Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders Ross Fubini, Founder and Managing Partner, XYZ Ventures – Valuing the Vision: Fueling innovation through strategic guidance
When you're just starting out as a business, getting the right support during those crucial early stages plays a pivotal role in whether a good idea can reach its full potential. Today's guest has been providing that expert guidance for many years.
On this episode we're sitting down with Ross Fubini, founder and managing partner of XYZ Ventures. XYZ was founded in 2017, making investments in 105 companies across seed and growth stages, and as an organization, they look to support founders who have uncovered a unique insight and show immense velocity in their execution.
XYZ is primarily focused on enterprise, FinTech infrastructure, climate, and the public sector. Ross sits on multiple boards, including Sardine and Legion Technologies, and has made several successful early investments currently valued in the billions, including public sector focused Anduril, security provider Verdaka, InsureTech company, and New Front Insurance.
Previous to XYZ, Ross co founded Village Global and was an investor at Canaan and Kapor Capital. He is currently an advisor to executives at Palantir with XYZ backing over 20 Palantir alumni as founders across the public sector enterprise and fintech.
Highlights:
- Ross describes where the name 'XYZ' came from (3:05)
- Ross explains how he decided to focus primarily on early-stage companies (4:29)
- Financing and investment sizes behind early-stage startups (8:04)
- Ross describes how XYZ chooses and values companies they invest in (10:02)
- How XYZ approaches and works alongside changing economic environments (13:28)
- The importance of transparency and sharing your story with investors (16:41)
- Current trends in the early-stage start-up market (19:01)
- Ross gives advice to founders raising capital for the first time (22:00)
- Ross describes companies XYZ have invested in whose outcome has surprised him (23:47)
- Lessons Ross has learned from start-ups that didn't reach their full potential (26:36)
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If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.