40 Min.
S6 Ep. 7 — James Norman: Black Operator Ventures Fast Frontiers
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- Firmengründung
Today on Fast Frontiers host Tim Schigel speaks with James Norman, a general partner at Black Operator Ventures, a venture fund that specifically empowers the entrepreneurship of people of color. James takes listeners on a deep dive of his growth and trajectory from Hollywood to venture capital, lessons learned in leadership, and how important networking and nurturing relationships are to customer acquisition.
Key Takeaways:
[00:09 - 00:58] Intro to James Norman and his venture projects[01:00 - 02:57] James' early life in Michigan and entrepreneurship inklings as a child[02:58 - 04:25] Building speaker systems for car audio[04:25 - 05:18] Transitioning from speaker systems to whole cars[05:18 - 07:58] Lessons learned doing private planning at Mitsubishi in LA[08:03 - 10:12] James' first tech company, Ubi, and lessons in leading[10:12 - 11:42] Growing his network and how NewME helped make connections[11:44 - 12:52] Heavy on product, heavy on execution[12:52 - 13:58] The stories we tell[14:04 - 15:42] How James realized his strength in building video platforms[15:44 - 18:09] Why diverse development teams are necessary, and navigating abrasive cultures as a person of color[18:10 - 20:55] The path to capital and realizations about next steps[20:55 - 23:12] Acquiring data and monetizing it with GroupFix and Pilotly[23:12 - 24:32] Working with Joe to build GroupFix and Pilotly[24:32 - 26:36] How Black Ops Ventures came about[26:36 - 28:13] Communicating better, and learning from icons like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk[28:14 - 28:57] Bias from investors and developing empathy[28:58 - 30:23] A golden opportunity to build a better resource for black founders[30:24 - 32:01] The Four Challenges for Venture Capital to Invest in Black Founders[32:01 - 34:01] Starting right now, and getting involved[34:04 - 35:06] Builders and leaders[35:06 - 36:42] Building relationships and holding yourself accountable to your identity as a leader[36:44 - 38:57] Customer acquisition and nurturing the relationship, and confidence in outcomes
Today on Fast Frontiers host Tim Schigel speaks with James Norman, a general partner at Black Operator Ventures, a venture fund that specifically empowers the entrepreneurship of people of color. James takes listeners on a deep dive of his growth and trajectory from Hollywood to venture capital, lessons learned in leadership, and how important networking and nurturing relationships are to customer acquisition.
Key Takeaways:
[00:09 - 00:58] Intro to James Norman and his venture projects[01:00 - 02:57] James' early life in Michigan and entrepreneurship inklings as a child[02:58 - 04:25] Building speaker systems for car audio[04:25 - 05:18] Transitioning from speaker systems to whole cars[05:18 - 07:58] Lessons learned doing private planning at Mitsubishi in LA[08:03 - 10:12] James' first tech company, Ubi, and lessons in leading[10:12 - 11:42] Growing his network and how NewME helped make connections[11:44 - 12:52] Heavy on product, heavy on execution[12:52 - 13:58] The stories we tell[14:04 - 15:42] How James realized his strength in building video platforms[15:44 - 18:09] Why diverse development teams are necessary, and navigating abrasive cultures as a person of color[18:10 - 20:55] The path to capital and realizations about next steps[20:55 - 23:12] Acquiring data and monetizing it with GroupFix and Pilotly[23:12 - 24:32] Working with Joe to build GroupFix and Pilotly[24:32 - 26:36] How Black Ops Ventures came about[26:36 - 28:13] Communicating better, and learning from icons like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk[28:14 - 28:57] Bias from investors and developing empathy[28:58 - 30:23] A golden opportunity to build a better resource for black founders[30:24 - 32:01] The Four Challenges for Venture Capital to Invest in Black Founders[32:01 - 34:01] Starting right now, and getting involved[34:04 - 35:06] Builders and leaders[35:06 - 36:42] Building relationships and holding yourself accountable to your identity as a leader[36:44 - 38:57] Customer acquisition and nurturing the relationship, and confidence in outcomes
40 Min.