234. Breaking into VC; Excelling at Goldman Sachs; and the Origin of BLCK VC (Brian Hollins)

Brian Hollins of BLCK VC joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss Breaking into VC; Excelling at Goldman Sachs; and the Origin of BLCK VC. In this episode, we cover:

• Background and path to venture?
• What was the most surprising thing about venture that you only realized after working in it for awhile?
• So you've got this great job in venture...  Why'd you decide to go back to HBS?
• Tell us about the origin story of BLCK VC?
• What are some of the specific activities and programs that BLCK VC is running?
• On June 4th, BLCK VC held an event, “We Won’t Wait”, for people in venture to take action. What were the primary goals and outcomes of the event?
• I want to talk a bit about your experience at Goldman... did you have an opportunity to invest in black and/or underrepresented founders?
• What, if anything, did Goldman do to support black investors and founders?
• It's so hard breaking into this industry and orders-of-magnitude harder when you're black --  how have diversity issues and racial profiling affected your professional journey?
• Can you give us your take on the current social unrest and what path you want to see going forward?
• Do you think we'll see the systemic changes required this time or do you think progress will be limited?
• Who are some investors, founders or people in the space you see paving the way and driving change?
• What can white VCs do, specifically, to contribute to more better balance and stronger representation for black founders and investors?  What organizations do you care about?
• What are sites or resources that our audience can visit to get more involved?
• Aspen Fellowship... At New Stack we're rolling out a fellowship program to train young, college students in VC... you're back on a college campus... what are some ways that we can get our job description in front of more black, latin and underrepresented minority students?
  • Are there any national organizations or communities for college-aged, black students that are interested in tech?
• 3 Data Points...
  • Let's say you are approached to invest in an enterprise SaaS business. The startup has $10M ARR, Growing 10% MoM and LTV:CAC is 4:1. Catch is you can only ask 3 questions (for 3 additional data points) to make your decision.
  • What 3 questions do you ask?

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