How I Invest with David Weisburd
E159:How a 24-Year-Old VC Landed Cendana Capital as a Limited Partner w/Paige Doherty
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Paige Doherty emphasizes the power of media and community in enhancing relationships with founders and LPs for successful venture capital.
- Behind Genius Ventures adopts a data-driven investment thesis, focusing on technical storytellers and identifying overlooked opportunities in AI-driven industries.
Deep dives
Strong Branding and Education
The venture firm stands out due to its strong branding capability and commitment to educating future investors. The GP emphasized the importance of building a compelling brand, drawing from experiences that include writing a children's book about venture capital and creating a popular podcast. This focus on educational content not only enhances the firm's visibility but also attracts a community interested in venture capital. By concentrating on video-first storytelling, the firm has successfully positioned itself as a thought leader in the industry.
Exceptional Grit in Fundraising
Raising the first fund demonstrated exceptional grit, as the GP contacted nearly 1,700 investors to secure 120 LPs for a $5 million fund. This tenacity played a critical role in gaining the attention of top LPs, including Sindana Capital. The process of building relationships and gathering endorsements from respected figures in the venture community proved essential for gaining credibility. Ultimately, this dedication to networking and relationship-building culminated in Sindana Capital anchoring the subsequent fund.
Data-Driven Investment Thesis
The firm adopts a data-driven approach to its investment thesis, focusing on backing technical storytellers in industries that leverage AI. Recent research conducted by the firm revealed that many successful companies have achieved billion-dollar exits by identifying high-value pain points that customers are willing to pay for. The analysis also indicated that many of these founders represented their alma maters exclusively in their respective successful ventures, suggesting that unique insights can exist outside traditional Silicon Valley norms. This knowledge shapes their investment strategy, aiming to replicate past successes and identify emerging opportunities.
Leveraging Media and Community
Utilizing media as a tool for access to both LPs and GPs has become a strategic focus for the firm. By sharing insights and experiences publicly, the firm establishes a connection with founders even before initial meetings, effectively pre-selling their brand and approach. This method generates a warmer introduction for potential portfolio companies and enhances their visibility within the venture ecosystem. Furthermore, by prioritizing community building and creating connections between their portfolio founders, the firm enhances collaborative efforts that aid in the growth of all their investments.
Highlights:
- How Paige landed Sandana Capital as a cornerstone LP at just 24 years old
- The "substance and vibes" approach to getting LPs to say yes
- How media scaled her reach with both founders and investors
- Behind Genius Ventures’ investment theses: "technical storytellers" and "clipboard companies"
- What founders of billion-dollar companies have in common
- Building a resilient brand through storytelling, community, and consistency
- Why Behind Genius invests in embodied AI and AI agents
- How Paige thinks about sourcing deals from TikTok to co-investor networks
- Best practices for building a strong brand as an emerging manager on Twitter (now X)
- Why investing in institutional-grade back office systems from day one matters
- The vision for Behind Genius' next phase: high-production visual storytelling
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Guest Bio: Paige Finn Doherty is the Founding Partner of Behind Genius Ventures, a venture firm she launched at 22 years old to back early-stage technical storytellers building in overlooked industries. She’s the author of Seed to Harvest, a children's book about venture capital, and the host of the Seed to Harvest podcast. Paige is known for her deep conviction in building brands, fostering community, and bringing an engineering mindset to portfolio construction. Through her thought leadership, content, and investing, she’s shaping the next generation of venture capital.
Our Podcast now receives more than 300,000 downloads a month. Are you interested in sponsoring an episode? Please email David Weisburd at david@weisburdcapital.com
We’d like to thank @Republic for sponsoring this episode!
#VentureCapital #VC #Startups #OpenLP #AssetManagement
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Sponsor: Republic is the leading global investment platform making premier private market opportunities accessible to all investors. With over $3 billion deployed across its network of investment platforms, funds, and affiliated firms, Republic opens the door to new asset classes typically reserved for institutional investors such as—private equity, venture capital, and even sports teams and your favorite film producers.
All securities, including the Hamilton Lane’s Private Infrastructure Fund, are offered through affiliate Republic Broker-Dealer, OpenDeal Broker LLC Member FINRA & SiPC. All securities come with specific risks not limited to a total loss of your investment. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Please review the risks specific to this investment on the HLPIF deal page hosted on http://republic.com/hlpif.
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Stay Connected: X / Twitter: David Weisburd: @dweisburd Twitter: https://x.com/paigefinnn
LinkedIn: David Weisburd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweisburd/ Paige Doherty: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paigedoherty/
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Links: Seed to Harvest the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Seed-Harvest-Explanation-Venture-Capital/dp/0578906457/ Behind Genius Ventures: https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/ Behind Genius Podcast / Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOsbv-4bWVXIqPQAp2BCf8Q The Technical Storyteller: https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/post/technical-storyteller What it Takes (Billion Dollar Exit): https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/post/what-it-takes-1 Clipboard companies: https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/post/clipboard Cold Outreach: https://paigefinndoherty.com/2020/03/25/a-cold-outreach-workshop/ Fortune Fund II Launch: https://fortune.com/2024/04/23/behind-genius-ventures-raises-second-fund-8-million/ Term Sheets Viral Thread: https://x.com/paigefinnn/status/1255208492312358912
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Questions or topics you want us to discuss on How I Invest? Email us at david@wesiburdcapital.com.
(0:00) Introduction and guest overview (0:55) Paige's passion for venture capital and Behind Genius Ventures' differentiators (4:08) Securing top LPs and media strategy for branding and deal flow (10:39) Sponsor: Republic partnership with Hamilton Lane (11:05) Taking a stand in venture capital and advice for diverse figures (15:54) Solo GP vs. joining a top fund and value add to portfolio companies (20:12) Thesis on AI in antiquated industries and sourcing strategy evolution (26:17) Building a brand on Twitter: Strategies for VCs (30:13) Institutional service providers, LP relations, and future storytelling plans (35:03) Closing remarks and gratitudeRemember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
