Blog

Shot of Disruption

AdCap Returns To New York 17 October


The loudest band in the New York startup scene takes the stage Tuesday, 17 October 2017 at legendary Lower East Side institution Pianos. 

Joined by our brothers-in-arms Medio, faithfully Philly Old Scratch and Hoboken's favorite daughter Stephanie Turci, the doors open at happy hour and the tunes start shortly thereafter for a parent-friendly school night extravaganza of rock and roll.

PIANOS
158 Ludlow Street
New York, NY 10002

Link to map

This venue fills up fast - grab your tickets now.


Basking in the Sun - Fistbump

Official Statement From a19s Regarding Recent Leaks


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK -- Like many of you, we were shocked and discouraged by the recent "leaks" released to the media about Adventure Capitalists and the allegations they charge. After an extensive forensic analysis of our IT infrastructure and in consultation with our counsel and the US intelligence community, a19s would like to set the record straight about these leaks. This communication will serve as the only official comment on the matter.

First, the firm can neither confirm nor deny that we are releasing another record this spring. Investment decisions of this kind are information proprietary to the firm and critical to our ongoing success. Speculation about when the record will drop, the amount of premium shreddage it does or does not contain and/or potential chart topping track listings and sequences. Persons found to be spreading word about another Adventure Capitalists' record are unauthorized agents with no ...


Penny Royalties Flyer

Come As You Are This Halloween With AdCap's Partners


Like most New Yorkers, the partners in Adventure Capitalists will be steering plenty clear of Manhattan this Halloween. You can keep the $40 covers, $15 drinks and $2 Ken Bone costumes and come out to Queens to join an evening so soaked in 90's nostalgia, you have to mop it up with a New Kids on the Block beach towel.

The AdCap crew will be pulling out those unwashed flannel shirts and frayed jeans to deliver a night of tasty 90's tracks at the Let Love Inn in Astoria. First up, James, Kilian and Rob will be the backing band for Mary Ann and Ashley Doubt. A set of riot grrrl sisters swiftly teleported from Seattle circa '96, they will be shredding cords for Hole Lotta Doubt with raging interpretations of your favorite pre-fame Courtney Love and Gwen Stefani tracks.

The main event - the Penny Royalties - will feature ...


Kilian on the Phone, Blowing Up Deals

Kilian McMahon is an Adventure Capitalist


Here are a19s, we've invested around the thesis that knowing the future is a pretty fucking surefire way to make money. That's why now - two years after founding the firm - we are delighted to announce the first new member of our family. In the next hot talent that we brought to AdCap, we were looking for less of a financier and more a soothsayer. Someone who had a track record of foretelling the hottest new technological trends in which to invest; the voice at the table who was routinely two steps ahead.

James and I are confident we found that person in Adventure Capitalists' new digital prophet - Kilian McMahon.

I remember the first conversation I ever had with Kilian. We were having our Monday partner meeting at Tarallucci e Vino when he walked right up to our table and declared confidently, "I'm going to play guitar with ...


Crystal Ballroom Front

Adventure Capitalists Are Coming To PyCon 2016


Hackers on the West Coast, it is time to get stoked. We're thrilled to announce that we'll be playing at PyCon 2016 this month! Our set will close out the festivities of the first PyCon dinner in Portland's historic and stunning Crystal Ballroom. Tickets for the dinner and show are separate from the conference pass and they are going fast, so be sure you swoop them up with a quickness.

The night is going to be chock full of quality shenanigans. Brandon Rhodes is going to be kicking things off with his always raucous Python trivia, we've got plenty of guest stars lined up for the set, a bumper crop of brand new tunes, all of which in one of the most legendary venues on the entire West Coast.

PyCon 2016 - Day 1 Dinner

Venue: Crystal Ballroom, Portland OR
Date: 30 May 2016
Time: 6:30pm ...


Scrum Board

Adcap Demo Day - Brooklyn's Rock Shop 15 Dec 2015


While the rest of you wantrepreneurs are begging for ink on the last up round you are going to get before the long winter comes, your favorite fairweather financiers at Adventure Capitalists have been deep in our stealth accelerator this fall preparing something special. Continuing in our bold tradition of disrupting your paradigm until it hurts, we're proud to lock in the date for our first demo day.

15 December 2015 - 7:30pm

The Rock Shop

249 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215

Doors are open for accredited investors at 7pm with the party starting for the rest of the plebians at 7:30pm.

Expect not five, but possibly seven different songs.
Expect not one, but two special guests.
Expect mayhem.
Expect carnage.
Expect us.

We'll be announcing more in the weeks leading up to the big day.

Mark you calendar New York - you've never seen a demo ...


Heartbleed Nightmare

Sometimes A Relationship Can Feel A Lot Like An OpenSSL Vulnerability


At last, the long wait is over. This week we post the final track from our digitally recorded, thoughtfully afforded debut MVP. We've had a whole lot of fun over the past six weeks - thank you so much for being a part of our startup shenanigans as we aim to shake up an industry that hasn't rocked for far too long. 

This week we drop the final track that we send out to every hacker that has found themselves on the wrong side of an exploited relationship. When you put your heart into production, you're at constant risk of getting pwn3t - this one goes out to all of you who have found yourselves in a relationship that feels a lot like an OpenSSL vulnerability.

This one's called "Heartbleed."


LISTEN ON YOUR FAVORITE SERVICE

You can find the lyrics up ...


Steve Jobs holding an Apple TV

5 Ways Your Startup Can Be More Like Apple


On the limo ride home from Burning Man, I was talking to a set of fresh entrepreneurs on the problems they were facing. In between updating my Mattermark dashboard and updating my DraftKings lineup, I listened to some of their problems. Classic issues every startup founder has to face.

Competing for top shelf talent. Finding product/market fit. Landing the marquee reference customers.

After letting them yammer a bit, I slammed shut my Air and stared at them for a long moment.

"Guys," I said, "you know the firm's position on this."

One of the ones bogarting the Pelligrino in the back sighed and replied snarkily, "Let me guess Rob.  Be more like Apple?"

"Yes," I declared. "You need to be more like Apple."

"But Rob!" one cried, "I don't see how constant comparisons to a $650 billion consumer electronics company is supposed to help my 5-person SaaS ...


Listening Eagle

No Spoilers Allowed: A Love Song to the NSA


The penultimate track from our debut record MVP comes straight from our hearts and sent over a tapped wire to our good friends in the American intelligence community. Folks who may have heard our prototypical escapades a while back might remember the demo tape that started Adventure Capitalists with a love ballad called "No Spoilers Allowed." Our minimum viable record would not have been complete without revisiting the track and giving it a full band workup, complete with blistering honky-tonk solo.

Share with every spook you know and let them know how much you appreciate their vigilant recording in the name of our freedom.


Tasty links to consume what the government doesn't want you to hear:

Caught up on your TV watching and feeling bold? Scope the lyrics right here on Genius.


Bitcoin: Magic Internet Money

On the Disruptive Might of the Blockchain


During our annual firm retreat to Burning Man, we've had a lot of conversations about Bitcoin and the future of wealth distribution on the Internet. Clearly, we're on the precipice of a once-in-a-generation shift in the mechanics of moving money and it is obvious to us at AdCap the blockchain figures centrally in this trend. The macroecon implications of Byzantine consensus is...

Wait.

Fuck.

FUCK.

Guys. Guys, not cool. Okay - everybody put down your mimosas. Who scratched my Maybach?

FUCK. FUCK! WHO FUCKING DID IT?

Goddammit - this is not fucking funny people. Oh shit. Oh fuck - you can see it from three feet away. Look at it. Just look at it! That gash is wider than the spread on my goddamn natural gas futures. Are fucking blind? It's right there.

No, Steve, I can't just "buff it out." I just got it fucking armored last month ...