As the founder and managing partner of venture capital firm Cota Capital and as founder of Signatures Capital, Bobby Yazdani has invested in more than 130 early stage tech start-ups in 15 years. Companies in his portfolio include everything from Birchbox and Bonobos to Google, Dropbox and Uber. In 2014, he was named by CB Insights as the #1 angel investor, out of a list of 2000, for most successful follow-on funding and is also currently an investor and board member for Monica + Andy.

In this rare interview, Bobby discusses his early days as an immigrant from Iran and how that shaped him into the entrepreneur and investor he is today. He also reveals the crucial steps any entrepreneur needs to take before approaching a potential investor, the two qualities of any successful entrepreneur, and the invaluable advice he shares with CEOs in his portfolio.