20 VC 046: How VCs Evaluate Investment Opportunities with Alan Chiu, Partner @ XSeed Capital
The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch
The Twenty Minute VC
4.4 • 637 Ratings
🗓️ 18 June 2015
⏱️ 21 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Alan Chiu is a Partner at XSeed Capital, with a strong background in enterprise software and data storage. Alan is currently Vice President for Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs, an alumni association that seeks to strengthen Stanford’s startup community by fostering relationships among entrepreneurs and alumni investors. Prior to XSeed, Alan was previously Director of Product Management at Bycast (acquired by NetApp), and was engineering manager at Creo, which was acquired by Kodak for $1B in cash.
In todays amazing discussion with Alan we discover:
- What the checklist is for Alan when investing in startups?
- Why Stanford is the amazing place it is for startups?
- What is the most important value add that VCs can bring to a startup?
- When is the right time to pivot and how important is a product roadmap?
As always you can follow Harry, Alan and The Twenty Minute VC on Twitter here!
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to episode 46 of the 20 minute VC with your host, Harry Stebbings. |
| 0:05.6 | And we are starting to stay show with a little giveaway. |
| 0:08.5 | So all you have to do is leave a review for the 20 minute VC on iTunes. |
| 0:13.1 | And the first five people to leave a review will be sent a copy of Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs book straight to their home address. All you have to do is leave a |
| 0:24.3 | review on iTunes and then email Harry at the 20 minute VC.com with the review that you left the name under |
| 0:31.4 | on iTunes. But back to today's show, very excited to say we are joined today by the incredible Alan Chu. |
| 0:39.0 | Alan is a partner at XSEED Capital, where he specialises in enterprise software and data storage. |
| 0:46.3 | He is also currently vice president at Stanford Angels and Entrepreneurs. |
| 0:51.1 | And prior to XSED, Alan was product manager at Bycast, acquired by NetApp, |
| 0:56.5 | and engineering manager at Creo, acquired by Kodak, for $1 billion in cash. But before we |
| 1:02.5 | delve into today's interview with Alan, if you've ever been in charge of a recruitment process |
| 1:07.2 | and wished you could tell the unsuccessful applicants they didn't get the job, you'll love |
| 1:11.8 | hiring screen's smart feedback option. Send a personalized message to your entire applicant pool |
| 1:17.6 | or create a customized message for your shortlisted candidates. Nobody likes their CV to disappear |
| 1:23.6 | into cyberspace, so let hiring screen help you. Boost your company's brand image by keeping candidate updates with the application process. |
| 1:33.3 | But without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, it's Alan Chu. |
| 1:37.4 | Three, two, one, zero. |
| 1:43.0 | You have now arrived at your destination. |
| 1:46.3 | Alan, thank you so much for coming on the show. |
| 1:48.5 | I'm so excited to have you here. |
| 1:50.7 | Can you kick us off by hearing a little about yourself and your background |
| 1:55.0 | and how you made your move into the venture industry? |
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