Jakob Diepenbrock | Discipulus Ventures скачать в хорошем качестве

Jakob Diepenbrock | Discipulus Ventures

Jakob brings a refreshingly practical, no-nonsense perspective to early-stage investing, shaped by building his own community-based fund in El Segundo, the hardware and defense-tech hub that grew out of SpaceX's roots in LA. Unlike most VCs, Discipulus runs a physical two-week residency that front-loads the relationship-building, network access, and demo day prep that most founders spend 6-12 months scraping together on their own. For founders who are technical, mission-driven, and relatively early in their career, Jakob makes a compelling case that plugging into the right ecosystem early is one of the highest-leverage moves they can make. On the fundraising process itself, Jakob offers a strategy that many first-time founders overlook: start with angels who genuinely like you as a person, use those early commitments to build social proof and momentum, then work your way up to the bigger funds. His reasoning cuts to the heart of how most VCs actually operate: FOMO. He's candid that the majority of pre-seed and seed investors are driven by "if I don't invest today, I'll pay more tomorrow," which means founders need to manufacture real momentum, not fake it. Jakob is also direct about some of the biggest mistakes founders make as they near the finish line: over-representing investor interest, setting fake deadlines they can't enforce, and playing up FOMO in ways that feel manufactured. His advice is straightforward: the hard-tech and defense space is a small, tight-knit world where investors talk constantly, and a bad reputation travels fast. Be kind, be honest, and build real urgency through real progress.