wendell mccain

ASVLP 2026 | EMERGING FUND MANAGERS ROUNDTABLE Navigating the 2026 VC Cycle: Opportunities, Constraints & Competitive Edge for Emerging Fund Managers Raising and deploying capital as an emerging fund manager in 2026 is no longer about momentum. It’s about positioning, credibility, and structural advantage. LP expectations have tightened. Capital formation is slower and more selective. And differentiation is no longer declared — it’s demonstrated. At ASVLP — Africa Startup & VC Landscape Preview, this high‑signal roundtable brings together experienced investors, capital allocators, and ecosystem leaders to unpack what it truly takes to compete — and survive — as a new fund manager in the current cycle. This is not a discussion about starting funds. It is a candid examination of how capital is actually being allocated, where emerging managers face real constraints, and what separates those who scale institutional credibility from those who stall. Speakers Emmie van Halder — @/MPower Netherlands Varun Turlapati — Chaanakya Capital Abiola Adediran, MBA, FCA, FIMC, CMC, M.CIoD — GENEA FAMILY OFFICE Emmanuel Adegboye — Madica Mope Abudu — AfriGloCal VC Zachariah George — Launch Africa Ventures Amb. Dr. Dunston P. — Private Office of H.H. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Faisal Al‑Qassimi Moderator Maha M. — COREangels MEA The conversation will explore: • What LPs are truly underwriting in emerging managers today • Where structural constraints — not talent — limit fund performance • How new managers can build defensible edge in portfolio construction, signalling, and partnerships • What must change for emerging funds to graduate into durable institutions Who should attend Emerging fund managers, LPs, DFIs, and ecosystem builders focused on shaping Africa & MENA’s next generation of venture capital — with discipline, not hype. ASVLP 2026 Participation is FREE but strictly by invitation. To join: Repost and comment #ASVLP2026 — your registration link will be sent via DM. This Session is Powered by COREangels MEA

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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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My review of Pablos Holman's seriously probing (yet occasionally witty) book, Deep Future, about the core technologies that can transform key industries, in CTech by Calcalist. A must-read for any DeepTech investor or entrepreneur.

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Most cap tables are built to avoid awkward conversations. Andrey Kostyuk thinks that’s exactly the problem. I was at an investor roundtable organized by VNTR – VCs, PE investors, advisors, founders. A good room. Andrey, CEO and co-founder of AAlchemy Ventures, ran most of the discussion, and one point he made has been sitting with me since. He’s skeptical of the 50:50 co-founder split. Even thought it’s actually the most common structure between two founders. In his view, also the worst one. In almost every company there’s one lead founder, the person the business genuinely revolves around. And if that’s obvious to everyone inside the company but invisible on the cap table, investors notice. It’s not a groundbreaking idea, sure. But it’s one of those things that makes complete sense the moment someone says it out loud. The other number that came up, this one from someone at a local innovation hub: Tech now accounts for ~13% of Cyprus GDP. Nearly on par with tourism. Growing at 20%+ year-on-year since 2020. For a country most people still associate primarily with sun and favourable tax structures, that’s remarkable. Expat talent flooded in, pulled local talent up with it, and quietly built one of the more interesting entrepreneurial ecosystems in Europe. Good evening overall, thanks to the organizers. Even ran into a fellow Slovak, which is always a nice surprise :) #entrepreneurship #venturecapital #captable #cyprus #roundtable

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I’ve known David Meister for years and backed him at Sydecar, so I’ve seen his ability to build through complexity. Axiom Trust is taking on one of the most outdated parts of wealth infrastructure, trust administration, by pairing a regulated trust company with AI-native workflows. We're proud to invest again and congrats to the team on the launch!

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