The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

20VC: Founders Fund's Brian Singerman on The Price Mismatch Between Public vs Private, Why Now Is Not The Best Time To Be Investing, Why Brian Never Thinks About Reserves and Believes in Cross-Fund Investing & Writing a $400M Check Into Anduril Across Rou

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Oct 31, 2022

Brian Singerman, Partner at Founders Fund, shares his journey from Google engineer to a leading venture capitalist. He discusses the stark price mismatch between private and public companies, emphasizing the caution needed in today's investing climate. Brian advises young investors to focus on quality, not speed, during volatile times. He reveals his aggressive investment strategies, including a massive check into Anduril, and highlights the importance of understanding market dynamics. His insights provide a fresh perspective on navigating the ever-evolving venture capital landscape.

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ANECDOTE

From Google to Founders Fund

Brian Singerman, while at Google, invested in early Y Combinator companies.
He joined Founders Fund after meeting Sean Parker and considering an investment in SpaceX.

INSIGHT

Venture Capital vs. Traditional Investing

Venture capital differs greatly from traditional investing due to its long-term nature.
"Buy low, sell high" doesn't apply; focus on maximizing upside potential.

INSIGHT

Macroeconomics in Venture Capital

Pay attention to macroeconomics, but don't try to predict it.
Private company pricing lags public markets, creating investment challenges.

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Brian Singerman is a Partner @ Founders Fund, one of the best-performing funds of the last two decades. Among their portfolio, they have the likes of Airbnb, Facebook, Stripe, Anduril, and many more generational-defining companies. As for Brian, he has led investments in the likes of Affirm, Oscar Health, Wish, Asana, Oculus, and Postmates to name a few. Brian also sits on the board or is an observer to The Long Term Stock Exchange, Solugen, Cloud9, Modern Health, and of course, Anduril. Prior to Founders Fund, Brian spent a very successful 4 years as an engineer and executive at Google.

In Today's Episode with Brian Singerman We Discuss:

1.) From Google to Befriending Sean Parker to Founders Fund:

How Brian's friendship with Sean Parker led to his joining Founders Fund over 15 years ago?
What does Brian believe makes Founders Fund such a unique fund?
What does Brian know now that he wishes he had known when he started in venture?

2.) The Landscape Today: Where Are We Now?

Why does Brian believe there is a huge price mismatch between private vs public companies?
How does this impact the pace with which Founders Fund invest? Why does Brian not feel any pressure to invest in this environment?
What are the 10 hypergrowth companies that Brian is looking to invest in today?
What advice does Brian give to young investors today who are concerned at their first market correction and questioning if they are actually any good at this?

3.) Brian Singerman: The Investor:

How does Brian reflect on his own investing style? What is he world-class at? What is he bad at?
Why does Brian think boards are a waste of time? What is better than a board?
Why does Brian not ever think about reserves? How does Brian answer LPs concerns when they cite them on the topic of cross-fund investing?
What does Brian believe is the secret to venture capital? What elements make those at Founders Fund thrive? What characteristics make those that do not work out, fail?

4.) Founders Fund: The Firm:

How does Founders Fund structure and optimize its decision-making process today?
How does Founders Fund approach the hiring process for all new team members? What one question do they need to be able to clearly answer with all team members joining?
How do Founders Fund approach the reference checking process for all new hires? What questions do they find most revealing of the true talent of the candidate?
What are the single biggest hiring mistakes Brian has made? What did he learn from them?

Items Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Brian's Most Recent Investment: Anduril