Today we're joined by Mike Collins, founder and CEO of Alumni Ventures, a firm that's quietly built one of the most unique and successful venture capital models in the industry.
Mike has scaled Alumni Ventures to over $1.5 billion in assets under management by doing something most VCs thought was impossible—building a venture firm primarily around individual investors.
⭐ Sponsored by Podcast10x - Podcasting agency for VCs - https://podcast10x.com
Alumni Ventures website - https://www.av.vc/
Mike Collins on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-collins-362100/
🎙️ Hosted by Prashant Choubey
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In our conversation, Mike shares:
- How he validated and scaled Alumni Ventures to over $1.5 Billion in AUM & over 20 funds
- Network-driven approach to deal sourcing and value add
- How their referral network generates 3.2x multiples on invested capital
- How a team of 45 investment professionals manage over 20 funds
- His bold predictions about the profound period of innovation and disruption we're entering
& lots more..
Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction
(03:27) Mike's background and early career in venture capital
(10:32) Finding product-market fit for Alumni Ventures
(14:47) Organizational structure with 10 investment teams
(20:24) Investment decision-making process
(21:30) Referral network and deal flow generation
(25:14) Flat fee model and LP alignment
(30:16) Investor base composition
(33:38) Potential expansion to institutional investors
(36:19) Operational challenges in scaling the firm
(39:08) Current venture ecosystem and AI's impact
(42:42) Liquidity and exit strategies
(48:37) Investment sectors and regions
(51:04) Investment stages and check sizes
(52:19) How founders can connect with Alumni Ventures
(54:02) Closing remarks and wrap-up
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