4.4 • 637 Ratings
🗓️ 11 September 2017
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Andy Weissman is a Partner @ Union Square Ventures, one of the world’s leading VC firms with investments in Twitter, Twilio, Zynga, Soundcloud, Tumblr, Lending Club and many more. At USV, Andy sits on the boards of YouNow, ScienceExchange, Figure 1 and previous guest, CircleUp. Prior to joining USV, in 2007 he co-founded betaworks, which both created and invested in social, real-time applications and services. You can also check out Andy's fantastic blog here.
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1.) How Andy made his way into the world of startups and investing, came to found Betaworks and then made the move to USV?
2.) Andy has previously said the business "is more about luck than skill and process rather than foresight". Why does Andy place so much emphasis on process? How has Andy seen his process evolve over the years? How does the process of an individual balance with the process of the firm?
3.) Why does USV not agree with voting as a method of investment decision making? How do Andy and USV approach reserve allocation? What model and simulators do they use to determine which companies receive follow on funding?
4.) Why does Andy believe that recycling cash from early exits is good for everyone? How has Andy found that LPs respond to this? What is the balance? What is the right amount for recycling, 110%, 120% or 130%?
5.) How does Andy view price sensitivity? To what extent does Andy agree with Peter Fenton that "valuation is a mental trap"? Has there been a time when Andy has lost a deal due to price? How has that changed his psyche and approach to the topic?
Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:
Andy’s Fave Book: On The Road by Jack Kerouac
Andy’s Fave Blog: Phish.net, Continuations, Radio Free Mobile
Andy's Most Recent Investment: Flip
As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Andy on Twitter here!
Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.
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0:00.0 | Hello and welcome back to the 20 minute VC with me, your host, Harry Stebbings, at H. Stebbings with |
0:04.5 | 2Bs on Snapchat, but to the show today, and this is one which probably took 18 months will serve |
0:08.8 | continuous hustle and emails, but with persistence being one of my bad habits, it paid off, |
0:13.5 | and I'm thrilled to welcome Andy Weissman to the show today. |
0:16.1 | Now, Andy is a partner at Union Square Ventures, one of the world's leading VC firms, with investments in |
0:21.2 | Twitter, Twilio, Zinger, SoundCloud, Tumblr, Lending Club, and many more incredible companies. |
0:27.1 | At USV, Andy sits on the boards of You Now, Science Exchange, Figure 1 and previous guests |
0:32.1 | circle up, and prior to joining USV in 2007, Andy co-founded Betaws, alongside prior 20 VC guest John Borthwick. |
0:39.4 | I do also have to say it was so much fun having Andy on the show, and thanks so much to him |
0:43.2 | for being such a huge sport and for really creating the dialogue and actually enhancing the discussion |
0:47.6 | today. It was one of my favourites to record. But before we dive into the show today, if you're |
0:51.7 | an early stage startup, the right infrastructure and support systems are critical. |
0:55.8 | And that's where First Republic is so good. First Republic's resources, network and expertise allow entrepreneurs to customize a solid foundation for your business across all stages. |
1:05.5 | So why First Republic? Well, you get to leverage their incredible network of VC firms to prepare you for future fundraising events. |
1:11.7 | You get to count on a single point of contact that will be there for you and your employees when you need them. |
1:16.4 | You get access to exclusive events and networking opportunities. |
1:19.6 | But don't trust me on this. |
1:20.7 | Their clients include the likes of Instacard, e-shares and Wish, just to name a few. |
1:25.0 | Check it out by heading over to innovation. |
1:26.5 | FirstRepublic.com. |
1:28.3 | And speaking of incredible startups there, one that really is a must is Segment. Why? |
1:32.4 | Well, Segment allows you to collect data from every platform, mobile, web, server, cloud |
... |
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