How to Build a Strong Founder-VC Relationship | Akshay Mehra from Hummingbird Ventures

Understanding VC

07-08-2024 • 36 mins

In this episode you will learn:

00:00 - Introduction

01:32 - Easy to build good relationships with Investors?

03:55 - Importance of a Good Relationship with Investors

05:59 - Size and Strategy of a fund affects Founder-VC Relationship

07:37 - Components of a Successful Relationship

09:04 - Hummingbird’s POV on Investor interference

12:16 - VCs' Role in Crucible Moments

14:39 - Power Dynamics in Founder-VC Relationships

16:35 - Can Investors and Founders be good friends?

21:03 - Scenarios Leading to Founder-Investor Friction

26:36 - Handling Co-Founder Breakups

28:29 - Evolution of Founder-Investor Relationships

34:49 - Measuring the Founder-Investor Relationship

35:57 - Conclusion

About

Akshay leads investments in both emerging markets and global fintech at Hummingbird.

Previously, Akshay worked at Citigroup, where he raised equity capital for large corporations, and at Artivest (acquired), where he helped build and grow a platform that enables retail capital to access alternative investments. During graduate school, Akshay had the opportunity to work with MIT's $25 billion endowment fund.

In his spare time, Akshay records music and writes about founders in his newsletter, 'Amplify'.

He holds an MBA from the Sloan School of Management at MIT and a BA in Economics with a minor in Ethnomusicology from Franklin & Marshall College.

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Understanding VC is a podcast that provides founders with the knowledge and resources they need to understand venture capital. Our goal is to create the best and most comprehensive resource on venture capital on the internet, so that founders can make informed decisions about their businesses and secure the funding they need to succeed.