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As Women’s Month draws to a close, there’s a lot to look back on. At Wallet Max, we kickstarted our first Fundraising Mastermind and learned more about the benefits of empathy in venture capital with investor Adrianna Samaniego.

But while we look back, we are also moving forward into April, Earth Month. As a sustainable community, it’s so important to center planet positivity in the business community. That’s why the team is excited about New York Fintech Week 2026 and our pitch competition.

Before I forget: If you have colleagues or close friends in venture capital, they will love this issue.

Here, you’ll read about upcoming and past events, nurturing an AI-driven economy, the 2026 forecast for venture capital, and how to get invited to key meetings with decision-makers in your organization.

The next Fundraising Mastermind cohort begins on May 20th. This 12-week breakdown aims to help founders execute a fundraising plan based on tried and true principles. The commitments are simple: Register and set aside 6-8 hours a week for mastermind calls and investor outreach. Bonus: You get 2 coaches for the 12-week duration.

Participants benefit from guest speakers like Ishtiaque Mohammad of SowFin and Shaun Gold of OpenVC who provide practical insights on essential founder strategies and tools. For example, Ishtiaque supports our cohort through SowFin’s premium services such as VentureScope due diligence, secure data room, and targeted investor introductions.

Our fundraising cohorts leverage additional resources like:

If you’re ready to optimize your fundraising efforts for the 2026 market, sign up today or get more details on the Wallet Max website. You can also email the Wallet Max team at [email protected] for more information.

Wallet Max will be hosting a Fintech and AI Pitch Competition at New York Fintech Week on April 20th. Our diverse Startup Pitch Competition and Panel of FinTech Investors/Executives offer attendees a unique networking experience and best practices from innovators in deep tech, AI, finance, fintech, and adjacent sectors.

We are thrilled about our full panel of industry experts as judges and speakers who will not only review pitches but also participate in a panel on Venture Capital Investment Trends and Forecasts. These industry leaders include:

Sign up today and save your seat! Attendees can learn from the competing founders, too, such as:

Don’t wait. Sign up today to attend & network: luma.com/FintechPitchWM26

I spoke with Elena Sinel, Founder and CEO of Teens in AI to discuss how AI will transform education, skills, and opportunities for the next generation.

Elena is a multi-award-winning social entrepreneur and AI ethicist. She leads a global initiative active in 100+ countries and equips young people aged 13–18 to design responsible AI solutions.

Elena has worked with the British Council, UNDP, and The World Bank, and advised the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Artificial Intelligence on AI education policy and workforce readiness.

Through hackathons, learning programs, and global collaborations, her work prepares the next generation of ethical AI innovators.

In our discussion, we explored:

✅ How education systems must evolve for an AI-driven economy
✅ Why AI literacy must include ethics and cultural awareness
✅ What it takes to bring more girls and diverse talent into AI
✅ How young people can move from AI users to responsible AI creators

Watch the full replay of our interview below 👇

Our first cohort for the Fundraising Mastermind began on February 25th. With another month and a half to go, we are currently focusing on fundraising metrics, traction, and investor communication before jumping into outreach pipelines.

It’s been exciting seeing the founders in our cohort refine their abilities and grow their confidence during this fundraising sprint.

In my session, I presented my 12-week roadmap fundraising structure to help founders streamline the entire process, from market fit to capturing investment.

Read more about the curriculum and benefits of the mastermind here: getwalletmax.com/mastermind

Venture capital is changing. Liquidity remains a major concern in 2026, especially as geopolitical tensions weaken market stability and increase operational costs (and risk).

One thing that remains the same as last year is emphasis on AI. According to Pitchbook’s 2026 US venture Capital Outlook, AI startups have captured 65% of total VC deal value in the US YTD. However, the liquidity constraint mentioned earlier highlights the shift of VCs from taking a risk on new founders to looking at those with stronger track records.

Artificial intelligence startups aren't the only industry benefiting from the current climate. In 2025, there was a 75% increase in defense tech investments from global VCs. A longer report from Silicon Valley Bank notes that Europe and Asia are well-positioned to benefit from AI infrastructure and talent.

We may also see innovation drift from the United States. While 59% of the 100 largest US unicorns have foreign born founders, declining visa issuance leads entrepreneurs and VCs to find new offices for investment. Venture capital and AI innovation isn’t leaving the US wholesale, but when talent diversity isn’t supported, it’s likely fewer firms will remain in the country.

Overall, we are likely to continue to see AI growth in the US and abroad. Venture capital liquidity constraints and geopolitical instability will prompt investors to focus on quality and long-term value creation.

In the November edition of our Planet Positive Podcast, I interviewed Adrianna Samaniego, a Partner at Cherryrock Capital, venture firm focused on leading an and co-leading Series A & B rounds in underinvested founding teams. At Cherryrock, Adrianna applies her extensive experience to support the best emerging technology startups in scaling from $1M to $100M+.

​Prior to Cherryrock, Adrianna was a Partner at Female Founders Fund (FFF), a leading early-stage fund investing in female-founded technology companies across B2B, Healthcare, Climate, and Enterprise SaaS. In this role, she managed the investment team and led over twenty-five investments in rapidly growing female-led startups. Additionally, Adrianna was instrumental in establishing and managing the FFF Scout Program, which targets early-stage Black, Latine, and Indigenous female founders, as well as the FFF Entrepreneur in Residence program and the FFF MBA Program. Her investment acumen and dedication to fostering diversity in tech drive her approach to building category-defining businesses.

In this Planet Positive Podcast, Adrianna discussed her background and passion for creating a ladder for diverse women-founders, as well as her “secret sauce” in investing.

“One of the main reasons for my success is empathy,” notes Adrianna. “It’s really important nowadays. There’s no one-size-fits-all for what a VC looks like in terms of experience. Empathy, along with pattern-breaking investing discipline, and authenticity, has allowed me to really connect with founders immediately.”

Adrianna lends her expertise to talk about differences between Series C and Series A investing, opportunities for AI-native business, and more. Watch the replay below 👇

The podcast is hosted by Wallet Max Founder & CEO Bhuva Shakti, and is for anyone interested in learning from investors and founders shaping thoughtful, practical solutions.

Want more than advice from investors? Check out our full podcast library, updated at the end of the month, every month.

The Planet Positive Hub offers startups from pre-seed through late-stage founders a number of benefits such as access to:

It’s challenging to run a startup on your own. Join our supportive network and create with community.

Get involved with Emerald Summit (Sept 2026) here: getwalletmax.com/summit

🎯 Discover all of our events and how you can get involved with the virtual and in-person community initiatives: getwalletmax.com/events

Mundi Ventures Announces LatAm Fund I

VC firm Mundi Ventures announced the closing of Mundi Ventures LatAm Fund I, a $100 million venture capital fund backing the next generation of technology-driven companies across Latin America and the Caribbean. The fund will invest in early-growth, AI-first companies across fintech, insurtech, healthtech, climate, and adjacent sectors.

Cloudberry Ventures Raises €50M To Back AI

London-based venture firm Cloudberry Ventures has launched a new €50 million fund to invest in deeptech startups. Led by founding partner Mahir Sahin, the firm will invest from seed to Series A across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia, with a strong emphasis on infrastructure-layer innovations.

Air Street Capital’s $232M Fund Is Now Europe’s Biggest Solo GP Raise

Air Street Capital announced the close of its third fund at $232 million, a figure that makes it the largest solo GP venture fund ever raised in Europe. Fund III will write initial cheques of $500,000 to $15 million for early-stage companies in North America and Europe, with a small allocation for growth-stage investments of up to $25 million.

Investing Associate - Capital One

Capital One Ventures is hiring an investing associate to manage sourcing, execution, business development, portfolio monitoring, and cultural operations. Basic qualifications include a bachelor’s degree or military experience with 3 years of experience in finance, strategy or technology or a combination of the three. This is an office position in New York, NY with a salary range of $179K - $205K.

Senior Associate - CVS Health Ventures

This NYC/San Francisco remote role requires 7+ years of healthcare experience in business roles-corporate development, innovation, venture capital/private equity or strategy and 2-3 years experience evaluating and supporting strategic relationships and/or investments. The pay range for this role is $130K - $260K.

Associate - Northzone

This is a full-time, on-site role in New York City. As a member of the investment team, you would be a full-stack investor role across sourcing, diligence, networking, thesis building, and portfolio support. Northzone is looking for an early-stage investor with 1-3 years of experience who thrives on networking and analytics.

Discover more funding and hiring opportunities in our online member-only community.

If you’re not in the room, you’re on the line.

I was often excluded early in my career, not maliciously, but because key decision-makers didn’t always understand the value of including people who build the underlying systems. Our labor was a line-item, not a competitive advantage or risk management technique.

Exclusion doesn't just isolate, it exposes. When you’re not in the room, you can’t defend your work. You can’t steer the direction. You can’t protect your people. And when something goes wrong, you’re the easiest one to blame. That’s what I mean when I say: If you’re not in the room, you’re on the line.

Over time, I learned to build relationships that got me into the room. I found those rare people who don’t just help you succeed, but be seen. Now, I try to be that for others. I scan every project and ask: Who’s missing? Who should be here but isn’t yet invited?

You can also audit your “rooms”, identify mentors, and create a ladder for the next generation.

In my upcoming book on risk, Everyday Risk Wisdom: Your Risk Management Guide to Thrive in a Complex World as an Overlooked Business Leader, I cover a variety of lessons from my career.

In “If you’re not in the room, you’re on the line” lesson from my book, I delve into how access is about outcomes.

Explore my book website below and get notified when this lesson is available for free!

In this reflection quiz, I wanted to highlight some potential strategies for combining reflections with risk management and hard data.

How can we make our meetings and decision-making rooms more inclusive? It can be helpful to think about what we might try to do to break the barrier. Which of the following strategies would you focus on to be seen:

Read the lesson for my “If you’re not in the room, you’re on the line” action steps. Explore my book website below and get notified when this framework is available for free!

Moving into Earth Month, we will be closer to wrapping up the first Fundraising Mastermind and starting the second cohort (launch is May 20th). Our Pitch Competition during NY Fintech Week on April 20th will feature stellar investors and founders that are accelerating innovation in tech and finance.

Our events aren’t only great for investors to find good deals, but for talent to discover job openings.

When it comes to designing solutions that are people, planet, and profit-friendly, it takes a village. I hope to see you at our Wallet Max events, both virtual and in-person. And if you have any questions about our community, feel free to drop me a line.

Thanks for supporting us to build a better world!

Bhuva Shakti, Founder of Wallet Max and Bhuva’s Impact Global.