From Wildlife to Benchmark with Victor Lazarte

Victor Lazarte, co-founder of Wildlife Studios and partner at Benchmark, details his transition from building a multi-billion dollar mobile gaming empire to navigating the venture capital landscape. He attributes his early success to extreme focus, bootstrapping, and a deep obsession with product-market fit within the mobile gaming sector. Lazarte emphasizes the necessity of resilience when facing betrayal and predatory investors, noting that his early experiences shaped a guarded, self-reliant approach to business. He argues that great founders possess a rare combination of open-mindedness and disagreeableness, allowing them to challenge norms while remaining adaptable. His shift to venture capital reflects a desire to broaden his impact by identifying and supporting transformative companies, leveraging the pattern recognition gained from his decade-long journey as an operator to help founders navigate the complexities of scaling.