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