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The VC Playbook: How to Spot a Purple Cow in Crowded Pastures

By Barbara Tague, Financial Research Leader

The venture capital landscape is pivoting to a stage of accelerated capital deployment as investment periods narrow and macroeconomic conditions burgeon. With a crowded marketplace and a sense of underlying urgency, how do investors spot coveted startups in this environment?

In this playbook, we leverage insights from Harry Stebbings of 20VC to answer this question among others, including: What are the characteristics of successful early stage companies? Which unconventional criteria play an important role in securing deals?

About the Author
  • Barbara Tague, Financial Research Leader

    Barb is a Financial Research Leader covering the financial services segment at AlphaSense. Previously, she spent more than a decade at institutional investment managers and at a SaaS startup leading business development, content, and product initiatives.

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Tracking Key Healthcare and Biopharma Trends in 2026

This report tackles these issues and other key trends shaping the healthcare landscape in early 2026.
Title slide: Tracking Key Healthcare and Biopharma Trends in 2026 by Sara Mallatt and Sean Carmichael, featuring data graphs and medical icons.

Top AI Use Cases for Investment Banking

In this report, we explore how AI is transforming IB workflows by streamlining and accelerating intelligence and insights at scale.
Blue graphic for an article titled 'Top AI Use Cases For Investment Banking,' featuring white blueprint-style outlines of a skyscraper, dollar sign, and euro symbol on a grid.

Top AI Use Cases for Competitive Intelligence

This report dives into all the ways leading CI teams use platforms like AlphaSense to gain an edge.
Top AI Use Cases for Competitive Intelligence by Sean Carmichael, with a chess knight, currency symbols, and a magnifying glass.

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