Description

In this episode of The Mergers, we sit down with Hanna Lewis, investor at Blue Wire Capital and former operator turned founder with unrivaled experience across all aspects of Entrepreneurship and VC.

From making burritos in San Diego to becoming Chief of Staff at a hyperscaling tech company, Hanna's path into venture capital was anything but linear. She shares candid reflections on her journey including building a startup automating HR with AI agents, to pitching over 100 VCs (and why it ultimately fell apart), to her current role backing the next generation of European tech founders.

This episode covers:

• What it really takes to fundraise in a down market and how storytelling can make or break a round
• The surprising gap between European and US investors
• Lessons learned from being too early in the right market (as well as selling to the wrong buyer persona)
• Why startup culture can rise or fall based on the founder’s personality
• How she broke into VC, and what she looks for now in early-stage founders

It’s honest, funny, and full of insight for anyone thinking about joining, founding, or funding startups.