Venture in the South (w/ Paul Clark) Episode 4 with Dr. Juliana Larossi
by Joe · 32 things on Twos
- Full Episode on Spotify
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- I used to think the smartest people in the room build the best companies
- In reality you've got to know how to build a business and have...
- Financial resources
- A network
- Customers
- Dr. Larossi taught entrepreneurship at University of South Carolina (Go cocks!)
- "I wanted to be more than a mentor and a coach...you can't build a strong economy without strong businesses"
- Still heavily involved in mentorship and coaching
- What is the difference from the companies that survived a couple fundraising rounds vs the ones that seize to exist?
- It takes a whole lot longer to exit a company than initially believed
- Joined Atlanta Technology Angels
- Enjoys investing as a group better
- Being a startup founder is an intensely difficult job
- So you need to understand how truly difficult it is to...
- Get customers
- Keep customers
- Keep your eye on the competition
- Fire people
- It is a lot harder than first time founders really understand
- "I will not invest in anything I find annoying that goes against my values, my beliefs, that hurts human dignity"
- Always looks at the founders domain and the domain expertise
- Has there been customer discovery?
- Who else is excited about your idea?
- Early indication that someone is willing to put up money for it
- People continue to use it
- Actually solving a problem that is worth solving
- Enough money so that we can really prove something in 12-18 months
- I want to see the founders engaging and becoming thought leaders
- Fun when I see them out in the market
- ✓ Message Dr. Larossi on LinkedIn