Dave Morin is Founder & Partner at Slow Ventures, the leading valley venture fund with investments in the likes of Slack, Pinterest, Evernote, NextDoor, Postmates just to name a few. Prior to Slow, Dave was the Co-Founder and CEO of Path, the social network that serves tens of millions of people every day. Path was acquired by Kakao in 2015. If that was not enough, he also spent several years at Facebook where he led Facebook Platform and Connect during periods of rapid innovation and growth. Today, he serves on the Board of Directors of Eventbrite, Dwell, and Hinge.
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1.) How Dave made the transition from Facebook and Path to founding Slow Ventures?
2.) As a new entrant to VC, how does Dave look to develop pattern recognition with founders and ideas? What is the most challenging element?
3.) Why did Dave, Sam and Kevin decide to institutionalise Slow for the 'club' to the structured fund that it is today? How did that change their investment decision making process?
4.) What role does network play in the value and operations of Slow? How do they look to increase the network effect to further provide value to their companies?
5.) What role does valuation and ownership play for Dave when investing? How does that change with the larger cheques?
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Dave’s Fave Book: The Alchemist
Dave’s Fave Blog: The Information
Dave’s Most Recent Investment: Perlstein Lab
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Dave on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Eve make 1 perfect mattress – made with 3 layer technology and next generation memory foam. It comes packaged in a beautiful box and arrives the day after you order. You get 100 nights to try it with free return pick-up – it really is the perfect mattress for everyone. Just go online to evemattress.co.ukand enter the code 20VC for £50 off. Everybody deserves the perfect start with Eve.
Cooley are the global law firm built around startups and venture capital. Since forming the first venture fund in Silicon Valley, Cooley has formed more venture capital funds than any other law firm in the world, with 50+ years working with VCs. They help VCs form and manage funds, make investments and handle the myriad issues that arise through a fund’s lifetime. So to learn more about the #1 most active law firm representing VC-backed companies going public. Head over to cooley.com and also atcooleygo.com.
Judith Elsea is a Co-Founder @ Weathergage Capital, one of the world's leading fund of funds with over $950m AUM. Prior to Wealthergage, Judith was Chief Investment Officer of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation from 1993 to 2001. As CIO, she directed a $2 billion globally diversified investment portfolio, committing over $600 million to US early stage venture funds and other private equity partnerships. She was also instrumental in the creation and implementation of the Kauffman Fellows Program, a global apprenticeship program designed to train the next generation of venture capitalists.
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1.) How Judith made her way into the world of LPs and what makes her think venture is such an attractive asset class?
2.) What gets Judith really excited when viewing prospective fund managers for potential investments? What differentiators does Judith look for?
3.) What are the most common reasons Judith finds for her rejecting fund managers for investment? What are they not doing and how can they optimise this?
4.) To what extent do LPs have a commitment to invest in further funds having invested in one fund? Are there any situations where this changes?
5.) What are the similarities and differences between fundraising for LPs vs fundraising for startups? How should the different elements be approached?
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Judith’s Fave Book: Patrick O'Brian
Judith’s Fave Blog: The Twenty Minute VC, a16z, Founder Collective
Judith’s Most Recent Investment: Felicis Ventures
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Judith on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Eve make 1 perfect mattress – made with 3 layer technology and next generation memory foam. It comes packaged in a beautiful box and arrives the day after you order. You get 100 nights to try it with free return pick-up – it really is the perfect mattress for everyone. Just go online to evemattress.co.ukand enter the code 20VC for £50 off. Everybody deserves the perfect start with Eve.
Cooley are the global law firm built around startups and venture capital. Since forming the first venture fund in Silicon Valley, Cooley has formed more venture capital funds than any other law firm in the world, with 50+ years working with VCs. They help VCs form and manage funds, make investments and handle the myriad issues that arise through a fund’s lifetime. So to learn more about the #1 most active law firm representing VC-backed companies going public. Head over to cooley.com and also atcooleygo.com.
Eoghan McCabe is the CEO and co-founder of Intercom. The customer communications platform that has taken the SaaS world by storm in the last few years with 116m in VC funding from truly some of the world’s best including Bessemer, Social Capital and Index Ventures. Prior to Intercom, he founded Contrast, an award-winning software design consultancy, and co-founded Exceptional, a developer tool startup acquired in 2011 and now a part of Rackspace.
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1.) How Eoghan came to found Intercom?
2.) Question From Andy McLoughlin: What were the biggest lessons from your previous startups?
3.) How did Eoghan find the early fundraising process? How did he come to meet his angel investors? How did he get them to look beyond the product and invest in him?
4.) Eoghan raised his Series B just 6 months after his Series A. Why was this so quick? How did he select his investors?
5.) What separates good from truly great CEOs? How has Eoghan seen his own management style changed over the Intercom journey?
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Eoghan’s Fave Blog: SaaStr, The Intercom Blog
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Eoghan on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Eve make 1 perfect mattress – made with 3 layer technology and next generation memory foam. It comes packaged in a beautiful box and arrives the day after you order. You get 100 nights to try it with free return pick-up – it really is the perfect mattress for everyone. Just go online to evemattress.co.ukand enter the code 20VC for £50 off. Everybody deserves the perfect start with Eve.
Cooley are the global law firm built around startups and venture capital. Since forming the first venture fund in Silicon Valley, Cooley has formed more venture capital funds than any other law firm in the world, with 50+ years working with VCs. They help VCs form and manage funds, make investments and handle the myriad issues that arise through a fund’s lifetime. So to learn more about the #1 most active law firm representing VC-backed companies going public. Head over to cooley.comand also atcooleygo.com.
Michael Skok is a Founding Partner @ Underscore VC. Michael started his first software business as a teenager, spent 21 years as an entrepreneur where he founded and recruited teams that attracted over $100m in private equity for investments in multiple software companies. Over the last 13 years as a venture investor. Along the way, he also mentored and taught for 4 years at Harvard as an EIR at Harvard Business School, and spent a year interviewing entrepreneurs on a “listening tour” before founding _Underscore.VC. Michael also started the most incredible education series, 'Startup Secrets', in collaboration with Harvard iLab, check it out here.
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1.) How Michael made his way into the wonderful world of VC with Underscore?
2.) From Michael's listening tour, what did he discover that entrepreneurs wanted in an investor?
3.) How did Michael present the innovative model of Underscore to prospective LPs? What was their response? What did Michael look for in the LPs he selected?
4.) What does Michael mean when he says you have to create minimum viable segments?
5.) How does Michael view market creation? What his framework for this?
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Michael’s Fave Book: Daemon
Michael's Fave Blog: Mattermark
Michael’s Most Recent Investment: Mautic
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Michael on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Eve make 1 perfect mattress – made with 3 layer technology and next generation memory foam. It comes packaged in a beautiful box and arrives the day after you order. You get 100 nights to try it with free return pick-up – it really is the perfect mattress for everyone. Just go online to evemattress.co.ukand enter the code 20VC for £50 off. Everybody deserves the perfect start with Eve.
Cooley are the global law firm built around startups and venture capital. Since forming the first venture fund in Silicon Valley, Cooley has formed more venture capital funds than any other law firm in the world, with 50+ years working with VCs. They help VCs form and manage funds, make investments and handle the myriad issues that arise through a fund’s lifetime. So to learn more about the #1 most active law firm representing VC-backed companies going public. Head over to cooley.com and also atcooleygo.com.
Ilya Fushman is a Partner at Index Ventures where he has made investments in the likes of Slack, Intercom, Dropbox and Optimizely. Prior to joining Index, Ilya was the head of product at Dropbox. As one of Dropbox’s first 75 employees, he helped build and run the company’s business and corporate development functions, before taking on a product leadership role and building out Dropbox, Dropbox for Business and the developer platform. Before Dropbox, he was a principal at Khosla Ventures and the Director of Technology at the solar cell startup Solar Junction.
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1.) How Ilya made his transition from Dropbox to return to the world of VC with Index?
2.) Does Ilya agree that to scale successfully you have to reinvent yourself every 6 months? Why does Ilya believe you must infuse an element of delight into the people side of the business? How can this be done effectively?
3.) How did Ilya and the Dropbox team look to effectively manage and scale the employee on boarding process with the growth of the company?
4.) Question from Lars @ Balderton: Does Ilya believe his extensive operational background allows him to get into deals he would otherwise not have been able to win?
5.) Question from Lars: Does Ilya believe an excess of capital is driving prices in the valley excessively high? Will we continue to see this in the coming years?
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Ilya’s Fave Book: Mikhail Bulgakov: The Master & Margarita
Ilya’s Most Recent Investment: Slack, Culture Amp
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Ilya on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Eve make 1 perfect mattress – made with 3 layer technology and next generation memory foam. It comes packaged in a beautiful box and arrives the day after you order. You get 100 nights to try it with free return pick-up – it really is the perfect mattress for everyone. Just go online to evemattress.co.ukand enter the code 20VC for £50 off. Everybody deserves the perfect start with Eve.
Cooley are the global law firm built around startups and venture capital. Since forming the first venture fund in Silicon Valley, Cooley has formed more venture capital funds than any other law firm in the world, with 50+ years working with VCs. They help VCs form and manage funds, make investments and handle the myriad issues that arise through a fund’s lifetime. So to learn more about the #1 most active law firm representing VC-backed companies going public. Head over to cooley.com and also atcooleygo.com.
Nick Weaver is the Founder & CEO @ Eero. The company that makes your wifi hyper fast, super simple and brilliantly efficient. Prior to founding Eero, Nick was himself a VC at Menlo Ventures where he worked with companies like Uber, Betterment, Periscope and Dropcam. Before becoming a VC, Nick co-founded StartX, the community for the best Stanford entrepreneurs providing them with the required resources to build the next generation of leading companies.
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1.) How Nick made the move from VC with Menlo to Founder and CEO @ Eero?
2.) How can founders identify nascent and attractive markets that are ripe for disruption?
3.) How did Nick approach the pricing mechanism with Eero? Why do hardware startups need to have a greater margin than software startups?
4.) Why did Nick raise 2 rounds of funding before the product launched? Why did Nick decide he wanted to own all the parts of the production chain with Eero?
5.) How does Nick view the competitive landscape for such products? How does he view large incumbents like Netgear, compared to smaller startups like Luma?
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Nick’s Fave Blog and Newsletter: Term Sheet: Dan Primack
Nick’s Fave Book: Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Nick on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Cooley are the global law firm built around startups and venture capital. Since forming the first venture fund in Silicon Valley, Cooley has formed more venture capital funds than any other law firm in the world, with 50+ years working with VCs. They help VCs form and manage funds, make investments and handle the myriad issues that arise through a fund’s lifetime. So to learn more about the #1 most active law firm representing VC-backed companies going public. Head over to cooley.com and also at cooleygo.com.
Ryan Sarver is a Partner @ Redpoint where he focuses on early stage consumer startups. He sits on the board at Luxe, where he led the seed and A rounds, and was an early investor in Memoir. Prior to joining Redpoint, Ryan was a director at Twitter, where he oversaw the Twitter Platform and its developer ecosystem. Before Twitter, Ryan was director of consumer products at Skyhook Wireless, which pioneered the Wi-Fi and cellular tower triangulation technology incorporated in the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, and MacBook.
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1.) How Ryan made his move into the world of VC?
2.) What were Ryan's biggest takeaways from seeing Twitter scale from 30 to 2,500? How does he apply those to his formative days learning the investing game?
3.) Coming from the hustle of operation, do VCs have enough hustle and grit in Ryan's opinion?
4.) What really is an EIR program? Why does Redpoint have it? What are the fundamental benefits? How do investors collaborate and work with EIR’s?
5.) Ryan has said before that AI is the next transformational platform. What does AI as a platform look like to Ryan? How does hardware and sensors integrate with this thesis? Why is it easier than ever to build these smart devices?
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Ryan’s Fave Book: Sapiens
Ryan’s Most Recent Investment: Luxe
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Ryan on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Tom Tunguz is a Partner @ Redpoint Ventures, where he has invested in the likes of Axial, Dremio, Expensify, Electric Imp, Looker, and ThredUP. Tomasz is also the co-author of Winning with Data: Transform Your Culture, Empower Your People, and Shape the Future, which explores the cultural changes big data brings to business, and shows you how to adapt your organization to leverage data to maximum effect. Before joining Redpoint, Tomasz was the product manager for Google’s AdSense social-media products and AdSense internationalization.
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1.) When did Tom perceive the true power of data for the first time?
2.) What is the biggest difference between a company that is data driven and one that is not? What are the inherent benefits and how can non data driven businesses become data driven?
3.) What are the best data driven teams doing to operationalise their data today?
4.) Adam Grant: 8% of job interviews are productive. So what structure can management use to ensure higher efficiency in the hiring process?
5.) What are the complexities and skills required for strong data analysis in today's environment?
6.) Data often leads to over confidence in decision making, how do you prevent illusion bias once data has been obtained?
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Tom’s Most Recent Investment: Dremio
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Tom on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Cooley are the global law firm built around startups and venture capital. Since forming the first venture fund in Silicon Valley, Cooley has formed more venture capital funds than any other law firm in the world, with 50+ years working with VCs. They help VCs form and manage funds, make investments and handle the myriad issues that arise through a fund’s lifetime. So to learn more about the #1 most active law firm representing VC-backed companies going public. Head over to cooley.com and also at cooleygo.com.
Adam Leibsohn is the Founder and COO @ Giphy, the company that brings you joy and laughter through gifs. Earlier this year, Giphy raised a phenomenal $55m Series C financing from the likes of General Catalyst, Lerer Hippeau, Lightspeed and Betaworks. As for Adam he is one of the coolest and most genuine founders I have ever interviewed and is so committed to the startup cause that at one point he went without a home to pay for the startup dream!
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1.) How Adam went from being homeless to the Founder of Giphy?
2.) What were the biggest lessons Adam learnt from his failed startup? When should founders know when is the right time to stop?
3.) Why gifs and why now? What has allowed for the spectacular rise of gifs?
4.) How has Adam created such a unique culture at Giphy? What have been his key learnings? What has worked, what has not worked?
5.) Giphy is now a cultural icon but how does Adam look to turn that into a massive globally profit making business?
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Adam’s Fave Blog and Newsletter: The Information, Dealbook
Adam’s Fave Book: East of Eden
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Adam on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Cooley are the global law firm built around startups and venture capital. Since forming the first venture fund in Silicon Valley, Cooley has formed more venture capital funds than any other law firm in the world, with 50+ years working with VCs. They help VCs form and manage funds, make investments and handle the myriad issues that arise through a fund’s lifetime. So to learn more about the #1 most active law firm representing VC-backed companies going public. Head over to cooley.com and also at cooleygo.com.
Brett DeMarrais is a Partner @ Ludlow Ventures, who have investments in the likes of ProductHunt, Sprig, AngelList and uBeam. Prior to joining Ludlow, Brett founded Wedit, a crowd sourced wedding video platform that reduced the cost of wedding videos and made them social. Within the first year of launching the company Wedit had won the top industry awards for customer satisfaction (Brides Choice 2012 and Best of The Knot 2012). Previously, Brett worked at Out of the Blue Entertainment.
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1.) How Brett made his move into VC and came to be a partner @ Ludlow?
2.) What do most VCs mean they say 'founder friendly'? How does Brett and Ludlow approach the popularised saying?
3.) How does Brett balance between being an investor and advisor to a founder and then being their friend and confidante?
4.) How does Brett look to balance the fiduciary responsibilities to his LPs when appreciating that the needs of the founder come before the needs of the company?
5.) Brett has previously said, 'car ownership will be a thing of the past'. Why does Brett think this and what does this mean for the car industry as a whole?
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Brett’s Fave Blog and Newsletter: Both Sides Of The Table, Dan Primack: Term Sheet
Brett’s Fave Book: Ready Player One
Brett’s Most Recent Investment: Gather
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Brett on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Eve make 1 perfect mattress – made with 3 layer technology and next generation memory foam. It comes packaged in a beautiful box and arrives the day after you order. You get 100 nights to try it with free return pick-up – it really is the perfect mattress for everyone. Just go online to evemattress.co.ukand enter the code 20VC for £50 off. Everybody deserves the perfect start with Eve.
Ben Lerer is a Managing Partner at Lerer Hippeau Ventures and co-founder & CEO of Thrillist Media Group. Ben was among Ernst & Young’s 2013 Entrepreneur of the Year Award Winners, Forbes list of “Most Powerful CEOs Under 40”, ” Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 5 Entrepreneurs of the Year,” and Silicon Alley Insider’s “100 Coolest People in Tech”. Ben is also an active mentor for NYC Venture Fellows, TechStars and E[nstitute].
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1.) How Ben came to found Thrillist and then join the founding team at Lerer Hippeau?
2.) How did Ben's mentality shift from investing angel money to the fiduciary responsibility of a fund?
3.) How does Ben view FOMO? How does he look to negate and contol his emotions when investing?
4.) How has Ben seen his personal pattern recognition change over time? How does Ben use data to further improve his ability of pattern recognition?
5.) Why have we seen the rise of direct to consumer businesses? Is it easier to build a brand today than in previous years? Will we see continued M&A in the retail world with the likes of Jet.co and Dollar Shave Club?
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Ben’s Fave Book: The Goldfinch
Ben’s Most Recent Investment: Everytable
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Ben on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Eve make 1 perfect mattress – made with 3 layer technology and next generation memory foam. It comes packaged in a beautiful box and arrives the day after you order. You get 100 nights to try it with free return pick-up – it really is the perfect mattress for everyone. Just go online to evemattress.co.ukand enter the code 20VC for £50 off. Everybody deserves the perfect start with Eve.
Cooley are the global law firm built around startups and venture capital. Since forming the first venture fund in Silicon Valley, Cooley has formed more venture capital funds than any other law firm in the world, with 50+ years working with VCs. They help VCs form and manage funds, make investments and handle the myriad issues that arise through a fund’s lifetime. So to learn more about the #1 most active law firm representing VC-backed companies going public. Head over to cooley.com and also at cooleygo.com.
Kathryn Minshew is the Founder & CEO @ The Muse, named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Media and Inc.’s 15 Women to Watch in Tech. Before founding The Muse, Kathryn worked on vaccines in Rwanda and Malawi with the Clinton Health Access Initiative and was previously at McKinsey. Kathryn has spoken at MIT and Harvard, appeared on The TODAY Show and CNN, and contributes on career and entrepreneurship to the Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review.
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1.) How Kathryn came to be Founder of The Muse following charity work in Rwanda?
2.) Question from Adam Quinton (investor): What is it about Kathryn and Alex's relationship that works so well? How do they deal with founder disputes?
3.) Prior to The Muse, Alex and Kathryn founded another business with 2 other founders. What did they learn from the breakup and how have they applied to The Muse?
4.) How has Kathryn managed to maintain startup ownership culture as the team has grown to over 100 people ?
5.) The Muse has now raised large Series A & B rounds. What were the lessons Kathryn learnt along the way and what would she do differently for the C round?
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Kathryn’s Fave Blog and Newsletter: The Atlantic, The New York Times
Kathryn’s Fave Book: Arcadia by Tom Stoppard
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Kathryn on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Did you know companies that regularly communicate with stakeholders regularly are 200% more likely to get follow on funding? Visible.vc is the leader in stakeholder communication & engagement powering updates & reports for over 1,600 companies including customers Amazon and Skyscanner. They integrate with apps you already use to run your business like Google Sheets, Quickbooks, Xero, Salesforce, Stripe and more.
Listeners make sure to check out visible.vc/20 to get an exclusive deal just for you and schedule a call with your own data analyst.
Jesse Middleton is a General Partner @ Flybridge Capital Partners. Prior to joining Flybridge, Jesse was an early executive at WeWork, one of the fastest growing and most valuable startups in history. He co-founded WeWork Labs in 2011, and ran WeWork X, M&A, startup investments, business and digital product development as well as inside sales during his five-year tenure at the company. Prior to WeWork, Jesse was the co-founder and CEO of Backstory, a venture backed startup. Jesse also has experience as a prolific angel investor having invested in the like of Fitmob (acq by ClassPass) YourTrove acq by LiveNation and inDinero, who you might remember we had Jessica Mah, Founder @ inDinero on the show.
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1.) How Jesse made the transition from operator with WeWork to General Partner @ Flybridge?
2.) At what stage does founder vision transition to become stubbornness? How does Jesse approach the situation of telling a founder when it is not working?
3.) How does Jesse's investment mindset shift from making the move from angel to VC with fiduciary responsibility?
4.) How does Jesse look to develop pattern recognition as a new entrant to VC? How important a role does mentorship play for Jesse?
5.) What are the characteristics Jesse looks for in a founder that suggest an innate problem solver? How does Jesse deal with problems when the 'shit hits the fan?'
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Jesse’s Fave Blog and Newsletter: Purple, The Skimm
Jesse’s Fave Book: Leadership & The Challenge of Self Deception
Jesse’s Most Recent Investment: Squire
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Jesse on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Eve make 1 perfect mattress – made with 3 layer technology and next generation memory foam. It comes packaged in a beautiful box and arrives the day after you order. You get 100 nights to try it with free return pick-up – it really is the perfect mattress for everyone. Just go online to evemattress.co.ukand enter the code 20VC for £50 off. Everybody deserves the perfect start with Eve.
Peter Pham is a Co-Founder at Science, the startup studio that helps incubate companies co-building them alongside CEO's, with recent companies like Dollar Shave Club (acquired by Unilever for $1B) and leading marketplace, DogVacay. More recently Science created created one of the top 100 iOS Apps called Wishbone. Peter has also helped his portfolio raise over $350M in that time. Previously as an operator, he led Photobucket to its $300M acquisition by Fox Interactive Media as well as CEO of BillShrink (acquired by MasterCard.)
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1.) How Peter made the transition from operator to company builder with Science?
2.) How does Peter approach the fundraising process itself? How does he instruct founders about the right ways to approach and enter the fundraising game?
3.) How can entrepreneurs determine whether a VC is saying not to them? What are the signs that an investor is genuinely interested?
4.) With 3,000 no's from investors, how does that affect Peter's mentality? How does he avoid the negativity surrounding a VC saying no?
5.) What are Peter's major learnings on how companies scale effectively today? How important are network effects to this scaling?
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Peter’s Fave Blog and Newsletter: Recode
Peter’s Fave Book: How To Win Friends & Influence People
Peter's Most Recent Investment: Handstand App
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Peter on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Sean Brecker is the CEO @ Headspace where he is the driving force behind all financial and commercial matters including overseeing the company's growth of it's product line which now has over 8m downloads. Sean was also instrumental in attaining the first institutional round of financing which included investment from the likes of LinkedIn's Jeff Weiner, Jim Breyer, Jessica Alba and Jared Leto, just to name a few. Prior to Headspace, Sean spent 15 years in banking with the likes of JP Morgan, Lehmann Brothers and Citigroup.
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1.) How Sean made the move from banking to CEO of meditation service, Headspace?
2.) Meditation can be viewed with some hippy stereotypes, how does Sean look to optimise the onboarding for new users and incorporate elements of education?
3.) How does Sean implement a strategy of habit forming within the users? In the words of Nir Eyal, how do we get them ‘hooked’? How long on average does it take for an action to be completed before it becomes a habit?
4.) How does Sean try and optimise the transition from free to paid user with Headspace? How does Sean try and remove as much friction as possible in the process?
5.) How has Sean seen the growth of the health and wellness space over the last few years? We obviously have the likes of Calm, is this market a winner takes all and how does Sean approach market competition at Headspace?
6.) How was the fundraising process for Sean? How did he come to meet investors like Jeff Weiner, Jim Breyer, Jessica Alba and Jared Leto?
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Sean’s Fave Blog and Newsletter: The Information, Recode
Sean’s Fave Book: The Hard Thing About Hard Things, A Man In Full
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Sean on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Eve make 1 perfect mattress – made with 3 layer technology and next generation memory foam. It comes packaged in a beautiful box and arrives the day after you order. You get 100 nights to try it with free return pick-up – it really is the perfect mattress for everyone. Just go online to evemattress.co.uk and enter the code 20VC for £50 off. Everybody deserves the perfect start with Eve.
Chad Byers is a General Partner @ Susa Ventures and very exciting news, Susa last week announced the raise of Susa II, a new $50m fund, testament to the quality of fund 1 which included the likes of former guests Lyst, RobinHood, LendUp and many more incredible companies. As for Chad, he focuses on investments in enterprise software, fintech, and healthcare. Prior to Susa, Chad spent time in various marketing and product management roles. As well as being a prolific angel investor in over 30+ companies.
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1.) How Chad made the transition from angel investor to General Partner @ Susa?
2.) How was the fundraise with Susa 1? How was the fundraise for Susa II? How did the funding rounds change for each fund?
3.) How does Chad assess LP fit? Is all LP money not equal? What does Chad look for in his LPs?
4.) Question from Michael Kim @ Cendana: How does Chad look to establish the mindshare with entrepreneurs and other VCs for Susa in today's competitive environment?
5.) How does Chad approach the reserve structure of Susa fund II? How did Chad come tot hat conclusion as the optimal amount for follow on?
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Chad’s Fave Blog and Newsletter: Coding VC, Bill Gurley: Above The Crowd
Chad’s Fave Book: When Breathe Becomes Air
Chad's Most Recent Investment: Modsy
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Chad on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Greg Bettinelli is a Partner at Upfront Ventures where he specialises in businesses at the juncture of retail and technology. Prior to Upfront, Greg was the CMO for HauteLook, a leading online flash-sale retailer that was acquired by Nordstrom for $270mm. Before HauteLook, Greg was Executive Vice President of Business Development and Strategy at Live Nation, responsible for strategic direction and key business partnerships for Live Nation’s ticketing and digital businesses. Before Live Nation, Greg held a number of leadership positions at eBay and StubHub and was the business leader who led eBay’s acquisition of StubHub in 2007.
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1.) How Greg made his way into VC from the unconventional world of retail and consumer?
2.) How has Greg's unconventional background altered how he views investments and founders? How does Greg test for the 'grit' required to be a founder?
3.) With the rise of direct to consumer, will we see the end of the physical retail store? Why do big retailers still have such little e-commerce presence?
4.) To what extent does Greg view brand as a form of IP in a prospective investment? How have we seen changing brand loyalty in the last decade?
5.) What are the fundamentals for growing a consumer brand successfully? Who has exemplified this?
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Greg’s Fave Blog and Newsletter: Dan Primack: Term Sheet
Greg’s Fave Book: Michael Lewis
Greg's Most Recent Investment: Happy Returns
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Greg on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
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Paul Berberian is the CEO of Orbotix, the company that created Sphero, the robotic ball controlled from your smartphone. They have investment from our friends in Boulder, Brad Feld and David Cohen. Prior to Sphero, Paul was the co-founder of Raindance Communications (NASDAQ: RNDC). Paul also founded Market Force Information, an emerging information company with a vision to provide retailers. As well as, LINK-VTC, a video teleconferencing company, which was sold in 1995 to Frontier Communications.
In Today’s Episode with Paul You Will Learn:
1.) How Paul came to be CEO @ Sphero?
2.) Paul has founded and run 7 businesses, How has Paul seen his style of leadership change over the past decade or so?
3.) Question from Brad Feld: When Paul disagrees with his board, how does he resolve it? What have been Paul's learnings in maintaining a happy board environment?
4.) Sphero have raised, at last count, $80m? How has Paul seen investor sentiment to hardware alter over the 5-6 years? How did he meet his investors? What did Paul do well and what would Paul like to improve upon for next time?
5.) Question from Brad Feld: ‘Sphero looks like a massive success but every startup has had failures, so what have Paul's failures been and what did he learn from them?
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Paul’s Fave Blog and Newsletter: Quora
Paul’s Fave Book: The Black Box
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Paul on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Eve make 1 perfect mattress – made with 3 layer technology and next generation memory foam. It comes packaged in a beautiful box and arrives the day after you order. You get 100 nights to try it with free return pick-up – it really is the perfect mattress for everyone. Just go online to evemattress.co.uk and enter the code 20VC for £50 off. Everybody deserves the perfect start with Eve.
Ben Einstein is Founder and General Partner @ Bolt, Bolt is a fund designed to address the unique needs of early-stage startups at the intersection of hardware and software, investing up to $500K in pre-seed, pre-product companies. They have created and backed some world class businesses that have received later funding from Khosla, Kleiner Perkins, NEA, and Softtech just to name a few.
In Today’s Episode with Ben You Will Learn:
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Ben’s Fave Blog and Newsletter: Ben Evans
Ben’s Fave Book: The Box
Ben’s Most Recent Investment: Grow: Redesigning Gardening
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Ben on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Eve make 1 perfect mattress – made with 3 layer technology and next generation memory foam. It comes packaged in a beautiful box and arrives the day after you order. You get 100 nights to try it with free return pick-up – it really is the perfect mattress for everyone. Just go online to evemattress.co.uk and enter the code 20VC for £50 off. Everybody deserves the perfect start with Eve.
Dave McClure is the founding partner of 500 Startups, who have made over 1500 investments in the likes of Twilio, SendGrid, Intercom and Makerbot just to name a few. Prior to 500 Dave was on the investment team at Founders Fund, he also led the Facebook Fund Incubator and was Head of Marketing @ Paypal pre IPO.
In Today’s Episode with Dave You Will Learn:
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Dave’s Fave Blog and Newsletter: Brad Feld, AVC, Mark Suster
Dave’s Fave Book: Guns Germs and Steel, The Mystery of Capital
Dave’s Most Recent Investment: Markhor
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Dave on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Eve make 1 perfect mattress - made with 3 layer technology and next generation memory foam. It comes packaged in a beautiful box and arrives the day after you order. You get 100 nights to try it with free return pick-up - it really is the perfect mattress for everyone. Just go online to evemattress.co.uk and enter the code 20VC for £50 off. Everybody deserves the perfect start with Eve.
Adam Nash is the President and CEO of Wealthfront, where he is on a mission to put the client first and change the bad practices of the financial services industry. Adam joined Wealthfront from Greylock Partners, where he was an Executive-in-Residence. Prior to Greylock, he was VP of Product Management at LinkedIn, where he built the teams responsible for core product, user experience, platform and mobile. Adam also held a number of roles at Ebay, Atlas Venture Preview Systems and Apple.
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1.) How Adam came to be President and CEO @ Wealthfront?
2.) What makes a great product person and how does that compare to Adam's role now as CEO and the skills required to be a great CEO?
3.) Is it fair to suggest that PMs are the CEO of a mini product? How transferrable are the skills of product managers to the skills required of CEOs?
4.) How was the transition for Andy in making the move from PM to COO to CEO? What were the biggest challenges and surprises?
5.) Why does Andy believe that building software through hierarchy does not work? How can leaders empower their team with a sense of ownership?
6.) Why do humans suck at investing? Will we see the domination of full scale financial robo advisors in the next 10 years?
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Adam’s Fave Book: Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Adam’s Fave Blog and Newsletter: Nuzzel
David Pakman is a Partner at Venrock and the man behind Venrock’s leading of the Series A and B rounds for Dollar Shave Club. Prior to Venrock David spent 12 years as an internet entrepreneur. Including being CEO of eMusic, the world’s leading digital retailer of independent music, second only to iTunes. Prior to eMusic, David co-founded Myplay in 1999, which he later sold, in 2001, to Bertelsmann’s ecommerce Group. If that wasn’t enough David is also the co-creator of Apple Computer’s Music Group.
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Matt’s Fave Book: Mindset by Carole Dweck
Matt’s Most Recent Investment: Pearl
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and David on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Eve make 1 perfect mattress – made with 3 layer technology and next generation memory foam. It comes packaged in a beautiful box and arrives the day after you order. You get 100 nights to try it with free return pick-up – it really is the perfect mattress for everyone. Just go online to evemattress.co.uk and enter the code 20VC for £50 off. Everybody deserves the perfect start with Eve.
Matt Ocko is the Co-Managing Partner and Co-Founder @ Data Collective and has over 3 decades of experience as a tech entrepreneur and VC and has made investments in the likes of Facebook, Zynga, Uber and AngelList just to name a few. If that was not enough he is also an inventor on over 40 granted or in process patents. A truly deep thinker and one of my fave ever shows to record.
In Today’s Episode with Matt You Will Learn:
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Matt’s Fave Blog and Newsletter: MIT Technology Review
Matt’s Fave Book: The Way Things Work
Matt’s Most Recent Investment: Tradeshift
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Matt on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Eve make 1 perfect mattress - made with 3 layer technology and next generation memory foam. It comes packaged in a beautiful box and arrives the day after you order. You get 100 nights to try it with free return pick-up - it really is the perfect mattress for everyone. Just go online to evemattress.co.uk and enter the code 20VC for £50 off. Everybody deserves the perfect start with Eve.
Dhananja Jayalath is the Co-Founder & CEO @ Athos, creating the new standard for fitness by changing the way we train the human body. Athos have funding from our friends at Social Capital, Felix Capital and DCM Ventures just to name a few of their investors. Prior to Athos, DJ turned down a job with Apple straight from University to pursue his vision of creating the next generation of consumer fitness wearables with Athos.
In Today’s Episode with DJ You Will Learn:
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
DJ’s Fave Book: Velocity: The 7 New Laws For A World Gone Digital
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and DJ on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
Steve Schlafman is an early stage investor @ RRE Ventures, where he specialises on marketplaces, mobile services, and hardware. Steve is responsible for RRE’s investments in theSkimm, Hightower, TinyBop, Breather, and Managed by Q. Prior to joining RRE as a Principal, Steve was a Principal and rockstar seed investor at Lerer Ventures. Before becoming a venture capitalist, Steve worked at Stickybits Inc. and Turntable.fm, and served as Director of Venture Investments at The Kraft Group. Steve also worked at Massive Inc. and at Microsoft, where he focused on Biz Dev Strategy and Corporate Finance.
In Today’s Episode with Steve You Will Learn:
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Steve’s Fave Book: Who (Hiring Process), Work (Hiring @ Google), Leading (Michael Moritz)
Steve’s Fave Blog or Newsletter: AVC, Stratechery, The Skimm
Steve’s Most Recent Investment: Brightwheel
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Steve on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.