they can also increase the risk of age-related diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Exercise can help to control blood sugar levels, which can protect against these diseases.
Exercise improves cognitive function. As we age, our cognitive function can decline. This can lead to problems with memory, attention, and decision-making. Exercise can help to improve cognitive function, which can help us to stay sharp as we age.
Exercise helps to maintain muscle mass. As we age, we lose muscle mass. This can lead to problems with mobility and an increased risk of falls. Exercise can help to maintain muscle mass, which can help us to stay active and independent as we age.
In his book Lifespan, David Sinclair concludes that exercise is a powerful intervention that can help us to live longer, healthier lives. He recommends that people get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week.
Supplements for more good years in prosperity
In his book, Sinclair discusses the potential benefits of various supplements for longevity. I’ll insert some of the supplements that he recommends below, but as this is a new endeavor, I’m not yet ready to dive deep on either. But suffice it to say that my digital footprint now has me bombarded with supplement ads.
Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN): NMN is a precursor to NAD+, a molecule that is essential for cellular function. Sinclair believes that NMN can help to extend lifespan by increasing NAD+ levels in cells.
Resveratrol: Resveratrol is a compound found in red wine and other foods. It has been shown to have a number of beneficial effects, including reducing inflammation and protecting against cancer. Sinclair believes that resveratrol can help to extend lifespan by activating sirtuins, a class of proteins that are involved in regulating aging.
Folate: Folate is a B vitamin that is essential for cell growth and repair. Sinclair believes that folate can help to extend lifespan by protecting against DNA damage.
Metformin: Metformin is a drug that is used to treat type 2 diabetes. It has also been shown to have a number of beneficial effects, including reducing insulin resistance and inflammation. Sinclair believes that metformin can help to extend lifespan by activating sirtuins.
So there you have it – a small first step into what will surely be continued focus here at eu.vc: the science and marriage of eternal wealth and eternal health.
We may all be forced to eagerly wait for those VC returns to grace us with their presence, but we don’t have to sit idly by twiddling our thumbs.
Rather, it seems to make sense to also spend some energy trying to extend the time we’ll be around to enjoy it.
That together with creating good healthy families and friendships to enjoy it with seems to be the most meaningful activities we can dedicate ourselves to over the next ten, twenty, thirty years.
Stay tuned. Hopefully for the next decades to come 🙏
When did you last adapt your portfolio model? 📊
Portfolio construction is something that everyone pays a lot of attention to when they're raising a fund. Once they've raised the fund, that spreadsheet never gets opened again. Until you’re raising the next fund of course.
Anubhav Srivastava, EUVC #196
Before leaving you, I wanna point your attention to our latest episode on the podcast with Anubhav Srivastava, CEO of Tactyc and encourage you to check out their portfolio construction solution for VCs as well as the Tactyc content center - a good starting point would be the below video on how to use your venture fund forecast to manage investments.
I must say, getting to know the Tactyc platform through the work associated with the production of our episode with Anubhav, we’re now super excited users of the platform and can warmly recommend giving it a spin.
You can also book a demo directly with Anubhav here 📅.
