Grant's Promotion to Partner, the State of Seed Investing, and Quantum vs Classical Risks
Today’s episode is a day late but for good reason — Grant was recently promoted to Partner(!), so Hammad wanted to open the pod congratulating him, and let Grant share some thank you’s to those that have helped him reach this amazing milestone.
We then shift to a topic that’s seemingly on everyone’s minds: why is early stage (seed) investing so competitive? And what will happen from here? Grant opens with an iconic Jerry Neumann post from 10 years ago, and connects it to two other posts on the differences in risks between early and late stage startups.
This is one of our most wide-ranging episodes to date. We cover everything from quantum vs classical risks to lessons from Grant’s recent dinner with a founder of an iconic venture firm. Grant was also semi-caffeinated for this, which if you know him well, means you’re in for a high-tempo convo. Enjoy!
“I like hitting the tennis ball.” —Novak Djokovic
🔗 Show Resource Links
The Purity of Obsession - Grant’s post on becoming Partner
Heat Death: Venture Capital in the 1980s - Reaction Wheel (Jerry Neumann)
There are No Stages, Just Early and Late - Yoni Rechtman
Classical Risk vs Quantum Risk - Kanyi Maqubela
Odds of Success - Grant’s Ignition essay
🎙️ Podcast Links
🌀 About Motion Blur
Exploring what makes great companies and technologies work. Brought to you by Grant Gregory & Hammad Aslam. Grant is a Partner at Cantos where he focuses on physical world technologies. Hammad is a Partner at Kivu Ventures, Susa’s growth fund. Learn more about the hosts:
Grant Gregory, @grant__gregory, Embers
Hammad Aslam, @_hammad_aslamh, Susa Ventures
If you're interested in the real inside baseball of tech, entrepreneurship, and start-up investing, tune in every week for new episodes.
Intro music credit: Will Harrison
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