Andrew Sheffield from Playfair Capital on the importance of alignment between founders and VCs
In this podcast episode, Andrew Sheffield discusses his background as a poker player and his transition into venture capital. Andrew talks about online poker websites and his preference for playing in casinos. He then delves into the investment strategies of Playfair Venture Capital, including the number of investments they make per year and their assessment process for portfolio companies. He also discusses the role of VCs in connecting founders to the venture ecosystem offering advice for founders raising rounds in 2023, and much more!
Timestamps
[00:00:22]\xa0Andrew Sheffield explains his background as a poker player and his transition into venture capital.
[00:01:49]\xa0Andrew Sheffield discusses the similarities between playing poker and working in startups and venture capital.
[00:03:15]\xa0Andrew Sheffield talks about online poker websites and the challenges of playing poker online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
[00:08:36]\xa0Andrew Sheffield discusses the number of companies they invest in per year and the range of check sizes.
[00:09:09]\xa0Andrew Sheffield talks about the distribution of their investments across the UK, Israel, and the rest of Europe.
\xa0[00:10:24]\xa0Andrew Sheffield explains the importance of reserving funds for follow-on investments and their approach to allocating capital based on company performance.
[00:18:27]\xa0VCs connecting founders to the venture ecosystem is crucial for success.
[00:18:53]\xa0Startups can build defensibility through processes, people, brands, and execution, especially as AI becomes more prevalent.
[00:20:17]\xa0Having a compelling story and a beautiful deck is important for early-stage founders, and traction adds validation to the story.
[00:28:28]\xa0Andrew Sheffield discusses the similarities between playing poker and working in startups and venture capital.
[00:29:51]\xa0Andrew Sheffield talks about the energy transition being the biggest problem the human race faces and the need to move towards sustainable energy.
Andrew\u2019s Links
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-sheffield-264360134
Playfair - https://playfair.vc/
Female founder office hour events in Europe - https://playfair.vc/community.php
My Links\xa0
\xa0Podcast:\xa0https://lifeselfmastery.com/itunes
\xa0YouTube:\xa0\xa0lifeselfmastery
\xa0Twitter:\xa0rohitmal
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