Yida Gao
Quote - “Talent is everything for an early stage company and the
people they hire early on define the trajectory of the company.”


The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to
step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope
to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential
and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black
community.


Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about
leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant
afterwards.


This episode features Yida Gao, Managing General Partner of Shima
Capital; an early stage crypto and Web3 investment firm.


Yida holds a BSc in Mathematics and Computer Science from
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He previously worked in Wall
Street for Morgan Stanley in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group.


He is passionate about investing in crypto and Web3 companies that
chart new territory.


Listen and enjoy as Yida Gao talks to us about his journey with Shima
Capital and insights on the venture capitalist environment.


Yida’s Reading List


Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers, and Innovators Create and Dominate
Markets by Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lochhead, Kevin
Maney

https://amzn.to/3jfIPx0


Show Notes

2:02 Journey into crypto

4:10 Shima’s investment thesis and approach to funding startups

6:09 Main criteria to invest in a founder

8:34 Fundraising process for Shima Capital

10:50 Misconceptions about venture capitalists

12:13 VCs inspired by

13:09 Recruiting and retaining talent

14:48 Navigating the fundraising environment

17:25 Process of capital calls

20:20 Best guidance that Shima offers for portfolio companies

23:47 First encounter with failure and lesson learnt

26:25 Reading list

28:14 Title of the book about your life

29:28 What does being Afropolitan mean to you


The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.

Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or
wherever you get your podcasts.


Want to learn more about Afropolitan?


Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan

Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/