Moving Up

Not chasing roles or titles but focusing on the people you will work with and turning down amazing jobs and lots of money in pursuit of learning

Working all over the world going from pe to corp dev to consulting and now vc. Career moving tactics and transactional work vs. strategy.

Super angel investor on pioneering the asset class. How to be good at it, how to value a startup and passing on writing one of the very first checks into Amazon.

Is an entrepreneur born or made? Launching the 1st internet radio service selling it for a life changing amount and then getting into the toilet seat business.

What makes a good entrepreneur, how to accelerate results by going to work for a successful entrepreneur and why startups take so long to build.

Differentiating yourself in IB recruiting. How working in banking made him realize he wanted to be an entrepreneur and building a network when you don’t have one.

Hadley followed his love for technology to get into venture investing. How/why he started his own fund vs working for an existing one. Focusing on 1 thing and a couple life hacks at the end.

Working hard to get what you want but realizing that good things happen when you least obsess about them.

Michael did IB, PE and b-school, founded 4 company’s and now invests in startups at the very earliest stage. Leaving private equity for a career in broken unloved and new businesses.

Choosing love over fear, having it ALL and why you need a personal mission statement.

Mark is a successful VC. We discuss consulting vs. banking (he did both) the biggest mistake of his career and how working for free can save you money (if you don’t get an MBA). Also, how to get a job at a startup.

Buying media businesses in China, taking them public and finding a way to be interesting.

How to do Crossfit for your brain, not finishing books and why tenacity is the only thing that matters.

Mark started his career at Morgan Stanley worked on the Tesla IPO became an early employee at Dropbox and now Partner at Index Ventures. His advice to skip banking and how to get an unfair advantage in tech.

The path from software engineer to lawyer (at a prestigious firm) to tech. Why it’s so easy to chase a big name and big money instead of finding what’s right for you.

Leaving consulting (Mckinsey and Deloitte) to go to Wharton. Staring a business in b-school, the pros and cons.

Brian talks about being one of the first VC’s in SoCal and the grind that it has been. Having humility and confidence in yourself and what he attributes his success to.

The VC funnel, what it takes to be a wine collector and serendipity in life.

2 types of people in the business world – principles and agents and the importance of having fun a long the way.

Mark was an investment banker for 22 years. He sold his bank to RBC, became the COO of Los Angeles and now is a venture investor. Why he doesn’t like traditional meeting structures and how he uses pattern recognition to invest in startups.

Steve started GroupMe, sold it 370 later days for $85 million. How timing is crucial, 2-paths to life, and why he continues to grind.

Discussing all things real estate, learning by doing and how one small investment can build a real estate empire.

Now CEO of Philo, how he made the decision to leave FB and why it was an easy choice. Also, a tip for taking the pressure off of big decisions.

Dropping out of HBS and doing free work to break-in. Being persistent without being annoying. Why there is no shame in not knowing what you want to do.

Fintech investing guru Sheel Mohnot discusses what you need to be successful in the startup world. What investors are looking for and how to embrace failure.