This week we're sharing an interview from our friends over at Equity.

After a small startup exit and being turned down by every VC firm he applied to, Tim Chen began angel investing and eventually stumbled into raising his own fund.  

Now, as the solo investor behind Essence VC, he just closed his ⁠fourth fund at $41 million⁠ "without even trying." Chen's secret weapon? Being technical enough to debate PhD founders on implementation details while understanding the market dynamics that turn scrappy startups into category leaders. 

Today on TechCrunch's ⁠Equity⁠ podcast, Julie Bort sat down with Tim Chen to explore the rise of solo VCs and who's rewriting the traditional venture playbook. 

Listen to the full episode to hear about: 

Subscribe to Equity on⁠ Apple Podcasts⁠,⁠ Overcast⁠,⁠ Spotify⁠ and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on⁠ X⁠ and⁠ Threads⁠, at @EquityPod.  

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