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- Tariffs, Tech, and Term Sheets: Navigating the Chaos with Clarity
Tariffs, Tech, and Term Sheets: Navigating the Chaos with Clarity
From market shocks to defence signals, cap table gold to investor prep—this week’s edition is your startup survival guide.
Alex Leigh
April 10, 2025
🧠 Welcome
Hey Insider fam,
We’re back—with tariffs, turbulence, and tech in the spotlight.
This week, we unpack Trump’s surprise tariff pivot and what it means for startup markets and venture funding. From global volatility to private equity rumblings, it’s a week of sharp pivots. But amid the chaos? Clarity. Defence, consistency, and long-term thinking win.
We also dive into cap tables, investor prep, and why personal finances might just be your best entrepreneurial weapon.
Let’s go!👇
1. 🚨 Weekly Spotlight
The whole world is subject to a meme coin pump and dump scheme!
Trump just announced a 90-day tariff pause (excluding China), and it reeks of market manipulation. Billions were made today—but it’s just a pause, not a reversal.
Volatility might feel like a rally, but it's still chaos you can’t build plans on. And the long-term damage? Already in motion.
Oh, Donald. What have you done?
“President Trump created maximum negotiating leverage for himself.”
2. 📈 VC Perspective
Trump’s Tariffs Might Slow VC—But Defence Could Boom
Tariffs are tightening capital. LPs are spooked. But for defence, dual-use, and sovereign tech? It’s game on.
When geopolitics flares, generalist tech cools… but strategic sectors like cybersecurity, quantum, and space heat up.
Tariffs Will Hit Startups Where It Hurts
Expect rising costs in electronics, apparel, furniture. And that means trouble for:
Hardware founders (bye-bye, margins)
D2C brands (hello, supply chain rethink)
VC-backed consumer startups (growth delay alert)
Private Equity's Pullback = VC Slowdown Next?
Institutional LPs are rushing for the PE exits. Could VC be next?
With fewer distributions and tighter liquidity, venture capital might be in for a slower ride.
3. 🚀 Entrepreneur Corner
Officially the best cap table course online (and it’s FREE)
Get access to a 5-star course—just by subscribing to this newsletter.
🎓 Course Preview
✉️ Newsletter Sign-up (if you’re already a subscriber and need a new coupon, DM me)
Let’s democratise startup knowledge.
US HNWIs Are Bringing Their $$$ to the UK 🇺🇸➡️🇬🇧
So much for “UK capital is drying up.”
📈 Wealth is flowing into Britain, not out.
Watch The Pursuit of Happyness Again
Because sometimes you just need to hear:
“If you have a dream, you gotta protect it.”
Pure entrepreneurial gold. 🎥 Watch the clip
The Fundraising Checklist You Actually Need
Forget another investor list. You need:
Customer validation
A legit cap table
A real pitch deck
Practice. Lots of it.
Thanks to Tunde Adekeye from PitchDoctor for the inspo!
The UK VC Term Sheet Deep Dive You’ll Actually Use
🔥 588 term sheets. 27 law firms. HSBC’s new guide is gold.
Top takeaways:
🔎 Seed is surging (32% of all deals)
📉 Later-stage = more structured
🌍 Growth capital is going global
Got questions? Hit me up.
4. 🌍 Common Ground / Industry Trends
Lost Big in the Crash? Here's How to Reset
Suze Orman’s simple formula:
High-risk exposure = 100 - your age.
It’s not sexy, but it protects your upside and downside.
Let’s be smarter next time.
You’re Closer to Becoming an Entrepreneur Than You Think
The secret isn’t your pitch—it’s your personal finances.
Get out of debt. Free your mind. Take the leap.
Because wealth doesn’t start with millions. It starts savings, not debt.
5. 💬 Ask Alex
“Why won’t banks loan to startups? What’s VC really for?”
A solid explainer via Forbes using... LEGO. Yep.
Because if you can’t explain it to a 6-year-old, you don’t really understand it.
Want your question answered next? Hit reply or DM me.
6. 🛸 Detours
AI is being used to make... action figures of ourselves. 😂
Couldn’t resist. Picture nailed. Aquark Technologies text? Not so much.
@thetippytopblog Forget saving humanity – we’re using AI to make action figures of ourselves instead. 😅 I had to try out this new trend. The text in the im... See more
Thanks to Sara Banares and Julian Sng for the trend tip.
7. 🧭 Closing Thoughts
That’s a wrap for this week.
From tariffs to term sheets, personal finance to private equity—we’re here to decode it all and help you build through any market.
Here’s to reaching the Tippy Top—together!
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All the best,
Alex