Conversation

29) And to be clear, there’s a _huge_ difference between someone who says nice things about you, and someone who really goes to bat. Finally there’s the Sixth VC, a variant on the Fifth. They’re similar except instead of giving their influence they give their advice.

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30) The Sixth VC is great for newer entrepreneurs. There are a lot of fuckups everyone makes (I certainly did!). Pointing those out is huge. And so is noticing when you’re about to make a large error in strategic direction and telling you.

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31) On the other hand, the Third VC does this too, because Important Smart people have advice! Telling apart a Sixth VC from a Third VC can be hard, but it’s really important.

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32) Anyway, as a recap: ask not what a VC can do for you, or what you can do for a VC. Ask whether it really is very positive sum.

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33) And, in some sense, trust your gut. I’ve sometimes felt dread dealing with a VC. In retrospect, that was almost always a good sign to run away. And I’ve sometimes been really impressed, and felt great. Lean into that.

34) There are some Fifth VCs I’ve run into. Many of them are partners of SRM: projectserum.com. Some I wouldn’t have expected to be. But you can tell when someone really genuinely believes in you: their thoughts and arguments flow freely and powerfully.

35) There’s a parallel with community members. Those of you in the FTX community and chats can attest to how much impact Burg, and Dante, and Adebayo have had; way more impact than a random guy with 100k Twitter followers.

36) That’s the kind of partner you want: someone who sees what you see, and believes in you, and will fight for you. And yeah, it doesn’t hurt if they’ll also write you a big check.

37) Don’t fall for the classic VC pitch: we will grace you with our investment of $10, and you will give us 40% of your equity, because we are VCs, and you are a Company, and that is how we dance with each other. Find the partners you want.