On this week's podcast, we're joined by Minn Kim, Partner at On Deck, Board Member at the EVCA (Emerging Venture Capitalists Association) and was previously a VC at Bloomberg Beta for 4 years.

What an amazing show we have in store for you today. Minn talks about:

• Life before Bloomberg
• The different paths to venture
• Ecosystem comparison - west coast vs east coast
• What is Seed vs Series A
• The origin of Bloomberg Beta and how the firm invests
• Venture careers, how responsibilities change over time
• Thoughts on fundraising seasonality
• What is the future of work? What is workflow automation?
• The relationship between machine learning and innovations in industry

Minn Kim is a Partner at On Deck and previously a San Francisco-based investor at Bloomberg Beta, a seed-stage venture capital firm focused on the future of work. Before Bloomberg Beta, she worked on Bloomberg LP’s Strategy and Corporate Development team in New York.

Bloomberg Beta is an early-stage venture capital firm with $225M under management, capitalized solely by Bloomberg. The fund exists to expand Bloomberg’s horizons by investing in companies that are creating profound change in the way business operates, with a focus on machine intelligence and the future of work.

• Bloomberg Beta: Bloomberg Beta
• GatherRound: https://gatheround.com/
• On Deck: https://www.beondeck.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/minnkim/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/minney_cat

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammedjalil/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/motypes
• Email: mo@metapair.com

On this week's podcast, we're joined by Chris Yin, Investor at Scale Venture Partners, a $600 million fund.

Chris has been deeply embedded in the B2B, Enterprise, RPA, and automation space both as an investor and as an operator for many years. I'm excited to share this episode, Chris drops a wealth of knowledge:

• Journey into venture capital
• Investment thesis and how to evaluate investment opportunities
• The Scale Venture Partner investment process
• Enterprise vs B2B vs B2C businesses
• The future of automation and cognitive applications
• Product led growth vs top-down sales approach for B2B companies
• GPT3 copilot and its impact on enterprise

Chris is a Principal on Scale’s investing team, focused on investments in intelligent business software, vertical AI companies, and data-first businesses. He helped source Scale's investment in Archipelago (2021), Flatfile (2021) and Spruce (2020). A veteran Product Manager, he has held senior roles at several successful startups. Before joining Scale, Chris was VP of Product at Rainforest QA, a QA automation platform where he built and led the product, design, support, and community teams and developed the company’s product strategy and roadmap.

Chris was also Director of Product Management at Coupa Software, helping to grow the company from a startup to a publicly-traded company. He started his career at Xpenser, an expense management product that was acquired by Coupa.

Scale is a Silicon Valley-based venture capital investment firm with $1.3B under management. We were early investors in SaaS pioneers like Bill.com (NYSE:BILL), DocuSign (NASDAQ:DOCU), HubSpot (NYSE:HUBS), JFrog (NASDAQ: FROG) and Root (NASDAQ: ROOT). Today we’re focused on the next generation of enterprise software companies building Cognitive Applications like Comet.ml, Observe.ai, Techsee and Viz.ai. Learn more at www.scalevp.com.

Scale is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on intelligent business software with a Scaling Platform that has helped companies like Box, Bill.com, Hubspot, Docusign, JFrog, and WalkMe move from founder-led growth to a repeatable go-to-market machine. Learn more at scalevp.com.

• Scale Venture Partners: https://www.scalevp.com/

• Web: https://www.scalevp.com/team/chris-yin
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisyin/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/chriseyin

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammedjalil/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/motypes
• Email: mo@metapair.com

On this week's podcast, we're joined by Jeff Farrah General Counsel at the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) where he advocates before Congress, the White House and agencies for pro-entrepreneurship policies and leads in-house legal matters for the association, including management of the NVCA Model Legal Documents.

Jeff shares a wealth of knowledge on proposed changes to acquisitions, the effects on the startup ecosystem and immigration policy. We also cover a whole host of topics including:

• The journey from Capitol Hill to Venture Capital
• What is the NVCA and why it's an important
• How policymakers work and how they make decisions
• The Competition and Antitrust Law Enforcement Reform Act (CALERA)
• Differences between Amy Klobuchar & Josh Hawley's bills
• How democrats and republicans view mergers and acquisitions
• The rise of venture capital ecosystems
• Immigration during the Trump administration
• Why it's challenging to make changes to immigration policy
• What is the international entrepreneurs rule & why it's a big deal
• L visa, O visa, H-1Bs & how they relate to the new rule

Successful advocate for entrepreneurship as General Counsel at the National Venture Capital Association. Jeff has been featured in publications like the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and TechCrunch on topics such as foreign investment, immigration, antitrust, and how public policy impacts startups. Jeff regularly speak at conferences, present to investors, and counsel investors and companies on policy strategy and regulatory compliance.

Previously, Jeff served as Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation where he advised Chairman Thune (now Senate Minority Whip) on telecommunications, technology, and Internet policy. Jeff also served as General Counsel and a policy adviser to U.S. Senator Scott Brown.

Before Senate service, Jeff was an attorney at a leading Washington, DC law firm for international trade matters. His private sector legal experience includes international trade investigations (antidumping/countervailing duty), administrative reviews, and sunset reviews in market and non-market economy cases. He has also counselled businesses on World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement, NAFTA Binational Panel Reviews, customs matters, and appeals before the U.S. Court of International Trade.

The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) empowers the next generation of American companies that will fuel the economy of tomorrow. As the voice of the U.S. venture capital and startup community, NVCA advocates for public policy that supports the American entrepreneurial ecosystem. Serving the venture community as the preeminent trade association, NVCA arms the venture community for success, serving as the leading resource for venture capital data, practical education, peer-led initiatives, and networking.

• NVCA (National Venture Capital Association): https://nvca.org/
• Techcrunch article "Restrictions on acquisitions would stifle the US startup ecosystem, not rein in big tech": https://techcrunch.com/2021/05/19/restrictions-on-acquisitions-would-stifle-the-us-startup-ecosystem-not-rein-in-big-tech/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-farrah-5343853/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jefffarrah

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammedjalil/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/yo_jalil
• Email: mo@metapair.com

We have a fascinating conversation with Craig Dixon co-founder and general partner of Accelerating Asia. Craig has spent the last decade within the startup ecosystem in South East Asia as both an entrepreneur and now as a venture investor. In this episode, we cover a whole host of topics including:

• The journey from entrepreneur to fund manager
• The Accelerating Asia program
• Investing in Bangladesh and frontier markets
• How timing affects a fund's internal rate of return
• The mechanics of the Singapores VC FM license
• Venture capital incentives and founder alignment
• Why and how founders should master storytelling
• Introducing Safe notes in South East Asia and why founders should use them
• The importance of ESG and impact investing

Craig Dixon is the Co-Founder, Entrepreneur in Residence (EiR) and Program Director for Accelerating Asia, which provides innovation consulting for organizations looking to engage with startups, runs Singapore’s only independent startup accelerator program and manages the associated venture capital firm Accelerating Asia Ventures.

Previously, Craig was the EiR and Program Manager for the muru-D Singapore startup accelerator. Craig arrived in Singapore in 2013 after his startup, Zumata received funding from Wavemakers Partners, the National Research Foundation and 500 Durians.

He is also an Angel investor, speaker and blogger on startup topics. Craig has been involved in over 50 investment rounds in startups as either a founder, institutional investor or Angel investor. He has a passion for building a more efficient startup ecosystem in Southeast Asia, focusing on standardization of investment terms and fairness between startup founders and investors.

Prior to beginning a career in startups, Craig lost his way for a time and spent 8 years as a banker and getting his MBA from the University of Maryland and HKUST.

Accelerating Asia is an accelerator VC that runs programs for early-stage startups and investors. Licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Accelerating Asia’s early-stage VC fund focuses on pre-Series A startups with untapped potential that are 6-18 months away from institutional funding. Accelerating Asia invests up to US$250,000 in pre-Series A startups, and the current portfolio covers over ten countries in Southeast and South Asia.

While most angel investors and startup programs in the region focused on ideation-minimum viable product stage startups, and venture funds focused on solid product-market fit, startups with a robust product at early stages of customer traction are often overlooked. That is where Accelerating Asia comes in. Our accelerator and venture capital model is designed to support pre-Series A startups to fast track growth and drive success, unlocking the potential in them.

At the core of the work we do is the guiding belief that entrepreneurs are one of humanity’s greatest catalysts for positive change. Currently, applications for Accelerating Asia Cohort 5 will close on 30 June 2021.

• Accelerating Asia : https://acceleratingasia.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigbristoldixon
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/craigdixon88

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammedjalil/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/yo_jalil
• Email: mo@metapair.com

Today is a very special episode on female founders and the Latin American market. We're joined by Claire Díaz-Ortiz investor, seasoned author and partner at Magma Partners and head of Brava. Claire and I have an absolutely fascinating conversation where we discuss:

• Angel investing and a look back at Claire's first check
• Ticket sizes, frequency and funding for female founders over the last few years
• The impact of covid on fundraising for diverse founders
• How built-in bias and social graphs affect who we fund and the opportunities we see
• Venture opportunities in Latin America
• Magma Partners, The Brave Initiative and funding female founders
• The inherent problems with VC investor pattern matching

Claire Díaz-Ortiz is an investor & bestselling author who was an early employee at Twitter. Wired magazine once called her "The Woman Who Got the Pope on Twitter" and she was also named one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company.

She is currently an investing partner at Magma Partners, Latin America's leading pre-seed VC fund, and leads Brava, Magma's initiative to invest in female founders in Latin America. She is also an angel investor in all geographies. Claire was an early employee at Twitter, where she was first hired to lead corporate social innovation.

Magma Partners is a seed-stage venture capital firm with offices in Latin America and California. Magma specializes in finding the best technology startups with technology and/or sales team in Latin America, but whose primary market is the United States. Since 2014, they have invested in 32 companies with teams all across Latin America.

• Magma Partners: https://magmapartners.com/
• Brava: https://brava.magmapartners.co

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairediazortiz/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Claire

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammedjalil/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/yo_jalil
• Email: mo@metapair.com

In today's episode, we have Magnus Grimeland CEO and founder of Antler Global. Antler is a global early-stage venture capital firm that invests in technology companies. In the last 2 years, Antler has made over 200 portfolio company investments across 30 industries and has opened offices across six continents and most major entrepreneurial hubs.

In the show we discuss:

• The United World Colleges and the start of an entrepreneurial journey
• The Norwegian navy seals and the importance of grit
• The early days at Zalora and building from scratch
• Rocket Internet and the venture builder model
• Democratizing access for founders and investors
• The Antler platform and the process of applying
• How Antler does founder selection
• The characteristics of great founders
• Personal improvement and how to improve on your strengths
• The relationship between talent, hard work and luck

Magnus Grimeland is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Antler (www.antler.co), a global VC enabling and investing in the world's most exceptional people. He leads a global team across 5 continents and 13 locations with the mission to fundamentally improve the world by supporting founders, who are building the defining companies of tomorrow. Antler has invested in, and helped build over 220+ portfolio companies worldwide and established the world’s largest early-stage investment platform, with an unparalleled global network of entrepreneurial leaders and advisors.

Prior to Antler, Magnus co-founded ZALORA.com, Asia’s largest fashion e-commerce company. He served as COO and Managing Director of Zalora after it was acquired by Global Fashion Group (GFG) and expanded it across 26 countries.

Magnus is an alumnus of Harvard University and McKinsey & Company. He was a Junior Partner at McKinsey & Co and worked in North America, Europe and Asia in the global telecommunications, media and tech industries. He served as a Navy Seal with the Royal Norwegian Navy Special Operations.

Antler is a global early-stage venture capital firm that invests in the defining technology companies of tomorrow. In the last 2 years Antler has made over 200 portfolio company investments across 30 industries and has opened offices across six continents and most major entrepreneurial hubs

The founders from their portfolio represent over 70 nationalities and 40% of those startups are led by female entrepreneurs. Several of these early-stage startups have since secured follow-on investment by top-tier VCs.

Antler enables exceptional people to build impactful technology startups by building complementary co-founder teams, supporting the teams with deep business model validation and providing a global platform for scaling their startups.

Antler provides funding from day one to support founders building businesses that will positively impact local, national and global economies.

• Antler Global: https://www.antler.co/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/magnusgrimeland/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/magnusgrimeland

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammedjalil/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/yo_jalil
• Email: mo@metapair.com

We're back with part 2 of our first look at the intersection between food, agriculture and venture investing with Carter Williams CEO and Managing Partner of iSelectFund. iSelect connects investors with innovative companies that are fixing our food and health systems while opening up access to investment opportunities that are making a real impact on the future of our world.

Carter has an extensive career spanning engineering, entrepreneurship and venture capital.

In today's show we discuss:

• Synthetic proteins and protein fabs
• The Chinese, South Korean and Singaporean models for food cultivation
• Why funds with vintage years can be bad for LPs
• Healthcare, food and preventative technology
• The joy of sailing and high-performance teams

Carter Williams has spent his entire career working on innovation. First as a young engineer at McDonnell Douglas, next in his leadership roles at Boeing managing R&D and starting Boeing Ventures, and later as a successful entrepreneur and venture investor. Throughout his career, he has directly managed investments of more than $600 million in early-stage ventures and corporate research, resulting in several billion dollars of new product revenues. As part of Boeing Phantom Works, Carter led Boeing’s technology planning process, involving all aspects of internal and external technology development and manufacturing research. This eventually led to his role in founding and managing Boeing Ventures. After Boeing, he was President of Gridlogix, initially a small struggling 4 person startup that grew over 3 years, selling successfully to Johnson Controls in October 2008. Prior to leading iSelect, Carter served as Senior Managing Director at Progress Partners, an energy and technology investment banking firm, and was a Managing Partner at Open Innovation Ventures and a Director at Clayton Capital Partners. Carter is the past President and Founder of the MIT Corporate Venturing Consortium and Co-founder of the MIT Entrepreneurship Society. He has an M.B.A. from the MIT Sloan School and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

iSelectfund is an early-stage venture firm that invests in companies that are addressing critical global issues, in large markets, and with financially attractive business models. We are based in St. Louis but we take a national view, with a regional focus outside the coasts and on companies making an impact. To date, iSelect has invested in more than 25 portfolio companies across the country, in markets including food & agriculture, healthcare, resource efficiency and B2B software, in partnership with some of the largest and most successful venture investors in the industry.

• iSelectfund: https://www.iselectfund.com/
• Part 1: https://bit.ly/3lFrCdh

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carter/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jcarterwil

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammedjalil/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/yo_jalil
• Email: mo@metapair.com

Today we have part 1 of our first look at the intersection between food, agriculture and venture investing with Carter Williams CEO and Managing Partner of iSelectFund. iSelect connects investors with innovative companies that are fixing our food and health systems while opening up access to investment opportunities that are making a real impact on the future of our world.

Carter has an extensive career spanning engineering, entrepreneurship and venture capital.

In today's show we discuss:

• Deconstructing "Innovation is deflationary", what does it mean?
• The information theory of investing
• Journey from engineering to entrepreneurship and then venture capital
• From Boeing Ventures to the creation of iSelectfund
• Economics of entrepreneurship & the optimistic mindset
• Democtraising venture capital focusing on the 97% of people that can invest in venture but don't
• Why funds with vintage years can be bad for LPs
• Healthcare, food and preventative technology

Carter Williams has spent his entire career working on innovation. First as a young engineer at McDonnell Douglas, next in his leadership roles at Boeing managing R&D and starting Boeing Ventures, and later as a successful entrepreneur and venture investor. Through his career, he has directly managed investments of more than $600 million in early-stage ventures and corporate research, resulting in several billion dollars of new product revenues. As part of Boeing Phantom Works, Carter led Boeing’s technology planning process, involving all aspects of internal and external technology development and manufacturing research. This eventually led to his role in founding and managing Boeing Ventures. After Boeing, he was President of Gridlogix, initially a small struggling 4 person startup that grew over 3 years, selling successfully to Johnson Controls in October 2008. Prior to leading iSelect, Carter served as Senior Managing Director at Progress Partners, an energy and technology investment banking firm, and was a Managing Partner at Open Innovation Ventures and a Director at Clayton Capital Partners. Carter is the past President and Founder of the MIT Corporate Venturing Consortium and Co-founder of the MIT Entrepreneurship Society. He has an M.B.A. from the MIT Sloan School and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

iSelectfund is an early-stage venture firm that invests in companies that are addressing critical global issues, in large markets, and with financially attractive business models. We are based in St. Louis but we take a national view, with a regional focus outside the coasts and in companies making an impact. To date, iSelect has invested in more than 25 portfolio companies across the country, in markets including food & agriculture, healthcare, resource efficiency and B2B software, in partnership with some of the largest and most successful venture investors in the industry.

• iSelectfund: https://www.iselectfund.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carter/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jcarterwil

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammedjalil/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/yo_jalil
• Email: mo@metapair.com