(An Internal Playbook for Analysts, Associates, and VPs)
1. The Core Ethos: Founder First
- We are in a human servicing business.
- Empathy is non-negotiable.
- You are not the captain of the ship.
Founders are our #1 priority — our role is to serve them. Every conversation, action, and process exists to make their journey smoother.
Respect their time → be extremely prepared for every interaction. Treat every 30 minutes as sacred.
Founders drive decisions. Your role is to ask incisive, catalytic questions — not give prescriptive advice. Great investors provoke deeper thinking, not dictate.
Litmus Test Template:
✅ Did this conversation leave the founder clearer or more thoughtful than before?
❌ Did I waste their time or push my own agenda?
2. The Outlier Mindset: Optimism + Risk
- Risk is the game. You will be wrong more often than right — but when right, you must be right big.
- Optimism is a requirement. Look for reasons a company can win, not just why it might fail.
- Outlier test (Paul Graham lens):
If this company achieves what it claims, how big can it get?
If the answer is “massive,” you only need one reason to win.
Evaluation Template:
- Bull case: What is the 1 compelling reason this company can be huge?
- Bear case: What are the top 3 things that could kill it?
- My job: Balance realism without killing optimism.
3. The Non-Operator Truth
- You are not building the company.
- Be comfortable being “important but invisible.”
Execution = 100% the founder’s job. Our role is enablement, pattern recognition, network leverage.
The work is theirs, the glory is theirs.
4. Beyond the Checklist
- Venture is a “no-checklist” business. Passion and obsession matter more than process adherence.
- The best investors go above and beyond — dinner at 9 PM, a Sunday pickleball game, a walk in the park. Not because they have to, but because they want to understand the founder as a whole human.
Above & Beyond Template:
- Ask: What can I do for this founder today that’s not on any checklist?
- Example: Introduce them to a potential customer, help edit a key email, send them an energizing note before a big pitch.
5. Curiosity + Context Switching
- VC is perpetual context switching.
- You need a deep passion for variety and a student mindset.
- Curiosity is your edge: learn fast, adapt faster.
Morning = AI infra, Lunch = Agri-tech, Evening = D2C beauty.
6. The Edge Question: Why Should a Founder Talk to You?
- Founders have infinite inbound; you must earn the right to their time.
- Your edge could be:
- Unparalleled hustle in customer connects.
- The best content/podcast insights in the ecosystem.
- Founder-to-founder network density.
- Category-specific expertise.
- Whatever it is — define it clearly and lean on it.
Personal Edge Template:
“I am the best person for founders to talk to because I can consistently help them with _______.”
7. Love for the Grind (Not Just the Glamour)
- Talking to founders is energizing.
- But the role also includes:
- Deep industry research.
- Long diligence calls.
- Late-night memo writing.
- CRM hygiene and tracking.
- Great investors don’t tire of the unsexy parts.
Self-Check Template:
Do I still enjoy the work when it’s 3 hours into a diligence call or 100 rows deep in customer churn data?
8. Core Traits of Great Early-Stage Investors
- Empathy (human first).
- Optimism (one reason to win).
- Curiosity (infinite learner).
- Resilience (risk = norm, failure = frequent).
- Humility (founders do the work).
- Obsession (above & beyond, no checklist).
- Clarity of Edge (why should founders talk to you?).
- Love for the Grind (diligence and detail).