How The Best Founders Find Product Market Fit

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CLIMB by VSC

Jay Kapoor

75 episodes

3 days ago

Expert Conversations on Scaling Technologies for Climate Adaption CLIMB is a weekly podcast where experienced entrepreneurs and venture capitalists Jay Kapoor and Vijay Chattha speak with leading investors, founders, and industry experts about lessons and perspectives on company-building in the world of climate tech and climate adaptation. If you are a founder building a climate technology business, an investor allocating capital in climate tech, or just a listener looking for a high-octane injection of optimism against a media environment full of doom and gloom, you're in the right place!

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How The Best Founders Find Product Market Fit | EP 073 Zach Coelius

CLIMB by VSC

51 minutes 50 seconds

1 year ago

How The Best Founders Find Product Market Fit | EP 073 Zach Coelius

As many have attested, there's nothing romantic about being a founder. It's about doing what has to be done. And that’s what makes entrepreneurship difficult. In Episode 073 of CLIMB, Zach Coelius, Managing Partner at Coelius Capital, maintains that being a founder is 10x harder than being a VC. Talking about an investor’s MO, Zach equates being in the stands, drinking a beer, with the same as being a VC and deciding which companies will survive, and which will die. Zach is known for his investments in Angel List, HelloSign, Mercury, and more, but what is lesser known about him is that before investing, Zach sold an ad-tech business to Facebook (now Meta). As if this isn't impressive enough, he also raised $33M for Coelius Capital’s Fund II, that too in a record 3 weeks! In the latest episode of CLIMB by VSC, Zach and host Jay Kapoor discuss their views on: • repeat founders versus first-time founders • how Zach sold his company • the journey as an entrepreneur & more. Tune in to the full episode now. Connect with us on LinkedIn: Zach Coelius: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachcoelius/ Jay Kapoor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaykapoor/ Chapters: 00:00 Trailer 00:47 Zach Coelius Introduction 02:07 What does it feel like being an investor? 06:00 The three stages of being a founder 09:30 What are the common mistakes most founders make? 11:11 How do early founders navigate challenges? 12:52 It’s hard for founders to find an authentic circle 13:40 How do you evaluate someone with the right mix of learning and conviction? 15:31 Which three networks stand out to Zach? 17:00 What is it about vertical software that excites you? 20:56 What gets you excited about AI? 23:10 What is the process of securing a hit deal? 24:20 You can’t change your pitch every time you change a business. 27:48 How to get comfortable with uncertain opportunities? 29:25 Are there commonalities across industries? 33:21 What are the most common mistakes boards you've worked with make? 41:05 It’s all about timing. 42:14 What’s the flipside of being a general partner? 45:45 What’s a piece of advice you give to founders that isn't taken well enough? 51:10 Episode Outro

Watch the full video on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/U4NFkF7jCmg