Startup Investing | My Favorite First Meeting Questions
As an early-stage startup investor, I like to use the first meeting to ask some fairly unconventional qualitative questions. Here are 18 of my favorites.
A resource for the next generation of venture capital
Learn MoreAs an early-stage startup investor, I like to use the first meeting to ask some fairly unconventional qualitative questions. Here are 18 of my favorites.
I’m excited to announce the launch of my Fund81 podcast for VCs. Fund81 is a podcast for the next generation of venture capital. As a general partner of the MergeLane venture fund and your host at Fund81, I'll tackle specific questions commonly asked by venture fund managers.
I launched my first business in 2005 at the age of 24. This was before Venture Deals was written, accelerators were commonplace and shows like Shark Tank existed. How would my experience as a first-time entrepreneur have been different if I would have started my business with a support system as robust as our startup community is today? I often think about that question.
Now, as an entrepreneur, turned angel investor, turned venture fund manager, I see a striking parallel to my experience as a first-time entrepreneur in 2005. Today, when entrepreneurs have a question, the answer is typically just one Google search away. This is not the case for new venture fund managers. With more and more people making the jump to venture, I would like to change that. That is why I've launched Fund81. 1981, the year I was born and the start of the millennial generation, Fund81 is a podcast for the next wave of venture capitalists. I am going to take all of the questions I have had as an emerging venture fund manager and try to answer them in a way that will benefit others in similar situations.
The Fund81 VC Managers’ Forum is an invite-only group of venture capitalists designed to facilitate deal flow and information sharing. Each month, Fund81 invites a veteran venture capitalist or limited partner to speak to the Forum. The Forum currently consists of managers of funds ranging in size from $5 to $300 million located everywhere from Omaha to Jerusalem. Forum members invest from Pre-seed to Series A across a variety of industries. Forums are held virtually and quarterly in-person events are held in the Bay Area and Colorado. To be considered for Fund81 Forum membership, apply here.