Taj Ahmad Eldridge, Co-founder and GP of Include Ventures, is passionate about climate tech and empowering diverse founders. He shares how his health challenges from pollution inspired his investing journey. The conversation dives into Include Ventures' strategy of funding both directly and through smaller funds. Taj discusses his confidence in hardware investments, highlighting their substantial returns. They also explore how government support can further advance climate tech, merging sustainability with social justice.
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insights INSIGHT
Fund Size and Strategy
Ideal fund size depends on the investment stage and target return.
Larger funds aren't inherently better and can distort valuations.
insights INSIGHT
Milestone-Based Funding
Milestone-based funding involves proving value at each stage, justifying fund size.
Early-stage companies benefit from smaller, focused investments, while later-stage companies may require larger rounds.
insights INSIGHT
Venture Fund Growth
Increased LP interest and strong market performance led to more venture funds.
Existing firms expanded with growth and seed funds, sometimes overlapping strategies.
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The Art of Raising a Fund, Structuring Investments, Portfolio Management, and Exits
Mahendra Ramsinghani
This book provides a detailed overview of the venture capital industry, from raising funds and structuring investments to managing portfolios and evaluating exit strategies. It includes insights from leading practitioners and offers practical tools and resources for both novice and experienced professionals in the field.
Sunday double-header. First, Jason and Molly discuss the impact of large funds on the startup ecosystem, how fund size influences firm strategy and why big funds often seed smaller funds (2:21). For the This Week in Climate Startups segment, Molly chats with Taj Ahmad Eldridge from Include Ventures (29:42). They discuss:
1. How Taj's experience with negative health impacts from pollution helped guide his investing focus
2. Include Venture's unique fund of funds and direct investment strategy
3. Why Taj is not afraid of hardware investing (and how it's paying off)
4. How government branches can support climate tech progress
Show Notes:
(0:00) Jason and Molly introduce VC Sunday School + Taj from Include Ventures
(02:21) VCSS, Molly asks Jason if big funds are ideal
(11:30) Bubble - Get one month free of a no-code plan at https://bubble.io/twist
(12:57) Can a fund become too big to manage?
(18:20) Big funds seeding small funds and Jason's falling out with Marc Andreessen
(21:43) Coda - The All-in-one doc for teams, get a $1,000 credit at https://coda.io/twist
(23:00) Building relationships in venture
(28:10) LinkedIn Marketing - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at https://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups
(29:42) This Week in Climate Startups with Taj Eldridge of Include Ventures
(37:28) Taj's first-hand experience with the negative externalities of pollution
(51:46) Can software investing really help solve the Climate Crisis?
(1:05:31) The latest from TWIST and Launch
This Week in Startups 
