Chuck Isgar (MBA ’25) asks venture capitalists across stages and sectors to share more about their firm and what makes them different.
It’s usually the case that founders pitch themselves to VC’s. In the same way that investors want to learn from founders about what makes them unique, founders also seek to get a similar level of transparency from their potential future shareholders and partners. In the wide universe of early stage investing, it is easy to see just how much difference there is amongst investors, such as target sectors ranging from cybersecurity to consumer brands to supply chain. Despite the disparity, there is a key common thread: VC’s want to lean into their prior experiences to help companies build. And there’s one more commonality that is important for founders to remember: many firms’ publicly-stated investment criteria are flexible.
Brian Hollins
Founder and Managing Partner, Collide Capital
Stage: Seed, Series A
Check size: $1-3M
Sectors: Fintech, Supply Chain, Future of Work
Edge: "Fundraising velocity –- most founders have surrounded their early cap table with operators who help them raise $3mm and prepare the company to succeed in a seed round, whereas we optimize around assisting in building the internal rails and mindset needed to raise $30mm 24 months from now in a Series B. We are also founders ourselves, and deeply understand the journey they are facing, becoming an extra set of hands around the table to get hard things done. We like to say ‘don't ask us, ask the 50+ teams we've backed yourself!’”
Monica Saggioro
Founding Partner, MAYA Capital
Stage: Pre-Seed, Seed. Care less about the name; the most important thing is to be the 1st institutional investor on the cap table
Check size: Varies on businesses' traction and thesis, but average of $1.5M
Sectors: Agnostic, Latin America focused. Fintech, B2B and SaaS have been the most relevant sectors of investment so far
Edge: “MAYA Capital stands out by working closely with founders to accelerate their journey from zero to one. We prioritize practical, high-impact support in three areas: speeding up go-to-market strategies to drive early sales, attracting top-tier talent to build a strong foundation, and facilitating strategic fundraising by bringing value-add investors into the round.”
Henri Pierre-Jacques II
Managing Partner, Harlem Capital
Stage: Pre-Seed, Seed
Check size: $1-3M checks for 10-15% ownership
Sectors: Generalist with a focus on B2B SaaS, Vertical SaaS and AI Applications
Edge: “We provide deep value add, which some but most VC's do not. But we provide it in an environment where founders get to be their authentic selves. We have gathered a community of winners.”
Medha Agarwal
General Partner, defy.vc
Stage: Pre-Seed, Seed, A
Sectors: Generalist
Edge: “I've been in a founder's shoes and understand what that experience is like. It is a very unique seat that is really exciting but also full of ups and downs. In addition to being the first phone call, I see my role as helping founders speed up iteration cycles and learnings –-- whether that is getting them in front of potential customers, advisors, or helping them see ahead of corners to avoid issues that may arise.”
Mollye Santulli
Senior Associate, Springdale Ventures
Stage: Seed, Series A
Check size: $250K-$2M, average $1M
Sectors: Branded Consumer Products (loves founder-led brands)
Edge: “At Springdale Ventures, our team's operating experience and deep expertise in building transformative consumer brands gives us a unique edge to support our founders. We leverage our network to ensure that our portfolio companies have the resources they need to scale and gain market share from legacy brands. We are passionate about partnering with and supporting visionary founders at the earliest stages for the long term.”
Kathryn Taylor Reddy
Principal, .406 Ventures
Stage: Core focus is Series A, though will sometimes go earlier and invest in seed rounds
Check size: Typical is $4-8M
Sectors: Data & AI, Cybersecurity, and Healthcare
Edge: “We have deep expertise in the sectors we invest in, strong networks to help with recruiting and business development efforts, and 20 years of firm history and stability. Paired with the humility to recognize that often the right answer is to get out of the way and let founding teams do what they do best, this allows us to be true partners to the companies in our portfolio.”
Chuck Isgar (MBA ’25) loves all things startups. He created and runs Above Board, a weekly newsletter which features Q&A's with investors and founders about startup investment, board management, and corporate governance. Most recently, he served as the Chief of Staff at Scenery, a Series A-stage startup backed by investors such as Greylock. Previously, he was a Schwarzman Scholar where he earned a Master in Global Affairs from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Chuck co-founded and was the CEO of Intern From Home, a recruiting technology startup that served students from over 600 colleges and was featured in publications such as The New York Times. Chuck earned his bachelor’s from Brown University, where he served as the Co-President of the Brown Entrepreneurship Program. He loves to golf, cook, and go on long walks.
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