Why Discipline During a Down Market Excites Nyca Partners fintech investor Jasleen Kaur
Plus an upcoming AI "open mic" and other events spotlighting Harlem Capital, South Park Commons and more
Investor Jasleen Kaur has been around the block. In her career, she’s packed in a lot of rich experiences that give her a depth of perspective beyond her years on technology and the financial markets. Her approach is informed by experiences including a stint at a startup, investment banking at JP Morgan, investing through CE Innovation Capital (a growth stage fund in San Francisco) and now as an investor in early stage fintech ventures through Nyca Partners here in New York.
Nyca Partners invests in companies that blend financial expertise with innovative technology, primarily through seed and Series A rounds. We learned a lot from interviewing Jasleen including how Nyca Partners draws on its extensive network of advisors to analyze and support its portfolio; how and why the influx of capital into the markets starting in 2020 skewed startup valuations; and how a fintech startup can stand out in a very crowded and competitive field. Read on or watch the highlights below.
Nyca’s Thematic Investment Strategy
Nyca operates with a thematic focus, where each investor specializes in a specific vertical. Jasleen focuses most deeply on wealthtech, employer and employee benefits, capital markets, and ecommerce enablement. Nyca’s deep dive into these sectors allows them to identify real industry pain points and potential solutions, ensuring they invest in the most promising startups.
The Startup Funnel Math
Despite reviewing thousands of startups annually, Nyca invests in only about ten. Nyca’s thorough due diligence process helps them filter through the noise to find companies with the highest potential.
A common issue they’ll come across is when startups focus on something that is just not as problematic as they assume. Nyca is in a position to analyze all the angles through its own deep research and support from its extensive network of Limited Partner Advisors - including the CIO of Citadel and the former global head of payments at Amazon.
The Market Boom & Bust Has Led to Discipline
Jasleen has seen the venture landscape shift, particularly following the pandemic. The huge influxes of capital into VC funds meant they needed to deploy more capital, while also trying to maintain the same ownership percentage targets. That meant the market invested more money into startups that therefore had inflated valuations.
Now the market is now returning to a place with more discipline among both investors and founders, who have to differentiate from competitors and focus on fundamentals like profitability. To Jasleen, this is really exciting - great startups like Airbnb and Uber were born out of recession times, and she expects to see another class of incredible startups rise from the need to do more with less.
Differentiation and Go-to-Market
In a crowded startup ecosystem, Jasleen stresses that differentiation is critical. Startups must offer unique products or excel in go-to-market execution. Even the best product can fail without a strong sales strategy. Additionally, having a capable and resilient team is key to success at the early stage.
How to Connect with Nyca
Jasleen recommends that founders work hard on getting warm introductions to investors. Founders who network strategically and secure relevant intros are more likely to connect with investors like Jasleen, who are constantly inundated with founder pitches. A strong recommendation from someone she respects will go a long way.
Founders looking to stand out should focus on strong execution, differentiation, building the right team and getting connected by the right people. With persistence, they might be able to earn entry into the Nyca portfolio, benefit from the expertise of the Nyca team and advisors, and partner together in driving the next wave of fintech innovation.
Upcoming Lynx Collective Programming
On Nov. 13, we’re hosting our first NYC AI Hack Showcase. This is an "open mic" night where 15-20 founders, engineers, and PMs will showcase their latest AI-driven hacks. Each participant gets 3-5 minutes to demo their project—whether built for work, fun, or as a side hustle—followed by a brief audience Q&A. Enjoy food, drinks, and networking afterward!
Here’s what else we have going on:
October 29 (11:30am-1pm) - Inside: Harlem Capital (Talk and Lunch): Harlem Capital is a VC firm on a mission to change the face of entrepreneurship by investing in 1,000 diverse founders over the next 20 years.
October 29 (4pm - 5:30pm) - Fundraising Pitch Deck Workshop: Refine Your Fundraising Story: Join us for a hands-on workshop where you'll have the opportunity to refine your fundraising pitch deck in a small, collaborative group setting. Get real-time feedback from both peers and investors as you work to sharpen your fundraising narrative.
October 30 (5:30pm-8pm) - Connect & Capitalize: Investor-Founder Mixer w/ Inspired Capital , Flybridge and AlleyCorp: During this mixer, you’ll have a chance to connect with the investment team at Inspired Capital (Kamran Ali), AlleyCorp (Susannah Shipton) Flybridge Capital and Angel Investors over drinks and food.
November 7 (5pm - 7:30pm) - Inside: South Park Commons: South Park Commons is a community of builders & technologists that specializes in helping founders build conviction in an idea - or as they put it "moving from -1 to 0. In this talk, we'll hear from Arian Agrawal (Partner) and Dylan Itzikowitz (Principal) on their unique approach to investing in founders and where they see the biggest opportunities.