S6 Ep. 7 — James Norman: Black Operator Ventures

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