Start-ups and entrepreneurs have been around since the beginning of time. But it was only in the last several decades that venture capitalists became key players in the world of business and investing. Ronen Nir is a General Partner at Viola Ventures, and on this special two-part episode of Future of Tech, he lets us in on what it really means to be a VC today. On Part 1, Ronen gives an overview of the history of venture capital, and he explains how the world of tech innovation and entrepreneurship was what gave birth to the venture capitalist. He also divulges exactly how VCs make decisions on who and what to invest in and explains why AAR is the key metric to look at when predicting the health of a high-growth company. Enjoy Part 1!

Main Takeaways:

• Not All VCs are The Same: There are a number of factors that differentiate one VC from another. The criteria most people look at to find those differences are: size, geographical focus, the stage of the companies they invest in, and the various areas of interest or industries they invest in.
• How to Invest: In order to make a good investment, two things are critical: access and judgment. Access means you know and understand the company and the entrepreneurs and have a chance to do the due diligence necessary to figure out the nuts and bolts of the company inside and out. Judgment means having a long-term vision and being able to see a future for the company.
• Tell Me More About AAR: For investors today, you have to make decisions on different kinds of metrics and KPIs. One of those is AAR, which many VCs have concluded is one of the best predictors of the health and future success for a high-growth company.

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