The Importance of Empathy in VC

I think there's another quote here that's interesting. Jennifer Ho, a partner at Singapore based Integra Partners said, for me, the trickiest part of being a women male dominated industry is that you're still a exception rather than the rule. I'd rather not spend any time thinking about it, being a better and working with my own strengths. We have to show up and win deals based on what we can do.

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“There are a lot of requests from people wanting to break into the VC space. I encourage people to start thinking about the VC processes like sourcing, picking, helping, exiting, and demonstrate their competence by writing about it. Show a record of your thinking because that's essentially what investing is. It's thinking and making a decision. I don't encourage people with pure finance backgrounds to go straight into early-stage VC where it’s pretty hands-on and operational and you won't have a lot of context or empathy for that stage. I always encourage people that if you've only done two years banking or you’re fresh grads, go work at a company first instead of trying to get straight into VC.” - Shiyan Koh

"You have to meet and believe in the founder, but you also have to do the math on the market size, the product market fit, and the acquisition costs. If you do the math, you're better than a good chunk of investors out there. You have to be thoughtful about putting the numbers in writing and ask yourself if you believe it. There's a huge value added to the founder when you have that conversation with them openly, and it's also a great way for you to better differentiate between good and great companies” - Jeremy Au

“We strive for an unbiased, open application process and if it's someone we know personally, we try to ask someone else on the investment team to evaluate it. We try to remove bias from all parts of the system, and that's our part of the universe that we're trying to make as fair as possible. That goes back to what is the zone that you can control. We want to promote other women, suggest them for speaking spots, and make introductions for them, but at the end of the day, there are other things that we’re not going to be able to control.” - Shiyan Koh

In this insightful conversation between Jeremy Au, and Shiyan Koh, the Managing Partner of Hustle Fund, they discuss various aspects of venture capital and investing. They highlight the importance of diversity and representation in the VC industry, the need to address biases, and a fair and unbiased approach to the investment process. They also delve into the challenges faced by women and minorities in the field, along with the significance of mentorship and support in breaking into VC.

Jeremy and Shiyan share advice for aspiring VCs, emphasizing the importance of understanding companies deeply and demonstrating competence in sourcing and picking. They discuss the indeterminate nature of venture investing and the need to enjoy the process, despite its uncertainty. Reflecting on their experiences, they offer insights into the journey of a VC and the value of continuous learning.

Key Topics:

• Importance of diversity and representation in the VC industry

• Addressing biases in the investment process

• Challenges faced by women and minorities in VC

• Significance of mentorship and support in breaking into VC

• Understanding companies deeply and demonstrating competence

• Embracing the uncertainty and enjoyment of the venture investing process

• Continuous learning and growth as a VC

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