AMA: Greg Bennett — From consultant to investor of global solutions

Howdy Y'all - I'm Greg Bennett, an early stage investor at Kapor Capital in Oakland, CA.

I joined Kapor Capital in 2019 and focus on Agtech, Energy, and Infrastructure investments. Prior to joining Kapor Capital, I was a consultant for several funds, foundations, corporations, and family offices. Originally from Chicago, I've lived on three continents (depending on where you count Asia as starting), and I've been working in early stage VC for 6 years now. I was also previously on the investment team at Village Capital, an early-stage venture fund and accelerator, and was focused on finding, training, and investing in founders working to solve big global problems.

I began my investment career at Unitus Capital, an investment bank based in Bangalore, India. Before moving into the investment field, I worked as a product manager for FINCA International, a global microfinance bank, and as a grantwriter and researcher at the Amman Center for Human Rights Studies in Amman, Jordan. I was also a SAT/ACT tutor for students in the United States and Jordan.

I received my B.A. in International Political Economy the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Outside of work, I enjoy boxing, playing soccer, building things out of wood, and hiking the trails of northern California.

I've got lots of opinions on VC, startups, life, the world, sports, and woodworking - so I'm excited to get into this AMA!

Let’s get started!

Republic Venture Partner AMA (Ask Me Anything) is a weekly series. Feel free to ask questions in the discussion section below.* He will be answering questions Monday 6/29 through Thursday 7/02 so submit your questions now!

*must sign into Republic account to ask questions — register here first!

This educational article is provided by Republic to help its users understand this area of the market, it should not be construed as investment advice as it is impersonal, disinterested and was produced by Republic for Republic’s users, without remuneration received or expected.

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almost 4 years ago

Question by @_gabrielbase submitted via @joinrepublic:
Best way to get funding for a no name?

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@andrew-zhang-1 Best way is traction - if you have customers buying/preordering/opting in, investors generally take notice. A company like Tough Mudder raised no capital before launching - 100% funded by pre-order revenue. It's not easy, but its possible.

Almost 4 years ago

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Almost 4 years ago

almost 4 years ago

Question by @eflores92 submitted via @joinrepublic:
What advice would you suggest to people trying to break into VC?

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@andrew-zhang-1 Make sure you read at least three books first: Venture Deals, The Startup Game, and The Hard thing about Hard Things. Then, make sure you have a real perspective on some aspect of technology - I think if you work at tech company for several years in product/sales/engineering, it's hard NOT to develop a perspective on some aspect of the technology you're working with. Additionally, lots of people think working at a VC is the only way to get in the game, but angel investing is another way - which means you'll need to get to a level of income/assets that allow you accredited investors status. In some ways, this path is much easier to break into.

Almost 4 years ago

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Almost 4 years ago

almost 4 years ago

Question by @ascii_value_27 submitted via @joinrepublic:
I have an idea and I want investments and want to setup a startup. How do I begin.

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@andrew-zhang-1 Well, the first thing you should do is determine whether or not the idea is worth pursuing - is this something you'll want to spend the next ten years of your life on? Then, you'll need to talk to potential customers and see if they would buy what your selling. If they would buy and you can give them what they want, do it! Skip the investors. If you need investment in order to achieve first sales, determine what type of investment makes the most sense. VC is one tool in the toolkit:

- Pitch competitions
- Grants
- Crowdfunding - like Republic :)
- Alternative Lenders (like Lending Club, Opportunity Fund, and various CDFI’s)
- Royalty based loan providers (like Lighter Capital and Indie.vc)
- Angel Investors

You should be able to ascertain what types of investment can work for you from there. Good luck!

Almost 4 years ago

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Almost 4 years ago

almost 4 years ago

Question by @giuzu submitted via @joinrepublic:
Is a mentor necessary? And what should I expect from one?

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@andrew-zhang-1 Is a mentor necessary for what? They certainly aren't necessary to LIVE or anything like that.

Mentors are valuable for a few things: understanding how much you don't know, learning from their experience, and trusted guidance. Mentorship is a two way street though - in exchange, you often must have something to offer. It can be fresh perspective, access to the mindset of a younger generation, something more tactical like access to your company's business units, or something as benign as they simply like you as a person.

Almost 4 years ago

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Almost 4 years ago

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