Invested by Aleph

Beezer Clarkson on How to Get a “Yes” from Investors, Advice to Young VCs, Fund Mission vs. Returns, and What Diversity Means in Venture

Jun 3, 2024

Beezer Clarkson, Partner at Sapphire Partners, discusses groupthink in venture, momentum investing, securing investor buy-in, fund sizes, VC personality traits, and the importance of early wins. She emphasizes differentiation for LPs, diversity in investments, challenges faced by women in venture, and the contrasting investment sentiments in Israel vs. China.

01:19:00

Episode guests

Beezer Clarkson

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Having curiosity and ambition is crucial in venture capital.

New fundraising avenues like rolling funds and social media platforms are emerging.

Balancing optimism and skepticism is key for successful investments.

Sapphire Partners focuses on being an authentic and value-driven LP in venture capital.

Deep dives

Building a Strong Foundation at Sapphire Partners

Beezer, representing Sapphire Partners, discusses the dual role of curiosity and ambition in the venture capital world. She emphasizes the importance of having a passion for the work and a keen sense of curiosity to navigate the intricate landscape. Through a blend of learning the craft and leveraging personal traits, Beezer highlights the significance of understanding the entrepreneurial journey and staying energized in the long game of venture capital.

Intro

4min

Exploring Venture Capital Dynamics and Investment Strategies

19min

Navigating Exits and Perspectives in Partnerships

13min

Traits and Challenges in Venture Capital

13min

Strategic Differentiation and Relationship Building in Venture Capital

16min

Challenges of Keeping Up in the Investment World and Providing Feedback to General Partners

2min

Contrasting Sentiment in Investing: Israel vs. China

4min

The Billion-Dollar AI Investment and its Impact

3min

Challenges and Support for Women in Venture Capital

2min

10.

Personal Reflections and Handle Origins

3min

On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts Beezer Clarkson, a partner at Sapphire Partners.

Beezer leads Sapphire Partners‘ investments in venture funds domestically and internationally.

Beezer began her career in financial services over 20 years ago at Morgan Stanley in its global infrastructure group. Since, she has held various direct and indirect venture investment roles, as well as operational roles in software business development at Hewlett Packard. Prior to joining Sapphire in 2012, Beezer managed the day-to-day operations of the Draper Fisher Jurvetson Global Network, which then had $7 billion under management across 16 venture funds worldwide.

In 2016, Beezer led the launch of OpenLP, an effort to help foster greater understanding in the entrepreneur-to-LP tech ecosystem.

Beezer earned a bachelor’s in government from Wesleyan University, where she served on the board of trustees and currently serves as an advisor to the Wesleyan Endowment Investment Committee. She is currently serving on the board of the NVCA and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

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