The Analytics Power Hour

#229: Data and the ABCs (SERIES A, B, and C, That Is!) with Samantha Wong

Oct 3, 2023

Samantha Wong, partner at Blackbird Ventures, joins the hosts to explore how data and analytics play a role in early stage startups. They discuss funding rounds, investor risk, data quality, growth potential, and analyzing founder's past experiences. They also share the value of reading fiction and recommend books and articles. A funny outtake concludes the episode.

52:32

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Episode guests

Samantha Wong

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Being hypothesis-driven and data-driven in decision-making is crucial for startups, even without historical data.

Identifying product-market fit and using key metrics to measure success are essential for early-stage investments.

Deep dives

Importance of Being Data-Driven and Hypothesis-Driven

Samantha Wong, a venture capitalist, emphasizes the importance of being data-driven and hypothesis-driven in decision-making. She believes that reading fiction helps develop empathy and enhances one's ability to predict human behavior. Wong also encourages founders to be less emotionally attached to their ideas and to focus on identifying potential failures early on to pivot or course-correct sooner.

Introduction

2min

Venture Capital Journey and Falling in Love with Blackbird Ventures

2min

Funding Rounds and Investor Risk

10min

Data Quality, Addressable Market, and Growth Potential

5min

Analyzing Founder's Past Experiences and Life Story

24min

The Value of Fiction and Last Call Recommendations

8min

Expressing Appreciation and Encouraging Listener Interaction

2min

Most of the time, we think of analytics as taking historical data for a business, munging it in various ways, and then using the results of that munging to make decisions. But, what if the business has no (or very little) historical data… because it's a startup? That's the situation venture capitalists — especially those focused on early stage startups — face constantly. We were curious as to how and where data and analytics play a role in such a world, and Sam Wong, a partner at Blackbird Ventures, joined Michael, Val, and Tim to explore the subject. Hypotheses and KPIs came up a lot, so our hypothesis that there was a relevant tie-in to the traditional focus of this show was validated, and, as a result, the valuation of the podcast itself tripled and we are accepting term sheets. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

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The Analytics Power Hour

#229: Data and the ABCs (SERIES A, B, and C, That Is!) with Samantha Wong

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Importance of Being Data-Driven and Hypothesis-Driven

Measuring Success: Product Market Fit and KPIs

Specialization and Heuristics in Venture Capital

Lessons Learned as a Founder and Product Manager

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts