Robb Doub

💡"Focusing on women-specific outcomes offers a real opportunity to create alpha by investing where competitors have not spent much time or capital, creating room for differentiation and early leadership." Kudos to Millie Nelson and BioXconomy for drawing attention to the positive impact of investing in women's health!

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Read more, below, from my peers at IQT about innovation and industrial need in an era of great power competition, underlying the importance of reindustrialization for domestic manufacturing. See link in post to learn more. #IQT #innovation #supplychains #reindustrialize #nationalsecurity #advancedmanufacturing #USmanufacturing

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I recently started analyzing growth rates across the ENR Top 400 over the last 15, 10, and 5 years. What stood out was the gap between the broader industry benchmark and Ediphi’s top enterprise customers. Approximate ENR benchmark growth rates: ~4–5% CAGR over 15 years ~3% CAGR over 10 years ~6% CAGR over 5 years Approximate average growth rates of Ediphi’s top enterprise customers: ~10–12% CAGR over 15 years ~9–10% CAGR over 10 years ~10–12% CAGR over 5 years Obviously software alone does not explain that difference. But I do think there’s an important pattern underneath it. The best-performing contractors tend to build cultures around continuous improvement: they stay curious they modernize systems they evaluate new ideas seriously and they create organizations designed to keep learning One thing I’ve learned over the years in construction technology is that tech adoption is rarely just about technology. It’s usually a signal about culture.

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Flare Capital Expands the Team, Again…  Ours is an extremely competitive business. In addition to providing capital, venture capitalists assist with recruiting, connecting portfolio companies to potential customers, and setting strategic direction. Great entrepreneurs have no shortage of investors with whom to partner. Therefore, the privileged position for investors is to flex on thought leadership and be able to draw on relevant prior experiences. As such, we could not be more excited to welcome Dr. Graham Gardner and Dr. Rochelle Walensky as Executive Partners to the firm. Flare Capital Partners

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🚀 🗞️ Big news for Florida’s startup ecosystem. New World Angels and Miami Angels are uniting to create a statewide angel network, aligning capital, expertise, and community under one platform for founders and investors across the region and beyond! This combination brings together 160+ members, deeper industry expertise, and a single point of entry for early-stage founders seeking truly “smart money” from engaged angel investors. It also builds on years of collaboration between the two groups and reflects how Florida's innovation ecosystem is maturing and scaling. I am proud to be part of this next chapter and excited about what it means for founders and fellow investors throughout Florida and across the wider startup community. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/efQSpXyf search.sunbiz 🚀

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This week Tulip Interfaces became Acequia Capital's 23rd unicorn company. When we made the first investment into Tulip in 2015, it was clear to Hank and I that we were early. It was going to take some time, but that massive legacy industries had no idea the amount of innovation and value was out there, waiting to be won by companies that could master software and machine intelligence. These observations and others led us to develop two investment theses we’ve been executing on since; what we termed “New Industrials.” Fast forward 10 years and the idea that a broader industrial reinvention is underway is now almost a given across the capital markets and leading companies. A movement has sprung up around us. It’s much more in vogue to back physical technology startups now, but most investors misunderstand what great ones look like, and how numerous the barriers to adoption are. We’re fortunate to benefit from a decade of lessons and insights from watching up close as incredible founding teams have built immensely valuable organizations, these include Stoke Space, Radiant, Formlabs, Atomic Industries, Applied Atomics, Harbinger, Dirac, Inc., Rainmaker Technology Corporation, AnySignal, EthonAI, Flow Engineering, Milvus Advanced, Rivelin Robotics, Adaptyv, KMB Telematics Inc., Tactian, Nimble Precision, sensmore, Hyperdrives, Ethos Space Resources, Antaris, TransAstra, Rightbot Technologies, Provectus Algae, Arctoris, Flexe, Coronal Technologies, Exapto, Visolis, Vorticity Inc., XENOPS AI, and many others. My takeaway from 10 years of investing in industrial reinvention is that we are still at the beginning. We have a long way to go and the next 10 years will move a lot faster than the last. Thanks to our founders for the continued trust and partnership.

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Building companies in heavy industry calls for a particular kind of resilience: sustained technical iteration, disciplined capital allocation, and leadership teams capable of executing as projects move into full-scale construction and operation. Rodi Guidero shares what that journey has required from our founders, and why the real measure of value creation is the capacity to build businesses designed to operate and lead for decades. 

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As founders scale, financial leadership needs evolve just as fast as product or team strategy. In this article, Jason Anglin does a great job outlining when a startup needs a fractional Director of Finance vs. a fractional CFO. And why getting that choice right can save both time and capital. Worth a read for founders approaching their next growth stage.

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Keiretsu Forum Mid-Atlantic, MDB Capital, and IPO Angels are aligning angel networks and venture capital partners around one goal: disciplined, syndicated early-stage investing that leads to real liquidity events. The 2025 conferences were just the starting point. Explore the press release for highlights, emerging pathways for founders and funders, and what’s coming in 2026: https://lnkd.in/gvqiJiu3

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South Florida's climatetech startups in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro area have made significant strides, raising $391.3 million across 11 VC deals in the first half of 2025. This achievement already surpasses the total funding of $320.4 million from 27 deals in all of 2024, as highlighted in Emerge Americas' report. In response to this growing momentum, Mana Tech is launching the Climate Tech Scale-Up Program 2025. This unique 5-week hybrid program is designed for growth-stage companies focused on addressing the world's most pressing climate challenges. Key features of the program include: - Global Testbed for Technology: Miami's distinct geology and climate provide an ideal environment to validate technologies that tackle climate issues. - Risk & Resilience: Solutions developed here can serve as blueprints for coastal cities worldwide, from Singapore to Rio de Janeiro. - Sustainability: Participants will refine circular economy models adaptable to various urban settings. - Global Viability: Success in Miami signals to international investors and customers that your technology is robust and ready for global deployment. The program will run virtually from November 3 to 28, culminating in a high-impact, in-person week in Miami from December 1 to 5. Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/eW28CJ4D For further insights, check out the Emerge Americas report: https://lnkd.in/e9f2m2FF

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Raising capital or investing in the South in 2026? For Valor VC's podcast, I just sat down with two courageous allocators who see the venture market from angles most founders never get access to: 💎 Chief Investment Officer Tom Weithman of VIPC | Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation and 💎 Managing Director and Wealth Advisor Beth Chandler at Cresset, recently celebrated by Barron's as the #2 RIA in the country in their Top 100 RIAs list this year. We talked plainly about what’s changing beneath the surface of venture capital in 2026—and why the South is no longer a “regional bet,” but a place where venture fundamentals are lining up. We get into: 💎 What disciplined AI investing really looks like--is it boom or bust? 💎 Why patient, regionally anchored capital is becoming a competitive advantage 💎 Whether venture capital (in the South or anywhere) is inherently predatory for founders and investors with integrity If you’re building outside the echo chambers or allocating capital with a long-term view, I know you'll find this candid conversation grounding and enlightening. Listen in--Links to Apple Podcast, Spotify and Google in the first comments.

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The PE fundraising boom wasn't a new normal. It was an anomaly. Nowhere is that clearer than in healthcare services. Capital concentration, depressed exit activity, and a structurally smaller pool of available LP commitments have reset the investment landscape across the board. In healthcare services specifically, Q1 2026 deal activity declined 16% year over year, with deal value down 23.3% despite several megadeals in the quarter. The weakness was broad: generalist and multispecialty providers, PPMs, and skilled care all saw volume declines. What the data doesn't fully capture is the inventory problem building underneath. Dental, mental health, home-based care, MSK, and dermatology each have at least 25 PE-backed companies with holding times of five years or more. That is not a pipeline. That is a logjam. And in a market where finding buyers is already difficult, with nearly half of PE executives describing exit conditions as challenging, sponsors are facing a compounding problem: assets they cannot exit, in a fundraising environment that is not forgiving of underperformance. The bright spots are instructive. Elder and disability care drew the quarter's largest transactions, including a $3 billion LBO of TEAM Services Group and a $1.2 billion take-private of Enhabit Home Health and Hospice. Demographic tailwinds are real. Strategic acquirer interest is real. But even in the sectors that are working, the underlying pressure is the same: 27% of PE executives report more underperforming assets this year than last, the third consecutive year that figure has increased. The market has reset. The question is whether the leadership inside these assets is built for what the reset demands.

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I spoke with Christien Louviere of BDE Capital about his journey from a $330mm exit to becoming an independent sponsor. Christien shared excellent insights for folks looking to partner with business owners, rather than buy sellers out completely. Below are a few of the topics we covered: - Why he moved from “zero-to-one” startups to a buy-then-build strategy - How Christien's background shaped a focus on growth vs. cost-cutting - Why 20–40% rolled equity is central to his deal structures—and how it builds trust with sellers - Using scenario analysis with AI tools to evaluate management teams and uncover hidden key-person risks - How to identify when a $3–5M EBITDA company truly has a middle management layer—or is still founder-reliant For anyone investing in or buying small businesses, Christien’s approach provides a fresh lens on growth, alignment, and deal structuring. 🎥 Watch the full interview here → https://lnkd.in/ekfkaiej 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/e86Agx6V

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What’s old is new. Funny to watch VCs flood back to out-of-favor business models—hardware-enabled software, marketplaces, consumer tech—which are now viewed as more defensible because AI can't easily replicate physical infrastructure, network effects, or brand.

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Unlocking Consumer Insights: Rwazi Secures $12M Series A Rwazi's recent $12 million Series A funding, led by Bonfire Ventures, underscores the growing demand for actionable market intelligence. At ElevenX Capital, we recognize that understanding consumer behavior is vital for sustainable growth. As investors, how can we support innovations that drive transparency and insights in market research? Let's discuss the future of data-driven decision-making. #investing #innovation #venturecapital #entrepreneurship

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Navigating Growth in Venture Capital 137 Ventures has successfully raised over $700 million for its two growth-stage funds, signaling a strong commitment to supporting innovative startups. This move highlights the increasing need for dedicated funding strategies that address the unique challenges faced by growth-stage companies. At ElevenX Capital, we recognize the importance of aligning investments with strategic growth trajectories. As we look ahead, what factors do you believe are key in determining successful investments in this stage? #investing #innovation #venturecapital #entrepreneurship

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Had a great time at DC Startup & Tech Week (Formerly DC Startup Week) moderating a panel with Scott Christensen (Chesapeake Bay Seed Capital Fund (CBSCF) , Faith Davis (Exelon) and Bill McNulty (NextEra Energy Investments), convened by the great C'pher Gresham. Here's a quick recap: 1) The panelists were phenomenal - a mixture of corporate, state and foundation-backed VC's all focusing on climate. They're actively funding companies across a range of sectors - e.g. nature-based solutions, energy + AI, water, etc. Point being, we were lucky to have experts with such broad purviews. 2) The current climate could be pushing at least some climate VC's to focus on software and move away from hardware, at least temporarily. This type of capital may indeed just be better suited for software companies at this juncture. It also reflects the fact that certain segments of the climate-tech market are just more mature than others - e.g. software performs best once the hardware and the business case around it are solid, then it becomes and optimization and efficiency game. 3) Founders need to target "must-solve" climate problems from the investor lens. In other words, yes there's a sea of climate challenges where startups can be additive. However, in this environment, few of these areas are attracting meaningful capital. There's nothing wrong with tackling problem areas that are under-invested, we need this in spades. However, for those trying to get capital in the door, realize the constraints that come with targeting problems that investors just aren't prioritizing. 4) Look to funders overseas. The EU, where so much climate finance, policy and general expertise has come from, could be playing a much more important role. I'd also argue that Gulf countries like KSA and UAE are going to be critical here too, not to mention China, of course. 5) We need mentoring and coaching to be at an all-time high. With so much uncertainty, networks/communities where both founders and investors can learn from/lean on each other have never been more important. The panel/audience was a nice microcosm of the types of support networks we need to be actively building. Big thanks again to C'pher, Faith, Scott and Bill, as well as the whole DC Startup + Tech Week team. Til next year!

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At Brightstar Capital Partners, we believe success begins with strong relationships built on trust, alignment, and a shared vision to help great businesses grow. While capital is essential, we focus on building long-term partnerships built through hands-on experience and a commitment to lasting value. Our investment evaluation process is grounded in sectors we know deeply. We focus on cash-flowing businesses where we see an opportunity to optimize operations and foster ownership culture, helping to grow the company better than it could on its own. Ultimately, we judge success by a simple question. Five or 10 years after we exit, if someone calls a founder or partner we’ve worked with and asks, “Should I work with Brightstar?” I want the answer to be yes. That is our definition of real value creation.

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