Ep. 99: Finding VC in an I-Don’t-Know Moment—with Dillon Liang

The Boost VC Podcast

Finding VC in an I-Don’t-Know Moment—with Dillon Liang

Are you curious about how different industries work? Would you like to learn something new every day? Then a career in venture capital might be a good fit.

Dillon Liang is a Junior VC at Bullpen Capital, an early-stage, post-seed venture fund based in Silicon Valley. His resume prior to Bullpen includes roles at M13, Techstars Cedars-Sinai, Core Innovation Capital and Uncharted Ventures. Dillon earned his BA from UCLA, where he cofounded a nonprofit that connected startups with student talent.

On this episode of the podcast, Dillon joins us to discuss the I-don’t-know moment that led to his career in VC, explaining what he loves about meeting and working with founders and other investors. He weighs in on what makes a great Bullpen investment and how he learned to identify what kind of deals he likes (and which ones he doesn’t). Listen in to understand why founders should talk to Junior VCs and find out if a career in venture capital is right for you.

Topics Covered

What made Dillon want to become a VC

• Found internship at family office on UCLA job board
• Liked meeting smart people inspired to change world

What makes a great Bullpen investment

• Product in market with early signs of traction
• Team of about 10 that’s raised up to $4M

What Dillon likes most about being a VC

• Meeting and working with founders
• Being part of effort to change world

How Dillon is finding deals in the COVID era

• Lean on network of trusted sources
• Go deep with relationships formed in last year

How we can inspire more people to be VCs

• Broaden access to processes
• Transparency around how it works

Dillon’s I-don’t-know moment at UCLA

• Realized lack of conviction for medicine
• Led to discovery of venture capital

Why founders should talk to Junior VCs

• Junior team included in decision meetings
• Rally more internal support

How Dillon builds internal conviction for a deal

• Took every meeting in Year One to develop taste
• Sit in on meetings to understand what partners like

What Dillon is most proud of in his VC career thus far

• Deals that made it over line (e.g.: Honeybee Health)
• Friendships with founders, other investors

Dillon’s definition of success

• Content and fulfilled, happy in work
• Continue to learn every day

Connect with Dillon

Bullpen Capital https://bullpencap.com/

Dillon at Bullpen https://bullpencap.com/team/dillon-liang

Dillon on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dillsl/

Dillon on Twitter https://twitter.com/dill_sl

Bullpen on Twitter https://twitter.com/BullpenCap

Resources

Techstars https://www.techstars.com/

Core Innovation Capital http://corevc.com/

Honeybee Health https://honeybeehealth.com/

Call of Duty: Warzone https://www.callofduty.com/warzone

Discord https://discord.com/

Telegram Messenger https://telegram.org/

Reddit Showerthoughts https://www.reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts/

Fortnite https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/home

Oculus Quest https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/home

The Weekend Live Experience https://wavexr.com/theweekndexperience/

John Legend’s Virtual Concert https://go.wave.watch/johnlegend

Wave https://wavexr.com/

Connect with Boost VC

Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/

Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/

Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC

Boost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/