Welcome to the Kauffman Fellows podcast, produced in partnership with Mighty Capital. This season, we feature select Kauffman Fellows as hosts of mini-series, interviewing some of the world’s top leaders in capital formation, all from a place of authenticity and vulnerability. What makes the Kauffman Fellows Podcast unique? We challenge our guests to hang up the superhero cape and get real about the sacrifices, failures, and inflection points that each individual goes through to become the b ...
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Venture Capital Legacy: Harry Gruner, JMI Equity Founder and Managing GP on Advice for Building a Long-Term Firm
39:31
Continuing his series on building an enduring investment firm, Mistral Venture Partners Founding Partner, Code Cubitt, sat down with JMI Equity Founder and Managing GP, Harry Gruner, to discuss his advice for building a firm for the long-term. Harry Gruner is the Managing Partner at JMI Equity, a growth equity firm focused on investing in leading s…
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Venture Capital Legacy: Chuck Newhall, Greenspring Associates Venture Capitalist on Building a 100-Year Firm
22:43
Continuing his series on building an enduring investment firm, Mistral Venture Partners Founding Partner, Code Cubitt, sat down with Greenspring Associates Venture Capitalist, Chuck Newhall, to discuss the lessons learned building a 100-year firm. Chuck Newhall is a Chairman Emeritus at Greenspring Associates, a leading global venture capital inves…
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Venture Capital Legacy: Phil Wickham, Sozo Ventures Managing Director on Building an Enduring VC Culture
33:28
Continuing his series on building an enduring investment firm, Mistral Venture Partners Founding Partner, Code Cubitt, sat down with Sozo Ventures Managing Director, Phil Wickham, to discuss what makes a winning VC culture. Phil Wickham is the Managing Director at Sozo Ventures, which invests in category leaders in advanced data technologies, eComm…
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Venture Capital Legacy: Susan Mason, Aligned Partners Co-Founder & Managing Partner on the Evolution of Venture Capital
37:05
Continuing his series on building an enduring investment firm, Mistral Venture Partners Founding Partner, Code Cubitt, sat down with Aligned Partners Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Susan Mason, to discuss how venture capital has evolved during her career. Susan Mason is the Managing Partner and Co-Founder at Aligned Partners, which invests in highl…
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Venture Capital Legacy: Brent Belzberg, TorQuest Partners Sr. Managing Partner on Building a Long-Term Investing Team
28:22
Continuing his series on building an enduring investment firm, Mistral Venture Partners Founding Partner, Code Cubitt, sat down with TorQuest Partners Sr. Managing Partner, Brent Belzberg, to discuss how he’s developed and grown his investment team. Brent Belzberg is the Senior Managing Partner at TorQuest Partners, a Canadian-based manager of priv…
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Venture Capital Legacy: Mike Maples, Floodgate Co-Founder and Partner on Investing in Lean Startups
34:22
To kick off his series on building an enduring investment firm, Mistral Venture Partners Founding Partner, Code Cubitt, sat down with Floodgate Co-Founder and Partner, Mike Maples, to discuss his transition from entrepreneur to investor and how he got his start investing in lean startups. Mike Maples is the Co-Founder and Partner at Floodgate, whic…
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Venture in the Middle: John Tough, Energize Ventures Managing Partner On Investing in Industrials in the Midwest
32:29
This series of interviews by Maggie Kenefake, Venture Partner with Royal Street Ventures, focuses on investing in the Midwest. In this episode, Maggie talks with John Tough, Managing Partner at Energize Ventures in Chicago, on his company’s focus on digital transformation of energy and industrial markets and focus on emerging tech and capital-inten…
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Venture in the Middle: Ginger Rothrock, Senior Director at HG Ventures on achieving greater impact through VC
32:42
This series of interviews by Maggie Kenefake, Venture Partner with Royal Street Ventures, focuses on investing in the Midwest. In this episode, Maggie talks with Ginger Rothrock, Senior Director at HG Ventures, a VC firm based in Indianapolis with the resources of 100 year-old multi-billion dollar industrial, Heritage Group Companies, behind it. Gi…
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Venture in the Middle: Mary Grove, Bread and Butter Investors On Their Three Areas of Investing Focus
31:30
In this series, Maggie Kenefake, Venture Partner with Royal Street Ventures, talked with investors about the untapped potential for venture capital in the Midwest. This episode features Google alum Mary Grove revealing why her newish startup, Bread and Butter Investors, focuses on three specific industries of food tech, health tech, and enterprise …
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This episode finds Maggie Kenefake, Venture Partner with Royal Street Ventures, continuing her series of talks with Roy Bahat, a Partner at Bloomberg Beta. The company, Roy said, is a small firm that invests only for financial return, not as a strategic investor. They’re exclusively focused on the future of work and everything relating to modern bu…
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In this episode, Maggie Kenefake, Venture Partner with Royal Street Ventures, talked with Victor Gutwein, M25 Founder and Managing Director on Venture in the Middle. Victor and M25 focus on very early-stage deals in the Midwest, starting with his first fund of $1 million in 2016 and moving through Fund 3 of $31 million in 2019. They’ve made more th…
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Venture in the Middle: Karen Kerr, Exposition Ventures Founder and Managing Director On Digital Transformation of the Industrial Value Chain
39:13
In this series, Maggie Kenefake, Venture Partner with Royal Street Ventures, talked with investors about the untapped potential for venture capital in the Midwest. In this episode, Founder and Managing Director of Exposition Ventures, Karen Kerr, talks with Maggie about her career in industrial tech, her firm’s focus on the digital transformation o…
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Secrets of Emerging Technology Ecosystem: Bejul Somaia, Lightspeed Ventures, India, Managing Partner On Transitioning from Operator to Investor
36:20
In this series, Pinn Lawjindakul, venture investor at Lightspeed Ventures Partners, explores the challenges and best practices of venture building in emerging markets through conversations with leading investors and founders across India, China, Southeast Asia. In this episode, listen as Pinn talks with Bejul Somaia, Managing Partner at Lightspeed …
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Secrets of Emerging Technology Ecosystem: James Mi, Founding Partner of Lightspeed China On Learning from Mistakes
33:44
In this series, Pinn Lawjindakul, venture investor at Lightspeed Ventures Partners, explores the challenges and best practices of venture building in emerging markets through conversations with leading investors and founders across India, China, Southeast Asia. In this episode, listen as Pinn talks with James Mi, founding partner of lightspeed Chin…
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Secrets of Emerging Technology Ecosystem: Vaibhav Gupta, Udaan Co-founder On Building Unicorns for India
26:43
In this series, Pinn Lawjindakul, venture investor at Lightspeed Ventures Partners, explores the challenges and best practices of venture building in emerging markets through conversations with leading investors and founders across India, China, Southeast Asia. In this episode, listen as Pinn talks with Vaibhav Gupta (VG), Co-founder of Udaan, Indi…
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Secrets of Emerging Technology Ecosystem: Ritesh Agarwal, OYO Hotels & Homes Founder On Building A Top Platform In An Emerging Market
25:48
In this series, Pinn Lawjindakul, venture investor at Lightspeed Ventures Partners, explores the challenges and best practices of venture building in emerging markets through conversations with leading investors and founders across India, China, Southeast Asia. This episode finds Pinn talking with Ritesh Agarwal, founder and CEO of OYO Hotels and H…
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Secrets of Emerging Technology Ecosystem: Jenny Lee, GGV Managing Partner On How She Selects Emerging Market Companies
30:27
In this series, Pinn Lawjindakul, venture investor at Lightspeed Ventures Partners, explores the challenges and best practices of venture building in emerging markets through conversations with leading investors and founders across India, China, Southeast Asia. This episode finds Pinn talking with Jenny Lee, Managing Partner at GGV Capital, which h…
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Secrets of Emerging Technology Ecosystem: Nick Nash, Asia Partners Managing Partner and Co-Founder On Building Successful Business in Southeast Asia
35:23
In this series, Pinn Lawjindakul, venture investor at Lightspeed Ventures Partners, explores the challenges and best practices of venture building in emerging markets through conversations with leading investors and founders across India, China, Southeast Asia. In this episode Pinn talks with Nick Nash, Managing Partner and Co-founder of Asia Partn…
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Women in Deep Tech: Maryanna Saenko, Future Ventures Co-Founder and Partner on Why Deep Tech is the Space To Be In
35:25
Continuing her series on women leading deep tech investments, VP at Boost VC, Maddie Callander, sat down with Future Ventures Co-Founder and Partner, Maryanna Saenko, to discuss everything that makes deep tech so fascinating. Maryanna Saenko is the Co-Founder and Partner at Future Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund focused on frontier te…
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Women in Deep Tech: Christy Cardenas, Grit Ventures Managing Partner on the Role of Universities in Deep Tech
21:40
Continuing her series on women leading deep tech investments, VP at Boost VC, Maddie Callander, sat down with Grit Ventures Managing Partner, Christy Cardenas, to discuss how universities have been so valuable for sourcing deep tech investments. Christy Cardenas is the Managing Partner at Grit Ventures, which funds pre-seed and seed-stage deep tech…
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Continuing her series on women leading deep tech investments, VP at Boost VC, Maddie Callander, sat down with BVP Partner, Tess Hatch, to discuss the similarities and differences in deep tech and other investments. Tess Hatch is a Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, helping founders lay enduring foundations to create companies that matter, starti…
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Continuing her series on women leading deep tech investments, VP at Boost VC, Maddie Callander, sat down with LDV Capital Partner, Abby Hunter-Syed, to discuss deep tech for visual data. Abby Hunter-Syed is a Partner at LDV Capital, investing in people building businesses powered by visual tech. LDV Capital thrives on collaborating with deep techni…
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Continuing her series on women leading deep tech investments, VP at Boost VC, Maddie Callander, sat down with Lux Capital Partner, Deena Shakir, to discuss her journey to venture and how she approaches solving some of the world’s biggest problems. Deena Shakir is a Partner at Lux Capital, where she invests in transformative technologies streamlinin…
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Women in Deep Tech: Suzanne Fletcher, Prime Movers Lab General Partner on the Exciting Opportunities in Deep Tech
21:49
To kick off her series on women leading deep tech investments, VP at Boost VC, Maddie Callander, sat down with Prime Movers Lab General Partner, Suzanne Fletcher, to discuss her passion for deep tech and the opportunities that it presents. Suzanne Fletcher is a General Partner at Prime Movers Lab, which invests in breakthrough scientific startups f…
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The Age of Product: Winning Against FAANG: Melody Koh, NextView Ventures Partner on Product Meets Investing
35:09
This week, Mighty Capital Founding Partner and host of the series on The Age of Product, SC Moatti, sat down with NextView Partner, Melody Koh to discuss where product meets investing. Melody Koh is a Partner at NextView Ventures, which is a C-stage focused firm. She has experience both in Consumer B2B and marketplace investments. Before joining Ne…
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The Age of Product: Winning Against FAANG: Joe Robinson, Designers + Geek Founder, Circle fmr CPO, now Hummingbird Founding CEO on the Power of Networks
29:21
This week, Mighty Capital Founding Partner and host of the series on The Age of Product, SC Moatti, sat down with Hummingbird Founding CEO, Joe Robinson to discuss the power of networks. Joe Robinson is the Founding CEO of Hummingbird, a platform fighting financial crime. Before Hummingbird, he spent time at various financial institutions, includin…
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The Age of Product: Winning Against FAANG: Sami Inkinen, Virta Health Founder & CEO on Investor Relationships That Build Winning Products
35:58
This week, Mighty Capital Founding Partner and host of the series on The Age of Product, SC Moatti, sat down with Virta Health Founding CEO, Sami Inkinen to discuss the investor relationships that build winning products. Sami Inkinen is Founding CEO of Virta Health, a healthcare technology company. He is also a Co-Founder of Trulia, a real estate m…
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The Age of Product: Winning Against FAANG: Renee Niemi, Logitech fmr CPO, now Products That Count CPO on the Evolution of Product and Investing
26:05
This week, Mighty Capital Founding Partner and host of the series on The Age of Product, SC Moatti, sat down with one of the first CPOs (Chief Product Officers) in the world, Logitech fmr CPO, now Products That Count CPO, Renee Niemi to discuss the evolution of product and investing. Renee Niemi is a lifelong connoisseur of great products that make…
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The Age of Product: Winning Against FAANG: Spenser Skates, Amplitude Founding CEO on Competing Against FAANGs
40:57
This week, Mighty Capital Founding Partner and host of the series on The Age of Product, SC Moatti, sat down with Amplitude Founding CEO, Spenser Skates to discuss how companies can compete against FAANGs (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google). Spenser Skates is the Founding CEO of Amplitude, a digital acceleration platform that recently fi…
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The Age of Product: Winning Against FAANG: Satya Patel, Homebrew Partner on Disruption and Investing
27:28
This week, Mighty Capital Founding Partner and host of the series on The Age of Product, SC Moatti, sat down with Homebrew Partner, Satya Patel to discuss disruption and investing. Patel is a Co-founding Partner at Homebrew, a seed-stage venture capital firm. Before starting Homebrew, he was VP of Product at Twitter. Patel has hopped between invest…
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Net-Zero: Albert Wenger, Union Square Ventures Managing Partner on the Importance of Investing in Climate
35:50
Finishing his series on the journey to net-zero, Contrarian Ventures Founder & Managing Partner, Rokas Peciulaitis, sat down with Union Square Ventures Managing Partner, Albert Wenger, to discuss why it’s so important to invest in climate.
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Net-Zero: Katie Rae, The Engine CEO & Managing Partner on Investing in Impact Companies at the University & Lab Level
34:20
Continuing his series on the journey to net-zero, Contrarian Ventures Founder & Managing Partner, Rokas Peciulaitis, sat down with The Engine CEO & Managing Partner, Katie Rae, to discuss investing in impactful founders and companies at the university and lab levels.
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Net-Zero: Christian Jølck, 2150 Founding Partner on Building a Better World Through Investing
29:27
Continuing his series on the journey to net-zero, Contrarian Ventures Founder & Managing Partner, Rokas Peciulaitis, sat down with 2150 Founding Partner, Christian Jølck, to discuss a way to invest that builds a better world.
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Net-Zero: Andrew Beebe, Obvious Ventures Managing Director on Sustainable Systems & Long-term Thinking in Net-Zero investing
32:02
Continuing his series on the journey to net-zero, Contrarian Ventures Founder & Managing Partner, Rokas Peciulaitis, sat down with Obvious Ventures Managing Director, Andrew Beebe, to discuss sustainable systems and net-zero investing.
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Net-Zero: Clay Dumas, Lowercarbon Capital Partner on Bringing Government Policy Understanding into Climate Investing
30:21
Continuing his series on the journey to net-zero, Contrarian Ventures Founder & Managing Partner, Rokas Peciulaitis, sat down with Lowercarbon Capital Partner, Clay Dumas, to discuss how he is bringing his government policy understanding into climate investing and helping to solve the climate crisis at large.…
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Net-Zero: Carmichael Roberts, Material Impact Founder & Member at Breakthrough Energy Ventures on a Passion for Resilient Technology
33:00
To kick off this series on the journey to net-zero, Contrarian Ventures Founder & Managing Partner, Rokas Peciulaitis, sat down with Material Impact Founder and member at Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV), Carmichael Roberts, to discuss resilient technology and how he’s pursued his passions through venture capital.…
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The Human Side of Venture: Ken Elefant, Sorenson Ventures Co-Founder & Partner on the Networking Superpower in Venture Capital
31:15
Closing out his series on the human side of investing and company building, Outliers Venture Capital Founder & Managing Partner, Mohammed Almeshekah, sat down with Sorenson Ventures Co-Founder & Partner, Ken Elefant, to discuss the importance of networking in venture capital and how to hone it as a superpower.…
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The Human Side of Venture: Jason Green, Emergence Capital Founder & GP on Early-Stage Investing
33:08
Continuing his series on the human side of investing and company building, Outliers Venture Capital Founder & Managing Partner, Mohammed Almeshekah, sat down with Emergence Capital Founder & General Partner, Jason Green, to discuss early-stage investing and what founders and investors should look for in one another.…
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The Human Side of Venture: Elizabeth Yin, Hustle Fund GP on the Mindset of Investors and Founders
29:29
Continuing his series on the human side of investing and company building, Outliers Venture Capital Founder & Managing Partner, Mohammed Almeshekah, sat down with Hustle Fund General Partner, Elizabeth Yin, to discuss the mindset of successful investors and founders.
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The Human Side of Venture: Leo Polovets, Susa Ventures GP on Learning To Be A Great Investor
34:30
Continuing his series on the human side of investing and company building, Outliers Venture Capital Founder & Managing Partner, Mohammed Almeshekah, sat down with Susa Ventures GP, Leo Polovets, to discuss the process for learning and being a great investor.
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Continuing his series on the human side of investing and company building, Outliers Venture Capital Founder & Managing Partner, Mohammed Almeshekah, sat down with GV GP, M.G. Siegler, to discuss how VCs can best support investors.
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The Human Side of Venture: Duncan Davidson, Bullpen Capital General Partner on Managing People and Personalities When Investing
43:28
To kick off his series on the human side of investing and company building, Outliers Venture Capital Founder & Managing Partner, Mohammed Almeshekah, sat down with Bullpen Capital General Partner, Duncan Davidson, to discuss how to navigate people and personalities in venture capital.
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From Vet to VC: Larsen Jensen, Harpoon Ventures Co-Founder and General Partner On Connecting VC with US Government Opportunities
40:35
In this series called Vet to Venture, Wayne Moore, Managing Partner at Alumni Ventures Basecamp Fund, talks with veterans about their unique path in the military to a career in venture and technology. In this episode, Wayne talks with Larsen Jensen, Co-founder and General Partner at Harpoon Ventures about how his “unplanned” path from a military ca…
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From Vet to VC: Brad Harrison, Scout Ventures General Partner On VC Success After the Military
31:16
In this series called Vet to Venture, Wayne Moore, Managing Partner at Alumni Ventures Basecamp Fund, talks with veterans about their unique path in the military to a career in venture and technology. In this episode, Wayne talks with Bradley Harrison, General Partner with Scout Ventures, about how veterans are well positioned to transition from th…
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From Vet to VC: Zachary Ellis, HTX Fund Managing Partner On University Tech Transfer and VC Success
30:50
In this series called Vet to Venture, Wayne Moore, Managing Partner at Alumni Ventures Basecamp Fund, talks with veterans about their unique path in the military to a career in venture and technology. In this episode, Wayne talks with Zachary Ellis, Managing Partner with HTX Fund, on thriving in VC after his military career and how he got into the …
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From Vet to VC: Sherman Williams, Academy Investor Network Managing Partner On “growing up” in the Navy
42:27
In this series called Vet to Venture, Wayne Moore, Managing Partner at Alumni Ventures Basecamp Fund, talks with veterans about their unique path in the military to a career in venture and technology. In this episode, Wayne and Sherman Williams, Managing Partner of the Academy Investor Network, a virtual platform created for U.S. Service Academy Gr…
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From Vet to VC: Todd Connor, Bunker Labs Founder, On How He’s Helping Veterans Embrace Entrepreneurship and VC
38:29
In this series called Vet to Venture Capital, Wayne Moore, Managing Partner at AVG Basecamp Fund, talks with veterans about their unique path in the military to a career in venture and technology. In this episode, Wayne and Todd Connor, Navy veteran and founder of Bunker Labs and author of Third Shift Entrepreneur, talk about how vets transition ou…
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In this series called Vet to Venture Capital, Wayne Moore, Managing Partner at Alumni Ventures Basecamp Fund, talks with veterans about their unique path in the military to a career in venture and technology. In this episode, Wayne and Tyson Clark, General Partner at GV, formerly Google Ventures, talk about his history at Stanford, ROTC, serving on…
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Grove Ventures General Partner Renana Ashkenazi digs into the topic of winning the deal, the before and the after. She’s finishing the series with Adam Goulburn, Partner at Lux Capital, who invests with the idea of “no idea too early and no idea too crazy.” Adam’s areas of focus include biotech, and he always considers the question, “Is this a scie…
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Path to Conviction: Ann Miura Ko, Floodgate Co-founding Partner on Getting to Conviction Through Gut Feeling
29:16
Grove Ventures General Partner Renana Ashkenazi digs into the topic of winning the deal, the before and the after. In this episode Renana talks with with Ann Miura-Ko on the idea of conviction through gut feeling. Venture investing is a “head and heart” approach, and some investors feel that due diligence is a process where you try to convince your…
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