Episode 20: "Part Art, Part Process" | Elevate Ventures' Patrick Sweeney on Startup Success Predictors, Recent Evolutions in VC Hiring, and the Criticality of Founder Empathy

Today's episode explores three ideas that caught my attention:

* Immigrant founders outperform statistically - Patrick's research shows a strong correlation between immigrant status and startup success. Makes me wonder how much untapped potential exists in commonly overlooked founder demographics.

* The empathy imperative - Treating every "no" with respect is SO important because you never know where founders will be in a few years.

* Sometimes revolution starts with regulation - A single 1968 ruling unleashed institutional capital into VC, which Patrick mentioned has enabled roughly 75% of public company value today. Got me wondering what current rules limit tomorrow's breakthroughs.

I explore these ideas and more with Patrick Sweeney, Principal at Elevate Ventures.

Patrick Sweeney brings a unique blend of quantitative rigor and founder empathy to venture investing, informed by his time as a Harvard Business School researcher studying the economic impact of venture capital. Now as Principal at Elevate Ventures, he leads investments for Indiana's $225M evergreen fund while championing the transformative power of innovation. His journey from energy trading to academic research to venture capital gives him a distinctive perspective on how capital allocation can drive both financial returns and societal progress.

During our conversation, Patrick shares:

* A practical approach to balancing quantitative and qualitative factors in early-stage due diligence, particularly around customer value propositions.

* Insights on the microchip industry's strategic importance and why maintaining manufacturing capabilities is critical for economic stability.

* A framework for thinking about product-market fit through three key indicators: positive unit economics, demonstrated demand, and scalability potential.

What We Cover:

* 00:00 Introduction

* 01:02 Meet Patrick Sweeney

* 04:02 Patrick's Venture Capital Journey

* 06:16 Ellen Pao vs. Kleiner Perkins Case

* 08:55 Diversity in Venture Capital

* 10:45 The Art and Science of Inv

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