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This Week in Startups

Fund of funds: origins, evolution and deep dive with Michael Kim | E1890

This Week in Startups

Jason Calacanis

Technology

4.21.4K 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!

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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.

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LINKS

Check out Cendana Capital: https://www.cendanacapital.com/

Watch other episodes with Micheal Kim:

Check out the Liquidity Podcast: LiquidityPod.com

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Follow Michael:

X: https://twitter.com/MKRocks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-kim-cendana-capital/

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Follow Jason:

X: ⁠https://twitter.com/jason⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jason⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

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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

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Check out Founder University: https://www.founder.university

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Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp

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Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

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Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

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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

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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?

...

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