Posts
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Elections & Technology Implications
Welcome to Week 1 of 2024. In today’s world, every headline you come across is echoing a year characterized by volatility, and this is not without reason. A staggering $44 trillion in GDP is undergoing elections this year, representing approximately half of the global economy. This situation underscores the significant impact of our increasingly precarious...
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2023 Year in Review
As we close the chapter on 2023 we wanted to reflect on the massive shifts that have shaped the venture landscape this year, how Conversion Capital has navigated these turbulent times, and what themes and technologies we are most focused on in the new year. The pandemic of 2020, and the subsequent three years of...
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“Empty Bins” and the US Defense Industrial Base
On a recent trip to London, I once again toured the Churchill War Rooms. Hidden beneath the streets of Westminster, the historic underground complex that housed the British government command center throughout the Second World War is a must see. The 1940s were truly a chaotic time in history, yet there was no denying the...
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The New Gold Rush in Mortgage Technology?
Economists anticipate that higher rates might prevail for a longer duration than we expect, with their impact only mitigated by a deterioration in consumer credit, leading to an economic slowdown and a reaction by the Fed – arguably the best of worst-case scenarios. Market dislocations, such as the ones we’re currently witnessing, often give rise...
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Labor Unions and Automation
Technology innovation has found its unlikely ally In periods of increased inflation and economic uncertainty, profit margins contract, the value of purchasing power declines, and there’s an amplified demand for cost-of-living adjustments. Such conditions lead to a delicate balance between maintaining business viability and safeguarding employees’ purchasing power. Consequently, the escalation in labor union activities...
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America’s Decoupling
Throughout history, large macro corrections often spur transformative changes in policy, technology, and society. These changes act as a disruptive reset and are typically followed by a rapid acceleration to a new normal. Economic recoveries following a crisis however do not follow a linear path, as demonstrated in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis...
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National Security: The Evolving Security Threat and Opportunity
National Security Observations National Security was initially conceived as a protection against military attack. It has evolved in significance over the years to include economic independence, border security, crime, energy, manufacturing, cyber, logistics, capital markets, and our industrial supply chain to name a few. Events like 9/11 kicked off an era of cloud innovation and investment unlike...
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Our Investment in Pylon
The mortgage industry is entering a new era of restructuring, following one of the greatest housing booms we have seen in a generation. During this time, we will witness a consolidation of industry players, wide-scale adoption of new technologies and processes, and an increase in efficiency which will largely benefit the borrower. There will...
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Announcing Fund III
Since Conversions inception, our ambitions have always been long term. Long term thinking, long term relationships, and long term investments. To that end, we are humbled to announce the closing of Conversion Capital Fund III, an oversubscribed early stage fund totaling $122m. Fund III will focus entirely on seeding the next generation of breakthrough fintech...
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Join our Investment Team
Conversion Capital is a fast growing early stage venture capital firm with over $250m in assets investing in the transformation of financial services. We have made over 60+ investments to date including well-known companies Ramp, Blend, Qualia, Figure, Provenance, Dataminr, Vesta, Improbable, Wisetack, and Boost. We are a tightly knit group of former operators, entrepreneurs,...
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Our Investment in Vesta
When I started my career on Wall St trading mortgage-backed securities in the early 2000’s, I learned first-hand how the process of underwriting and originating loans had a major impact on the prices institutions were willing to pay for the collateral, and in turn, the rates which lenders were able to extend to borrowers (better prices, lower yields)....
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Congratulations Blend! (NYSE: BLND)
By: Christian Lawless Congratulations to Nima Ghamsari, Eugene Marinelli, Erin Collard and the entire Blend team on today’s incredible milestone. Blend’s mission is to create seamless customer experiences from application to close, making the process of getting a loan simpler, faster, and safer. Ultimately, the vision is to power one-tap access to all of the...