Liz Harrow of SHAKTI on Disrupting Commerce, Mobility, and Media Industries and Creating Value Through LP Engagement

I had the privilege of meeting Liz recently, thanks to a referral from one of the CEOs of their portfolio companies. It's worth noting that Liz is not one for outward marketing. Nonetheless, her unique perspective on the world is awe-inspiring, and I'm excited to share her story and the incredible journey of SHAKTI with you.

How does a small team and emerging venture capital fund prioritize supporting and empowering founders? Taking the community approach is a great way to add value to early-stage founders by bringing in mentors and industry titans.

In this episode of The Capital Stack, we have Liz Harrow, a Partner at Shakti. She has experience of 10 years at Morgan Stanley in equity research & venture capital and, most recently, as a Vice President leading their startup accelerator program for diverse entrepreneurs.

Listen in to learn how limited partners and mentors come together as a titan network to offer value to founders. You will also learn why good storytelling is a powerful skill to have as a founder to guarantee the success of your early-stage startup.

What You Will Discover:

·       [02:21] Liz on how her fund empowers founders from the beginning of their journey, hence the name Shakti.

·       [03:44] She shares her 10-year background in Wall Street and how she got into venture capital.

·       [05:39] How they prioritize supporting founders offering value as a small team and an emerging fund.

·       [07:16] The community approach that has proven you don’t have to be on a board to add value to companies.

·       [09:55] The value Shakti’s titan network brings to the founders’ journey with their industry expertise.

·       [13:11] What it takes to become a trillion-dollar coach who’s different from the rest.

·       [15:54] Shakti’s thematic investing strategy – looking for companies reimagining the world’s largest habits with new tech infrastructure.

·       [17:50] The components Shakti considers when thinking about company picking.

·       [19:44] The process of finding the right founder, even at the risk of making a mistake.

·       [25:16] Liz shares a success story of a company that’s reimagining a habit completely driven by change.

·       [28:04] The role of luck in success and the importance of having an investment process for a solid venture franchise.

·       [29:30] Some random questions with Liz!

Memorable Quote:

·       “You have to be the number one storyteller for your company whether that’s to get capital in the door, to hire the initial team, or to convince people to buy your product/service; we rarely see incredible founders who aren’t also good storytellers.”- Liz [21:35]

Connect with Liz:

·       Website: https://shaktivc.com/

·       LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-harrow/

Book Recommendations:

·       Born a Crime by Trevor Noah  

·       Trillion Dollar Coach by Alan Eagle, Eric Schmidt, and Jonathan Rosenberg