The New World of VC and Building a Durable Firm with Category Ventures' Villi Iltchev
Category Ventures' Villi Iltchev shares his journey from international student facing visa restrictions to joining Salesforce when it was larger than the entire SaaS ecosystem combined. His perspective on building durable VC firms centers on treating people with authentic respect and providing candid feedback as foundational principles, not nice-to-haves.
Key takeaways
- •Timing and market positioning matter more than individual brilliance—being at Salesforce in 2009 meant joining a company bigger than the entire SaaS ecosystem.
- •Visa restrictions for international students can actually force creative career paths that lead to unexpected opportunities in tech.
- •Kindness requires zero additional effort but creates outsized returns in relationship building and firm durability.
- •Authentic feedback and respect should be non-negotiable standards, not differentiators, in how VCs operate.
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Best moment
Salesforce was probably at the time when I joined in 2009 bigger than the entire SaaS ecosystem combined. I was at the right place at the right time.
Salesforce was such a relevant impactful company in the ecosystem. It was probably at the time when I joined in 2009 bigger than the entire SaaS ecosystem combined. And so I was at the right place at the right time working for the right founder, right company. It was really an amazing experience. And so I was leading there the strategy team and which included the investment arm of Salesforce, what is now Salesforce Ventures as well. It's the strategy and m and a function. Great experience.
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