Ride it Out_LBS

Seb - ex MBB consultant, joined a hyper growth mobility start up, Circ which later sold to Bird and now jumped ship to Balderton, VC - what a career journey so far!

What start up trend is Seb currently excited about? Future of ecommerce! He explores the bifurcation of ecommerce, D2C, purpose brands and ecommerce infrastructure. If you're recruiting for a B2C VC - these are some golden nuggets!

VC recruiting advice? Seb has got you covered with some of these tips on charting a path to stand out: 1) Learning to have confidence to have strong views on spaces; 2) Get on top of an ecosystem; 3) Do your own marketing and sales - blogging, twitting and even podcasting!

Check out the latest Balderton portfolio investments: https://www.balderton.com/companies/ 

Nina (LBS MBA'19) started Cult Mia during her MBA. She won the LBS Launchpad competition in 2019 and thereafter joined the LBS Incubator, 'The House'.

Cult Mia is a fashion platform bringing unique designer styles from across the globe. Working with over 100 designers from over 26 countries, serving over 20,000 customers. Cult Mia supports local businesses at an international scale. During COVID, Cult Mia's agile business model was in full force allowing for an authentic destination shopping experience without the international travel!

Thinking about co-founding a start up with a friend or joining an early stage start up? Nina gives advice on how to vet those important relationships as you're hitting the ground running

Angela Chou and Sarah Shanfield, investors at Felix Capital, join us the final episode of the ‘Breaking into VC’ series. In this episode, we discuss thematic sourcing at Felix Capital, the creator economy, and what drew them to Creative Fabrica. We also walk through their due diligence process for Creative Fabrica in the hopes that it will help you prepare for your next VC case study.

Check out the Felix Capital portfolio here: https://www.felixcap.com/portfolio

0:55 - 5:35: Intro to Sarah & Angela, and Felix Capital

5:40 - 8:10: Overview of Felix Capital

8:10 - 10:15: What is thematic sourcing?

10:15 - 13:05: Breaking down the creator economy

13:05 - 15:20: What does Creative Fabrica do?

15:20 - 33:20: Felix Capital’s due diligence process and how it was applied to Creative Fabrica

33:20 - 34:30: Investment Process at Felix Capital

34:30 - 36:50: Support post-investment

36:50 - 41:05: What’s next post-VC on the career side?

Kathy Gromotka, Principal at Downing Ventures, joins us for the fifth episode of the ‘Breaking into VC’ series. In this episode, Kathy walks us through her process for analyzing founder pitches and which metrics matter the most to investors. Later in the episode, we dive into the preparation required for a VC case study and what one should expect. Kathy provides some helpful tips for standing out in the VC recruitment process.

Check out the Downing Ventures portfolio here: https://www.downingventures.com/portfolio

1:50 - 3:00: Overview of Downing Ventures

3:00 - 8:25: Receiving and analyzing founder pitches

8:25 - 16:10: What are investors looking for in pitch decks?

16:10 - 22:40: What are some red flags in a pitch deck?

22:40 - 27:45 : Making an investment and post-investment support

27.45: 30:35: Putting together an investment memo

30:35 - 42:10: What are different case study formats and how do you prepare?

42:10 - 45:05: What skills are VCs looking for in the case study?

45:05 - 50:20: Tips and advice for interviews and case studies

50:20 - 52:35: Key takeaways

How does one prepare for a VC interview? In the fourth episode of the ‘Breaking into VC’ series, Kathryn and Anjum discuss the typical structure of a VC interview, advice for pitching a start up, and the main competencies VCs are screening for in an interview. This episode wraps up with some helpful tips on motivational and technical questions as well as general interview advice.

1:30 - 3:00: What should you expect from a VC interview?

3:00 - 7:15: What are VCs looking for in candidates?

7:15 - 14:30: What should you research and prepare before the interview?

14:30 - 25:20: How to pitch an interesting start up and talk about industry trends

25:20 - 44:20: Motivational questions questions and tips for answering them

44:20 - 51:55: How to prepare for the technical questions

51:55 - 56:46: Key takeaways and interview tips

Dr. Brittany Barreto, fellow podcast host of Femtech Focus discusses the latest investment trends in Femtech - market worth $1 trillion! Did you know that there are 3 femtech IPOs, 39 notable exits out of which 6 over $1 billion. No wonder VCs are focusing on the FemTech space. Be prepared to learn, not only what makes a successful Femtech company but also sextech, orgasms and pelvic floor therapy!

Loved listening to Brittany? Follow her FemTech Focus podcast: https://femtechfocus.org/podcast/

Want to learn more about Femtech? The LBS Women in Business Conference on 4th March 2021 has a very exciting FemTech panel lined up with Dame, Parla, LocalGlobe and moderated by Amy Lewin from Sifted.

Grab your ticket to the hottest LBS event of the year! https://www.lbswib.co.uk/conference-2021.

Now that we have covered what VCs actually do and how firms make money, the next step is landing the coveted interview. In the third episode of the ‘Breaking into VC’ series, Kathryn and Anjum talk about how to articulate an interest in VC and how to stand out as a thoughtful and opinionated applicant. They also discuss VC recruitment channels, leveraging your network, and the dos and don'ts of coffee chats.

2:45 - 4:10: What are the different roles at a VC firm?

4:15 - 7:00: What is a typical VC background?

7:15 - 13:30: How to articulate interest in VC

13:30 - 15:30: How does your skill set position you for a role in VC?

15:30 - 20:30: How to educate yourself about VC

20:30 - 27:40: How to differentiate yourself

28:30 - 33:20: Next steps and VC recruitment channels

33:20 - 52:15: Coffee chats, networking, and follow ups

52:15 - 55:00: Key takeaways

Devon (LBS MBA 2017) discusses latest trends in Agritech - perfect blend of social impact and modernising the sector. Heard of Carbon Chain? LBS founded business, tracking carbon footprint of supply chains in heavy industries

Are you a female founder pitching VCs & angles for money? Promotion vs prevention style questions is something to be aware of and tailor your pitch to. Read this piece by LBS Professor, Dana Kanze: https://www.london.edu/think/iie-what-investors-ask-female-entrepreneurs

Want to hear more from Devon? She's speaking at the flagship, LBS Women in Business Conference on 4th March 2021: https://www.lbswib.co.uk/conference-2021. Grab your ticket to the hottest LBS event of the year!

Alexandra Piedrahita (LBS MBA ‘20) joins us for the second episode of the ‘Breaking into VC’ series to tell us about her main responsibilities and typical day (or lack thereof) as a VC Associate at March Capital. Ever wondered what some of the less interesting aspects of the VC associate job are? Ale covers these topics and discusses what she likes most about her role. She also provides some helpful tips for how LBS students should spend their time when navigating the VC job market.

Check out the March Capital portfolio here: https://marchcp.com/portfolio/

2:35 - 5:300:  How is a VC firm split internally?

5:00 - 12:00:  What are the main responsibilities of a VC associate?

12:05 - 17:10: How do you source deals and screen companies?

17:10 - 22:10: Who do you work with on deals? Do you get carry?

22:15 - 24:45: What are some tasks that you didn’t expect to spend so much time on?

24:45 - 27:20: What are some aspects of the job that are less interesting?

27:20 - 29:20: What really excites you about VC?

30:00 - 32:40: Advice for LBS students looking to break into VC

Are you looking to gain basic knowledge about the world of venture capital to see if it’s a career you want to pursue? Or are you trying to land your dream job in venture capital? Either way, you’ve come to the right place for a crash course in VC 101.

In the first episode of the ‘Breaking into VC’ series, Kathryn and Anjum discuss how VC is different from other asset classes, different types of VC firms and funding stages, VC fund structure, and how VCs make money.

Check out some of Anjum’s thoughts on venture capital, entrepreneurship, and interviews with founders on her blog: https://medium.com/@anjumr27

Episode Cheat Sheet:

3:00 - 8:40: What’s the difference between VC and PE?

8:40 - 10:30: What are the different types of VC firms?

10:30 - 22:00: What are the different funding stages?

22:40 - 28:30: Overview of VC fund structure

28:30 - 35:30: How do VCs make money?

35:30 - 38:40: What are some of the drawbacks of VC?

40:30 - 43:45: Lifetime of a VC fund

44:00 - 45:30: Term sheets

45:30 - 48:00 : Key takeaways