Katelin Holloway Thinks More HR People Need a VC Checkbook
Jan 26, 2024
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Katelin Holloway, former VP of People at Reddit and founding partner at VC firm 776, shares insights on breaking into venture and developing a founder-focused approach. They discuss the benefits of advising relationships, the need to deliver value, and the challenges faced by HR professionals in the venture capital industry. Holloway also emphasizes the power of genuine help and pivotal career moments in building high-performing companies.
Building relationships with founders is crucial for success in the venture industry and being seen as a valuable resource.
Establishing oneself as a founders' investor by going above and beyond and providing meaningful support can lead to a strong reputation and network in the venture community.
Breaking into the venture industry can be achieved by offering expertise and assistance to founders, even without being on their cap table, and building a reputation as someone who truly makes a difference.
Deep dives
Building Relationships with Founders
One key piece of advice for those in the operating seat is to focus on building relationships with founders. By actively being helpful and providing value to founders, you can establish a strong reputation and become a trusted resource. Avoid being a VC who only shows up with empty questions or ghosting founders. By truly making a difference and supporting founders, you will distinguish yourself and become the go-to person for advice and assistance.
Being a Founders' Investor
To replicate the success of someone like Caitlin Holloway in the venture industry, one should aim to be seen as a founders' investor. This means being known for going above and beyond and creating meaningful impact in a founder's journey. By understanding and addressing specific pain points, such as helping with co-founder breakups, facilitating introductions, or providing guidance, one can build a strong reputation and network. By being the person founders turn to for help and support, you can establish yourself as a valuable asset in the venture community.
Breaking into the Industry
Breaking into the venture industry can be challenging, but one effective approach is to focus on building connections and relationships with founders. By offering your expertise and support to founders, even without being on their cap table, you can create a reputation as a valuable resource. Make a genuine effort to help and assist founders with their specific challenges and needs. Through word-of-mouth recommendations, your reputation will grow, and you may find yourself approached by investors as someone who truly makes a difference in a founder's journey.
The Value of Honest Communication and Recognizing When to Move On
The podcast episode delves into the importance of open and honest communication between employees and their leaders. The speaker highlights the significance of expressing thoughts and feelings, as well as acknowledging when one might not be the best fit for a certain role or responsibility. This type of communication allows for better decision-making and ensures the right people are in leadership positions. It emphasizes the need to have conversations about business outcomes and the best person to lead an organization.
The Role of HR in Venture Capital
The podcast explores the underutilization of HR professionals in the venture capital industry. It highlights the value that HR experts bring in the early stages of investing, particularly in terms of people skills and relationship building. The speaker discusses the similarities between recruiting and selecting companies to invest in, both requiring a deep understanding of the right fit. Furthermore, it discusses the importance of HR professionals in addressing people challenges faced by early-stage companies, such as building strong teams, managing compensation, and handling remote work. The episode advocates for more HR involvement in venture capital and the need for diverse skill sets at the table.
In this episode Kelli Dragovich and Nolan Church sit down with Katelin Holloway, founding partner at VC firm 776 which she started with Alexis Ohanian. Holloway, the former VP of People at Reddit, shares insights from her experience both in HR and breaking into venture. Katelin shares a ton of practical advice - and tactics - for HR leaders who want to start investing or break into VC, explaining how to develop a founder-focussed approach, the benefits of advising relationships, and the need to deliver value.We highly recommend subscribing to free newsletter HR Brew: https://bit.ly/hrbrew
–In addition to being a partner at a VC firm, Katelin hosts the excellent podcast All Hands which we recommend: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-hands/id1515795663–TIMESTAMPS:|(00:00) Preview(00:46) Intro(04:24) Waking up one day in the boardroom: Katelin's career journey in HR(11:50) Sponsor - Lattice | Continuum(13:48) On meeting Alexis Ohanian and the evolution of their relationship(19:03) Getting more people leaders in venture(22:33) The fork in the road: how to transition out successfully from an organization(27:45) Why aren't there a lot of HR people working in venture?(37:32) Katelin's gripes with the VC operating system, and how it’s changing(42:20) Building an investor reputation and brand starts with building a good relationship with founders(49:27) Tactics: How to become an investor(56:22) Past experiences that helped Katelin get to where she is now(58:50) Wrap✅ Discover HR software that drives performance with Lattice: https://www.lattice.com/hrheretics High performance and great culture should never be at odds; they’re better together. With Lattice People Management Platform, companies efficiently run people programs that create enviable cultures where employees want to do their best work. Serving 1000s of customers of all sizes. Learn why companies from Slack to the LA Dodgers choose Lattice. https://www.lattice.com/hrheretics✅ Hire Fractional Executives with Continuum using this link: https://bit.ly/40hlRa9 Have you ever had a negative experience hiring executives? Continuum connects executives and senior operators to venture-backed tech companies for fractional and full-time roles. You can post any executive-level role to Continuum’s marketplace and search through our database of world-class, vetted leaders. There is no hidden cost, you only pay the person you hire. And you can cancel at any time. Joincontinuum.com
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