Posted on third April 2024 by Harry
Trae Stephens is a Companion at Founders Fund, one of many world’s main funds the place he has labored with a number of the finest and backed the likes of Palmer Luckey with Oculus and Ryan Peterson @ Flexport because the very early days. Trae can be Co-founder and Government Chairman of Anduril Industries, a protection know-how firm targeted on autonomous programs, and Co-founder of Sol, a next-generation wearable e-reader. Beforehand, Trae was an early worker at Palantir Applied sciences, the place he was additionally an integral a part of the product group, main the design and technique for brand new product choices.
In Right this moment’s Episode with Trae Stephens We Focus on:
1. From Hustling into Georgetown to Peter Thiel Ushering You into VC:
- What’s Trae’s story of how he received into Georgetown College, regardless of being rejected the primary time?
- How did Trae make his method into the world of VC? How did Peter Thiel recruit him to Founders Fund?
- What recommendation did Brian Singerman give Trae in his first week in VC? Why is it so necessary?
2. How the Greatest Enterprise Agency within the World Invests:
- Determination-Making Course of: Why do Founders Fund not have associate conferences? What’s the funding decision-making course of? Why does extra course of result in mediocre outcomes?
- Aggressive Offers: Why does Trae consider essentially the most aggressive offers are all the time the worst? What do Founders Fund do to particularly keep away from the “herd mentality”?
- Upside Maximisation: Why does nobody at Founders Fund care about “draw back safety”? How do the group method situation planning and upside maximisation?
3. Do VCs Actually Add Worth:
- Why does Trae suppose placing VCs on a board for “worth add” is complete BS?
- Are there any instances wherein Trae believes the VC can actually transfer the needle for an organization?
- Why does Trae consider enterprise can be higher if it had been simply operator buyers?
- Why does Trae consider platform approaches to VC worth add is BS?
4. The Way forward for VC: Who and How one can Win:
- How did being an operator similtaneously investing, make Trae a greater investor?
- Why does Trae consider that vertical investing is BS and generalised is best?
- How does Trae favour; market, product and other people? Will Trae again a founder when he hates the concept?
- What have been Trae’s largest classes from his largest hits and largest misses in 10 years?
