4 clips
RRiding Unicorns
Mark Beeston explains Illuminate Financial's approach to managing strategic investor relationships. He discusses how they give strategics observer seats on their investment committee without voting rights, maintaining independence while leveraging these partnerships for portfolio company connections, co-investments, and potential acquisitions to improve fund returns.
TThe Startup Podcast · Jess Mah
Jess Mah explains why top-tier startups are going completely stealth, avoiding LinkedIn announcements and public portfolio listings. She argues that the most successful founders and investors will increasingly operate in secrecy to maintain competitive advantages.
The Twenty Minute VC (20VC)
Lucas Swisher explains how Coatue ended up investing in both Snowflake and Databricks when they operated in different areas, before they eventually grew to compete directly as they expanded their total addressable markets. He discusses how this competition dynamic naturally occurs in large markets.
TThe Full Ratchet
A venture capitalist explains the fundamental unpredictability of startup success, arguing that even experienced investors can't reliably predict which companies will become the rare big winners in their portfolio. The insight challenges the notion that VCs have special foresight about individual investment outcomes.