No founder's journey is a straight line. In the throes of ups and downs, having guidance from someone who understands your experience can be invaluable. In this special episode of Spotlight On, Accel’s Amit Kumar and Ivan Zhou discuss their shared founder journeys and transition into VC, and dive into how they worked together to steer Ivan’s startup, Mayhem, through its most challenging times.

Mayhem (formerly Visor) was a social gaming platform that joined Accel Family in 2018 and was acquired by Niantic in 2021. In April, Ivan joined Accel as an early-stage partner, mirroring Amit’s founder-partner journey. Their discussion explores the resilience needed to navigate turbulent times, a central theme in their founder experiences. This episode unpacks some of the most critical qualities of early-stage founders and operators – the determination to solve real problems, the importance of establishing strong foundations, and the willingness to rethink strategies when things don’t go according to plan.

Conversation highlights: 

00:00 - Ivan’s background and first startup attempt

04:44 - Uncovering the problem and passion that would inspire Mayhem 

07:25 - What Ivan and Amit were looking for in an early-stage VC partnership

11:40 - The importance of building a company around a problem, not a category

18:09 - Lessons learned in a pivotal moment when Mayhem nearly failed

21:16 - How adversity as a founder helped both Amit and Ivan become better partners

30:50 - Ivan’s discovery of his passion for supporting other founders

39:17 - The core verticals and traits Ivan is looking for in future founders

Featured: Ivan Zhou and Amit Kumar, Partners at Accel