About
Sim Blaustein is a Founding Partner at 1745 Ventures. Previously he was a Partner at…
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Sim Blaustein shared thisVery excited to have been selected for RAISE 2026 on October 22 in San Francisco! As many of you know, Urs Cete and I started 1745 Ventures after spinning out of Bertelsmann last year. We are continuing our successful track record of backing early-stage, capital-efficient startups in Enterprise AI and the Media & Advertising ecosystem, now partnering with outside LPs. https://lnkd.in/gRJ4Y45q Hope to see you there RAISE Global
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Sim Blaustein shared thisThanks John Gannon for having me on your fundraise and capturing my rustic upstate office in full color :-)! I feel like we've grown up together in this ecosystem and in awe of everything you've built at Venture5.Sim Blaustein shared thisSim Blaustein spent years watching founders grind through their first raise. Now he's doing it himself, for the first time. He and Urs Cete just spun BDMI, Bertelsmann's venture fund, into their own shop: 1745 Ventures. Roughly 100 portfolio companies came with them. Bertelsmann stayed on as the 50% LP. Inside a corporate, the capital was just there. No LPs to court. No first close to chase. Now he's learning to raise from scratch. He calls it the hardest part of going out on his own. And yet: "My only regret is not having done this sooner." If you've thought about making that leap yourself, you'll want to hear the rest. 👇🏻
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Sim Blaustein shared thisCongrats to our founders Chris Taylor and Eddie Siegel and the Fractional AI team on their acquisition by Anthropic and Blackstone! We first backed them working on creator startup Xip and were excited by their amazing pivot just a couple years ago to build an enterprise AI services company. Can't wait to see what's next in this unique endeavor... https://lnkd.in/dFSxJjwYThe AI-Native Enterprise Services Firm Backed by Anthropic, Blackstone, and Hellman & Friedman Announces Acquisition of Fractional AI - BlackstoneThe AI-Native Enterprise Services Firm Backed by Anthropic, Blackstone, and Hellman & Friedman Announces Acquisition of Fractional AI - Blackstone
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Sim Blaustein shared thisExcited and proud of my dad, artist and illustrator Hank Blaustein who is exhibiting his work at a solo show in NYC in July! Link below for more info and to rsvp for the opening.Hank Blaustein: Drawings & Watercolors- Opening Reception · LumaHank Blaustein: Drawings & Watercolors- Opening Reception · Luma
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Sim Blaustein shared thisLooking forward to the conversation with the #Counter community. Thanks Patrick Eggen!Sim Blaustein shared thisWhat does it really take to spin-out a corporate venture fund? Later this month (April 21st) the #Counter community will host a very unique online event which will demystify this process. We are pulling back the curtain with the team behind Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments and the creation of 1745 Ventures: from early internal debates to the tradeoffs that shape a successful transition as an independent fund. Typically these events are only for CVCs, but we are opening this event to a broader audience this time!!!!! Please register here to attend - https://lnkd.in/gAMBuASK I will moderate the discussion with the 2 parties which made this spin possible: Sim Blaustein (Founding GP of 1745 Ventures) and Chirag Chotalia (anchor LP) for a candid, behind-the-scenes conversation as they walk through the first internal conversations to the moments where things get complex and got real! Corporate VCs, tap into #CounterClub for the full community events and resources: https://counterclub.vc/ cc Abbie Wolf, Mikey Kailis, Tanvi Narain, Joe Saijo
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Sim Blaustein posted thisDoing a few last college visits with my son Alex, who plans to study Civil Engineering or Urban Planning. He'd love to connect with current students and I'm wondering if anyone in my network can help. We will be at Cal Poly SLO, UC Davis and Purdue in mid April. (hat tip to Sean Atkins for the great idea I'm stealing...)
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Sim Blaustein shared thisamazing opportunity working with one of my favorite people!Sim Blaustein shared thisSUP yall! I'm hiring a Head of Startups for AWS in the UK & Ireland: https://lnkd.in/eXfdyr8w The UK and Ireland are one of the most exciting startup markets in the world right now, with toeholds in Recursive GenAI, World Models, Robotics, Computational Chem, Cybersecurity, Voice Tech, and on and on and on. This role sits at the center of all that, working with the most interesting founders at the moment they're deciding which cloud to build on...and, frankly, well before that. What good looks like for me in this role? A mix of large-company sales and GTM experience combined with time as a founder or exec operator at a startup. You need to know how to run a sales team and close deals — but you also need to genuinely understand what it feels like to be on the other side of the table. Bonus if you have a network in the UKI startup and VC community. If you are the person or know the person, give me a shout.
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Sim Blaustein shared thisA great piece by friend Rachel Weiss, who has been an astute observer of the intersection of tech and culture since the 90s https://lnkd.in/eFEjhrqsThe Adolescence of AI: What We Owe the Next GenerationThe Adolescence of AI: What We Owe the Next Generation
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Sim Blaustein shared thisFinally catching post-CES - an awesome time with many great highlights Urs CeteSim Blaustein shared thisAt 1745 Ventures, we were excited to continue our annual CES tradition post-spinout from Bertelsmann, hosting a group of colleagues from across the media company’s TV and music divisions. In addition to our brunch where we welcomed many friends from our network, it was a great opportunity to host our founders, other major media companies and many tech innovators for conversations, product walkthroughs, and working sessions to explore collaboration opportunities in the Bertelsmann ecosystem. A big thank you to the founders who shared their products, and to our partners and to colleagues from Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, Fremantle, RTL Group, BMG, and beyond for making the time to join us. CES is always an early indicator of tech trends in the coming year, and it seems even more certain that Gen AI will have a major role to play in everything from video creation to marketing to re-inventing existing workflows. It was great to spend time with partners and presenters from across Big Tech, portfolio companies, and emerging startups shaping the future of media, advertising, and AI — including teams from Amazon Web Services (AWS), Adobe, OpenAI, ElevenLabs, Antenna, boostr, Rembrand, TollBit, Fairground, Spikerz Security, and Intangible. Additionally it was great to hear the perspectives and candid conversations from thought leaders, including Terence Kawaja, Rich Greenfield, and Hernan Lopez, whose insight was invaluable in assessing the trends facing the media industry. Special thanks to Rhys Nölke, Sebastian Strugholtz, Carsten M. and their team! This is how we like to work: close to founders, alongside operators, and grounded in real product conversations. Looking forward to continuing this momentum in the months ahead and with other partners in the media ecosystem.
Sim Blaustein commented on a post
2w
looks like Rubirosa
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Sim Blaustein liked thisSim Blaustein liked thisBeing a teacher has it's downside - pay isn't great, society dumps on you and you're way overworked but one of the best rewards is getting able to see former students turned friends and getting to meet their families. Especially when travelling.
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Sim Blaustein liked thisSim Blaustein liked thisI never put the most important job I ever had on my LinkedIn profile. I've built companies. Sold companies. Made the Inc. 5000 a few times. But the job that changed me the most I never added to my profile. It started in 2008 at St. Lukes Hospital in NYC. I chased a nurse down the hallway the day my daughter was born. They needed to clean her. But I wanted to be the first to hold her. Protect her. Pure instinct. I needed her to know that I would always be there for her. 18 years later I dropped that girl off at her dorm at the The University of Texas at Austin yesterday. Watched her unpack her new life and stood there realizing something. The instinct never changes. The job does. Nobody tells you this about raising kids. You spend 18 years protecting them from everything. Then one day you hug them goodbye and your only job is to let go. I cried when I hugged her. I'm not embarrassed. I wasn't sad. I was overwhelmed watching her move forward. That's the only thing I've ever wanted as a parent. Before I left I told her a few things I've learned in business and life over the years. Be you. Never change. Your energy, your kindness, the way you make people feel when they walk into a room. That is you. Don't let anyone convince you to be someone else. Stop worrying about what people think of you. Most expensive real estate you'll ever rent and it pays nothing back. I spent years on competitors, clients, whether I belonged in rooms I earned my way into. Wasted energy. When you beat yourself up, pretend you're giving advice to your best friend. Talk to yourself the way you'd talk to her. You'd never be that hard on someone you love. Don't chase perfection. It will keep you on a treadmill that never stops. Chase effort. Chase showing up. Be passionate. That's how every good thing in my career started. Surround yourself with people who make you feel good. Lose the ones who don't. I learned this late. I let friendships slip in college I wish I'd held onto. Those people might have carried me through hard times in my career. The things that will make you happiest are not awards, titles, or material things. It's the people next to you. Friends. In school, at work. I'm not writing this because I've figured it out. I'm writing it because dropping your daughter off at college makes you think about what really matters. We spend so much time building profiles and chasing the next title. Work matters. It gives you purpose and self worth. But I watched my daughter walk into that dorm room and it hit me. The most important job I have you will never see on my LinkedIn profile. It's not CEO or founder. It's Dad. Knowing I can play a small part in making it possible for her to do more than I did. That's real legacy. Not the companies. Not the deals. Not titles. Her. To Mia and every person starting your next chapter. Trust your heart. The world doesn't need a fake you. It needs the real one. Why not you? Audiencelift Amaze Media Labs
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Sim Blaustein liked thisSim Blaustein liked thisA tale of two cities. Both of my sons are in college as of this morning. One in DC, one in NYC. Nobody supervising either of them. We dropped the first one off last week and the second one yesterday, and the drive is identical both times. Carry the boxes up. Plug in the lamp. Hug them in a hallway. Walk back to the car by yourself. Some of you are on this road too. The kindergarten door where they don't look back. The camp bus. Move-in weekend. The last one out of the house. You spend 18 years getting them ready to go. Then you take one trip to IKEA and find out where you actually stand. We've still got 2 much more capable daughters at home, so we get a few more rounds of this. Wish him luck. Wish his brother more 😂 #CollegeDropOff #EmptyNest #Parenting
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Sim Blaustein liked thisA fitting way to bid farewell to the wonderful city of Edinburgh at the final Edinburgh TV Festival - Supported by Screen Scotland, discussing the role of Agatha Christie’s rich canon on BritBox’s success. With ‘Tommy and Tuppence’ premiering on September 15th and ‘Hercule’ next year, we are privileged to bring the Queen of Crime’s most ambitious adaptations yet to her most dedicated fans and new audiences alike.Sim Blaustein liked thisBritBox’s presence at Edinburgh TV Festival - Supported by Screen Scotland shone a spotlight on the Queen of Crime. “Agatha Christie: Adapting an Iconic Storytelling Brand for Modern Audiences” explored the mystery writer’s enduring appeal and how BritBox and its creative partners are reimagining her iconic stories for audiences today. Robert Schildhouse, CEO, Direct-to-Consumer, BBC Studios, joined by Jon Farrar, Chief Content Officer, Direct-to-Consumer; James Prichard, Chairman and CEO of Agatha Christie Limited; “Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence” writer and EP Phoebe Eclair-Powell; and “Hercule” writer and EP Benji Walters, discussed Christie’s timelessness, introducing beloved characters to new audiences, and the different approaches to adapting her work for the streaming era. Broadcaster and presenter Edith Bowman, host of “On the Box: The BritBox Podcast,” moderated the conversation. Festivalgoers in the room were treated to the new trailer debut for “Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence” and heard a candid discussion about the creative vision and plans for “Hercule,” a reimagining of Christie’s legendary detective Hercule Poirot. The first two episodes of the series will be based on the Agatha Christie novel “Lord Edgware Dies.” (Originally released in the US under the title “Thirteen at Dinner.”) BritBox Original “Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence” premieres in North America on September 15. “Hercule,” starring Edward Bluemel, is currently in production. #EdTVFest #BritBox #AgathaChristie #TommyAndTuppence #Hercule #BritishTV
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Sim Blaustein liked thisSim Blaustein liked thisEnvoy Equity Partners has a home in San Francisco. We wanted a space that felt considered and warm - a place for deep research, spirited debate, and building the firm for the long term. Come visit us in downtown SF!
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Sim Blaustein liked thisSim Blaustein liked thisThis past week, we dropped off our firstborn at college. Next week, she begins studying film and business at USC. This post isn't difficult to write because our oldest is leaving for college. It's difficult because my wife and I both went to UCLA - and we're die-hard Bruins. 😂 But beneath the UCLA-USC rivalry is something I wasn't quite prepared for. 18 years goes by really, really fast. When you bring your first child home from the hospital, you know intellectually that someday they'll grow up, leave home, and start building a life of their own. But "someday" feels impossibly far away. Until suddenly, you're standing in a college dorm helping them move in. If you told me 18 years ago that 18 years would pass this quickly, I wouldn't have believed you. Raising a child does something strange to time. The days can feel long, but somehow the years feel incredibly short. I tried to find a connection to being a founder. Maybe it's a little like watching the company you started get acquired - something you poured yourself into is ready for its next chapter, and that chapter no longer completely belongs to you. I'm not sure the analogy works. What I do know is that I'm equal parts proud, excited...and wondering where all the time went. For those of you with younger kids: soak it in. It goes faster than you think. And to our daughter: we're incredibly proud of you. Even if you are now a Trojan. 😂 Joshua Y. Lee, Mike Hsieh, Paul Yeh, Jai Choi, Kevin Chou
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Sim Blaustein liked thisWe've been waiting for this day a long time. Our vision was always to help use the Mednet to improve Clinical Trials enrollment. Today we launch the worlds best clinical trial search tool. 🚀Sim Blaustein liked thisFlashback to August of 2019, when my brother Samir Housri and I took the Amtrak down to Bethesda for a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Workshop. At the Workshop, we were asked to speak about Mednet's work to take on one of oncology's most challenging problems: clinical trial enrollment. Roughly 1 in 5 cancer trials close because they can't enroll enough patients. We had two theories… 1) Trials aren't top of mind in a busy clinic. Nothing in the day prompts a search, so it never happens. 2) When trials are top of mind, the search tools out there are clunky and slow. Sifting through eligibility criteria takes time and oncologists just don’t have it. So.. today I'm super excited to announce Mednet TrialMatch, a tool that addresses both. When trials aren't on your mind, they now find you. Relevant enrolling trials surface inside Mednet's community Q&A, when you're already researching a topic. And when you need to search, it works the way you'd talk to a colleague. Describe your patient in plain language and TrialMatch checks eligibility criteria to find the best-fit trials in less than a minute. As a radiation oncologist, I've seen what a trial can mean for the right patient. Sometimes it's the best option on the table, and the difference is whether anyone knew it existed. My hope is that TrialMatch means no one has to find out too late. Free sign-up link to try it in the comments. I'd love to hear what you think.
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Sim Blaustein liked thisSim Blaustein liked thisI'm excited to welcome our new Partner, Aditya Singh, a successful inception and early-stage investor. Adit brings more than a decade of early-stage investing experience. He's been involved as an investor in many companies, including four that had IPOs – Cerebras, Heliogen, Energy Vault, and ForgeRock – and four that were acquired – Seraphic (CrowdStrike), Phantom Cyber (Splunk), Skycure (Symantec), and Respond (FireEye). During his operating career, he served as the first product manager at Enphase Energy, joining before its IPO and helping scale the business, and also held technical leadership roles at Cisco. He is a great fit for our People-First firm, a technical operator-turned-investor who backs founders from inception and helps them build companies. Adit will invest out of our early-stage venture fund, partnering with founders building foundational technologies across AI hardware and software infrastructure, cybersecurity, and physical AI. We look forward to seeing him help founders build the future of AI. Welcome to the team, Adit.
Experience & Education
Languages
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English
Native or bilingual proficiency
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German
Professional working proficiency
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Spanish
Professional working proficiency
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Italian
Limited working proficiency
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French
Elementary proficiency
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