In today's episode we sit down with Vishal Harnal, managing partner of 500 Global, to find out what it's like being a venture capitalist, why he still invests in companies with only 1% chance of making it big, and the importance of enjoying what you do.

 

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

0:53 - Introduction of Vishal: What is a venture capitalist?

3:38 - How does venture capital firms / venture capitalists make money?

6:28 - Qualities Vishal look for in potential businesses before investing

7:51 - Where do VC firms get their funds from?

10:33 - The story behind investing in Grain

14:48 - Before Vishal became a venture capitalist

16:53 - Importance of enjoying what you do

18:23 - Networking with people from LinkedIn

21:03 - What is Vishal’s day like?

21:55 - Hunting for deals Vishal wants

24:38 - Vishal’s favorite part of the job

26:58 - What will the world look like in 10 years to Vishal?

28:43 - Artificial General Intelligence

29:18 - Vishal’s thoughts about the future

31:58 - Does Vishal dream of becoming a Shark?

33:14 - Do you need a finance/business degree to join VC?

35:00 - What Vishal looks out for when hiring

37:03 - An unspoken rule in the VC industry?

38:36 - 99% of startups cannot make it

39:43 - Looking for companies that give asymmetrical returns

40:43 - Personal investing vs venture capital firms

43:08 - The weirdest pitch Vishal heard

46:20 - What to say during coffee chats?

50:33 - People have a superficial understanding of themselves

51:13 - Never too late to restart

54:08 - Outro 

 

Credits:

Written by: Daryl Choo and Vivien Shiao

Hosted by: Daryl Choo and Lynette Koh

Edited by: Rasuna Azrayl

Produced by: Rasuna Azrayl

Send your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to thrivebt@sph.com.sg

services. Please consult professional advisors for independent advice. 

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