Capital Series: Sandy Guitar, HX Venture Fund

Jun 14, 2023

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This episode is part of our new Capital Series hosted by Jason Jacobs. This series explores a diverse range of capital sources and the individuals who drive them. From family offices and institutional LPs to private equity, government funding, and more, we take a deep dive into the world of capital and its critical role in driving innovation and progress.

Sandy Guitar is the managing director of HX Venture Fund.

HX Venture Fund is a fund investing in venture capital funds and they are seeking to transform Houston into a world-leading hub for innovation by bringing together key players in the ecosystem, linking investors to startups and startups to capital.

In this episode, Jason and Sandy discuss Sandy’s background and the origin story of HX Venture Fund. They delve into the fund's inspirations from various regions, highlighting the key factors contributing to its success elsewhere and the rationale behind applying their model to Houston. They also talk about the current standing of the firm, their investment criteria, and notable examples of their investments. Looking ahead, Sandy provides insights into the future direction of HX Venture Fund and her aspirations for Houston's future.

In this episode, we cover:

[3:03] An overview of HX Venture Fund
[5:00] The firm's origin story
[10:17] Sandy's background in venture capital
[15:03] HX Venture Fund's portfolio split
[15:47] Key learnings from the firm's first fund
[18:52] Early VC focus on strategy compared to returns
[20:20] How HX sources deals
[21:28] The firm's energy transition investments
[23:39] Venture Houston event on September 7, 2023
[25:20] Houston's role in the energy transition and major players in the city
[31:10] Criteria for evaluating funds in energy transition vs other categories
[33:41] Traditional vs non-traditional portfolio construction and HX's position on the two
[34:51] Generalists vs specialists in the energy transition category
[36:34] Importance of impact tracking
[39:12] How strategic LPs engage with HX Venture Fund and its portfolio companies
[46:45] Sandy's thoughts on growth vehicles
[51:13] Advice for emerging funds working with fund of funds vs directly with strategics
[56:55] What success looks like for HX Venture Fund and measuring it beyond financial returns
[59:43] How HX Venture Fund sets itself apart
[01:03:29] Who Sandy wants to hear from and where HX needs help

Get connected:
Jason Jacobs
Sandy Guitar / HX Venture Fund
MCJ Podcast / Collective

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Episode recorded on May 18, 2023.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant