Challenges and Tough Conversations in Fast-Paced Seed Funding Rounds

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape.

We're joined by TX Zhuo, Co-Founder and General Partner of Fika Ventures. His tech career began in college when he started an online textbook marketplace.

After working at McKinsey and as a CFO at an operating company, TX joined Innovation Endeavors. He then co-founded Karlin Ventures, which was backed by a single family office. In 2016, he co-founded Fika Ventures, which now has a 10-person team and has raised three funds.

During the pod, we discussed the culture needed to run a successful VC firm, how they've thought about innovation, LP fundraising as a first-time fund, and how they think about valuation methodology.

About TX Zhuo:TX Zhuo is a General Partner at Fika Ventures, a boutique seed fund in Los Angeles investing in data, AI, and automation technologies. He co-founded Fika Ventures in August 2016 and has been dedicated to solving systemic problems through innovative platforms ever since.

Prior to this, he was the Managing Partner at Karlin Ventures from 2012 to 2016, focusing on early-stage investments in various sectors including education technology, digital media, and healthcare. Before Karlin Ventures, TX worked at Innovation Endeavors from October 2010 to May 2012, managing deal screening and outreach initiatives. He also served as the CFO of Lit Motors, an electric vehicle startup, after his tenure at McKinsey & Company from August 2008 to August 2010, where he contributed to financial services and consumer goods projects. TX's entrepreneurial journey began in college when he founded and successfully sold an online textbook marketplace, EMT Alliance, which had significant sales and a cost-efficient distribution center in India.

He holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Economics from Wesleyan University.

In this episode we discuss:

(01:32) TX Zhuo’s Path to Venture Capital(03:04) Inspired by his own experiences and wanted to create a more institutional platform with Fika Ventures, focusing on supporting seed-stage entrepreneurs with a peer-like approach(05:12) The importance of being founder-first and not imposing advice, adopting a humble approach when communicating with founders(07:14) The difficulties raising the first fund, pitching to 700 investors to get 105 commitments, and learned the importance of storytelling and perseverance(12:49) Radical transparency and conservative financial prudence with LPs, focusing on over-communicating and being proactive about potential issues(16:14) The need to focus on high-impact areas like customer introductions, talent, and follow-on investors, emphasizing trust and being an extension of the management team(19:22) Why TX conducts an expectation-setting exercise early in the relationship with founders, focusing on under-promising and over-delivering to maintain trust and satisfaction(22:39) Navigating 2021's Rapid Fundraising Environment(25:09) How to handle tough conversations with Founders(27:56) Fika’s unique advisor model the uses 73 advisors to support functional and domain-specific needs, and created the Fika Fellows program to up-level senior hires within portfolio companies(34:15) How Fika uses a pod system for focused research and decision-making, requiring a high bar of consensus and a structured voting system for investment decisions(31:39) Why TX screens for a service mentality and resourcefulness in new hires, ensuring they align with Fika's values and ethos through practical evaluations and interactions with current founders(37:43) TX’s Advice for Aspiring VCs: the importance of consistency in approach and team cohesion, advocating for treating every entrepreneur consistently and building a strong, unified brand(39:13) The importance of a consistent experience for entrepreneurs interacting with Fika, valuing a strong apprenticeship model and internal trust among team members.

I’d love to know what you took away from this conversation with TX. Follow me @SamirKaji and give me your insights and questions with the hashtag #ventureunlocked. If you’d like to be considered as a guest or have someone you’d like to hear from (GP or LP), drop me a direct message on Twitter.

Podcast Production support provided by Agent Bee

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