Hey everyone, Chris here. This week I sit down with Damian Murray from Hearst Level Up Ventures to break down what really makes a founder stand out — and what makes an investor pass. We get into the green flags I look for, like resourcefulness and relationship building, and the red flags that kill deals, from incessant name-dropping to lacking basic likability. Damian walks through Hearst's investment thesis across fintech, sustainability, and sports & media, and explains why their corporate VC process takes 4-8 weeks. We also talk about the power of content creation for founders, Kevin Durant's massive return on Hugging Face, and why venture capital needs to become more accessible to Middle America. If you're a founder looking to understand what investors are really thinking, this one's for you.

Chapters:

0:00 Welcome & Introduction

1:45 Green Flags in Founders

6:59 Red Flags in Founders

11:40 Investment Thesis & Focus Areas

14:40 Investment Process & Timeline

17:02 Building Relationships & Content Strategy

19:09 Hugging Face & Athlete Investors

21:33 Democratizing Venture Capital

22:40 Closing & How to Reach Damian

Mentions & References:

• Hearst Level Up Ventures — Damian's fund; Hearst has 300+ businesses, 50%+ revenue outside media

• Hugging Face — recently acquired by Nvidia; Kevin Durant invested $100K at seed + $150K at Series A

• Kevin Durant — athlete investor with estimated $60M+ return on Hugging Face

• Y Combinator (YC) — referenced regarding fast-closing founder rounds

• Kevin Moore / Surak Ventures — discussed Middle America founders

• Andreessen Horowitz — referenced as example of large VC firms

• LinkedIn — where Damian is most active; reach him as "Damien J. Murray"

Guest: Damian Murray, Hearst Level Up Ventures | Find him on LinkedIn as Damien J. Murray