Interview
Mac the VC Answers a Quick Fire Round of Questions with host Harry Stebbings | 20VC
- The speaker, a venture capitalist at Rare Breed, recently spoke at the Harvard Club in the presence of Reginald F. Lewis, a pioneer and past member, describing the experience as a "full circle moment" after Lewis's daughter posted about the event on Instagram.
- When facing professional adversity, the speaker relies on venting with friends over drinks and food at Buffalo Wild Wings, noting this approach is "a lot cheaper than my therapist."
- The speaker identifies the primary challenge in their role as balancing the all-consuming nature of venture capital with family presence, citing the "20-year commitment" required to launch and sustain multiple funds (Fund 1: 10 years + 2–3 years; Fund 2: 10 years + 2–3 years; Fund 3: 17 years in).
- The speaker advocates for increased diversity among Limited Partners (LPs) and General Partners (GPs) in the venture sector.
- The speaker calls for greater "grace" toward founders who are unfamiliar with standard protocols, specifically citing the request for Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) by first-time and diverse founders.
- The speaker argues against immediately ending meetings when founders request NDAs, instead suggesting a "teachable moment" where VCs explain why they generally do not sign them.
- The speaker proposes a billboard in New York City with the message: "Wear a mask, get vaccinated. Let's all do this together," expressing a desire to return to pre-pandemic normalcy rather than the "new normal."
- The most recent publicly announced investment discussed was in Unspun, an Oakland-based company utilizing app-based body scanning and 3D printing hardware to manufacture custom, zero-waste jeans.
- Unspun received a letter of support from the Head of Design at Levi's, who stated the founders' approach to making jeans "does better than me."
- The investment decision was driven by the founders' passion, the company's ambitious goal to revolutionize global manufacturing, and the strong conviction of Rare Breed's venture partner, Jonathan Kroll.
- The speaker confirms that Rare Breed proceeds with investments when a team member demonstrates "strong enough conviction" to warrant full support.
- The interview concluded with the speaker expressing gratitude for the connection made via Twitter and the opportunity to appear on Harry's "20 Minute VC" show.