“Follow the trend lines, not the headlines.”
Venture capitalists live to find the next big thing. You can’t do this without constantly following the latest trends.
In this article, we’ll cover how to stay up-to-speed on the trends that matter so you can make calculated bets when it counts.
One of the best ways to stay updated on the latest industry trends and emerging technologies is by reading industry publications and resources. The publications you want to read are not the same ones read by the mainstream media.
The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, and Techcrunch are good sources of information for the average person, but you aren’t going to find any new information from reading the same things as everybody else. You need to niche down.
Some of our favorite places to find new trends include:
Curated news alerts help you monitor when certain topics are mentioned or written about online.
Some popular news alert and subscription services include:
The internet is massive, and if you want to find useful information, you have to filter down and surround yourself with other people in similar positions as you. We’re big fans of online communities, and there are plenty of places to find your tribe of people to talk trends with.
Pro tip: Use the Hive Index to find relevant communities to join.
Finally, leveraging social media and industry influencers is another effective way to stay updated on the latest industry trends and emerging technologies.
If you want to actually find signal, you will need to find it on Twitter or by subscribing to the right newsletters. This is easier said than done, but we try to help Confluence members by providing our favorite follows in a massive database shown below.
Some popular industry influencers include:
There you have it. If you want to be a VC, you HAVE to stay up-to-date with trends.
Here’s what you can do:
By doing all this, you’ll be able to stay in the loop, be on top of the latest developments, and make informed bets when it matters.
