The greatest thing that happened to me was our GP threw me into everything and I got to learn by doing and shadowing her. If it's something interesting to you, ask questions. How can you strengthen the fund and it's portfolio? What can you do to support your team in both small and big ways? Don't be afraid to ask to sit in a meeting so you can learn as much as possible. I also find it important to figure out ways you can be valuable to your portfolio companies and your General Partner. Meaning think outside of just a traditional COS role and the description of what your title was when you first got hired. Always be willing to jump in when needed and fill the gaps. As a chief of staff in early stage investing and especially at a micro fund/small team, it's important to be flexible. My COS duties are very hands on with our portfolio companies and running our platform/supporting our amazing General Partner. It’s incredible exposure and at Halogen we’re all hands on deck. I’m involved in so many operational aspects of the fund. I source and identify the best companies to invest in, work hands on with our portfolio, manage relationships with our Limited Partners, and lead the fund’s platform, too. I have this interesting hybrid role where I work on the investment side and operational side. When I first joined Halogen, we were thinking of a title for someone that does it all. I have this kind of unique role at our fund where I wear many hats. Hi Allie! Great question - I love my role as Chief of Staff. They knew exactly who they wanted to target and utilized their network including their investors to help get warm introductions. One of our companies closed their A so quickly because they were incredibly organized and efficient. It all depends on what works for you! It makes the fundraising process more efficient. Some of our founders use excel sheets, some use Asana, some use Trello. Create an organized list in whatever it is you use to keep organized and track things. Find the right investors! Build your VC/investor target wisely and thoughtfully. Prepare your Powerful narrative - why does this matter? Is it changing the world and what does it mean to the world? What does the success of this company look like? etc. Let the No's wash over your shoulder and keep pushing! Add those investors that said 'No' to your investor update list or newsletter and ask them for feedback. Fundraising is a personal journey so don't be discouraged by the conversations that don't go the way you expected. You don't want to be fundraising forever as you have an incredible business to build. It might not take that long but just make sure you're fully prepared to dedicate your time to fundraising your A. Get ready to commit a full 4-6 months of fundraising. Hi Jordan! Congrats on closing your seed round of $3M! There's lots you can do before hitting the road to your A. Our General Partner, wrote this awesome article in collaboration with Molly Sims I found super helpful when talking about finances. (that's actually a big check to me haha) but it's important that you go for it and put your money to work. Just start investing :) You can be an angel investor with something as small as a $2,500 check or sometimes even less. As far as how much you need, there's no concrete answer. But I mostly give credit to Jesse for exposing me to this world and giving me the opportunity to be a part of something great. I’ve been with the fund since, and I am so grateful for the opportunity and experience it’s given me the past four and a half years. I was so excited and eager to learn! She's been an amazing mentor to me. Jesse started Halogen Ventures in 2016 and brought me on board. During this internship, I discovered that to me, celebrities were the entrepreneurs building some of the most innovative and fascinating technology companies. Jesse Draper, our Founding Partner at Halogen Ventures, was the founder and host of ‘The Valley Girl Show.’ It was one of the very first technology talk shows interviewing CEOs and entrepreneurs in a light-hearted approachable way. I was really excited to do something different. All of my friends were doing internships at big companies like Universal and Disney. I had no idea what it was about or what the internship would entail, but I was so excited to explore something new. I interviewed for an internship at a technology talk show called ‘The Valley Girl Show’. My first introduction to technology and venture capital was when I was a junior in college at UCLA. Hi America! I grew up in a small town on the central coast of California where Venture Capital, or startups for that matter, did not exist - even though LA was three hours south and Silicon Valley was a few hours north.
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