We invest in impact driven start-ups along the food value chain from AgTech to waste 🌱 | Managing Partner @ Oyster Bay Venture Capital | 2020 Exit with my own Start-up
Former founders becoming venture capitalists has now become more and more common. And even though it is overall extremely positive to have been in the driver's seat oneself before investing, being a founder and being a venture capitalist are two very different jobs requiring very different skills. It's something I have thought a lot about before making the switch from Founder to VC. As a founder I put all I had including all of my money (and sometimes more) into my company. As a VC, you have to be calm and cool and keep a birds eye view of all of your portfolio companies As a founder, in the first years, you never have to think about capital allocation and portfolio construction. As a VC, it is something I am thinking about every day. As a founder, you are used to hearing rejection after rejection after rejection. As a VC, you have to say no to a lot of amazing founders. As you can see: two very different job descriptions. How I square this for myself? Everything we do is to make our founders as successful as they can be — since this will mean that we will be successful. Since we only invest in impact driven companies, this also means we will maximize our impact. In the end — I was not the best at everything I had to do as a founder, and built an amazing team around me to compliment myself. And we have done the same here at Oyster Bay Venture Capital – even though sometimes I am not the best at everything I have to do as a Venture Capitalist 🙂. Saying no to great founders that just do not fit our investment thesis or scope will probably never be my favorite thing to do. #Founding #VentureCapital
