Ep 13 - VC Insights: Spero Ventures with Ha Nguyen and Sonny Mayugba

Spero Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in the things that make life worth living. They partner with entrepreneurs to solve problems in three areas: well-being, work & purpose, and human connection. They invest in technology companies that are driven to deliver value to both shareholders and society, including Clarity, Mati, Core, Droneseed, Gencove, Roam Robotics, and Skillshare. They are high-conviction investors and we help companies scale to billions of customers. Their LP and partners are founders and early execs at eBay and Tesla.

VC Insights with Ruckus is a series of conversations with Venture Capitalists to learn about what they look for in companies to fund, how they spot the best talent, and what is their advice for startup founders looking to grow or get funding.

Here’s What We Discussed: 

• [00:35] Our speakers introduce themselves and share their backgrounds 
• [03:11] Sonny, Ha, and Anish discuss the Black Lives Matter events and the tragedy of George Floyd as well as implore those with a seat at the table to do more to support underrepresented communities 
• [10:11] What is an EIR (Entrepreneur In Residence) and how does it differ from being a VC? 
• [16:00] Ha talks about her transition from EIR into VC and how her startup background equipped her for success in the role  
• [23:52] Sonny and Ha discusses the skills and attributes needed to be successful as an EIR or VC
• [26:30] How to get into VC – Is there a typical profile and path to follow? 
• [32:11] How introverts can thrive in a role that seems made for extroverts 
• [35:52] On the power of relationships –  Opportunities come from people
• [43:20] Our speakers share market opportunities they’re bullish about but that lack hype: Product led communities, AR and VR affecting the workforce,   
• [50:06] Tips on Managing conversations with your Limited Partners? 
• [51:15] Ha discusses the deal terms and compensation structure within Spero Ventures
• [55:55] Ha and Sonny share their final thoughts

About Our Speakers 

Ha Nguyen, was formerly a Founding Partner at Spero Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in the things that make life worth living: our well-being, work & purpose, and human connection.

Her core drivers are the following: connecting people through community, building products that have a positive impact at scale, leading with empathy, and elevating women and underrepresented minorities in the technology industry.

She gives talks around the globe on design thinking and how to build products that customers love. She’s on the Board of Women In Product (non-profit organization of 20k female product builders) and co-founded the Product Leader Summit (invite-only conference bringing together founders and VP-level product leaders).

Sonny Mayugba, is a multi-time CEO and C-Level executive, who has gone from ‘napkin to Nasdaq,’ scrappy operator chops to SEC Compliance training, SPAC and De-SPAC first-hand experience, and many things in between. HE led Growth at Swimply (through $10M Series Seed and $40M Series A) over 3x’ing revenue in one season, founding CMO at Waitr (Nasdaq:WTRH) launching 700+ cities and over $1B in public company market cap, Managing Director at LAUNCH, EIR at Spero Ventures, Global Business Marketing at Facebook

About Our Moderator

Anish Shah is the CEO & Founder of executive search agency Bring Ruckus. Anish has worked in-house in Growth roles at Snapfish and Getable. He started Bring Ruckus as a Growth consultancy 11 years ago working with 40+ clients, then re-focused his firm on executive recruiting for Growth leaders.

Quotes

“You will actually do a very bad job in this role if your expectation is that you're gonna go into a company and fix their problems for them. That's not what the founders actually want from you. They're gonna understand their businesses much better than you, but they don't have the experience that you do. And so they do want you to be a coach to them.” – Ha Nguyen

 

“Venture sounds sexy and sometimes it is, but it's not always that way. And if you are a builder and you love building, it may or may not be the right role for you.” – Ha Nguyen 

 

“[As an IER] you get to take your experience of being a founder and be a coach to those who haven't been down that road. That is just really powerful because you've done it. And when they hit you with their challenges or objectives, you actually know where it's gonna go. So you coach them on sales strategy, product strategy, marketing strategy, operational, tactical plans and help connect those dots.” – Sonny Mayugba 

 

“If you're a founder or an operator, you tend to have your opinions and your biases. But you need to listen. It’s so important.” – Sonny Mayugba

 

“We do have to build that muscle and get out there into the world. We have to develop our thesis, but then also publish our thesis. You can be an introvert and learn how to build that muscle.” – HA

 

“The key is about starting to participate. If you stay invisible, how can anyone know about you? What I think is happening is people outside the bubble are starting to participate a little more. And that doesn't mean building a massive personal brand. It's about participating and building relationships.” – Sonny Mayugba

 

“Your relationships and the relationships you consistently go after, build, and grow will actually take you a lot farther in any career than expertise or knowledge.” – Anish Shah 

 

ABOUT RUCKUS

We are growth leaders who recruit your game changers. Visit https://bringruckus.com and connect on LinkedIn. Subscribe and listen to more episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify Google Podcasts, Audible, or wherever you get your podcasts!  

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