What is your advice for the next generation of venture investors?

Paige Finn DohertyFounding Partner, Behind Genius · Founding Partner at Behind Genius Ventures

What advice does Foundry Partner Jaclyn Hester have for the future generation of investors?

27 Nov 2022 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:57

Jaclyn Hester, a Foundry Partner, tells aspiring investors to skip the hype around top returns and develop a founder's mindset instead. She stresses that investing requires understanding what it actually takes to build a company, and that mentorship matters because experienced investors can lose the ability to spot unconventional opportunities.

Questions this video answers

Avoid overglorifying venture capital; understand the hard work and founder-like responsibilities involved. Seek apprenticeship and mentorship from experienced investors while valuing the fresh perspectives you bring, and stay aware that experience can sometimes limit your ability to see unconventional opportunities.

Chapters

What is your advice for the next generation of venture investors?
So, you know, I think that there is a bit of an overglorification of venture because everyone looks at kind of like the headlines and the, the, you know, the top quartile performance and like all the stuff that is good and fun and quote unquote easy about it. But it's hard. And you are not just writing checks. You are starting your own company and you yourself are a founder and an entrepreneur. And so I think just I think that like knowing what you're getting into that's not just the glamorous stuff is important. I think that there is a ton of value and perspective that the next-gen folks bring to the table, but there's also, there's also benefit to the apprenticeship aspect of this. Mm-hmm. And the mentorship and learning from really experienced people who, you know, as you get more and more experienced and further away, like you, like you may lose perspective that allows you to see opportunities that otherwise wouldn't be seen.