Boris Wertz is one of the top tech early-stage investors in North America and the founding partner of Version One. He is also a board partner with Andreessen Horowitz. Before becoming an investor, Boris was the COO of AbeBooks.com which sold to Amazon in 2008. He was responsible for marketing, business development, product, customer service and international operations – leading a team of 60 people. In 2005, he was named the Pacific Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year.

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In Today's Episode You Will Learn:

1.) How did Boris make his way into the wonderful world of VC?

2.) Why have we seen a mass re-emergence of the marketplace model now?

3.) What was the objective in writing Version One’s book, A Guide To Marketplaces? What did Boris feel the public needed to know that was not already known?

4.) For an entrepreneur looking to move into the marketplace sector, how can they select the right market, are there any essential components they must consider?

5.) The book discusses the benefits of both direct and indirect network effects for marketplaces but in the early days what should startups focus on; demand or supply? How should they go about addressing this element?

6.) What are the core required elements of scaling a marketplace?

Items Mentioned In Today's Episode:

Boris's Fave Book: Hard Things About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

Boris's Fave Blog or Newsletter: AVC by Fred Wilson

Boris's Most Recent Investment: Headout

To check out The Two Minute Takeaway from today's show, click here!

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If you would like to see a more colourful side to Harry with many a mojito session, you can follow him on Instagram here!

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20 VC: The Ultimate Guide To Marketplaces with Boris Wertz, Founding Partner @ Version One Ventures

The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch