What is the single most powerful indicator that a founder will succeed? According to Ben Savage, it isn’t just a great product or a massive market—it’s the "Compete Test". When a seasoned investor looks at a founder and realizes, “That’s not somebody I want to compete with,” they know they’ve found a winner.
In this episode of Demo Day, we sit down with Ben Savage, Partner at Clocktower Technology Ventures, to demystify the internal frameworks used by top VCs to evaluate talent and risk. With over 13 years at Clocktower, Ben shares his deep expertise in the "Foundational Economy"—investing in FinTech, energy, and industrials.
Key Takeaways
- The "Unbeatable" Founder: Why the best indicator of success is being a person that others are afraid to go up against in the market.
- The 4-Part Investment Framework: How Clocktower evaluates every deal based on Founder Quality, Narrative Quality, Fit, and Value.
- Investor vs. Operator: Why "making the donuts" is fundamentally different from coaching from the sidelines, and why you must choose a spike.
- The "I" vs. "We" Red Flag: How small shifts in vocabulary reveal a founder’s true ability to build a world-class team and culture.
- Navigating the AI Disruption: Why founders today must either lead with an AI-centric strategy or risk being disrupted at an accelerating pace.
- The Power of Simplicity: Why the best investment decisions often come from cutting through complexity to the "dumb" or obvious version of a story.
Ben also opens up about the "lonely journey" of entrepreneurship and why radical vulnerability is a superpower for building long-term partnerships.
