This Week in Startups

The Definitive History of VC with "Power Law" author Sebastian Mallaby | E1550

Sep 1, 2022

Sebastian Mallaby, author of "Power Law" and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, explores pivotal moments in venture capital history. He discusses the 'youth revolt' in startups, highlighting Zuckerberg's choice to bypass Sequoia. He contrasts Kleiner Perkins' rise and fall with Sequoia's sustained success, and delves into characteristics of legendary VCs. Mallaby also examines institutional investors' growing interest in VC and the shifting landscape of tech investments, revealing insights that shape today's venture capital dynamics.

01:09:13

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Episode guests

Sebastian Mallaby

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

The Power of Venture Capital

8min

Unraveling the Mysteries of Venture Capital Investment

5min

Connections and Capital: The Heart of Venture Investing

10min

The Evolution of Venture Capital: Key Players and Groundbreaking Strategies

5min

Contrasting Ventures: Sequoia vs. Kleiner Perkins

5min

Navigating Partnerships and the Importance of Process in Venture Capital

5min

Shifting Dynamics in Venture Capital

25min

Exploring Equity Dynamics in Venture Capital

4min

Huge interview today. "Power Law" author Sebastian Mallaby joins the show to break down some of the most important moments in VC history and his lessons from writing the book, including: the youth revolt (14:18), KP vs Sequoia (27:02), what makes a legendary VC (38:40), and more!

(0:00) Jason tees up today's interview with "Power Law" author Sebastian Mallaby

(1:42) Sebastian explains how and why he wrote a book on the history of VC

(13:13) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist

(14:18) The virtuous cycle of luck early in a VC career, youth revolt in startups, Zuckerberg spurning Sequoia

(26:02) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist

(27:02) Tom Perkins and the Kleiner Perkins rise and fall vs Sequoia's sustained dominance, KP's Genentech investment

(37:18) Harmonic - Get $4000 off at https://harmonic.ai/twist

(38:40) What characteristics make a legendary VC?

(56:29) Why are institutional LPs allocating more capital to VC, what happened with China's interest in the industry? Other investable industries other than software

FOLLOW Sebastian: https://twitter.com/scmallaby

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood

BUY "Power Law": https://www.amazon.com/Power-Law-Venture-Capital-Making/dp/B094PSKDZV

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