Jason Tahir is a Venture Associate with Struck Capital. Struck Capital is a venture capital firm based out of Los Angeles, California that focuses on the pre-seed and seed stage. Jason has over 6 years working directly with tech founders across various roles and industries. In this episode we discuss the differences between the sourcing and platform teams, the pros and cons of being a generalist investor, the surge of activity around climate tech, the importance placed on founding teams, the shift in power dynamics between founders and investors, ways to break into venture capital, and much more.
Timestamps:
(00:42) Introduction
(01:40) Struck Capital, defining Pre-Seed & Seed Stage investment rounds
(02:40) Broad overview of Sourcing & Diligence Venture Associate
(05:16) Difference between Deal Team & Platform Team
(06:59) Pros & Cons of being a Generalist Investor
(08:40) Increased venture activity in Climate Tech due to Inflation Reduction Act
(10:22) Detailed look at the process and activities of a Sourcing Venture Associate
(15:29) Importance of a Lead Investor in the Pre-Seed & Seed rounds
(19:03) How the current market has shifted power dynamics between founders and investors
(21:42) How success is measured
(26:43) The meaning of "Thesis Building"
(31:24) Key characteristics of a strong founding team
(33:40) Working hours in Venture Capital
(37:04) Staying up to date as a VC
(39:02) Qualities that make a great venture capitalist
(40:52) Advice on breaking into Venture Capital
(45:57) How his time as an athlete has helped him in his current role
(48:05) What's keeping him in Venture Capital
(49:36) Guiding principles for navigating his career
(50:49) Jason's "Hot Take" on venture investing moving forward
