Three Big Lessons Learned from the Upfront Summit 2019

Posted by Anthony Stames, Software Industry Marketing Lead
The annual Upfront Summit in Malibu, Calif. is big on Hollywood and political star power, but above all it is a chance for venture capitalists and emerging companies to share ideas.
Much of the most important work done at Upfront happens in casual conversations among the 1,000 invited guests, but the keynote addresses and fireside chats that make up the Summit’s formal agenda set the tone. Here are three major takeaways from Upfront 2019:
Raising Venture Capital is Hard… Even if You’re a Celebrity
Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were among many of the celebrities attending Upfront, and each had some sobering news about funding their business ventures. Paltrow’s fireside chat with Felix Capital’s founder Frederic Court touched on the ease with which she got potential investors to take her meetings, and her difficulty in turning those meetings into firm commitments. We know the rest of the story—Paltrow’s company Goop is now valued at more than $250 million.