99. Ann Miura-Ko: The Most Powerful Woman in Startups

Jan 23, 2024

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Stop for a minute and think about all of the big businesses that impact your life. Each of them, regardless of the product or service they offer, required funding or capital of some sort to get off the ground. Some of the founders may have come from wealth and as such, had easy access to the resources they needed to get things up and moving. That’s true in some, but in a lot more cases, those big businesses that impact our lives got where they are with the help of a venture capitalist.

Our guest today is Ann Miura-Ko, and she knows a lot about venture capitalism and how to spot a good business when she sees one. She’s the founder of Floodgate, a VC firm annually recognized as one of the best in the world. Today, she stops by to discuss her improbable ride to the top of the VC mountain, things she learned along the way, and how you too can find success and use your superpower to make a dent in the world. If you’re an entrepreneur or just a person trying to figure it out, Ann has a message that will put you on the right path!

In This Episode

(1:47) – Ann talks about where it all started.
(4:19) – Parents were always supportive of what she wanted to do.
(6:10) – Ann joins the Speech and Debate team to face her fears more aggressively.
(6:40) – Not all fears need to be faced according to Ann.
(8:30) – Her mother suggests fencing and Ann has an epiphany.
(9:10) – Ann realizes that following what her parents wanted might not be her best choice.
(9:47) – How self-debate helped Ann hone her debating skills.
(12:40) – Finding something interesting is invaluable to personal growth.
(14:36) – Doing boring things is discipline and such an important piece of success.
(19:23) – Lack of empathy brings Ann to the realization that no, medicine isn’t her future.
(20:00) – Finding her superpowers, allowing her to make a dent in the world.
(20:56) – Ann receives an invitation to shadow the HP CEO.
(22:00) – The shadowing experience impacts her life and ignites a dream inside of her.
(23:05) – The idea of pursuing venture capital comes into play.
(23:25) – CRV and 9/11.
(23:50) – Getting her feet wet at CRV and learning the venture capital ropes.
(25:39) – The journey into cybersecurity and risk modeling begins.
(27:33) – Floodgate begins.
(28:50) – The conversation with Mike Maples.
(30:26) – Ann knew AWS would be big and she was right.
(31:00) – When the financial markets were down, Ann and Maples ran in and filled the gap.
(33:45) – Ann makes her first investment in 2009.
(34:09) – Lessons learned along the way.
(36:41) – Knowing the people, not the business, is the most important piece.
(37:58) – The Super Thinker Concept.
(38:59) – Every time they find those traits, it leads to a win.
(41:00) – Knowledge transfer is the key to making dent makers.
(41:30) – The one thing Ann thinks is important, especially for women.

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