Watch our exclusive interview with Niko Bonatsos, Founder & MD at Verdict Capital, Fmr. MD at General Catalyst.

After just 15 years at General Catalyst, and with investments in companies like Snap Inc., Mercor, Discord, and Hive, he decided to start something new and founded Verdict Capital, an early-stage VC.

We began by discussing how his investment #philosophy has evolved over the years - moving from an initial focus on #TAM and metrics to #prioritizing the #team itself and the types of questions he asks in their first meetings.

Crazy, controversial, and funny - he shared what he values most when evaluating investments.

But it’s easier said than done and as such we dove into how he builds and maintains #conviction when the tides are against you, particularly for ideas that seemed too #revolutionary at the start, like Snap Inc. or Mercor.

Given we’re now in the #AI era, we explored one of the most crucial dilemmas in investing: whether a company is just a #wrapper or has a real #moat.

From the builder’s perspective, when everything is so easy to build, we discussed the key questions #entrepreneurs should ask themselves before starting their journey.

Lastly, we wrapped up with a conversation about the ideal #founder mix when building a company.

And guess who Niko’s favorite #historical figure is? 👑⚔️🛡️

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Interviewers: Yossi Garmazi & Jacob Chizunza, CA

#tech #VC #Investor #startup #product

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

1:40 Niko's journey

03:35 Biggest cultural mindset need to succeed

05:15 Venture capitalist mindset

07:33 Cold emailing Elon Musk

11:12 When meeting entrepreneurs

13:00 Snapchat Investment

14:45 Building conviction

17:05 AI revolution

19:08 Outside tech what are you rooting for

22:00 VC Real value

24:05 Younger generation Opportunities

26:34 Immigrants Skills

28:44 VC Alternative financing

30:44 Founders Ideal mix

32:29 Advise to founders

34:19 Mentorship

37:52 Favorite Book

General Catalyst Fmr MD: How I Picked Snapchat, Discord and Mercor | Builders Series

Boardroom Club

General Catalyst Fmr MD: How I Picked Snapchat, Discord and Mercor | Builders Series