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20VC: True Ventures' Puneet Agarwal on Why EQ Is Going To Separate The Best Firms In Venture Over The Next Decade, The Negatives of Attribution in Venture & What Makes A Truly Efficient Venture Partnership

Aug 12, 2019

Puneet Agarwal, a Partner at True Ventures, shares his journey from JP Morgan to venture capital. He emphasizes the importance of emotional intelligence in distinguishing top VC firms in the next decade. Puneet discusses the challenges of board dynamics, highlighting how to foster a culture of trust and safety in investor-founder relationships. He reflects on lessons from the dot-com era, focusing on building authentic connections and navigating risks effectively. His insights on geographical diversity in investments reveal the need for broader talent access beyond Silicon Valley.

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ANECDOTE

Mayfield Experience

Puneet Agarwal's venture capital journey began with the Mayfield Fellows program at Stanford.
This led him to Mayfield, where he witnessed the dot-com boom and bust, shaping his investment philosophy.

INSIGHT

Importance of EQ

Emotional intelligence (EQ) will differentiate top venture firms.
Human connection is key, as venture capital is fundamentally a human business.

ADVICE

Building Trust

Be accessible to founders and build trust.
Create a safe space in board meetings, not one of fear due to loss aversion.

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Puneet Agarwal is a Partner @ True Ventures, one of the leading early-stage VC funds of the last decade with big wins including Fitbit, Peloton, Ring, Hashicorp, Duo Security and Blue Bottle Coffee, just to name a few. As for Puneet, at True he has led deals in Duo Security, Tray.io, Lumity, Solo.io and more. Before the world of VC, Puneet spent 6 years in product management with Geodesic Securities and BEA. Before product management, Puneet actually cut his teeth in the world of VC as an associate at Mayfield which he joined post a 2-year stint at JP Morgan.

In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:

1.) How Puneet made his way into the world of venture from JP Morgan? How seeing the boom and bust cycle impacted his investing mindset today? How his career in operations led to his joining True?

2.) Why does Puneet believe that EQ is going to separate the good from the great in venture firms over the next decade? What can VCs do to remove the barriers to access them? What have been Puneet's biggest lessons on what it takes to build real relationships of trust and respect with founders? What is a test of a strong founder VC relationship?

3.) What does Puneet believe are the 2 feelings a board member can bring to a board meeting? Why would an investor bring fear to the board meeting? Why is this a sign and result of the culture of their own venture partnership? What have been Puneet's biggest lessons on how investors can bring the feeling of safety to a board meeting? How has Puneet changed his style of board membership over the last decade?

4.) Why does Puneet strongly advocate for a venture structure without attribution? What are the benefits of not having attribution? How does this also impact the re-investment decision-making process? How does Puneet think about how he spends his time across the portfolio? What have True done to optimise the investment decision-making process? Why is unanimity not required?

5.) How does Puneet and True think about portfolio construction today? What amount of initial checks give them enough diversification to feel comfortable but also enough reserves to double down? Does Puneet believe that ownership can be built over time? Where does Puneet believe there is a whole in the funding environment? How does True think about minimizing risk on the first check?

Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:

Puneet’s Fave Book: Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World

Puneet’s Most Recent Investment: Upsie

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