234. Breaking into VC; Excelling at Goldman Sachs; and the Origin of BLCK VC (Brian Hollins)

234. Breaking into VC; Excelling at Goldman Sachs; and the Origin of BLCK VC (Brian Hollins)
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Brian Hollins of BLCK VC joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss Breaking into VC; Excelling at Goldman Sachs; and the Origin of BLCK VC. In this episode, we cover:

  • Background and path to venture?
  • What was the most surprising thing about venture that you only realized after working in it for awhile?
  • So you’ve got this great job in venture…  Why’d you decide to go back to HBS?
  • Tell us about the origin story of BLCK VC?
  • What are some of the specific activities and programs that BLCK VC is running?
  • On June 4th, BLCK VC held an event, โ€œWe Wonโ€™t Waitโ€, for people in venture to take action. What were the primary goals and outcomes of the event?
  • I want to talk a bit about your experience at Goldman… did you have an opportunity to invest in black and/or underrepresented founders?
  • What, if anything, did Goldman do to support black investors and founders?
  • It’s so hard breaking into this industry and orders-of-magnitude harder when you’re black —  how have diversity issues and racial profiling affected your professional journey?
  • Can you give us your take on the current social unrest and what path you want to see going forward?
  • Do you think we’ll see the systemic changes required this time or do you think progress will be limited?
  • Who are some investors, founders or people in the space you see paving the way and driving change?
  • What can white VCs do, specifically, to contribute to more better balance and stronger representation for black founders and investors?  What organizations do you care about?
  • What are sites or resources that our audience can visit to get more involved?
  • Aspen Fellowship… At New Stack we’re rolling out a fellowship program to train young, college students in VC… you’re back on a college campus… what are some ways that we can get our job description in front of more black, latin and underrepresented minority students?
    • Are there any national organizations or communities for college-aged, black students that are interested in tech?
  • 3 Data Points…
    • Let’s say you are approached to invest in an enterprise SaaS business.  The startup has $10M ARR, Growing 10% MoM and LTV:CAC is 4:1. Catch is you can only ask 3 questions (for 3 additional data points) to make your decision.
    • What 3 questions do you ask?

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