Capital Conversations: Insights into the World of Venture Capital

The future of agritech investing, with Jim Pulcrano & Rob Trice

Rob Trice is an established international venture capital investor. He is currently leveraging his background in telecom, mobile and internet investing to fund companies that apply IT to the food and agriculture sectors via Better Food Ventures [https://betterfoodventures.com/], a seed stage investment entity established in 2013. Jim Pulcrano [https://www.imd.org/faculty/professors/jim-pulcrano/] is Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management. He has extensive expertise in entrepreneurship, particularly startup culture, strategy, customer centricity, marketing, and disruption. *** Through our research, thought leadership, and annual program, IMD’s Venture Asset Management Initiative aims to demystify venture asset management in Switzerland and across Europe. To find out more about IMD visit imd.org [https://www.imd.org/] For more information about our Venture Capital Asset Management program visit: imd.org/finance/vam/ [https://www.imd.org/finance/vam/venture-capital-asset-management/]

Beyond the obvious: quiet predictors of VC fund performance with Michael Kim

Cendana Capital is a San Francisco-based fund of funds investing in early-stage venture capital ventures. The firm was launched in 2010 and has over $2B in assets. Cendana has invested in many VC teams that have gone on to enjoy great success, like Forerunner Ventures, K9 Ventures, and IA Ventures. In this episode, the founder of Cendana, Michael Kim, focuses specifically on the strategies institutional LPs use to evaluate and partner with new and emerging GPs, covering key topics like identifying high-potential investments, navigating long-term portfolios, leveraging secondary opportunities, and assessing cultural fluency in global markets. *** Through our research, thought leadership, and annual program, IMD’s Venture Asset Management Initiative aims to demystify venture asset management in Switzerland and across Europe. To find out more about IMD visit imd.org [https://www.imd.org/] For more information about our Venture Capital Asset Management program visit: imd.org/finance/vam/ [https://www.imd.org/finance/vam/venture-capital-asset-management/] This podcast was editorialized by Raphael Grieco, VC Researcher at IMD [https://www.imd.org/ibyimd/iauthors/raphael-jean-luigi-grieco/]

Alternative Exit Options for VC Funds, with Liz Campbell

Liz Campbell, CIO at Portfolio Advisors, discusses the challenges of realising returns in an increasingly sophisticated VC market. Founded in 1994, Portfolio Advisors is an experienced private markets manager with dedicated primary, secondary, co-investment, real estate and direct credit teams. In 2023, Portfolio Advisors combined with FS Investments, a pioneer in the democratization of alternative assets. Together, they manage over $82 billion in assets. *** Through our research, thought leadership, and annual program, IMD’s Venture Asset Management Initiative aims to demystify venture asset management in Switzerland and across Europe. To find out more about IMD visit imd.org [https://www.imd.org/] For more information about our Venture Capital Asset Management program visit: imd.org/finance/vam/ [https://www.imd.org/finance/vam/venture-capital-asset-management/]

The rules of VC, with David Clark CIO at VenCap International

Since its inception, VenCap has committed $2.9 billion to over 450 venture capital funds in the US, Europe, China and India. As CIO David Clark has decades of experience and access to unparalleled data, and in this episode of Capital Conversations he explores the cycles, metrics and misconceptions associated with VC. *** Through our research, thought leadership, and annual program, IMD’s Venture Asset Management Initiative aims to demystify venture asset management in Switzerland and across Europe. To find out more about IMD visit imd.org [https://www.imd.org/] For more information about our Venture Capital Asset Management program visit: imd.org/finance/vam/ [https://www.imd.org/finance/vam/venture-capital-asset-management/]

Sia Houchangnia on building relationships that empower founders

Sia Houchangia joined Seedcamp as an intern in 2014 and became a partner in 2017. Seedcamp is a leading European seed fund that has backed over 500 tech-driven startups, including Sorare, Revolut, UiPath, Wise, and Synthesia. **** Through our research, thought leadership, and annual program, IMD’s Venture Asset Management Initiative aims to demystify venture asset management in Switzerland and across Europe. To find out more about IMD visit imd.org [https://www.imd.org/] For more information about our Venture Capital Asset Management program visit: imd.org/finance/vam/ [https://www.imd.org/finance/vam/venture-capital-asset-management/]