47 min
Founders Fund Delian Asparouhov on Miami as a major tech hub, what he thinks as the drivers for innovation now, and the pros of incubating companies like Varda within firms Venture Unlocked: The playbook for venture capital managers
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- Investing
Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape.
Today we’re thrilled to bring you my conversation with Delian Asparouhov of Founders Fund, a Silicon Valley and now Miami based firm that has long been known for backing some of the most category defining companies in the world including SpaceX, Palantir, Facebook, AirBnB, and Stripe.
While at Founders Fund, Delian also co-founded Varda Space Industries, and previously worked at Khosla Ventures.
A message from our sponsor:
Pacific Western Bank is a full service commercial bank with over $34 billion in assets. The venture banking team specializes in financial products and services for startups, venture-backed businesses, and their venture capital and private equity investors.
The experienced team is committed to the space and dedicated to delivering high-touch, tailored solutions, helping innovators take their business to the next level.
In the first half of the year, the venture banking team has booked over $800 million in new loan commitments to help support the community. No matter the size or stage of your business, you can expect guidance, resources and flexibility, making them the perfect team to support your evolving needs.
Turn your vision into reality with PWB. For more information, visit www.pacwest.com/lending-solutions, or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
*Equal Housing Lender & FDIC insured
*Total assets & loans booked are as of June 30, 2021.
In this episode we discuss:
01:43 Delian’s journey to becoming an investor
05:24 Why he felt VC was a better path for him than operating roles
11:52 Why he chose to go from Khosla Ventures (& now Founders Fund) instead of starting his own firm
14:24 The decision to co-found Varda while being a full time investor
17:38 How Delian attracted co-founders for Varda.
21:31 Why there are a relative lack of investment dollars into areas like space.
25:22 How Founders Fund looks at the risk in investing in areas such as space.
28:07 The catalyzing events in tech that will help drive exponential innovation.
31:27 Ingredients Miami has that will help it build a significant presence in tech, and why is talent going there?
38:47 The most counterintuitive lesson Delian has learned as an investor
40:56 Delian’s prediction for the venture market for the next few years
43:47 The legendary investor that has most inspired him
Mentioned in this episode:Founders FundVarda Space IndustriesKhosla Ventures
I’d love to know what you took away from this conversation with Delian. Follow me @SamirKaji and give me your insights and questions with the hashtag #ventureunlocked. If you’d like to be considered as a guest or have someone you’d like to hear from (GP or LP), drop me a direct message on Twitter.
Transcript:
Samir Kaji:
Hi, I'm Samir Kaji, host of Venture Unlocked, the podcast that takes you behind the scenes of the business of venture capital. Today, I'm thrilled to bring you my conversation with Delian Asparouhov who's a Principal at Founders Fund. Based in Miami and Silicon Valley, the firm has long been known for backing some of the most category-defining companies in the world, including SpaceX, Palantir, Facebook, Airbnb, and Stripe. While at Founders Fund, Delian also co-founded Varda Space Industries and then previously worked at Khosla Ventures. I had a lot of fun in this week's show as we talked about a number of things, including incubations within larger firms, the arc of where he sees technology, and what's going to drive innovation in the coming years, and why regional hubs like Miami will be major forces and drivers of innovation. Now let's get into the episode to hear all of that and more.
Samir Kaji:
Today's episode is sponsored by Pacific Western Bank, a full service commercial bank with over 34 billion in assets. The venture banking team of PacWest specializes in financial products and services for both startups and the venture and pr
Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape.
Today we’re thrilled to bring you my conversation with Delian Asparouhov of Founders Fund, a Silicon Valley and now Miami based firm that has long been known for backing some of the most category defining companies in the world including SpaceX, Palantir, Facebook, AirBnB, and Stripe.
While at Founders Fund, Delian also co-founded Varda Space Industries, and previously worked at Khosla Ventures.
A message from our sponsor:
Pacific Western Bank is a full service commercial bank with over $34 billion in assets. The venture banking team specializes in financial products and services for startups, venture-backed businesses, and their venture capital and private equity investors.
The experienced team is committed to the space and dedicated to delivering high-touch, tailored solutions, helping innovators take their business to the next level.
In the first half of the year, the venture banking team has booked over $800 million in new loan commitments to help support the community. No matter the size or stage of your business, you can expect guidance, resources and flexibility, making them the perfect team to support your evolving needs.
Turn your vision into reality with PWB. For more information, visit www.pacwest.com/lending-solutions, or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
*Equal Housing Lender & FDIC insured
*Total assets & loans booked are as of June 30, 2021.
In this episode we discuss:
01:43 Delian’s journey to becoming an investor
05:24 Why he felt VC was a better path for him than operating roles
11:52 Why he chose to go from Khosla Ventures (& now Founders Fund) instead of starting his own firm
14:24 The decision to co-found Varda while being a full time investor
17:38 How Delian attracted co-founders for Varda.
21:31 Why there are a relative lack of investment dollars into areas like space.
25:22 How Founders Fund looks at the risk in investing in areas such as space.
28:07 The catalyzing events in tech that will help drive exponential innovation.
31:27 Ingredients Miami has that will help it build a significant presence in tech, and why is talent going there?
38:47 The most counterintuitive lesson Delian has learned as an investor
40:56 Delian’s prediction for the venture market for the next few years
43:47 The legendary investor that has most inspired him
Mentioned in this episode:Founders FundVarda Space IndustriesKhosla Ventures
I’d love to know what you took away from this conversation with Delian. Follow me @SamirKaji and give me your insights and questions with the hashtag #ventureunlocked. If you’d like to be considered as a guest or have someone you’d like to hear from (GP or LP), drop me a direct message on Twitter.
Transcript:
Samir Kaji:
Hi, I'm Samir Kaji, host of Venture Unlocked, the podcast that takes you behind the scenes of the business of venture capital. Today, I'm thrilled to bring you my conversation with Delian Asparouhov who's a Principal at Founders Fund. Based in Miami and Silicon Valley, the firm has long been known for backing some of the most category-defining companies in the world, including SpaceX, Palantir, Facebook, Airbnb, and Stripe. While at Founders Fund, Delian also co-founded Varda Space Industries and then previously worked at Khosla Ventures. I had a lot of fun in this week's show as we talked about a number of things, including incubations within larger firms, the arc of where he sees technology, and what's going to drive innovation in the coming years, and why regional hubs like Miami will be major forces and drivers of innovation. Now let's get into the episode to hear all of that and more.
Samir Kaji:
Today's episode is sponsored by Pacific Western Bank, a full service commercial bank with over 34 billion in assets. The venture banking team of PacWest specializes in financial products and services for both startups and the venture and pr
47 min