For today's essential Heretics 101 feature, Kelli and Nolan talk to Katelin Holloway, Founding Partner of Seven Seven Six. Katelin argues HR professionals possess essential early-stage investing skills, and advocates their transition from support roles to decision-making positions through founder relationship-building strategies.

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KEEP UP WITH KATELIN, NOLAN + KELLI ON LINKEDIN

Katelin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katelinholloway/

Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/

Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/

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LINKS:

Seven Seven Six: http://sevensevensix.com

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(01:27) How HR "Found" Katelin: The Accidental Career Path

(02:02) Pixar University: Learning from World-Class People Operations

(03:16) Meeting Alexis Ohanian: The Reddit Turnaround Story

(04:12) When Employees Refused to Wear Company Swag

(04:43) Why Hard Challenges Build Deeper Professional Bonds

(05:42) From Boardroom to Back Room: The VC Industry Problem

(07:24) Why Early-Stage Investing IS People Work

(08:52) The "Talent Partner" Problem: Wasted Potential in VC

(09:40) Sponsors: Planful | Metaview

(12:03) The Marc Andreessen Challenge: Selection vs. Support

(13:23) Platform Shifts Are Disrupting Venture Capital

(14:07) Product and People First: 776's Different Approach

(15:30) The Tactical Playbook: How to Break Into Venture

(15:49) Build Founder Relationships, Not VC Relationships

(16:22) The "How Can I Help?" Problem: Why Most VCs Fail Founders

(17:39) From Advisor to Angel: Getting Equity Without Cash

(18:28) The Golden Rule: Genuine Help Must Come First

(20:06) Ed Catmull's 5-Year Rule: Knowing When to Leap

(21:57) Why the Smartest People Never "Figure It Out"

(22:26) Closing: Building the Future of Venture Capital

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hrheretics.substack.com

The Death of Traditional VC: Why Platform Shifts Demand People-First Investors, with Katelin Holloway of Seven Seven Six

“HR Heretics” | How CPOs, CHROs, Founders, and Boards Build High Performing Companies