Craig D'Cruze is the COO at Inverted Ventures.

Takeaways

Breaking into venture.
Building dealflow and relationships.
Starting with some LP investments and moving to direct.
Family Office dynamics and their interest in tech.
Value add from Inverted's POV.
Challenges of raising a fund.
The focus on Western Canada.
Follow on investments.
More liquidity and smaller exits are needed in the ecosystem to attract more capital.

Chapters

00:00 Breaking into the Venture Space

03:54 Finding Deal Flow and Building Relationships

05:40 Investing as a Family Office

07:50 Strategies for Getting Involved in Tech Investments

08:15 Navigating the Space: Strategy and Execution

11:01 Being a Value-Add Investor

14:18 Pattern Matching in Founders

17:26 The Importance of Geography in Investing

20:07 Follow-On Investments and Fundraising Strategy

22:49 Common Challenges in the Western Canadian Ecosystem

24:42 LP Conversations and the Need for Liquidity

27:13 Dealing with Hard Times and Staying Balanced

29:43 Looking Forward: Goals and Aspirations

35:03 Closing Thoughts: Building a Strong Ecosystem

43:15 Journey of an Entrepreneur

Keywords

venture capital, relationships, founders, investors, Western Canada, liquidity, exits, family offices, fundraising

Craig D'Cruze from Inverted Ventures