Show notes
In this episode of the Soaked by Slush podcast, we had the opportunity to host Nicole Quinn, Partner at Lightspeed Ventures. As an investor, Nicole is a master at working with founders, brands, and end-customers. Her impressive background in both investing and entrepreneurship has garnered her a wealth of experience and knowledge – especially when it comes to consumer brands. Nicole’s unique style of working with founders certainly makes her ideas worth a(n intriguing) listen. Expect to learn:Do founders need to have a “run through walls”-attitude?How VCs should support their portfolio’s founders and the problem with the "founder hero"-mythWhy Nicole doesn’t want to invest only in the “bubble of Silicon Valley”Why is speaking to customers central to investors as well?Why companies should focus on niche markets first 01:25 Introduction to Nicole05:55 Important things in successful founders09:00 The importance of the founding team’s obsession13:10 Talking to customers and apps on Nicole’s home screen.16:38 When founders believe they have product-market fit too early18:45 People don’t want to hear bad things about their companies19:33 Problem of founder ‘hero mindset’ – can grit get too toxic?23:14 Philosophy of relation-building with founders26:06 What do founders usually worry about too much?29:34 Starting niche first33:38 Would founders experience from first building something smaller before building something that scales 36:14 The importance of listeningFind out more about Capchase on capchase.com/slushCheck Soaked by Slush out at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/soakedbyslush/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soakedslush/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soakedbyslush/Soaked by Slush website: https://www.slush.org/soaked/Slush website: https://www.slush.orgShoot us a message or feedback: [email protected]
