Did you know there’s a cultural wave right now: “2026 is the new 2016?” Between Y2K filters returning to TikTok and Disney+ launching vertical video for Gen Alpha, we’re craving something pre-AI saturation – when digital connection felt communal, not engineered. The “Yuppie 2.0” era is here, fueled by AI companions but hungry for genuine human experiences.
This resonates with what I saw on the Ganas Global Tour. After 11 countries – from Bangalore’s tech hubs to Dubai’s talent corridors – the pattern is unmistakable: AI stopped being special. It’s baseline now, like having a website. The advantage shifted from those with access to those who execute. And so, it made sense to us to invest in Leracom AI, a pre-seed Latin American team automating contact centers with self-learning AI agents. Six-figure revenue in under a year, 70% monthly growth, 85% profit margins. Wow.
🍉 Lolita Taub, GP at Ganas Ventures | X | LinkedIn
Ganas Ventures invests $100K checks into early-stage startups.
Featured in Forbes, Nasdaq, Techcrunch, and more
Congrats
Leracom AI (port co) closed $950K pre-seed with Ganas Ventures, Weboost Ventures, Semilla Ventures, and 99 Startups Fund. Shappi (port co) doubled revenue in Q4 2025. Avify (port co) started 2026 with cash collection up 57.5% MoM. Zócalo Health (port co) scaled to support 8 major health plans via a PATH CITED Grant from California DHCS. The Swarm (port co) boosted enterprise network intelligence by 2x, increasing conversion rates from call to opportunity.
Events
“Outcome-as-a-Service” Office Hours: Join me to discuss corridor-based execution and how to build for the new venture map.
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Founders Session: Feb 4 | Raising feels harder. Is it me or the market?
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Investors Session: Feb 18 | How do you evaluate founders when there’s barely any data?
Investors
Taghash | 12 Essential Criteria for Emerging Managers in 2026
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LPs (the people who invest in funds) are done with hand-waving. They’re rebuilding your entire fund model from scratch to see if you can actually return their money over 10-12 years. Show realistic projections, not just optimistic ones.
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Saying you’re “hands-on” with founders means nothing anymore. You need to document 3-5 specific wins: closed a key hire, brought in a customer, arranged bridge funding. Specifics matter.
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How you personally fund your stake matters more than you think. Investors want to see real dollars from your pocket, not clever fee structures that offset your commitment.
Cambridge Associates | 2026 Private Markets Outlook: Power Law Reality
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Here’s the reality: nearly 90% of venture returns come from just the top 10% of companies. This means picking the right fund managers isn’t just important – it’s pretty much everything.
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Big institutions (think pension funds) are pulling back hard; they’re only raising one-third of what they did in 2021. The gap? Individual investors and family offices are stepping in, which actually creates an opening if you know where to look.
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The exit playbook is changing: instead of waiting for IPOs, funds are using secondaries and continuation vehicles to get cash back to investors. We’re talking 20%+ of distributions happening this way in 2026.
TechCrunch | What’s Ahead for VCs in 2026: A Clearing Event
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If you’re raising Fund I or Fund II, this is your make-or-break year. University endowments and big pensions are in “repair mode” and sticking with proven managers—there’s way less tolerance for new or undifferentiated funds.
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Family offices aren’t just writing checks anymore—they’re demanding direct access to deals and special terms. They’re becoming the new power players in venture.
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Cash is coming back through M&A and secondary sales, not IPOs. One investor had 12 exits in 2025, all through acquisitions or secondaries. The liquidity toolkit is broader now.
Startup-Investor Matching Tool | Investors: meet thesis-aligned founders
Founders
Qubit Capital | What Investors Want in 2026: The New Rules
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Being lean is your advantage now, not your weakness. Investors want founders who can do more with less, not founders who need to raise huge rounds to function.
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Show traction before you pitch. Investors want to see 3+ months of customers actually staying and paying, not just a polished deck and vision. Moving trains get funded, not parked ones.
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Have a Plan B for when AI gets cheap. If OpenAI or another big player makes your AI tool free tomorrow, how does your business survive? Better have an answer ready.
StartUs Insights | 14 Global Startup Trends for 2026
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Bootstrapping is having a moment; it jumped 57% in 2025. More founders are choosing to keep control and grow at their own pace rather than chase huge valuations and give up equity.
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You don’t have to sell equity to grow anymore. Revenue-based financing (borrow against your future revenue) is going mainstream through platforms like Capchase and Clearco. The market’s growing to $178B by 2033.
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Venture debt is becoming normal, not exotic. Think of it as borrowing money to extend your runway between funding rounds, without diluting your ownership. We’re talking $27.8B annually in the US now.
Crunchbase | LATAM Startup Funding Rebounds in 2025
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Mexico is heating up right now. Successful founders from companies like Nubank and Rappi are starting their next thing, and global talent is moving to Mexico City because the cost-quality ratio is unbeatable.
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Brazil basically built a cheat code for startups: instant payments (Pix), digital ID (Gov.br), and open banking mean you skip a lot of the friction American founders deal with. It’s infrastructure, not hype.
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The funding gap is massive, which means the opportunity is massive. Brazilian businesses get way less credit than US businesses (32% of GDP vs 73%). That gap is your opening.
Startup-Investor Matching Tool | Founders: get intros to investors that get you
Money
Amber Grants for Women | Women founders: apply for $10K by Feb 28
AAUW Career Development Grant | Women founders: apply for $8K by March 1
Shophand Small Biz Boost | Tech-enabled businesses: apply for $5K by April 1
CodeLaunch LATAM 2026 | LATAM startups: apply for $50K-$100K by May 10
Ganas Ventures | Pre-seed & seed founders: apply for $100K
Breva Thrive Grant | Impact founders: apply for $5K quarterly grants
HBF Grant | BILPOC founders: apply for $25K in free legal services
Workers Lab | BIPOC women: apply for $200K
Power Forward | New England founders: apply for $25K
The Freed Fellowship Grant | Underrepresented entrepreneurs: apply for $500
NASE Growth Grants | Small business owners: apply for $4K
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