First check investments in emerging markets with Ali Jamal

In this episode, we talk with Ali Jamal, Founder and Managing Partner at First Check Ventures, an investment syndicate that invests in early-stage startups. Ali is dedicated to investing in and supporting early-stage founders, whom he joins as a first-check angel syndicate investor. He guides them with his experience in go-to-market strategy and helps connect them with follow-on investors. Before founding First Check Ventures, Ali was active in the startup ecosystem as an operator in unicorn companies like PayClip, Rappi, Agoda, and angel investor in startups. His broad experience offers unique insights into building and scaling tech companies in today's market. In our conversation, Ali shares his path into Venture Capital, how he identifies promising startups, and his vision for the future of technology and innovation. He also offers practical advice for entrepreneurs seeking funding and early-stage investors. Subscribe to the VNTR Podcast to deepen your knowledge of investing and discovering winning opportunities.VNTR is building the world’s largest investor community by sharing lessons, hosting events, and offering opportunities. Active VC investors can join by claiming a free investor account at (https://app.vntr.vc/).Hosts:- Yuri Rabinovich (http://linkedin.com/byuric)- Niko Leon (http://linkedin.com/nikoleon) Chapters: * 0:00 Intro * 4:19 Starting to Invest * 13:02 First Check Ventures * 15:00 Investing in LATAM * 18:33 AI * 25:02 Successful Investments (5 Unicorns) * 35:00 Angel Investing as a Syndicate * 43:40 Tips for Founders Reaching Out to VCs * 48:40 Moving to Puerto Rico * 52:35 Work-Life Balance Follow Ali: * https://www.linkedin.com/in/mralijamal * https://x.com/mralijamal * https://www.firstcheckventures.com* https://angel.co/s/first-check-ventures/zL3eU/ Ali's Bio: Ali Jamal is a Venture Investor, Product Leader, Growth Expert, Data Scientist, and Corporate Strategist. He is the Founder of First Check Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage startups worldwide. First Check Ventures has supported and invested in over 130 startups from over 30 countries, including the US, Pakistan, India, Singapore, Venezuela, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Nigeria, Turkey, Peru, and Colombia. Before starting First Check Ventures, he was the Director of Growth and Performance Marketing at PayClip, Mexico's first FinTech unicorn. Previously, Ali was the Head of Performance Marketing at Rappi, leading over 80 people across 7 teams in 8 international offices, responsible for generating over $1 billion in total transaction value per year globally. Before joining Rappi, he was the Head of Marketing Innovation at Agoda, where he led 3 teams across 3 international offices and was responsible for expansion into the Chinese market. Ali also held product and analytical leadership roles at RockYou, Zynga, and Maxim Integrated Products. He began his career as an investment banker specializing in mergers and acquisitions in the software and internet sectors. Ali has a Bachelor's in Economics and a Master's in Statistics from Stanford University.