08 Takeaways: Charles Hudson, Precursor Ventures: macro, team vs market, fund size vs. outcomes

Join Shaherose & Aamir as we reflect on our conversation with Charles Hudson of Precursor Ventures

Highlights: 
  • Don’t forget the macro: Government regulations can lead to massive opportunities or failures. We discuss case studies of companies like Samsara, Movtive (fka KeepTrucking), Republic, and Zum, showing how regulatory shifts led to category-creating opportunities. Charles’ worst investment was wiped out due to changes in government regulation. 
  • Team vs market: We discussed the interplay between having the right team, idea, and timing for startup success. Charles evaluates opportunities 70% team and 30% idea. Both Aamir and I take a more balanced approach than Charles does.
  • Fund size vs. outcomes: Reflecting on the past learning, "Your fund size is your strategy." We wonder what role that played in Charles’ decision to invest in the Athletic, later acquired by the NY Times for $550M.
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Disclaimer: This is for information purposes only. This is not investment advice.

  • (00:00) - Introduction and Format Change
  • (00:39) - The macro matters
  • (03:40) - Learning from past investments while staying open minded, what about bias?
  • (04:12) - Team vs. Market
  • (10:36) - Fund size vs outcomes
  • (16:17) - Investors don't know it all

Creators and Guests

Aamir Virani
Host
Aamir Virani
Helped 50+ orgs grow product and scale teams.Software Engineer ➡️ Product Manager ➡️ Founder (Nest Cam fka Dropcam) 🔀 Investor, CRE, Founder@pifgov 2021
Shaherose Charania
Host
Shaherose Charania
Venture Investing at @CakeVentures and @joindvc | Always helping founders | Raised on Atari, MS-DOS, Bollywood & Hip Hop. 🇨🇦in 🇺🇸
Charles Hudson
Guest
Charles Hudson
Managing Partner @precursorvc. Fan of @chelseafc @lafc @lions and all things Michigan. Most days in Jackson Square in SF. I invest $250-500K at pre-seed or seed
08 Takeaways: Charles Hudson, Precursor Ventures: macro, team vs market, fund size vs. outcomes
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