The Other Side of the Cap Table: What VCs Really Look For — with Marcos Gonzalez

August 17
23 mins

Episode Description

Chris sits down with Marcos Gonzalez, founding partner of Vamos Ventures, to pull back the curtain on what it's really like to run a venture capital fund. Marcos shares why being a VC is less about writing checks and more about building a business — from fundraising and compliance to team development and strategy. He breaks down exactly what separates the 5% of founders who get a yes from the 95% who don't, the green flags and red flags he looks for during diligence, and why curiosity might be the most underrated trait in a founder.

They also dig into how content creation can be a "cheat code" for founders to get discovered by investors, the origin story of Vamos Ventures as the first Latinx-led VC fund, and Marcos's most recent investment in Arbor Energy — a company founded by SpaceX alumni that he believes could return the entire fund.

If you're a founder raising capital or an investor looking to build with more empathy and intentionality, this one's for you.

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00:00 Intro

00:34 Running a Fund is Running a Business

04:29 The 5% That Get a Yes: How Marcos Evaluates Founders

08:52 Green Flags & Red Flags in Founders

10:34 Content as a Cheat Code for Founder Discover

13:01 The Origin Story: Building the First Latinx-Led VC Fund

17:53 Anti-Portfolios, Arbor Energy and SpaceX Alumni

22:35 How Founders Can Reach Vamos Ventures

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