Fund of funds: origins, evolution and deep dive with Michael Kim | E1890
This Week in Startups
Jason Calacanis
4.2 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 31 January 2024
⏱️ 62 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This Week in Startups is brought to you by…
LinkedIn Marketing. To redeem a $100 LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign, go to http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups
Squarespace. Turn your idea into a new website! Go to http://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST
for a free trial. When you’re ready to launch, use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.
Lemon.io - Hire pre-vetted remote developers, and get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://www.Lemon.io/twist
*
Today’s show:
Cendana’s Michael Kim joins Jason for a deep dive on fund of funds (3:32), how to examine alpha, beta, and quality indices in early-stage investing (28:38), current market trends, future startup outlook (45:11), and more!
*
Timestamps:
(0:00) Michael Kim joins Jason.
(3:32) Overview of Fund of Funds, their Strengths and “Achilles heel”.
(7:01) Attraction factors for investors in pre-seed and seed startups.
(10:42) LinkedIn Marketing - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups
(12:04) The rise and definition of “micro VCs” with insights by Michael Kim.
(15:16) How the early seed stage carved a niche and its growing appeal to LPs.
(22:07) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at http://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST
(23:12) Fund enablers and the importance of “consistent returns”.
(28:38) Examining alpha, beta, and quality indices in early-stage investing.
(34:21) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://www.Lemon.io/twist
(35:29) The significance of portfolio management as networks and building a ‘why' for founders to pick you as an investor.
(41:25) The value and longevity of investor networks.
(45:11) Current market trends, future startup outlook.
(48:08) Things have shifted and Michael explains why seed is the new series-A and pre-seed is the new seed.
(52:10) Demographics of founders seeking investment.
*
LINKS
Check out Cendana Capital: https://www.cendanacapital.com/
Watch other episodes with Micheal Kim:
- E1075: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSOhe-FnTJE
- E1879: https://youtu.be/1Dcu5BfnE_c?feature=shared
Check out the Liquidity Podcast: LiquidityPod.com
*
Follow Michael:
X: https://twitter.com/MKRocks
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-kim-cendana-capital/
*
Follow Jason:
X: https://twitter.com/jason
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
*
Thank you to our partners:
(10:42) LinkedIn Marketing - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups
(22:07) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at http://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST
(34:21) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://www.Lemon.io/twist
*
Check out the Launch Accelerator: https://launchaccelerator.co
*
Check out Founder University: https://www.founder.university
*
Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp
*
Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland
*
Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis
*
Follow TWiST:
Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups
*
Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | These founders, as you know best, with Travis, for example, they would walk through walls to get it done. |
| 0:05.0 | Right? And so what you actually saw in, say, 2021, at the peak was a lot of tourist founders. |
| 0:12.0 | My friend started a company, so I'm going to start a company. |
| 0:14.0 | Or in the fund world, we actually saw a lot of tourist fund managers. |
| 0:18.0 | They're like, hey, my friend just raised a $10 million seed fund. |
| 0:20.0 | I'm going to do that too. |
| 0:22.0 | Yeah. |
| 0:23.0 | And I think now it's a lot of them have actually been flushed out. |
| 0:25.0 | So that's why I'm saying it's a return on normalcy. |
| 0:28.0 | Valuations will know where the entry points should be from public markets on down the playing field is set and people |
| 0:35.0 | are ready to go on the offense. We went from the ridiculous cappuccino to a nice flat white. |
| 0:39.9 | You know when it got ridiculous people were like having the foam wars in the |
| 0:42.8 | cappuccino world and you're like there's about four ounces in here and |
| 0:45.9 | about eight ounces and height of cappuccino foam. |
| 0:49.2 | Right. All that gets blown off in a bad market and then you're just drinking the good stuff the good |
| 0:54.0 | stuff. This week in startups is brought to you by LinkedIn ads to redeem a |
| 0:59.6 | $100 LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign, go to LinkedIn.com slash Angel Pod. |
| 1:07.0 | Squarespace, turn your idea into a new website. |
| 1:10.7 | Go to Squarespace.com slash Twist for a free trial. |
| 1:14.0 | When you're ready to launch, use offer code Twist to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. |
| 1:20.0 | And Lemon.io. |
| 1:22.0 | Need to speed up your product development without draining your budget? |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jason Calacanis, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Jason Calacanis and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.

