Episode Summary

Charles Hudson is the Founder and Managing Partner at Precursor Ventures, a solo GP fund that has backed over 450 startups across five funds, including dozens of category-defining companies led by underrepresented founders. In this episode, Maxine and Cheryl sit down with Charles to explore how he built one of the most successful high-volume venture strategies in the world, all while staying a solo decision-maker.

They dive deep into what being a “solo GP” actually means, how Charles balances scale with intimacy across a massive portfolio, and why trust, not likability, is his north star when supporting founders. You’ll also hear his first-ever investment, the courage it took to leave a top-tier firm to start Precursor, and how he still handpicks every company Precursor backs, often long before they’re obvious.

Time Stamps

03:20 – Charles’s first investment: ExxonMobil shares… mailed by cheque

06:50 – What is a solo GP fund, and how Precursor operates with one partner and 14 staff

10:28 – The pros and cons of solo decision-making in venture

12:50 – How Precursor supports 450+ companies (and avoids “orphaned” portfolios)

15:44 – Why Charles shifted from unlimited founder support to intentional check-ins

19:18 – Trust vs likability, and why real feedback matters more than being liked

24:25 – How Charles handles saying “no” to follow-ons, and still earns trust

29:31 – The case for “challenger” VCs over cap-table cheerleaders

32:11 – What Precursor looks for in a founder: not great employees, but great CEOs

36:39 – High volume investing: Why meeting 2000+ startups matters

39:00 – Global allocation: why Charles bet early on African and LatAm FinTech

42:30 – The return of themes (like AI & Women’s Health), and why they can kill judgment

47:52 – When Precursor steps in (and when they don’t): being the “surgeon, not the bandaid”

54:04 – Charles’s biggest Big Cojones moment: leaving Uncork to build Precursor from scratch

56:15 – Why most fund managers are “post-employment” and proud of it

Resources

👤 Charles Hudson LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chudson/

🌎 Precursor Ventures – https://precursorvc.com/

First Cheque is part of Day One.

Day One helps founders and startup operators make better business decisions more often.

To learn more, join our newsletter to be notified of new First Cheque episodes and upcoming shows.

Mentioned in this episode:

Aussie Angels - the preferred fund and syndicate admin platform for emerging managers in Australia

Show Notes: If you’re an investor or keen to write your first angel check, please check out some of the syndicate tickets on www.aussieangels.com

February 2025 - Aussie Angels

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp
Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/