“The line that sits for me is you got to pick well, you got to coach well, and then you got to finance well – and the financing includes the exit.” – Jeff Rinvelt

Jeff Rinvelt is a partner at Renaissance Venture Capital an innovative venture capital fund of funds. Jeff’s diverse background in venture capital and technology and his experience working in various start-up ventures uniquely position him to advise startups. In addition, Jeff is quite active in the Michigan start-up community, volunteering his time to mentor young entrepreneurs, judge pitch competitions, and guest lecture student classes and organizations. Through Jeff’s work on the Fund, his volunteer efforts, and his role as the chair of the Michigan Venture Capital Association’s board of directors, his passion for fostering a productive environment for venture capital investment in the State of Michigan is evident.

You can find Jeff on his socials here:

OUTLINE:

[00:00] Intro

[02:28] When Jeff went from engineering to finance

[06:26] An introvert in an extroverted industry

[07:42] Jeff's transition from founder to investor

[11:06] The need for a fund of funds in Michigan

[13:54] Why start a fund of funds instead of joining another fund

[15:32] The minimum viable fund size for a fund of funds

[21:46] Renaissance's portfolio construction

[24:15] Why Renaissance measures GP performance by net IRR

[28:18] How does Jeff assess a GP's portfolio construction model?

[31:20] Jeff's stance on reserves

[34:39] Who is the exit manager?

[37:22] Should VCs be public market investors?

[42:43] What would Jeff do if he had evergreen capital?

[44:01] Do the best GPs in Jeff's portfolio send the deck first or have the meeting first?

[45:11] Why is Jeff trying to break your heart?

[48:32] Thank you to Alchemist Accelerator for sponsoring!

[49:33] If you enjoyed the episode, please do share this episode with ONE other person you think would enjoy it.

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