Send us a textToday, I’m joined by Mercedes Bent, an investor on the early stage team at Lightspeed with a focus on consumer fintech/crypto in LATAM and the USA. She is an investor in Forage, Stori, Flink, Outschool, Beek, Magic Eden, Hawku, Fan Controlled Sports, and more. Mercedes co-leads Lightspeed’s LATAM region and the Scout Fund (angel fund). In 2016, she was named a 40 Under 40 for Tech Diversity in Silicon Valley. Previously, she was a Financial Analyst at Goldman Sachs in the Asset Management division on a private wealth team where she managed $1.75 billion in wealth for high net worth and institutional clients.Seed to Harvest is a podcast focused on stories & tactics from a diverse array of investors, founders, and creators, hosted by Paige Finn Doherty, a founding partner at Behind Genius Ventures and author of Seed to Harvest, an illustrated children's book for adults.Connect with Paige 🌱💜Behind Genius Ventures blog | https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/Personal Blog | https://paigefinndoherty.com/Twitter | https://twitter.com/paigefinnn00:00 Welcome to Seed To Harvest: Mercedes Bent05:03 A change in perspective10:09 Lessons from Jeremy Liew15:39 Bringing emotion to work20:04 Changes in the seed stage25:20 Taking metrics out of the equationShow notes:Mercedes Bent | https://twitter.com/mercebentLightspeed | https://lsvp.com/Goldman Sachs | https://www.goldmansachs.com/Jeremy Liew | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyliew/Alex Taussig | https://twitter.com/ataussig?lang=enNicole Quinn | https://twitter.com/Nik_QuinnBeek | https://beek.io/enPamela Esteva | https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelavaldesesteva/?originalSubdomain=mxSupport the show

Send us a textToday, I’m joined by Erin Harkless Moore, who leads the fund and direct investment program for Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company created by Melinda French Gates to advance social progress in the United States. With over a decade and a half of investment experience, building and managing customized portfolios for endowed institutions and family offices, Erin is responsible for identifying, investing and overseeing a diverse portfolio of investments that drive breakthrough innovations and advance women’s power and influence.Seed to Harvest is a podcast focused on stories & tactics from a diverse array of investors, founders, and creators, hosted by Paige Finn Doherty, a founding partner at Behind Genius Ventures and author of Seed to Harvest, an illustrated children's book for adults.Connect with Paige 🌱💜Behind Genius Ventures blog | https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/Personal Blog | https://paigefinndoherty.com/Twitter | https://twitter.com/paigefinnn00:00 Welcome to Seed To Harvest: Erin Harkless Moore04:47 Book Recommendations10:09 Finding the right path15:12 Behind the scenes of allocation20:09 Erin's visionShow notes:Erin Harkless Moore | https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-harkless-cfa/Pivotal Ventures | https://www.pivotalventures.org/Melinda French Gates | https://twitter.com/melindagates?lang=enSea of Tranquility | https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Tranquility-Emily-John-Mandel/dp/0593321448Mellody Hobson | https://twitter.com/MellodyHobsonAriel Investments | https://www.arielinvestments.com/about-us/Carla Harris | https://twitter.com/carlaannharris?lang=enMorgan Stanley | https://www.morganstanley.com/Kim Lew | https://twitter.com/kimlew_cio?lang=enRecast Capital | https://recastcapital.com/Include Ventures | https://www.includeventures.com/Fairview Capital | https://www.fairviewcapital.com/W.K. Kellogg Foundation | https://www.wkkf.org/Ford Foundation | https://www.fordfoundation.org/Monique Woodard | https://twitter.com/MoniqueWoodardSupport the show

Send us a textIn this special episode,  I talk about how I built trust on Twitter, got Forbes 30U30, and raised $5 million at 23. I share tips to prevent mistakes that emerging managers make raising their first fund. I will be answering questions concerning interactions on Twitter, demographics of LPs, managing how to network and build relationships with founders alongside raising a fund, sharing information and touching base with LPs, and my methodology for contacting LPs periodically throughout the year. Seed to Harvest is a podcast focused on stories & tactics from a diverse array of investors, founders, and creators, hosted by Paige Finn Doherty, a founding partner at Behind Genius Ventures and author of Seed to Harvest, an illustrated children's book for adults.Connect with PaigeBehind Genius Ventures blog | https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/Personal Blog | https://paigefinndoherty.com/Twitter | https://twitter.com/paigefinnn00:00 Welcome to Seed To Harvest: Paige Doherty05:09 So much of yourself is the fund10:15 The demographics of LPs in Fund l15:02 The 3 specific responsibilities of FoundersShow notes:Marlon Wayne | https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlonwayne/Impulse | https://www.impulse.win/Meagan Loyst | https://twitter.com/meaganloystGen Z VC | https://www.genzvcs.com/Transact Global | https://www.transactglobal.co/On Deck Angels | https://www.beondeck.com/post/oda1Heather Hartnett | https://twitter.com/HeatherHartnettJenny Lefcourt | https://twitter.com/jennylefcourt?lang=enKatie Stanton | https://twitter.com/KatieSAndy Weissman | https://twitter.com/aweissmanBain Capital Ventures | https://baincapitalventures.com/Tribe Capital | https://tribecap.co/Washington Post Article | https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/04/23/gen-z-venture-capital/San Diego Tribune Article | https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/story/2021-05-14/how-this-22-year-old-sdsu-grad-raised-1-6-million-to-invest-in-underrepresented-entrepreneursCBS Channel 8 video on Paige | https://www.cbs8.com/video/news/local/sdsu-grad-invest-underrepresented-entrepreneurs/509-64f6d846-6da3-49cc-994b-88ebd34fa365Support the show

Send us a textWelcome back to Seed to Harvest, a podcast with founders, creators, and investors about their stories, frameworks and tactics. Today, I’m joined by Sara Zulkosky, Managing Partner at Recast Capital. Prior to co-founding Recast, Sara served as a Venture Partner at Greenspring Associates, a venture capital platform with over $12B in assets under management. She also gives back to the young investing community as a coach for the Georgetown VCIC team led by 5 young female investors this last year.Seed to Harvest is a podcast focused on stories & tactics from a diverse array of investors, founders, and creators, hosted by Paige Finn Doherty, a founding partner at Behind Genius Ventures and author of Seed to Harvest, an illustrated children's book for adults.Connect with Paige🌱💜Behind Genius Ventures blog | https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/Personal Blog | https://paigefinndoherty.com/Twitter | https://twitter.com/paigefinnn00:00 Welcome to Seed To Harvest: Sara Zulkosky05:24 Sara Zulkosky10:44 Addressing issues around fundraising15:41 Supporting industry leading franchises as a future20:19 Advice for emerging managers in 2023Show notes:Sara Zulkosky | https://twitter.com/sarazulkosky?lang=enRecast Capital | https://recastcapital.com/Greenspring Associates | https://www.stepstonegroup.com/Courtney McCrea | https://twitter.com/courtneyrmccreaKauffman Fellows | https://www.kauffmanfellows.org/Georgetown VCIC team | https://msb.georgetown.edu/news-story/all-women-vcic-undergraduate-team-advances-to-global-finals/Support the show

Kelli Fontaine, a Partner at Cendana Capital and former Director at Trinity Capital Investment, dives into the intricate world of venture capital. She discusses why Cendana chose to partner with Behind Genius Ventures and the rise of smaller funds focused on investments under $15 million. Kelli also shares insights on the importance of storytelling and networking in securing startup funding. Plus, she navigates the challenges solo GPs face and the evolving landscape of seed-stage investing, making for a captivating conversation.

Send us a textToday, I’m joined by Monique Woodard, the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Cake Ventures. Cake Ventures is a pre-seed and seed venture capital firm investing in companies that touch areas of demographic change including aging and longevity, the increased spending power of women, and the shift to majority-minority. A Forbes article published on Jan 12, 2023, claims that Cake Ventures has closed its debut fund at $17 million dollars. Monique was previously a Venture Scout for Lightspeed Venture Partners and a Venture Partner for 500 Startups. Seed to Harvest is a podcast focused on stories & tactics from a diverse array of investors, founders, and creators, hosted by Paige Finn Doherty, a founding partner at Behind Genius Ventures and author of Seed to Harvest, an illustrated children's book for adults.Connect with Paige🌱💜Behind Genius Ventures blog | https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/post/monque-woodard-founding-partner-of-cake-ventures-seed-to-harvest-epPersonal Blog | https://paigefinndoherty.com/Twitter | https://twitter.com/paigefinnn00:00 Welcome to Seed To Harvest: Monique Woodard04:56 The rise of a new majority09:38 Thoughts on TikTok15:41 The power of the female dollarShow notes:Monique Woodard | https://twitter.com/moniquewoodardCake Ventures | https://www.cake.vc/500 Startups | https://500.co/Jeremy Liew | https://twitter.com/jeremysliewLightspeed | https://lsvp.com/Mitch Kapor | https://twitter.com/mkaporFreada Klein | https://twitter.com/therealfreadaKapor Capital | https://www.kaporcapital.com/Ed Zimmerman | https://twitter.com/edgrapenutzimmFirst Close Partners | https://firstclosepartners.com/about/Pamper Nail Gallery | https://pampernailgallery.com/Bright | https://www.learnwithbright.com/Support the show

Send us a textToday, I’m joined by Sydney Thomas, the Founding Partner of Impressionism Capital. She invests in early stage startups, specifically focusing on investing in real people. Since becoming the first hire at Precursor VC, Sydney has built a community of over 400 co-investors along with intuitive systems that scale small to midsize teams. She is a proud Beyoncé stan and dedicated writer who writes about her experience building her first fund on her blog.Seed to Harvest is a podcast focused on stories & tactics from a diverse array of investors, founders, and creators, hosted by Paige Finn Doherty, a founding partner at Behind Genius Ventures and author of Seed to Harvest, an illustrated children's book for adults.00:00 Welcome to Seed To Harvest: Sydney Thomas05:41 Floating in the Matrix10:21 Learnings from Charles Hudson15:41 Deep history in legislation20:21 Building systems that scaleShow notes:Sydney Paige Thomas | https://twitter.com/sydneypaige10Impressionism Capital | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydneypthomas/Precursor VC | https://precursorvc.com/Shruti Shah | https://www.linkedin.com/in/shrutishah1/Jennifer Kim | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jsnkim/Charles Hudson | https://twitter.com/chudsonMaria Salamanca | https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariasalamanca1/Jomayra Herrera | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jomayraherrera/Miriam Rivera | https://twitter.com/miriamulu1COZY song | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81j9gt1rXukSupport the show

Send us a textToday, I’m joined by Ann Bordetsky, a Partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA). Ann has helped build some of Silicon Valley's most iconic technology companies, such as Rival Inc, which was acquired by Ticketmaster in 2020 and has served in operator roles at Uber, Twitter, and several mobility startups. She uses her operator superpowers to help visionary founders design and grow their companies to scale. She's also been an active angel investor in many female founders.Seed to Harvest is a podcast focused on stories & tactics from a diverse array of investors, founders, and creators, hosted by Paige Finn Doherty, a founding partner at Behind Genius Ventures and author of Seed to Harvest, an illustrated children's book for adults.00:00 Welcome to Seed To Harvest: Ann Bordetsky05:02 Making Tough Decisions10:05 More constraints will lead to greater efficiency14:06 Ann's favorite books20:19 Journey to joining NEA25:58 Maintaining engagement and trustShow notes:Ann Bordetsky | https://twitter.com/annbordetskyNEA | https://www.nea.com/Rival Inc | https://www.linkedin.com/company/rival-inc/Uber | https://www.uber.com/Let My People Go Surfing | https://www.amazon.com/Let-People-Surfing-Education-Businessman/dp/0143037838Shoe Dog | https://www.amazon.com/Shoe-Dog-Phil-Knight/dp/1508211809The Hard Things About Hard Things | https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Ben-Horowitz-ebook/dp/B00DQ845EAThe Originals | https://www.amazon.com/Originals-How-Non-Conformists-Move-World/dp/014312885XElpha | https://elpha.com/Luke Pappas | https://twitter.com/luke_pappasSupport the show

Send us a textToday, I’m joined by Julia Lipton, the Founding Partner of Awesome People Ventures. She was previously the first business hire and Director of Marketing at Quixey in 2011. Julia was also the Head of Growth at Rise and the Head of Virtual Visits at One Medical Group. Furthermore, she founded Soundboard, which offers high touch advising for venture-backed startups. Julia currently is the Founding Partner of Awesome People Ventures that invests in awesome people doing awesome things in Web3.Seed to Harvest is a podcast focused on stories & tactics from a diverse array of investors, founders, and creators, hosted by Paige Finn Doherty, a founding partner at Behind Genius Ventures and author of Seed to Harvest, an illustrated children's book for adults.00:00 Welcome to Seed To Harvest: Julia Lipton05:04 The culture and storytelling of Quixey10:08 Julia on the startup track15:09 Authenticity attracts people20:04 Deep working day for Julia25:18 Best person Julia has ever worked withShow notes:Julia Lipton | https://twitter.com/julialiptonAwesome People Ventures | https://www.awesomepeople.ventures/Quixey | http://quixey.com/Rise | https://www.rise.us/One Medical | https://www.onemedical.com/Pallet board | https://awesomepeople.pallet.com/jobsPallet | https://www.pallet.com/Support the show

Send us a textSeed to Harvest is a podcast focused on stories & tactics from a diverse array of investors, founders, and creators, hosted by Paige Finn Doherty, a founding partner at Behind Genius Ventures and author of Seed to Harvest, an illustrated children's book for adults.Today, I’m joined by Jana Iris. She’s a coffee lover, start-up advisor and investor. Since 2008, she’s been an early employee of startups, including Engine Yard, New Relic, and HashiCorp, focused on building their developer communities. In 2022, she switched gears into angel investing and advising companies like Spacelift, Fermyon Technologies, SuperTokens, and CloudQuery.Now she invests alongside her team at TQ Ventures. 00:00 Welcome to Seed To Harvest: Jana Iris05:25 Meeting the founder of HashiCorp10:04 The difference between open core and open source15:46 HashiCorp going public20:05 Incorporating Burning Man into HashiCorp25:12 Jana declaring her mentorShow notes:Jana Iris | https://twitter.com/janaborutaHashiCorp | https://www.hashicorp.com/TQ Ventures | https://www.tqventures.com/Engine Yard | https://www.engineyard.com/Groupon | https://www.groupon.com/Mitchell Hashimoto | https://twitter.com/mitchellhVagrant | https://www.vagrantup.com/Yehuda Katz | https://twitter.com/wycatsEvan Phoenix | https://twitter.com/evanphxBrian Ford | https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-ford-231b4732Gitpod | https://www.gitpod.io/Gabbi | https://www.gabbi.com/Grace Isford | https://twitter.com/graceisfordMichael Stoppelman | https://twitter.com/stopmanSupport the show