The Undefeated Underdogs Eric Bahn - Why being a founder of a VC fund is often easier than being a founder of a startup!
ππΌ About the Guest:
Eric Bahn who proudly identifies as a 'Minivan enthusiast' is the Co-Founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund, a VC fund that invests in "hilariously early" founders at the pre-seed stage. With $130M AUM, they invested in over 500 startups including the biggest names like Webflow, Copy AI, and Voiceflow!
Before Hustle Fund, Eric spent his career as a product leader at renowned companies like Instagram and Intuit. He also founded Beat The GMAT(acquired by the Daily Mail in 2012) and co-founded Read Your Story(Acquired by JibJab, 2022) with his sister.
Eric has been featured in numerous press outlets like TechCrunch, Time Magazine, and The New York Times. He holds a BA and MA from Stanford University.
ππΌ About the Host:
Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 22,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. Currently, he is the Head of Community + Brand at Threado, building a side project called GuestLab, and runs a newsletter called YC Founder Stories alongside hosting this podcast.
ππΌ Sponsor Corner:
Shoutout to Acquire.com for being the first sponsor of The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! Theyβre the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/
ππΌ Description:
Tune in as Sharath and Eric discuss the next generation of venture capital, the importance of empathy in founder relationships, and of course, Eric's obsession with minivans.
ππΌ Timestamps:
- 00:00: Episode Highlight
- 01:40: Shoutout to Acquire.com
- 04:06: Introduction to Eric Bahn, 3x Founder and Creator of Hustle Fund VC
- 06:00: Eric's Obsession with Minivans
- 09:45: The Impact of Family
- 15:02: Hacks to Raising Responsible Kids
- 19:17: Developing a Long-Term Vision
- 22:29: Triggers to Motivate Your Work
- 27:02: What Makes a Founder Trustworthy
- 34:45: How the VC Industry Needs to Improve
- 39:57: Comparison of Being a Start-Up Founder vs. VC Founder
- 43:01: Lessons Learned as a Founder that Help in VC
- 50:37: Choosing Between Being a Founder or VC
- 51:34: Advice for Aspiring VCs
- 54:49: What is a "Hilariously Early" Founder?
- 56:21: Outro and Closing Thoughts
ππΌ Resources:
- Have your product acquired: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/
- "The Righteous Gemstones": https://www.hbo.com/the-righteous-gemstones
ππΌ Where to find Eric:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericbahn
- Hustle Fund: https://www.hustlefund.vc/team
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericbahn
ππΌ Where to find Sharath:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
- Website: https://5harath.com/
- Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/