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Key Takeaways Investors back startups that reshape industries, not those making minor improvements.
True innovation creates entirely new capabilities, not just better versions.
Breakthrough companies win by making industries cheaper, faster and more scalable.
Being a fund manager has honestly been a dream come true for me, because the job is about seeing what others miss and having the conviction to back it early. For years now, I can say that in venture capital, we are not chasing safe investments. We always want to chase outsized returns that companies like Google, Uber or Airbnb delivered. However, that only happens when a business builds a real moat and fundamentally disrupts its space.
Often, that means investing in ideas that feel a little uncomfortable at first. It’s hard to wrap your head around a shift as radical as Uber’s before it actually exists; it’s like trying to explain the concept of taxation to a fifth-grader — they may get the idea but not really understand it. And when you invest in a thesis, you aren’t just pitching a product; you’re proposing a fundamental change in how people behave and how entire industries operate.
As a fund manager, I spend most of my day diving into these deals and tracking market shifts. It’s easy to get starry-eyed when a motivated founder promises the next “big” revolution. To stay grounded, I’ve developed a specific framework to ensure every opportunity actually hits the mark.
The company is a disruptor, not just another competitor
Most startups are competing in an existing market. They may build a better version of something. Maybe it is faster, cheaper or easier to use. That can still produce a successful company, but it is not what investors are typically looking for. Investors look for disruptors.
A disruptor changes how an industry works. It forces competitors to rethink their entire model.
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