New to Venture11 Mar 2025

Ep 037 - Derek Chu, Principal at FirstMark

“The mentee knows the rules, but the mentor knows the exceptions”

Derek Chu, Principal at FirstMark, is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to startups. In this episode of New to Venture, he shares his thoughts on the art of consumer venture capital, what “great” looks like, and his career journey so far. Some of my new favorite quotes are sprinkled throughout the episode, so don’t miss out!

My key takeaways:

1️⃣ Understand the value of asymmetric opportunities. What actions/projects have low downside, but limitless upside? How can you live an exponential life versus a linear life?

2️⃣ Organic usage in the wild is a helpful litmus test for a viral consumer product. Think about a product’s frequency of use, density and gravity. These are the markings of a truly special consumer product.

3️⃣ If your gut is telling you something that you can’t quite explain, keep thinking—relentlessly. Clarity comes with sustained reflection. As Voltaire put it, “no problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.” When it comes to your opinions, "I don’t know" isn’t a final answer, it’s just the starting point.

Timestamps:

(00:00) - Introductions

(02:20) - Derek’s turning points

(06:54) - Shifting into early-stage investing and technology

(08:27) - What does “great” look and feel like?

(11:26) - Missing out on Warby Parker and Uber?

(15:59) - Investing in Posh

(23:02) - Deep dive into consumer investing

(28:50) - Discerning top talent to join the investing team

(32:18) - The VC apprenticeship model + mentorship

(40:26) - Highlights and lowlights

(44:43) - Ceremonial final Qs

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(50)

Ep 050 - Molly Cantillon, Founder at NOX

“This is the last time you’re going to see me graduate” Molly Cantillon stated these words to her parents at her HIGH SCHOOL graduation. They weren’t amused…Years later, she dropped out of Stanford, m...

24 Okt 202547min

Ep 049 - Nate Leung, Partner at Sapphire Partners

Where do VCs get money from?Welcome to LP land. The mysterious world where people who fund VCs live. Nate Leung, Partner at Sapphire Partners and Co-Founder of OpenLP, gives us a peek into the backbon...

2 Sep 202546min

Ep 048 - Chauncey Kerr Hamilton, Partner at XYZ Venture Capital

VC is a young person’s game.More time. More energy. Stronger pulse on what’s next. It’s one of the few industries where being young is actually your edge.But here’s what most young VCs get wrong: They...

27 Aug 202543min

Ep 047 - Bryan "BK" Kim, Partner at a16z

My first in-person podcast. Ever. I kept thinking about it. A LinkedIn lurker who’d never posted. A kid with a computer and too many questions about venture.Now I’m sitting across from Bryan Kim at a1...

19 Aug 202547min

Ep 046 - Grace Ge, Partner at Amplify Partners

“If you have to ask someone to be your mentor, they are not your mentor.”Meet Grace, a partner at Amplify Partners and the person that dropped that massive truth bomb. In our conversation, Grace didn’...

4 Aug 202537min

Ep 045 - Manu Kumar, Founder of K9 Ventures & HiHello

When everyone said it was too early to invest, Manu Kumar, founder of K9 Ventures and HiHello, said it was too late. Meet the man who coined the phrase “Pre-seed.”In 2008, Manu Kumar saw something oth...

17 Jul 202548min

Ep 044 - Natan Reddy, Principal at Ironspring Ventures

🎯 Why Specializing as a VC Is a Game Changer 🎯Natan Reddy, Principal at Ironspring Ventures, unpacks the hidden edge of being a specialist investor in industrial tech. In episode 044 of New to Ventu...

28 Mai 202542min

Ep 043 - Jonathan Lehr, Co-Founder/General Partner at Work-Bench

🔥The Blood, Sweat & Capital Behind a VC Firm 🔥Jonathan Lehr, co-founder and General Partner at Work-Bench, brings a rare mix of enterprise GTM expertise, community-first values, and long term consis...

21 Mai 202549min