85: How Nihal Mehta built Eniac Venture as New York's top VC fund | 1947 VC

Nihal Mehta is the co-founder of Eniac Ventures. One of the top Venture Capital funds in the US. Through Eniac they have invested in over 10 unicorns. Before founding Eniac, Nihal had built 5 tech companies. Some succeeded and some failed. People call Nihal the human Rolodex and Nihal is typically the life of the party. Timeline: 00:00 Top Moments 00:40 Intro to pod with Nihal Mehta 02:30 Foundational Thesis of Eniac Ventures 04:19 Portfolio construction and evolution over the years 06:44 Journey of transitioning from making smaller investments to leading rounds 10:11 Aspects of investing: sourcing, picking, and winning 15:41 Common traits of companies of successful companies in portfolio 17:46 Lessons from misses in investment 19:54 Challenges and less-discussed aspects of building a venture fund 22:38 Fundraising journey and communicating with LPs 25:38 Advice for someone starting a fund or venturing into VC 29:13 Personal life and daily routine outside of work 33:19 Interests beyond work 35:48 Superpowers or unique qualities of partners in the venture firm