Newcomer Mailbag: Send in Your Burning Questions!
Get your questions answered in our first reader mailbag of 2025
We’re almost two months into the new year, and a lot has happened in the world of venture capital and startups since we had our last mailbag.
Founders from the OpenAI diaspora are raking in billions from investors to compete with their former employer and the Chinese foundation model DeepSeek sent the tech markets spinning. All the while, some of Silicon Valley’s most famous VCs are working with Elon Musk to radically change the size and structure of our federal government.
Here at Newcomer, we’ve had some exciting developments, too. We recently published detailed information on financial returns from some of the top VC firms in Silicon Valley.
Now we’re looking forward to our readers sending us thoughtful, provocative questions, like you’ve done before (here and here).
Ask Madeline and me about any of the VC deals or drama on your mind. For this reader mailbag, you can submit questions anonymously or put your name to them. You can pose an open-ended question or offer a short rebuttal to one of our recent pieces. You can ask us to chase down a fact or fish for our opinions on something. We’re happy to get a concise rant about something you’re knowledgable and passionate about in startups or venture. This is the one case where “I have more of a comment than a question” is actually okay! Better yet, send us a fully baked scoop or informed speculation!
To submit a question or an opinion, you have several options:
leave a comment on this post
send us a tweet @EricNewcomer or @MaddeRenbarger
use this Google form (especially if you want to submit an anonymous response)
respond by email — just reply to this post or email team@newcomer.co. (I will honor requests for anonymity even if it’s obvious from your email who is writing in.)
I’ll be posting answers to the best questions next week.
If the generative AI hype bubble bursts, how badly will venture capital funds feel the impact? With some of the wild valuations and smaller and medium-sized funds struggling against Titanic funds, the prospects do not look so great for a bunch of zombie startups left behind and a bunch of funds caught in the middle.
1. Are we seeing a quiet rebellion among limited partners (LPs) against VC firms that overpromised returns during the 2021 boom, and how might that reshape fund sizes or deal terms in 2025?
2. With the rise of Trump and MAGA in Silicon Valley, how are VCs navigating the tension between backing politically outspoken founders and keeping their LPs happy in an increasingly polarized climate—any deals already derailed by this?