Episode 51: "Obsess Over Founder DNA" | Denver Ventures Co-Founder Amy Brandenburg скачать в хорошем качестве

Episode 51: "Obsess Over Founder DNA" | Denver Ventures Co-Founder Amy Brandenburg

Today's episode explores three ideas that caught my attention: 1. Angel investment dollar-cost averaging - The vintage year matters, and Amy's comments got me thinking about how traditional finance concepts like DCA can be applied effectively in the angel investing world. 2. Curation creates commitment - Amy's insight that showing fewer, highly-vetted deals can increase member engagement challenges a common assumption I see in the angel space that more deal flow equals more value. 3. The founder is everything - Amy's collaboration with clinical psychologist Marty Dubin to systematically assess founder DNA made me think about how tempting (at least, at the pre-seed and seed stage) it is to focus on evaluate a business when we really should be evaluating the person. I explore these ideas and more with Amy Brandenburg, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Denver Ventures Seed Fund. Amy Brandenburg is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Denver Ventures Seed Fund, which has grown from an informal angel group to managing $65M+ AUM in just five years. Her unique background spans the complete startup lifecycle, from being startup employee number one to experiencing GitLab's successful IPO as a team member. Amy brings a distinctive focus on "founder DNA" assessment, collaborating with clinical psychologist and serial entrepreneur Marty Dubin to develop proprietary psychological evaluation methods that go beyond traditional due diligence in early-stage investing. During our conversation, Amy shares: • Member activation strategies that helped Denver Ventures grow from informal group to 850+ investors including why partner skin-in-the-game was crucial for credibility. • Lessons from GitLab's asynchronous culture including the "no agenda, no meeting" rule and iteration-over-perfection mindset that shaped her leadership approach. • Why Colorado's 20-year ecosystem building strategy succeeded where others failed and how coastal capital migration during COVID accelerated regional growth opportunities. What We Cover: 00:00 Introduction 02:30 Importance of Founder DNA 04:07 Amy's Journey in Angel Investing 05:40 Denver Ventures Seed Fund Formation 11:26 Growth of Denver Ventures 14:32 Unique Approach to Angel Investing 15:23 Commitment to Investing in Every Deal 17:04 Strategies for Successful Angel Investing 26:13 Current State and Future Plans Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and more. Connect with Amy LinkedIn:   / amymbrandenburg   X: https://x.com/AMBrandenburg Connect with Andrew Newsletter: https://thediligentobserver.com/ X:   / akazlow   LinkedIn:   / andrewkazlow   Book: https://angelops.pitchfact.com/ Website: https://pitchfact.com/ Stuff We Reference Brad Feld:   / bfeld   Marty Dubin:   / martin-dubin   Chris Petersen:   / chrispetersen1   Brian Leach:   / bwleach   Ibotta: https://home.ibotta.com/ Dan Caruso:   / danielpcaruso   Denver Ventures: https://denverventures.co/ GitLab: https://about.gitlab.com/ Andreessen Horowitz: https://a16z.com/ Baylor Angel Network:   / baylorangelnetwork   Techstars: https://www.techstars.com/ Caruso Ventures: https://dan-caruso.com/caruso-ventures/ Colorado Startups: https://coloradostartups.org/ Rockies Venture Club: https://www.rockiesventureclub.org/ Band of Angels: https://www.bandangels.com/ Super Founders: https://www.amazon.com/Super-Founders... Blindspotting: https://www.amazon.com/Blindspotting-... Secrets of Sand Hill Road: https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Sand-H... Denver Startup Week: https://www.costartupweek.com/ DFW Startup Week: https://dfwstartupweek.com/ Know someone who would enjoy this episode? Share it with them! P.S. Your feedback is important to me. Also, it tells the algorithms to pay more attention, which helps me out a lot. If you enjoyed this episode, hit the “like” button or leave a comment with your thoughts. All opinions expressed are personal and may not reflect the views of the individual’s organization or of The Diligent Observer. Not investment advice.