VSC Ventures

No one’s going to take care of your baby (company) except YOU. As a solo entrepreneur, there is no backup. You’re a ONE-MAN SHOW in charge of building your own brand. On the flip side, mega funds have 100s of employees building their brand for them. Zach Coelius, Managing Partner at Coelius Capital, believes big VCs swear by the principle of committee decision-making infrastructure. And yet, these investments have come by betting on crazy, non-conformist, and outlandish ideas. Tune in to the latest installment of CLIMB by VSC as Zach and Jay explore how the boldest risk-takers are often the ultimate winners: https://lnkd.in/dZ9kiDQr

You could be doing everything right and still lose → The best founders are smart, curious, and humble, but the world starves them of attention. Suddenly when they start winning, everyone wants to parasite off of them. In this situation, most founders spiral and struggle to separate the good advice from the bad. The inverse obviously is that if you’re arrogant as a founder and not acting on important feedback, you’ll be stuck playing catch-up. Consider GoPro as an example. Nick Woodman, CEO of GoPro, has often expressed his regrets about over-expansion and a lack of product diversification, contrary to the advice of his mentors. In this episode of CLIMB by VSC, Zach Coelius of Coelius Capital stresses how early success can blindfold founders into making the wrong choices. If you’re a founder trying to avoid pitfalls, don’t miss this: https://lnkd.in/d2wJYz34

You're getting in the way of your success because you’re married to your own ideas. And the longer you do so, the less room you leave for disruption. Every founder NEEDS a guide/mentor. Here's why: A) Entrepreneurship is no bed of roses, and you need someone who can give you the real picture B) You will constantly need to make tough decisions for the very survival of your startup Why go through that all alone? A mentor, who may be a board member or an industry expert, can help you make a more informed decision. As a founder, there is also immense merit in accepting sunk costs and moving on. And you need an unbiased, objective set of eyes to do so. In Episode 073, Zach Coelius, GP at Coelius Capital, insinuates the need for solo founders to seek necessary advice and reject the sunk cost fallacy. Watch the latest episode of CLIMB by VSC here: https://lnkd.in/dZ9kiDQr

Apathy never helped build a great company, but tenacity sure has. As a gladiator, you need to fight: be it arrows being shot at you, or tigers you need to fend off, it’s a never-ending battle for survival. Being a founder isn’t too different from being a gladiator. There’s a new fire to put out every day. But the spirit of a great entrepreneur isn't broken easily. It's forged in adversity and tempered by the challenges they face. Are you willing to pay the survival tax to have your vision come to light? Watch the latest episode of CLIMB by VSC as Zach Coelius, Managing Partner at Coelius Capital, and host Jay Kapoor talk about how the outliers that swing for the fences are usually the ones that win: https://lnkd.in/d_4JJddb

There's nothing romantic about being a founder. It's about doing what has to be done. And that’s what makes entrepreneurship difficult. In Episode 073 of CLIMB, Zach Coelius, Managing Partner at Coelius Capital, maintains that being a founder is 10x harder than being a VC. Talking about an investor’s MO, Zach equates being in the stands, drinking a beer, with the same as being a VC and deciding which companies will survive, and which will die. Zach is known for his investments in AngelList, HelloSign, Mercury, and more, but what is lesser known about him is that before investing, Zach sold an ad-tech business to Facebook (now Meta). As if this isn't impressive enough, he also raised $33M for Coelius Capital’s Fund II, that too in a record 3 weeks! In the latest episode of CLIMB by VSC, Zach and host Jay Kapoor discuss their views on: • repeat founders versus first-time founders • how Zach sold his company • the journey as an entrepreneur & more. Tune in to the full episode now: https://lnkd.in/dtnKqnJE

Every founder is trying to disrupt an industry. Jeff Bezos disagrees. The business mogul behind Amazon is always betting on the constants that aren’t going to change. In episode 072 of CLIMB by VSC, Ann Bordetsky, Partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), talks about how this approach can create massive categories of opportunity for companies to capitalize on. Host Jay Kapoor talks about how companies he previously rejected, or supported unsuccessfully in the past are now pivoting to AI. He emphasizes the need to: • reconsider these companies • recognize that they were too early to GTM • acknowledge that such startups are better positioned now Jay and Ann also discuss why creative tooling is next for the democratization of AI, the patience game in investing, and what makes a founder stand out. Do you think betting on the constants is what makes great investments, or is disruption the way to go? Watch the Full Episode: https://cutt.ly/OeeqZ3TJ

Those who follow the crowd usually get lost in it… In 2017, it was blockchain. In 2021, it was AR/VR. Since 2022, it’s been an AI-takes-all era. In this episode of CLIMB, Kate McAndrew, GP at Baukunst, dives into why she avoids the “Monkey see, Monkey Do” startups and how her intrinsic value as an investor remains unfazed, irrespective of people’s perception of her. Kate recommends that startups do the same. Peter Thiel once echoed a similar sentiment. “Copying someone else is the laziest thing a company can do.” Like what you read? Don’t miss out— watch the full episode now: https://cutt.ly/qeealW39

No investor confidence? Customers will be an even harder sell. The best founders are passionate, and they have an inherent quality to incite inspiration and confidence with their pitch. In episode 068 of CLIMB, Kate McAndrew, Co-Founder and General Partner at Baukunst, explains that if she can’t be inspired by a founder’s pitch, he has failed the test. Every entrepreneur succeeded when they were inspired to solve a problem they personally experienced. Be it Jan Koum of WhatsApp who wanted a low-cost messaging solution. Or, the Stripe brothers who felt that accepting payments online was stupidly complicated. Host Jay Kapoor breaks down 3 primary WHYs he is looking for the answer to in a pitch: 1. why you? 2. why this?? 3. why now??? Watch the Full Episode: https://cutt.ly/6eer2zL6

Bill Ackman once said, “Progress compounds a bit like money compounds.” Kate McAndrew of Baukunst iterates a similar stance when she tells the story of a man in Africa living out of a barren land stripped of its nutrients. Six years later, the man completely transformed the village. He built farming infrastructure, and planted fruits all because he “dug 10 bags a day”. Beneath the barren land lay the potential for a vertical farm, waiting to be discovered. Looking at the top of the hill will always be discouraging to founders, but with consistent work and micro-goals, exceptional outcomes are achieved. To every founder reading this, focus on moving your 10 bags a day and in time, slow but consistent progress will compound. Watch the full episode: https://cutt.ly/DeewqNmH

Every founder needs to be emailing 3 experts a week…here’s why ↓ Having a chip on your shoulder that you’re going to do it all by yourself is delusion in plain sight. Every Warren Buffet needs a Charlie Munger. Every Larry Page needs a Sergey Brin. In this episode of CLIMB, Jason Shuman, GP at Primary Venture Partners ($1B in AUM), affirms the need for a founder to reach out to industry experts who’ve worked on similar ventures in the past. Jason insists that by simply doing this, a startup can save months by not making generic mistakes and staying ahead of the curve. Time = Money. And founders need to balance both. Watch episode 071 of CLIMB by VSC now: https://cutt.ly/VeeqXEXF