What goes into creating a VC firm?
As an aspiring fund manager, this conversation was exactly what I needed! I sat down with Manish Patel, founder of Nava Ventures to take a walk down memory lane. From working with Google’s exec team (including Larry Page), teaching at Stanford University, and building Nava Ventures, Ep 029 is packed with great stories and even better lessons. Manish is incredibly sharp, thoughtful, humble, and passionate and it shines through in this episode. Tune in!
Key Takeaways:
1️⃣ Find ways to manufacture luck. This doesn’t mean “get lucky” it means be prepared and ready to take the leap when the time comes!
2️⃣ Vulnerability goes a long way. It's hard to admit mistakes especially in the world of social media where everyone is perfect all the time.
3️⃣ Aim to have a board of mentors/advisors. It’s important to have people that you can have open and honest conversations with. Helpful tip: Make it interesting for your advisors and mentors by giving them a reason to be along for your journey. Both parties will get a lot more out of it 🙂
4️⃣ To create a multi-billion dollar company, you need to have the right foundation. Are you built on a house of cards? Or a stable platform? To reach rarified air, you need to be built on a solid foundation.
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Introductions
(02:14) - Teaching at Stanford University
(11:03) - Manish’s learnings from Google
(15:54) - Becoming the Accidental VC
(19:33) - Transition into VC
(23:31) - Creating Nava Ventures
(31:12) - Manish’s vision for the firm
(33:58) - Traits of a Nava hire
(38:34) - Highlights and lowlights
(42:48) - Ceremonial final Qs
