Why You Should Be Wrong and Alone | Chris Douvos | Superclusters | S1E1

4 snips

Nov 20, 2023

Chris Douvos, an experienced venture capitalist and founder of Ahoy Capital, discusses his journey in the venture capital industry. He shares lessons learned from industry experts, the importance of deal flow, and how to construct opinions on great venture capital firms. The podcast also touches on the dot com bust, the allure of California, and strategies for successful cold calls in the industry.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

A Conversation about Reading, Impressions, and Outside Interests

01:33 • 2min

Lessons from the Dot Com Bust

03:05 • 8min

Leaving California: Tech, Cost of Living, and Opportunities

10:44 • 6min

Building Relationships and Deal Flow

16:30 • 7min

Anatomy of a Good Cold Call

23:14 • 32min

Introduction to Alchemist Accelerator

55:01 • 4min

Chris Douvos founded Ahoy Capital in 2018 to build an intentionally right-sized firm that could pursue investment excellence while prizing a spirit of partnership with all of its constituencies. A pioneering investor in the micro-VC movement, Chris has been a fixture in venture capital for nearly two decades. Prior to Ahoy Capital, Chris spearheaded investment efforts at Venture Investment Associates, and The Investment Fund for Foundations. He learned the craft of illiquid investing at Princeton University’s endowment. Chris earned his B.A. with Distinction from Yale College in 1994 and an M.B.A. from Yale School of Management in 2001. You can find Chris on his socials here: Twitter: https://twitter.com/cdouvos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisdouvos/ And huge thanks to this episode's sponsor, Alchemist Accelerator: https://alchemistaccelerator.com/superclusters OUTLINE: [00:00] Intro [03:01] What Chris learned from the founder of Greylock and the Chief Investment Officer at Yale's Endowment. [06:25] How a timber pitch and losing the nose game earned a Chris a front-row seat to venture capital. [10:35] How 2001 is similar to 2023. [12:44] What legislation makes California special? [13:11] Do firms need to have geographical presence? [16:44] How did Chris first start to build his deal flow? [23:17] What needs to go in a good cold email [24:53] Breaking down how Chris constructed his first opinion on great venture capital firms [30:04] How did Josh Kopelman build 'ecosystem as a service' in 2004 [33:28] How did Chris end up backing Data Collective [37:52] What are the 4 leading indicators of fund manager outperformance? [48:46] Which firm of Chris' recent portfolio is willing to be wrong and alone? [51:32] Chris' Peter Dolan impression [56:09] Thank you to Alchemist Accelerator for sponsoring [58:45] Legal disclaimer

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