E40: Dave McClure on Delivering a 60x & 40x fund and Founding 500 Startups

Dave McClure sits down with David Weisburd to discuss his journey into venture capital, including luck, his investment strategy, and the challenges he faced breaking into the industry. He provides an analysis on his two 40x+ funds, 500 Startups, and the misalignment between LPs and GPs. (0:00) Introduction to Dave McClure and venture capital insights (1:02) Breaking into venture capital and early career highlights (3:09) Essential skills for startup founders and venture journey (6:00) The AARRR metrics and content creation strategies (11:17) Managing a $2 million budget and portfolio performance (16:27) Lessons from the FB fund and successful investments (23:16) Founding 500 Startups and portfolio strategy (29:03) Analyzing 500 Startups' fund performance and LP advice (35:27) Global investment approach and practical venture capital (41:19) Understanding the power law in fund performance (42:39) Engaging non-institutional LPs and sizing the secondary market (45:19) Secondary investment strategies and market downturn impacts (46:57) Evaluating the effects of pirate metrics on startups (47:12) Sponsor: Carrier Labs and 10X Capital Newsletter