August 23, 2025 • 50 mins
In this episode, Joel Palathinkal welcomes Daria Abbaei from Naples Technology Ventures to discuss her background and the evolution of the Naples tech ecosystem. They explore the benefits of a lean venture fund, best practices in sourcing and screening deals, and current cybersecurity trends, including the use of honeypots. The conversation shifts to robotics, military applications, and tech trends in Florida. Daria shares insights on investor relations, raising capital, and community building strategies. They also discuss breaking into venture capital, the significance of networking, hiring for VC roles, and managing team dynamics. The episode concludes with thoughts on mentorship and maintaining humility in the industry.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Yeah.
So, also, it's, like, a honeypot deception toolis, you know, if I'm an organization, I
obviously wanna make sure I'm secure and lockeddown as best as possible.
Mhmm.
So, you have these honeypots, which would lurethe attackers to them, making them think that
there's actually something substantial there.
And in reality, it's absolutely nothing.
(00:22):
Sure.
Oh, so it's actually a good thing to capturenefarious people.
So it makes kind of like the fraudsters thinkthat there's something attractive and then you
can kind of just catch those people there.
To The Investor, a podcast where I, JoelPalafinkel, your host, dives deep into the
(00:45):
minds of the world's most influentialinstitutional investors.
In each episode, we sit down with an investorto hear about their journeys and how global
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So join us on this journey as we explore theseinsights.
And we'll just let them in.
So we should be going live in a second here.
(01:13):
Okay, it looks like we are live here.
So I'm just gonna go ahead and kick this off.
So Daria, thanks for coming in tonight.
I know you're super busy, so really means a lotfor you to give us your time.
Tonight we've got Daria Abe from NaplesTechnology Venture.
She is near my hometown, where I grew up.
(01:34):
So it's always great to meet VCs from Floridawith all the craze that's going on with
everybody moving to Miami.
It's gonna be an interesting discussion to seehow the ecosystem is in Florida and how it's
evolved.
And I guess some of the other supportingecosystems as well, but why don't we kick this
off?
So Daria, why don't you kind of share a littlebit about your background?
(01:57):
I know you started talking about where you grewup in kind of the Northeast DC area, but maybe
talk a little bit about your career, where yougrew up and then how you kind of made it into
the venture world focusing.
You do have a unique role as well, which I'mexcited to learn a little bit more about with
Naples Technology Ventures, and then we can goa little deeper on the fund and the thesis.
(02:21):
Yeah, absolutely.
So, well, first off, thank you so much forhaving me tonight.
I'm really happy to be joining.
So just to give you a little bit of backgroundon myself, I went to Florida Gulf Coast
University.
Family ended up moving down here, so I waslucky enough to be close to home.
After school, I decided that I wanted to eitherventure out to Chicago or New York City, and
(02:46):
really live that big city life so I can really,you know, grow and expand really as quickly and
as best as I possibly could.
So I ended up going up to New York City where Iwas working in cybersecurity for about three
years or so.
I started in customer success there, and thenmy last role there was director of enablement.
So, I was responsible for onboarding all of ourclients.
(03:09):
And then also a professional services team ledup to me as well.
So that includes our pen testing, assessments,stuff like that.
When the pandemic hit, I ended up coming downhere for about a month or so just to get out of
the city.
And, at that time, I realized that I didn'twant to be in New York City anymore and really
didn't think I would have wanted to be in NewYork City for probably years to come.
(03:32):
So ended up getting an opportunity down inNaples as director of investor relations at
Naples Technology Ventures.
So I've been here now coming up on about a yearor so.
And my role is, is very unique, because ourfirm is still fairly lean.
So everyone kind of gets involved ineverything, which is really nice because there
(03:55):
are ton of learning opportunities and youreally never get bored with walking into work
every day.
So obviously director of investor relations, Iwork with our current LPs.
And then also when we're funding, I, you know,work on bringing in new LPs as well.
But in addition to that, for us, somethingthat's really important is if we see a great
(04:16):
company that doesn't necessarily meet ourinvestment criteria, which I'll also get into
that as well.
We still want to help them really as best as wecan.
So what I do is I have a network that's beenbuilt up of about 60 or so other VC groups,
accelerators, incubators, just stuff like thatthat we like passing good deals along to.
(04:38):
So it's been really great.
Obviously, that's how I met Joel as well.
So just to also give a little bit of backgroundon Naples Technology Ventures.
So we were founded in 2018 by our two managingpartners, Micah By and Bridge Sharma.
At that time, we kicked off our first fund,which was $10,000,000 really just friends and
(04:59):
family, you know, just kind of seeing if ourinvestment thesis pulled through.
And we ended up having great success in thatfund.
So our team decided to kick off our secondfund, which is the fund that we're allocating
out of right now, which is $50,000,000primarily investing in FinTech, health tech,
InsurTech, and then Rec Tech as well, all B2BSaaS companies.
(05:23):
We typically invest in that late seed series Astage.
Typically say that we go after companies withabout a million or so in ARR, but we do talk to
some that have a little less and some that havea little more, Just mandate referenceable
clients and a platform that's up and running.
Our check sizes range from about 500,000 allthe way to three and a half million.
(05:47):
Geographically, we look all throughout The US,and we do look at some opportunities overseas,
but do like them to be headquartered in The US.
And then I guess lastly on that, our investmentapproach is a little different of other VCs.
So the way that we look at it is really anyone,can have their company funded, But we are very
(06:07):
active investors.
So we like to lead our investment rounds, andwe require a board seat as well.
And, we've got a pretty vast network.
So we like to come in and just help the teamgrow as best as we can, whether it be helping
them build out their pricing model, helpingthem, you know, build out their sales team,
whatever that might look like.
We really just like to be active investors andjust help the entrepreneur as best as we can.
(06:31):
Yeah, that's really helpful.
And I think you make a good point, being aleaner team, would you say there's more
opportunity to take on more of a leadershiprole versus kind of a bigger, large,
established fund like Sequoia, where there'smore hierarchy and formality if you want to
extend your reach.
Is that what you like about being with a leanerventure fund, kind of just being able to dip
(06:56):
your hands into various things?
Looks like not only are you building thepipeline and building relations with LPs, but
it sounds like you're also quite involved withthe portfolio companies and portfolio support
as well.
Yeah, absolutely.
I also work on due diligence of the companiesas well, which is really nice.
(07:17):
So when we do talk to prospect companies, ourwhole team typically, at least has the calendar
invite.
So if you're able to join, you join.
So it's nice that all of us really know what'sgoing on, the companies that we're talking to
Mhmm.
How far along we are in the due diligenceprocess, all that sort of stuff.
(07:37):
And it it creates learning opportunities aswell because you're not necessarily doing the
same thing day in and day out.
And if any of our team members really want toget more involved in some aspect of the
business, I think it's very easy to do thatwith such a small lean team.
Yeah.
And how has the ecosystem evolved in Naples?
(07:58):
I left Orlando, I did my PhD in Orlando.
So I left in like 2012.
And I remember, they slowly started to developa lot more of the startup demo days.
They didn't have any of that until kind ofcloser to when I left.
So I can only imagine that's crazy.
It's almost like ten years now, but I canimagine like the UCF university campus, that
(08:23):
area, I think is kind of definitely grown.
They're one of the bigger universities.
Then Naples, what's kind of the partneringecosystems that you guys are closely aligned
with?
Is it like the Space Coast?
Do you guys do any stuff with like Cocoa Beachin those areas?
Or is it mainly kind of really focused on, inthe South Florida, like Fort Lauderdale and
(08:47):
Miami, or just as far as the EcosystemBuilding?
Yeah, absolutely.
I think in some ways the pandemic has created alot of opportunities down in Florida.
Especially in the tech space, a lot ofcompanies really are moving down and
gravitating, I think especially towards theMiami area.
But in Naples, was funny actually yesterday,someone had reached out to me via LinkedIn for
(09:12):
Naples Accelerator.
So I definitely think the ecosystem is evolvingand a lot more VC groups are moving down, not
just to Naples, but Florida in general.
Actually, last week, our team cohosted anevent, over in Miami, and there were about 20
other local VCs that ended up coming andjoining the event.
(09:34):
So it was really great seeing the venturecommunity really get together and how the
venture community has built up over the years,especially down in Florida.
Let me ask you a funny question.
Do you think those people that have moved toMiami are there to stay?
Or do you think they're going to eventuallyjust go back to Silicon Valley?
I think from honestly, a lot of the people thatI've spoken to, they're here to stay.
(09:59):
I mean, just a little side note, typically inNaples, a lot of people after Easter, they tend
to go back.
But I I was on Fifth Avenue in Naples lastweekend, and it was honestly busier than ever.
And making a reservation, unless you wanna goat 9PM, it's it's become very difficult.
Yeah.
So I
don't know if that's a good thing or a badthing in some ways.
(10:20):
But.
Yeah, one of my good friends, he's fromChicago, but he's in Naples now too.
And he really likes it down there.
The weather is really beautiful.
When I went over the holidays, I was trying tomeet him and there was just a lot of really
cool restaurants and places to hang out there.
Definitely like a fun place to be.
(10:40):
The weather is definitely great.
So obviously growing ecosystem.
So thanks for sharing all that stuff on theecosystem.
Now, you guys are looking at B2B SaaScompanies, what is some of your, just so we can
think about this because we got some people whoare aspiring VCs, emerging managers, and I
(11:01):
think you guys are kind of now on your secondfund.
I think there could be a lot of helpfulknowledge here.
What are some of the best practices that youguys use to source and screen deals?
And maybe as far as kind of vetting that firstpass before you kind of take in the deal flow,
maybe you can talk about that and maybe yourprocess would be really good and then any kind
(11:26):
of best practices you have would be reallyhelpful for the audience.
Yeah, absolutely.
So as far as sourcing deals, you know, we dothe traditional way pitch book, just kind of
like that cold email and whatnot out tocompanies, but that's just one of the, you
know, avenues.
So we do get a lot of deal flow from other VCgroups.
(11:48):
Mhmm.
Even angel groups, they come across companiesthat are a little too late stage for them, so
they make that intro for us.
Yeah.
And then our two managing partners, theyoccasionally bring in deals as well.
And then our LPs bring in a lot of deals forus.
So, you know, obviously, they know ourinvestment criteria.
So it's very easy for them to find a companyand say, oh, you know what?
(12:10):
I think they might be a great fit for NaplesTechnology Ventures.
So from there, what we usually do is we have aninitial call with the company.
And typically it'll be at least one of ouranalysts, our chief investment officer, he's
available, and then myself as well join thosecalls.
And then we create a write up.
We also have a checklist that we go throughthat we just kind of use that as like a scoring
(12:34):
key for our potential companies.
So it's a lot easier when we go to talk aboutthe companies, you know, how we generally
compare them to those in their industry andthose doing similar things.
So then from there, we typically have a Mondayweekly investment committee meeting that
includes our entire team along with ourmanaging partners.
(12:57):
And we really sit down.
Sometimes it takes an hour and a half, twohours, depending on how many companies we've
spoken to the week prior
Mhmm.
And go through all of those companies.
And then obviously from there, we go down theprocess of having a follow-up call, take a
deeper dive into really what their, you know,technology is.
Yeah.
And some key factors for us is obviouslylooking at the management team.
(13:22):
Much.
Really seeing where the the, you know,management team's backgrounds are, how
successful they've been in the past, you know,if they're on the same trajectory in this
company.
And then it's also just looking at the overallcompany and looking at the overall offering
that they have and seeing where they would be agood fit in the market, if they would be a good
(13:46):
fit in the market.
And then obviously sometimes we we like Imentioned before, we've got an extensive
advisory team.
So our advisors will sit on the board on ourbehalf in this fund.
So we like to get the advisor that would besitting on the board of that company involved
very early on.
So they help out with the due diligence.
(14:07):
They put in and weigh in very early on.
And then this way, when we do put them on theboard of that company, they already know the
company inside and out.
Sure.
Ben Now, it's interesting.
And you guys have done some broad types ofinvestments.
So it looks like you guys have done somerobotics as well.
So what are some trends that you're excitedabout?
(14:27):
What are some of the sectors and emergingmarkets that you personally are excited about
when you're sourcing deals?
I mean, example, for me, I definitely am notthe expert in robotics, but I have like a huge
excitement for like the future of spacetechnology.
There are a couple of funds in Orlando thatthey're kind of near the space coast.
(14:52):
So I have a big excitement for that and thenkind of background in FinTech.
So do you feel yourself leaning towards or kindof bringing back some of your cybersecurity
expertise as kind of like a sweet spot for you?
Because I see myself often leaning towardsFinTech, not only because I like it, but also
(15:12):
just because I have some knowledge in theindustry.
So do you think that's something that you alignwith as far as what you're excited about?
And do you think that's something that youwould recommend for the audience too, if
they're just breaking into VC to maybe startout with kind of like a sector that they're
comfortable with?
Yeah.
So I think honestly, that's a great idea.
(15:33):
So our two managing partners, one of them hasan extensive health tech background while the
other has that fintech background.
So obviously those are two main areas of focusfor us.
And whenever we sit down in our meetings,someone will say, you know, it really doesn't
excite me.
And a lot of the times I've noticed it'sbecause it's not what they're familiar with,
not what they're, you know, what the industrythat they know best.
(15:56):
So for me personally, all of the deals or mostof the deals that I've brought in are really in
that cyber space and then regulatory andcompliance because I know that space better.
I also, you know, I find that space veryfascinating, but I also think that right now
there's a huge calling for cyber.
And I just think that space is just gonna getbigger and bigger.
(16:18):
So my kind of opinion and input on that is youmight as well, you really should be trying to
get in while you can.
Yeah, I think it was Cal Newport that had thatvideo that says like, don't follow your
passion.
Yeah.
He was just saying that, because when I was incollege, I didn't know anything about FinTech
(16:39):
or what FinTech was, but I ended up just kindof stumbling upon it.
And then because I built some knowledge, Iended up becoming passionate about it, right?
So I think that's so true.
Like, I don't think, and I'm just guessinghere, but I'm assuming like right when you
started college, were not like, oh my God, I'mso passionate about cyber, but you kind of form
that passion and conviction just because youimmerse yourself in it as an expert.
(17:02):
Exactly.
And something that I've learned being in thecyberspace for several years is that the cyber,
like, the cyber landscape is always changingand really never stays the same.
So you always need to keep up with that.
So I think that's also why I'm drawn to thecyberspace because they're always new
technologies being out, all these different newtools and all of that sort of stuff that I
(17:28):
really find fascinating.
Yeah, we do.
One of our portfolio companies is in thecyberspace.
It's mainly focused on web authentication.
So just the market size for authentication andjust cyber security in general is massive.
And then there's just so many moreopportunities for people to get their data
(17:48):
breached and hacked.
Two factors is just not secure, especially pushtext SMS verification.
Yeah, push notifications.
Yeah.
So there's a lot of like really more advancedprotocols with like biometrics that I'm
starting to see.
What are your thoughts?
(18:09):
Because I've seen some applications when itcomes to quantum computing and the opportunity
for encryption when quantum gets to scale?
Now, I think it's still early, but what aresome trends that maybe we should think about in
general?
Because you are the cyber expert when we'relooking at deals to think about when it comes
(18:30):
to cyber deals.
Yeah, so I've been seeing some interestingtrends in like deception technologies.
So, so initially when we saw it, they used tobe called, I believe honeypots.
Mhmm.
And over the years, they've changed the nameto, like, these deception technologies and
decoys and stuff like that, which is reallylike a more advanced honeypot.
(18:54):
Mhmm.
So I've been finding those really, reallyinteresting.
And I actually had spoken to a couple peoplethat are really in the MSP space to get their
thoughts on these deception tools.
And they are saying that, you know what, wehaven't really been approached to resell these
products.
So if we come across one and we really like it,we would take that to market and really, really
(19:18):
hit the ground running with it.
Yeah.
And what's an example of a honeypot just forthe audience here and also for me.
It some type of deceptive measure that anefarious person would use to make people think
(19:39):
there's some offer or some attractiveopportunity.
And then when they go there, they give theircredit card or something like that, and then
they get hacked?
Yeah.
So also it's like a honeypot deception tool is,you know, if I'm an organization, I obviously
wanna make sure I'm secure and locked down asbest as possible.
Mhmm.
So, you have these honeypots, which would lurethe attackers to them, making them think that
(20:06):
there's actually something substantial there.
And in reality, it's absolutely nothing.
Sure.
Oh, so it's actually a good thing to capturenefarious people.
So it kind of like fraudsters think thatthere's something attractive and then you can
kind of just catch those people there.
Exactly.
Got it.
(20:27):
Guess analogy is like with a bear, if you got ahoneypot, it's kind of a way to get a bear away
from.
Yeah, got it.
Okay.
And what are some of the ways that you can dothat?
Is it really like, hey, we've got credit cardnumbers for all the people in New York, go to
(20:47):
this portal or something like that?
Or is it like access to some type of securedata or is it
I think it can be some of both.
They've got different, like there's decoys,there are a handful of other ones as well that
it can lure you into files, for example, orlure you into whatever else it might be in
their network.
(21:07):
But in reality, you're being lured intoabsolutely nothing.
Yeah.
And then what about authentication?
Because they've got, they've had retina scanfor a while.
They've had fingerprints.
Have you guys seen anything else recently asfar as just better ID verification or
authentication?
We did speak, I wanna say it was about a monthago to an authentication platform, but it, it
(21:32):
really, the one, at least the company that wespoke to, it was very similar to two factor
authentication,
but it was
really just using their app.
Past that, I haven't come across a ton ofcompanies doing a lot of authentication stuff.
With that said, I know that there are a lot ofthem out there.
We just haven't spoken to that many of them.
(21:52):
Got it.
Yeah, and I'm looking at Tomahawk Robotics.
This is really interesting.
So this is augmenting human performance.
So how deep have you guys been going on therobotics side?
I'm pretty new to robotics.
I haven't done too much there, but it lookslike there's some military applications.
Is that kind of what Tomahawk is focusing on?
(22:14):
Yeah.
So Tomahawk was one of our investments in ourfirst fund.
And they do a lot of stuff with the military,which I think is really what initially had
drawn our team into them.
But
in this second fund, while Tomahawk is justdoing great and obviously we really enjoy
working with them.
(22:36):
I'm not sure if we've looked at any companiesin the robotics space.
I know it's definitely still something ofinterest to us, but I'm not sure if we've
actually spoken to any companies in this fundin robotic space.
And I just don't think anyone has reached outto us.
Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of opportunity withdeep tech robotics, automatic processes.
(23:01):
And I think the challenge that I've seen isjust the capital intensity.
So I think some of those companies, tell mewhat you think, but I feel like those
companies, like Tomahawk, it looks likeprobably able to get a lot of government
contracts.
But when you have a capital intensive business,you also have to just be able to raise a lot of
money and have a good pipeline of investorrelations.
(23:24):
So being able to kind of already think aboutyour roadmap to Series B and really understand
how much capital you need to really hit yourrevenue numbers and essentially your valuation
numbers too.
Yep, absolutely.
What are some of the opportunities in Florida?
So it looks like I think there's a hugehealthcare system in Florida.
(23:46):
So I see opportunities like an aging tech, butthe portfolio companies that you're seeing in
Florida, where are you seeing the innovationand more of the opportunity?
And again, going back to Miami, what is themajority of tech there?
Because we're in New York, so heavy FinTech,insurance tech, obviously on the West Coast,
(24:10):
there's a lot of consumer tech and obviouslyB2B SaaS, but what are some of the trends in
general that you're seeing with theaccelerator?
You said there's a new accelerator opening upin Naples.
So what is kind of the composition of techtalent and sector focus in Florida?
(24:31):
I mean, very huge check, but I think we've beenseeing probably a handful of health tech,
fintech, and then also believe a couple like adtech companies really coming out of Florida.
Unfortunately, within this specific Naplescommunity, we really haven't spoken to that
(24:51):
many companies.
We're really talking to some in Orlando, Tampa,Miami.
So it's still great to see that Floridaecosystem growing, but it would be in my
opinion, even better to see some coming out ofNaples.
Yeah.
Yeah.
In the accelerator, that's exciting to hearabout that.
So is it like a four month cohort and they'redoing like a couple a year or how many
(25:15):
companies are they doing in their class ofgraduates, I guess?
Yeah, so they are, from what they said to me,it sounded like they were really in partnership
with Florida Gulf Coast University and CollierCounty.
So it's a lot of companies, I believe, comingout of the university, which is a huge
(25:35):
opportunity.
And then there obviously lies a mentorshipopportunity as well.
So, you know, and I love that mentorship rolebeing involved in that sort of stuff.
So to me, that's very exciting.
Sure.
Yeah.
Alisa, we got a question here.
So we might've covered some of this, but as thedirector of investor relations, how involved do
(25:57):
you get in with investment decisions?
So based on what you were saying, it soundslike because this is kind of a really tight
knit team, you can kind of form your own roleand wear different types of hats and really
lead the investment decisions, but also be kindof the main point person with LP relationships.
But I probably would assume that again, ifyou're at like a big company like Sequoia
(26:19):
Capital, or one of the bigger logos, that'slike your only role and there's like much more
hierarchy.
And I don't know, I'd love to hear yourthoughts from maybe your friends or network of
other people that kind of are doing investorrelations and how they vary across different
companies and funds.
Yeah.
(26:39):
So just to answer the question within NaplesTechnology Ventures, As far as making
investment decisions, I personally don't makeinvestment decisions.
I, during our weekly investment meetings orafter we get off calls, obviously state my
opinion, state any concerns, questions that Imight have with the company.
(26:59):
But ultimately, as far as making investmentdecisions, our two managing partners and our
CIO are are the ones that that typically dothat.
Mhmm.
From really what I've seen within the investorrelation community and just other people that
I've spoken to, they really just focus oninvestor relations day in, out, you know,
(27:21):
fundraising, supporting current LP questions,needs, requests, all that sort of stuff.
So that's why I like what I do because it's alot more involved and I love working with LPs.
It's honestly the best part of my job, but Ialso enjoy the fact that I get to do other
things as well and am involved with thecompanies that we're looking to invest in as
(27:46):
well.
Sure.
Yeah, and I mean, the whole emerging managerspace is really exciting.
I mean, that's something I'm truly passionateabout.
So with the LPs, how are you seeing that evolvewith the profile of the LPs?
Now we're seeing like next gens.
Do you guys collaborate mostly with like singlefamily offices or is it mostly institutions?
(28:08):
And then, now there's a lot of these nextgeneration kids that are coming out of the
family offices.
We had a little session last night and one ofthe mentors that was in our emerging manager
program is an ex gen.
He was like, Look, you got to slide into theirDMs these days.
You can't use like the old school emaildatabases.
(28:30):
So are you seeing that?
Like you're kind of finding creative ways toconnect with people maybe through a Slack
channel or maybe through like an Instagram DM?
And how can we be more innovative as emergingmanagers meet new LPs?
Yeah, that's a great question.
(28:51):
So honestly, my big thing is, which I need toget better at is being active on LinkedIn, I
think is so important.
I noticed when I'm active on LinkedIn, I get somany more people sliding in my DMs as you say.
And reaching out to me and just wanting toschedule a call, learning more about what we're
doing and really just taking every opportunityto talk to people.
(29:15):
So just to give you an example, a company thathad reached out to us and I manage our contact
email address as well.
If anyone reaches out through the website, itcomes directly to me.
Companies have reached out before and justlooking at their deck, they're way too early
stage for us.
(29:35):
But still, we like giving them the opportunity.
So we get on the phone with them.
And through that, we actually end up meeting,one of their advisers who joins the calls, who
is very interested in learning more aboutNaples Technology Ventures and potentially
being an LP.
Other ways that we, that we meet potential LPsis through our current LPs, through our current
network.
(29:56):
Really just getting your name out there anddon't be shy to get your name out there and
meet other people.
And not even just in the work environment, butoutside of the work environment as well.
Just really going out, whether it be arestaurant, whether you're going to an event, a
networking event, just take in everyopportunity you can possibly get, because you
(30:18):
never know who you can meet, whether it be afriend, whether it be a potential coworker,
whether it be potential LP, all of that sort ofstuff.
Yeah.
So I see a question here from Dina.
Dina, feel free to chime in.
I'll try to call this question out, but let meknow if I'm missing anything.
So it sounds like you're saying that you raisedthe first fund from friends and family.
(30:39):
Do you feel that it's easier obviously now thatyou have a track record with the first fund to
really focus on fund two?
Let me see what else we have.
Yeah, and then I guess, do you guys also raiseLP capital globally as well?
Is it really the focus to have LPs in The US?
(31:03):
And what, I guess the third question is whatadvice would you give if it didn't come from
friends and family?
Guess, Dina, did I ask your question properly?
Yes, correctly.
Okay, cool.
Yeah, so I guess to summarize, is it easier ormore difficult after the first fund?
(31:26):
Because obviously this is a bigger fund, right?
50,000,000.
So you're dealing with a bigger, larger close.
And then I guess, yeah, international versusdomestic.
Any thoughts on that with LP relations?
I think in some ways us being in a second fundwas easier to raise capital because we did have
(31:52):
that track record.
And at that point, friends of LPs from thefirst fund were reaching out to us wanting to
invest because they've heard such great things.
But at the same time, especially being that$50,000,000 fund, I think the $50,000,000 mark
was a little bit tricky in some ways because wemost of our LP base is high net worth
(32:15):
individuals.
But we also have a couple institutionalinvestors that come in and say, we really wanna
invest in you guys, but you're a little toosmall for us because they would like to write,
larger check sizes, but they also don't want totake up twenty, thirty, 50% of our funding.
So I think in that way, it can be a little moredifficult.
(32:38):
But again, having that track record definitelyhelps.
And then obviously going into that third fund,that fourth fund, I think it'll start to get a
lot easier in some ways because you also havethe current LPs that are seeing your success
and seeing how well the fund is doing.
So hopefully at that point, they would want tocontinue investing.
(33:00):
Yeah, and I totally agree.
I mean, I talked to a lot of emerging managersand I mean, the 10 to $15,000,000 micro VC,
it's really difficult to profile who the LPreally is, because there isn't really a family
like some of the bigger well known families,they look at funds that are at minimum 75 to
(33:20):
100,000,000.
We had a single family office, I think a coupleof weeks ago, they represent a conglomerate.
And they're like, yeah, the smallest we do is70,000,000.
So really is like angels in the first fund.
And then at the 50, I think you're also stillin that situation where you're not at like the
70 or 100.
So it's kind of like either, it's not an angel,it's not a small family office, but it's not an
(33:45):
endowment either.
So it's kind of like right in the middle.
So it's probably like a hybrid composition ofdifferent high net worth individuals, and then
maybe some quasi institutions.
And I think the additional work is once youstart dealing with the institutions, there's
all the documentation and auditing andinstitutional guidelines that you got to follow
(34:08):
as well.
I'm assuming.
Yeah, absolutely.
And I think I miss answering part of the otherquestion.
What is the advice if fundraising won't comefrom family or friends?
Yeah.
I think there, again, just like I said before,I think it's just really getting your name out
there, getting Naples Technology Ventures orwhatever company you're working with, just
(34:33):
really getting the name out there as best asyou can, resharing things on LinkedIn.
Honestly, you have no idea how many people willreach out to you by just seeing posts on
LinkedIn like that.
And another thing that I've noticed is anyopportunity you can get to meet someone in
person.
I know obviously we're in a pandemic right nowand it's very challenging times.
(34:55):
But if you do have the opportunity to go andmeet with someone in person, I think that goes
a long way.
Yeah, I agree.
And it's just gonna be a really magicalexperience this Friday because I'm actually
meeting some people that I've been havingconversations with virtually for about a year.
(35:16):
So excited to kind of we're meeting in likeBryant Park.
So we're meeting outside.
So I totally agree.
I mean, it's great to finally try to meetpeople even if it's socially distanced.
I mean, I got my first vaccine, I'm stillwearing a mask and still being careful.
But if you're able to at least do that with amask and still get some face time with people,
I think it definitely makes a big difference.
(35:39):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
What other questions you guys have?
Any other questions from the audience?
Let's see here.
So let me think about emerging managers here.
Oh, I got a good one.
So community building, right?
So what are some tips that you recommend forcommunity building?
(36:01):
Would say on my end, I just try to do what isorganic for me.
Like I'm not, I just run out of things to tweetabout.
And I just I'm not as regular on Twitter, but Ido like writing something if I want to learn
about it.
That's the best way for me to learn.
And then I'll just kind of document it.
And then it's helpful for me to reference itand then I'll just share it and get some
(36:24):
feedback.
And then obviously these video shows are reallyhelpful for me, but what do you guys do?
And then maybe you specifically for yourpersonal brand to build community and what do
you feel comfortable doing and any tips on thatas far as building community?
I mean, I think you just made a good pointright there.
You're giving me tips by saying if it'ssomething you wanna learn more about, you write
(36:48):
about it.
And that kind of leads to what I was sayingearlier on not being very active on LinkedIn
and not even just like posting things, but alsojust clicking on pretty much every article you
come across, reading it, educating yourself inthe comments, asking other questions, and just
really building up that engagement, I think issomething that is really important.
(37:13):
Yeah, it's really helpful.
What advice would you give to somebody that'strying to break into VC that's not in VC?
So you and I both had some pretty hard pivots.
So what has worked for you to kind of breakinto venture and let's say somebody is coming
from a non finance background, they work inconsulting.
(37:36):
What are some words of wisdom that you wouldgive to them?
Yeah, so obviously I came in from thecybersecurity space.
So pivoting into VC was very, very differentfor me.
Initially I was hesitant.
Didn't know, you know, if A, I would enjoy itor B, if I knew enough to really dive into the
(37:57):
industry.
But sometimes, you know, you need to just beable to take that jump, take that dive and, you
know, just really soak up the opportunity thatyou can get and learn as much as you can,
whether whether it be, you know, reading thenews on what's going on in the VC space or
talking to other people that are in that space.
Just really learning from them.
(38:18):
So being in investor relations in some ways,it's very similar to customer success.
So I kind of took that role, but then alsospoke to a couple of people that are in the
investor relations space and got their input onreally what they do, what works best for them,
(38:38):
how they go about potentially sourcing LPs andworking with current LPs.
Yeah, and I think also being innovative andbeing open to alternate locations.
So there was a really great fund that was inthe DC area that kind of was in a neighborhood
that isn't like obviously a huge big city, butobviously if you're just trying to break in,
(39:02):
sometimes you might have to sacrifice thelocation, sometimes the pay, sometimes it's not
like necessarily like the exact role that youwant, but if it's at least in kind of the
sector that you're interested in, you'recloser.
I feel like that's been helpful for me atleast.
Yeah, just to expand on that, I couldn't agreemore.
(39:25):
Sometimes that when you're whether you'reexploring a new opportunity or just something
slightly different, if it's an opportunity foryou to grow and to learn more, in my opinion,
you know, even if you are taking that pay cutor having to move somewhere, it's totally worth
it.
Because even for me having to move from NewYork City down to Florida, I was able to learn
(39:49):
so much in this past year and I really wouldn'tchange it for the world.
Yeah, that was me too.
I'm just like you.
So I was in New York and then I moved toFlorida.
And had I not went to Florida, I would havenever got my PhD, but I got a job with the DoD,
very gracious, they paid for my full collegeand I even bought a house during the recession
(40:14):
and then sold it later.
So I think everything kind of works outsomehow.
I think just the path, guess just enjoy thejourney as you navigate it.
And I feel like the money will always come,right?
Because I mean, once you're in VC, you canalways go to another city because you're kind
(40:34):
of you already got your foot in the door andyou've kind of got some really good experience,
but it's really that first pivot.
I felt it was challenging, right?
Because you just don't, how do you sellsomebody on you and giving you a chance to be
reliable to do the job if you've never done itbefore.
(40:54):
I've had to do that a few times.
No, I mean, I think advice that I would give isreally have more confidence in yourself.
Don't doubt yourself because I, you know, I'mnot gonna lie.
I've, I've been there going into a new space,moving it down back to Florida.
The worst thing you can do is doubt yourselfand come to find out there really is no reason
(41:15):
to just be confident, and trust your gut andtrust yourself and everything in my opinion
always falls into place.
Yeah, no, I totally agree.
Any other questions guys, feel free to shoutthem out or post them in the DM here.
And I also I would love if everyone reached outto me on LinkedIn would love to connect with
(41:36):
everyone there and just really learn about whatyou guys are all doing.
Yeah, I think another tip too is, and youprobably definitely did this too, but really
just research the fund.
And I always tell everybody, act as if you'realready in VC.
So already source some deals.
There's so many templates on the internet.
(41:58):
So you can probably find some type of partnersmeeting template.
We try to put out a lot of educational contentand templates as well just for community
building and on our Slack channel.
But would you recommend also just kind ofalready bringing in deals and you guys actually
(42:19):
have a role open as well, right?
We do.
So perfect plug.
So me this, what are you looking for in aperfect candidate?
So we are looking for an analyst.
To be completely honest with you, I don't knowthe details as to if they're looking for
(42:39):
someone who's more of a senior analyst orjunior analyst.
But we are hiring it for an analyst role.
So all of those applications are comingdirectly to me, then I'm sending them over to
our CIO.
So if you guys know anyone that would be a goodfit for that role, please have them apply
because that would be awesome.
But yes, so we're really expanding our teamright now.
(43:01):
We're growing.
We're excited and we've got some prettyexciting news that's probably going to be
announced in the next couple of weeks or so aswell.
I actually posted your job description.
So I'll send that again to the community.
And then on culture, so what is the DNA of yourculture?
So when you guys are picking people, obviouslythe hard skills are there, right?
(43:25):
So somebody can source deals, they candetermine the market size, they can come up
with an investment thesis, they can calculatethe ownership that you have when you're
investing in a company, right?
So all those hard skills are there.
What is important in your culture, in your DNAwhen you guys are trying to find the next
(43:45):
analyst?
I mean, for us, it's really important thatyou're genuinely are a good person.
You're a hard worker.
Don't say no to something just because it's notnecessarily your job focus.
Take me for example.
I get involved in really everything, and wewant someone that's willing to help wherever
(44:06):
they need to help.
And someone that wants to get involved, thatwants to continue learning.
So those are really important aspects of whatwe look for.
But we also look for someone that's willing tocollaborate and that wants to collaborate.
So a lot of the stuff we do is collaborativeEveryone is in the office every single day.
(44:26):
We've got a pretty big office.
So during COVID, we also came to the office andit was easy for us to stay apart from each
other.
Half of us a few weeks ago ended up gettingCOVID anyway, but it was funny because it was
right after we were vaccinated, got the firstvaccine.
But no, someone wants to collaborate and workwith the team, put ideas together.
(44:50):
That's really, really important to us.
Yeah, I'd say one big thing too, and you kindof hit on this and look, I've been in this
situation, right?
So I found Somebody was asking earlier, Hey, doyou get to make investment decisions?
There was a long time where I had no triggerparole at all.
I would share my opinions and you're really atthe mercy of the partners, it's their decision,
(45:13):
have a lot of times the partners have their ownskin in the game, right?
They put in their 1% of the fund.
So obviously, they deserve to have their sayand all I can do is give my opinion.
So how should people manage their ego and kindof navigate that?
And I'll be honest, I mean, there's been timeswhere I thought there was like amazing deals.
(45:35):
And I thought those deals were like going to beunicorns.
And then the partners like, look, this is not agood deal.
And I think for me, it's just been helpful tojust try to be humble and learn and take that
as good feedback.
I think for me, it's been helpful to justunderstand and have a reality that everybody
sees the world differently.
(45:55):
What I think is a great opportunity in FinTech,somebody else, you may not think the same and
you may have stronger conviction.
It's all about conviction.
So you may have a stronger conviction oncybersecurity and robotics.
So how do you advise people starting out intheir first VC role to kind of mentally prepare
(46:17):
for that and be okay with like not all theirdeals going to investment committee?
Yeah.
I mean, I think you made a very good pointthere.
Everyone does have different opinions, but youstill know, you and I might have very different
opinions and that's totally okay.
But I always like to learn the other person'sopinion.
I always like to learn why they feel that way.
(46:38):
And then maybe after I learn why they think itmight be a good deal, why why they think it
might not be, maybe my opinions will change.
Maybe they won't change, but at least Ieducated myself a little bit more.
Yeah.
So don't I I don't think anyone should reallyget discouraged if someone says, you know what,
I don't really like that opinion.
Let's move on.
You're still expressing your opinion and you'restill building up that courage and confidence.
(47:02):
Don't be afraid to get shut down.
I've definitely gotten shut down before for forkind of voicing my opinion.
But at the same time where I'm at now, everyonereally gets their their opinion.
And even if our managing partners have adifferent opinion, they sit down, which is why
(47:23):
our meetings sometimes can get dragged out foran hour or hours.
They sit down and they wanna learn why youthink that way.
Yeah.
And there have been multiple times wheresomeone has proven the facts and stated their
opinion, and it's honestly altered the opinionof other team members of ours.
Yeah, no, it's totally fair and it reminds meof you know everybody has different opinions
(47:43):
about Bridgewater, but one thing that I doappreciate about Bridgewater, one of the tips
that Ray Dalio gives is see why people disagreewith you.
And if you can really embrace that, I mean, youcould probably really save yourself a lot of
money and save yourself from mistakes.
So I totally agree with that.
And there's been times, I mean, with me, I feelsomething and then the whole room completely
(48:09):
disagrees with me.
So there has to be some reason and rhyme tothat.
So I think really drilling down and not reallybeing focused on being obsessively right.
But really if the differing opinions are therereally, like you said, really diving deeper and
figuring out why is really helpful.
(48:31):
That was really helpful.
Well, I know we got ten minutes.
I'll let people jump in if they have anyquestions.
A question that I always ask all the guests isany type of helpful advice that you've received
from maybe a mentor, a family member, somebodyyou look up to that you'd like to share with
us?
(48:51):
I've honestly, I've received a lot of goodadvice over the years.
So I'd say, you know, something that I receivedthat I think is so valuable is always remain
humble.
You know, even if you do something that blowseverybody away, that's awesome.
You, you know, you get promoted to whateverrole it might be that you you've been aiming
(49:15):
for.
That's awesome.
But always kind of just remember who you areand stay humble and just always stay grounded
no matter what situation you're in.
Yeah, that's good advice.
Because I mean, even though you're a partnertoday, something could happen and you might
have to start all over again.
And I think you're right.
I think just always being humble and treatingpeople how you wanna be treated is definitely
(49:38):
important.
Cool.
Well, hey, this was amazing.
Guess if nobody else has any other questions,just want to really thank you for coming in.
I know it's a little late in the evening, soappreciate you giving some time and talking
about you, your story and all the great thingsthat you guys are doing at Naples Technology
(49:59):
Ventures and shoot me a note if you come out toNew York, maybe we'll meet at the park or
something and get some Yeah, other people thank
you.
Thank you again.
Thank you for having me.
Thank you everyone that joined.
Again, please connect with me on LinkedIn.
Would love to learn about what everyone is upto.
Yeah.
Great.
(50:19):
Well, thanks a lot, Daria.
Have a good evening.
Yeah.
So, also, it's, like, a honeypot deception toolis, you know, if I'm an organization, I
obviously wanna make sure I'm secure and lockeddown as best as possible.
Mhmm.
So, you have these honeypots, which would lurethe attackers to them, making them think that
there's actually something substantial there.
And in reality, it's absolutely nothing.
(00:22):
Sure.
Oh, so it's actually a good thing to capturenefarious people.
So it makes kind of like the fraudsters thinkthat there's something attractive and then you
can kind of just catch those people there.
To The Investor, a podcast where I, JoelPalafinkel, your host, dives deep into the
(00:45):
minds of the world's most influentialinstitutional investors.
In each episode, we sit down with an investorto hear about their journeys and how global
markets are driving capital allocation.
So join us on this journey as we explore theseinsights.
And we'll just let them in.
So we should be going live in a second here.
(01:13):
Okay, it looks like we are live here.
So I'm just gonna go ahead and kick this off.
So Daria, thanks for coming in tonight.
I know you're super busy, so really means a lotfor you to give us your time.
Tonight we've got Daria Abe from NaplesTechnology Venture.
She is near my hometown, where I grew up.
(01:34):
So it's always great to meet VCs from Floridawith all the craze that's going on with
everybody moving to Miami.
It's gonna be an interesting discussion to seehow the ecosystem is in Florida and how it's
evolved.
And I guess some of the other supportingecosystems as well, but why don't we kick this
off?
So Daria, why don't you kind of share a littlebit about your background?
(01:57):
I know you started talking about where you grewup in kind of the Northeast DC area, but maybe
talk a little bit about your career, where yougrew up and then how you kind of made it into
the venture world focusing.
You do have a unique role as well, which I'mexcited to learn a little bit more about with
Naples Technology Ventures, and then we can goa little deeper on the fund and the thesis.
(02:21):
Yeah, absolutely.
So, well, first off, thank you so much forhaving me tonight.
I'm really happy to be joining.
So just to give you a little bit of backgroundon myself, I went to Florida Gulf Coast
University.
Family ended up moving down here, so I waslucky enough to be close to home.
After school, I decided that I wanted to eitherventure out to Chicago or New York City, and
(02:46):
really live that big city life so I can really,you know, grow and expand really as quickly and
as best as I possibly could.
So I ended up going up to New York City where Iwas working in cybersecurity for about three
years or so.
I started in customer success there, and thenmy last role there was director of enablement.
So, I was responsible for onboarding all of ourclients.
(03:09):
And then also a professional services team ledup to me as well.
So that includes our pen testing, assessments,stuff like that.
When the pandemic hit, I ended up coming downhere for about a month or so just to get out of
the city.
And, at that time, I realized that I didn'twant to be in New York City anymore and really
didn't think I would have wanted to be in NewYork City for probably years to come.
(03:32):
So ended up getting an opportunity down inNaples as director of investor relations at
Naples Technology Ventures.
So I've been here now coming up on about a yearor so.
And my role is, is very unique, because ourfirm is still fairly lean.
So everyone kind of gets involved ineverything, which is really nice because there
(03:55):
are ton of learning opportunities and youreally never get bored with walking into work
every day.
So obviously director of investor relations, Iwork with our current LPs.
And then also when we're funding, I, you know,work on bringing in new LPs as well.
But in addition to that, for us, somethingthat's really important is if we see a great
(04:16):
company that doesn't necessarily meet ourinvestment criteria, which I'll also get into
that as well.
We still want to help them really as best as wecan.
So what I do is I have a network that's beenbuilt up of about 60 or so other VC groups,
accelerators, incubators, just stuff like thatthat we like passing good deals along to.
(04:38):
So it's been really great.
Obviously, that's how I met Joel as well.
So just to also give a little bit of backgroundon Naples Technology Ventures.
So we were founded in 2018 by our two managingpartners, Micah By and Bridge Sharma.
At that time, we kicked off our first fund,which was $10,000,000 really just friends and
(04:59):
family, you know, just kind of seeing if ourinvestment thesis pulled through.
And we ended up having great success in thatfund.
So our team decided to kick off our secondfund, which is the fund that we're allocating
out of right now, which is $50,000,000primarily investing in FinTech, health tech,
InsurTech, and then Rec Tech as well, all B2BSaaS companies.
(05:23):
We typically invest in that late seed series Astage.
Typically say that we go after companies withabout a million or so in ARR, but we do talk to
some that have a little less and some that havea little more, Just mandate referenceable
clients and a platform that's up and running.
Our check sizes range from about 500,000 allthe way to three and a half million.
(05:47):
Geographically, we look all throughout The US,and we do look at some opportunities overseas,
but do like them to be headquartered in The US.
And then I guess lastly on that, our investmentapproach is a little different of other VCs.
So the way that we look at it is really anyone,can have their company funded, But we are very
(06:07):
active investors.
So we like to lead our investment rounds, andwe require a board seat as well.
And, we've got a pretty vast network.
So we like to come in and just help the teamgrow as best as we can, whether it be helping
them build out their pricing model, helpingthem, you know, build out their sales team,
whatever that might look like.
We really just like to be active investors andjust help the entrepreneur as best as we can.
(06:31):
Yeah, that's really helpful.
And I think you make a good point, being aleaner team, would you say there's more
opportunity to take on more of a leadershiprole versus kind of a bigger, large,
established fund like Sequoia, where there'smore hierarchy and formality if you want to
extend your reach.
Is that what you like about being with a leanerventure fund, kind of just being able to dip
(06:56):
your hands into various things?
Looks like not only are you building thepipeline and building relations with LPs, but
it sounds like you're also quite involved withthe portfolio companies and portfolio support
as well.
Yeah, absolutely.
I also work on due diligence of the companiesas well, which is really nice.
(07:17):
So when we do talk to prospect companies, ourwhole team typically, at least has the calendar
invite.
So if you're able to join, you join.
So it's nice that all of us really know what'sgoing on, the companies that we're talking to
Mhmm.
How far along we are in the due diligenceprocess, all that sort of stuff.
(07:37):
And it it creates learning opportunities aswell because you're not necessarily doing the
same thing day in and day out.
And if any of our team members really want toget more involved in some aspect of the
business, I think it's very easy to do thatwith such a small lean team.
Yeah.
And how has the ecosystem evolved in Naples?
(07:58):
I left Orlando, I did my PhD in Orlando.
So I left in like 2012.
And I remember, they slowly started to developa lot more of the startup demo days.
They didn't have any of that until kind ofcloser to when I left.
So I can only imagine that's crazy.
It's almost like ten years now, but I canimagine like the UCF university campus, that
(08:23):
area, I think is kind of definitely grown.
They're one of the bigger universities.
Then Naples, what's kind of the partneringecosystems that you guys are closely aligned
with?
Is it like the Space Coast?
Do you guys do any stuff with like Cocoa Beachin those areas?
Or is it mainly kind of really focused on, inthe South Florida, like Fort Lauderdale and
(08:47):
Miami, or just as far as the EcosystemBuilding?
Yeah, absolutely.
I think in some ways the pandemic has created alot of opportunities down in Florida.
Especially in the tech space, a lot ofcompanies really are moving down and
gravitating, I think especially towards theMiami area.
But in Naples, was funny actually yesterday,someone had reached out to me via LinkedIn for
(09:12):
Naples Accelerator.
So I definitely think the ecosystem is evolvingand a lot more VC groups are moving down, not
just to Naples, but Florida in general.
Actually, last week, our team cohosted anevent, over in Miami, and there were about 20
other local VCs that ended up coming andjoining the event.
(09:34):
So it was really great seeing the venturecommunity really get together and how the
venture community has built up over the years,especially down in Florida.
Let me ask you a funny question.
Do you think those people that have moved toMiami are there to stay?
Or do you think they're going to eventuallyjust go back to Silicon Valley?
I think from honestly, a lot of the people thatI've spoken to, they're here to stay.
(09:59):
I mean, just a little side note, typically inNaples, a lot of people after Easter, they tend
to go back.
But I I was on Fifth Avenue in Naples lastweekend, and it was honestly busier than ever.
And making a reservation, unless you wanna goat 9PM, it's it's become very difficult.
Yeah.
So I
don't know if that's a good thing or a badthing in some ways.
(10:20):
But.
Yeah, one of my good friends, he's fromChicago, but he's in Naples now too.
And he really likes it down there.
The weather is really beautiful.
When I went over the holidays, I was trying tomeet him and there was just a lot of really
cool restaurants and places to hang out there.
Definitely like a fun place to be.
(10:40):
The weather is definitely great.
So obviously growing ecosystem.
So thanks for sharing all that stuff on theecosystem.
Now, you guys are looking at B2B SaaScompanies, what is some of your, just so we can
think about this because we got some people whoare aspiring VCs, emerging managers, and I
(11:01):
think you guys are kind of now on your secondfund.
I think there could be a lot of helpfulknowledge here.
What are some of the best practices that youguys use to source and screen deals?
And maybe as far as kind of vetting that firstpass before you kind of take in the deal flow,
maybe you can talk about that and maybe yourprocess would be really good and then any kind
(11:26):
of best practices you have would be reallyhelpful for the audience.
Yeah, absolutely.
So as far as sourcing deals, you know, we dothe traditional way pitch book, just kind of
like that cold email and whatnot out tocompanies, but that's just one of the, you
know, avenues.
So we do get a lot of deal flow from other VCgroups.
(11:48):
Mhmm.
Even angel groups, they come across companiesthat are a little too late stage for them, so
they make that intro for us.
Yeah.
And then our two managing partners, theyoccasionally bring in deals as well.
And then our LPs bring in a lot of deals forus.
So, you know, obviously, they know ourinvestment criteria.
So it's very easy for them to find a companyand say, oh, you know what?
(12:10):
I think they might be a great fit for NaplesTechnology Ventures.
So from there, what we usually do is we have aninitial call with the company.
And typically it'll be at least one of ouranalysts, our chief investment officer, he's
available, and then myself as well join thosecalls.
And then we create a write up.
We also have a checklist that we go throughthat we just kind of use that as like a scoring
(12:34):
key for our potential companies.
So it's a lot easier when we go to talk aboutthe companies, you know, how we generally
compare them to those in their industry andthose doing similar things.
So then from there, we typically have a Mondayweekly investment committee meeting that
includes our entire team along with ourmanaging partners.
(12:57):
And we really sit down.
Sometimes it takes an hour and a half, twohours, depending on how many companies we've
spoken to the week prior
Mhmm.
And go through all of those companies.
And then obviously from there, we go down theprocess of having a follow-up call, take a
deeper dive into really what their, you know,technology is.
Yeah.
And some key factors for us is obviouslylooking at the management team.
(13:22):
Much.
Really seeing where the the, you know,management team's backgrounds are, how
successful they've been in the past, you know,if they're on the same trajectory in this
company.
And then it's also just looking at the overallcompany and looking at the overall offering
that they have and seeing where they would be agood fit in the market, if they would be a good
(13:46):
fit in the market.
And then obviously sometimes we we like Imentioned before, we've got an extensive
advisory team.
So our advisors will sit on the board on ourbehalf in this fund.
So we like to get the advisor that would besitting on the board of that company involved
very early on.
So they help out with the due diligence.
(14:07):
They put in and weigh in very early on.
And then this way, when we do put them on theboard of that company, they already know the
company inside and out.
Sure.
Ben Now, it's interesting.
And you guys have done some broad types ofinvestments.
So it looks like you guys have done somerobotics as well.
So what are some trends that you're excitedabout?
(14:27):
What are some of the sectors and emergingmarkets that you personally are excited about
when you're sourcing deals?
I mean, example, for me, I definitely am notthe expert in robotics, but I have like a huge
excitement for like the future of spacetechnology.
There are a couple of funds in Orlando thatthey're kind of near the space coast.
(14:52):
So I have a big excitement for that and thenkind of background in FinTech.
So do you feel yourself leaning towards or kindof bringing back some of your cybersecurity
expertise as kind of like a sweet spot for you?
Because I see myself often leaning towardsFinTech, not only because I like it, but also
(15:12):
just because I have some knowledge in theindustry.
So do you think that's something that you alignwith as far as what you're excited about?
And do you think that's something that youwould recommend for the audience too, if
they're just breaking into VC to maybe startout with kind of like a sector that they're
comfortable with?
Yeah.
So I think honestly, that's a great idea.
(15:33):
So our two managing partners, one of them hasan extensive health tech background while the
other has that fintech background.
So obviously those are two main areas of focusfor us.
And whenever we sit down in our meetings,someone will say, you know, it really doesn't
excite me.
And a lot of the times I've noticed it'sbecause it's not what they're familiar with,
not what they're, you know, what the industrythat they know best.
(15:56):
So for me personally, all of the deals or mostof the deals that I've brought in are really in
that cyber space and then regulatory andcompliance because I know that space better.
I also, you know, I find that space veryfascinating, but I also think that right now
there's a huge calling for cyber.
And I just think that space is just gonna getbigger and bigger.
(16:18):
So my kind of opinion and input on that is youmight as well, you really should be trying to
get in while you can.
Yeah, I think it was Cal Newport that had thatvideo that says like, don't follow your
passion.
Yeah.
He was just saying that, because when I was incollege, I didn't know anything about FinTech
(16:39):
or what FinTech was, but I ended up just kindof stumbling upon it.
And then because I built some knowledge, Iended up becoming passionate about it, right?
So I think that's so true.
Like, I don't think, and I'm just guessinghere, but I'm assuming like right when you
started college, were not like, oh my God, I'mso passionate about cyber, but you kind of form
that passion and conviction just because youimmerse yourself in it as an expert.
(17:02):
Exactly.
And something that I've learned being in thecyberspace for several years is that the cyber,
like, the cyber landscape is always changingand really never stays the same.
So you always need to keep up with that.
So I think that's also why I'm drawn to thecyberspace because they're always new
technologies being out, all these different newtools and all of that sort of stuff that I
(17:28):
really find fascinating.
Yeah, we do.
One of our portfolio companies is in thecyberspace.
It's mainly focused on web authentication.
So just the market size for authentication andjust cyber security in general is massive.
And then there's just so many moreopportunities for people to get their data
(17:48):
breached and hacked.
Two factors is just not secure, especially pushtext SMS verification.
Yeah, push notifications.
Yeah.
So there's a lot of like really more advancedprotocols with like biometrics that I'm
starting to see.
What are your thoughts?
(18:09):
Because I've seen some applications when itcomes to quantum computing and the opportunity
for encryption when quantum gets to scale?
Now, I think it's still early, but what aresome trends that maybe we should think about in
general?
Because you are the cyber expert when we'relooking at deals to think about when it comes
(18:30):
to cyber deals.
Yeah, so I've been seeing some interestingtrends in like deception technologies.
So, so initially when we saw it, they used tobe called, I believe honeypots.
Mhmm.
And over the years, they've changed the nameto, like, these deception technologies and
decoys and stuff like that, which is reallylike a more advanced honeypot.
(18:54):
Mhmm.
So I've been finding those really, reallyinteresting.
And I actually had spoken to a couple peoplethat are really in the MSP space to get their
thoughts on these deception tools.
And they are saying that, you know what, wehaven't really been approached to resell these
products.
So if we come across one and we really like it,we would take that to market and really, really
(19:18):
hit the ground running with it.
Yeah.
And what's an example of a honeypot just forthe audience here and also for me.
It some type of deceptive measure that anefarious person would use to make people think
(19:39):
there's some offer or some attractiveopportunity.
And then when they go there, they give theircredit card or something like that, and then
they get hacked?
Yeah.
So also it's like a honeypot deception tool is,you know, if I'm an organization, I obviously
wanna make sure I'm secure and locked down asbest as possible.
Mhmm.
So, you have these honeypots, which would lurethe attackers to them, making them think that
(20:06):
there's actually something substantial there.
And in reality, it's absolutely nothing.
Sure.
Oh, so it's actually a good thing to capturenefarious people.
So it kind of like fraudsters think thatthere's something attractive and then you can
kind of just catch those people there.
Exactly.
Got it.
(20:27):
Guess analogy is like with a bear, if you got ahoneypot, it's kind of a way to get a bear away
from.
Yeah, got it.
Okay.
And what are some of the ways that you can dothat?
Is it really like, hey, we've got credit cardnumbers for all the people in New York, go to
(20:47):
this portal or something like that?
Or is it like access to some type of securedata or is it
I think it can be some of both.
They've got different, like there's decoys,there are a handful of other ones as well that
it can lure you into files, for example, orlure you into whatever else it might be in
their network.
(21:07):
But in reality, you're being lured intoabsolutely nothing.
Yeah.
And then what about authentication?
Because they've got, they've had retina scanfor a while.
They've had fingerprints.
Have you guys seen anything else recently asfar as just better ID verification or
authentication?
We did speak, I wanna say it was about a monthago to an authentication platform, but it, it
(21:32):
really, the one, at least the company that wespoke to, it was very similar to two factor
authentication,
but it was
really just using their app.
Past that, I haven't come across a ton ofcompanies doing a lot of authentication stuff.
With that said, I know that there are a lot ofthem out there.
We just haven't spoken to that many of them.
(21:52):
Got it.
Yeah, and I'm looking at Tomahawk Robotics.
This is really interesting.
So this is augmenting human performance.
So how deep have you guys been going on therobotics side?
I'm pretty new to robotics.
I haven't done too much there, but it lookslike there's some military applications.
Is that kind of what Tomahawk is focusing on?
(22:14):
Yeah.
So Tomahawk was one of our investments in ourfirst fund.
And they do a lot of stuff with the military,which I think is really what initially had
drawn our team into them.
But
in this second fund, while Tomahawk is justdoing great and obviously we really enjoy
working with them.
(22:36):
I'm not sure if we've looked at any companiesin the robotics space.
I know it's definitely still something ofinterest to us, but I'm not sure if we've
actually spoken to any companies in this fundin robotic space.
And I just don't think anyone has reached outto us.
Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of opportunity withdeep tech robotics, automatic processes.
(23:01):
And I think the challenge that I've seen isjust the capital intensity.
So I think some of those companies, tell mewhat you think, but I feel like those
companies, like Tomahawk, it looks likeprobably able to get a lot of government
contracts.
But when you have a capital intensive business,you also have to just be able to raise a lot of
money and have a good pipeline of investorrelations.
(23:24):
So being able to kind of already think aboutyour roadmap to Series B and really understand
how much capital you need to really hit yourrevenue numbers and essentially your valuation
numbers too.
Yep, absolutely.
What are some of the opportunities in Florida?
So it looks like I think there's a hugehealthcare system in Florida.
(23:46):
So I see opportunities like an aging tech, butthe portfolio companies that you're seeing in
Florida, where are you seeing the innovationand more of the opportunity?
And again, going back to Miami, what is themajority of tech there?
Because we're in New York, so heavy FinTech,insurance tech, obviously on the West Coast,
(24:10):
there's a lot of consumer tech and obviouslyB2B SaaS, but what are some of the trends in
general that you're seeing with theaccelerator?
You said there's a new accelerator opening upin Naples.
So what is kind of the composition of techtalent and sector focus in Florida?
(24:31):
I mean, very huge check, but I think we've beenseeing probably a handful of health tech,
fintech, and then also believe a couple like adtech companies really coming out of Florida.
Unfortunately, within this specific Naplescommunity, we really haven't spoken to that
(24:51):
many companies.
We're really talking to some in Orlando, Tampa,Miami.
So it's still great to see that Floridaecosystem growing, but it would be in my
opinion, even better to see some coming out ofNaples.
Yeah.
Yeah.
In the accelerator, that's exciting to hearabout that.
So is it like a four month cohort and they'redoing like a couple a year or how many
(25:15):
companies are they doing in their class ofgraduates, I guess?
Yeah, so they are, from what they said to me,it sounded like they were really in partnership
with Florida Gulf Coast University and CollierCounty.
So it's a lot of companies, I believe, comingout of the university, which is a huge
(25:35):
opportunity.
And then there obviously lies a mentorshipopportunity as well.
So, you know, and I love that mentorship rolebeing involved in that sort of stuff.
So to me, that's very exciting.
Sure.
Yeah.
Alisa, we got a question here.
So we might've covered some of this, but as thedirector of investor relations, how involved do
(25:57):
you get in with investment decisions?
So based on what you were saying, it soundslike because this is kind of a really tight
knit team, you can kind of form your own roleand wear different types of hats and really
lead the investment decisions, but also be kindof the main point person with LP relationships.
But I probably would assume that again, ifyou're at like a big company like Sequoia
(26:19):
Capital, or one of the bigger logos, that'slike your only role and there's like much more
hierarchy.
And I don't know, I'd love to hear yourthoughts from maybe your friends or network of
other people that kind of are doing investorrelations and how they vary across different
companies and funds.
Yeah.
(26:39):
So just to answer the question within NaplesTechnology Ventures, As far as making
investment decisions, I personally don't makeinvestment decisions.
I, during our weekly investment meetings orafter we get off calls, obviously state my
opinion, state any concerns, questions that Imight have with the company.
(26:59):
But ultimately, as far as making investmentdecisions, our two managing partners and our
CIO are are the ones that that typically dothat.
Mhmm.
From really what I've seen within the investorrelation community and just other people that
I've spoken to, they really just focus oninvestor relations day in, out, you know,
(27:21):
fundraising, supporting current LP questions,needs, requests, all that sort of stuff.
So that's why I like what I do because it's alot more involved and I love working with LPs.
It's honestly the best part of my job, but Ialso enjoy the fact that I get to do other
things as well and am involved with thecompanies that we're looking to invest in as
(27:46):
well.
Sure.
Yeah, and I mean, the whole emerging managerspace is really exciting.
I mean, that's something I'm truly passionateabout.
So with the LPs, how are you seeing that evolvewith the profile of the LPs?
Now we're seeing like next gens.
Do you guys collaborate mostly with like singlefamily offices or is it mostly institutions?
(28:08):
And then, now there's a lot of these nextgeneration kids that are coming out of the
family offices.
We had a little session last night and one ofthe mentors that was in our emerging manager
program is an ex gen.
He was like, Look, you got to slide into theirDMs these days.
You can't use like the old school emaildatabases.
(28:30):
So are you seeing that?
Like you're kind of finding creative ways toconnect with people maybe through a Slack
channel or maybe through like an Instagram DM?
And how can we be more innovative as emergingmanagers meet new LPs?
Yeah, that's a great question.
(28:51):
So honestly, my big thing is, which I need toget better at is being active on LinkedIn, I
think is so important.
I noticed when I'm active on LinkedIn, I get somany more people sliding in my DMs as you say.
And reaching out to me and just wanting toschedule a call, learning more about what we're
doing and really just taking every opportunityto talk to people.
(29:15):
So just to give you an example, a company thathad reached out to us and I manage our contact
email address as well.
If anyone reaches out through the website, itcomes directly to me.
Companies have reached out before and justlooking at their deck, they're way too early
stage for us.
(29:35):
But still, we like giving them the opportunity.
So we get on the phone with them.
And through that, we actually end up meeting,one of their advisers who joins the calls, who
is very interested in learning more aboutNaples Technology Ventures and potentially
being an LP.
Other ways that we, that we meet potential LPsis through our current LPs, through our current
network.
(29:56):
Really just getting your name out there anddon't be shy to get your name out there and
meet other people.
And not even just in the work environment, butoutside of the work environment as well.
Just really going out, whether it be arestaurant, whether you're going to an event, a
networking event, just take in everyopportunity you can possibly get, because you
(30:18):
never know who you can meet, whether it be afriend, whether it be a potential coworker,
whether it be potential LP, all of that sort ofstuff.
Yeah.
So I see a question here from Dina.
Dina, feel free to chime in.
I'll try to call this question out, but let meknow if I'm missing anything.
So it sounds like you're saying that you raisedthe first fund from friends and family.
(30:39):
Do you feel that it's easier obviously now thatyou have a track record with the first fund to
really focus on fund two?
Let me see what else we have.
Yeah, and then I guess, do you guys also raiseLP capital globally as well?
Is it really the focus to have LPs in The US?
(31:03):
And what, I guess the third question is whatadvice would you give if it didn't come from
friends and family?
Guess, Dina, did I ask your question properly?
Yes, correctly.
Okay, cool.
Yeah, so I guess to summarize, is it easier ormore difficult after the first fund?
(31:26):
Because obviously this is a bigger fund, right?
50,000,000.
So you're dealing with a bigger, larger close.
And then I guess, yeah, international versusdomestic.
Any thoughts on that with LP relations?
I think in some ways us being in a second fundwas easier to raise capital because we did have
(31:52):
that track record.
And at that point, friends of LPs from thefirst fund were reaching out to us wanting to
invest because they've heard such great things.
But at the same time, especially being that$50,000,000 fund, I think the $50,000,000 mark
was a little bit tricky in some ways because wemost of our LP base is high net worth
(32:15):
individuals.
But we also have a couple institutionalinvestors that come in and say, we really wanna
invest in you guys, but you're a little toosmall for us because they would like to write,
larger check sizes, but they also don't want totake up twenty, thirty, 50% of our funding.
So I think in that way, it can be a little moredifficult.
(32:38):
But again, having that track record definitelyhelps.
And then obviously going into that third fund,that fourth fund, I think it'll start to get a
lot easier in some ways because you also havethe current LPs that are seeing your success
and seeing how well the fund is doing.
So hopefully at that point, they would want tocontinue investing.
(33:00):
Yeah, and I totally agree.
I mean, I talked to a lot of emerging managersand I mean, the 10 to $15,000,000 micro VC,
it's really difficult to profile who the LPreally is, because there isn't really a family
like some of the bigger well known families,they look at funds that are at minimum 75 to
(33:20):
100,000,000.
We had a single family office, I think a coupleof weeks ago, they represent a conglomerate.
And they're like, yeah, the smallest we do is70,000,000.
So really is like angels in the first fund.
And then at the 50, I think you're also stillin that situation where you're not at like the
70 or 100.
So it's kind of like either, it's not an angel,it's not a small family office, but it's not an
(33:45):
endowment either.
So it's kind of like right in the middle.
So it's probably like a hybrid composition ofdifferent high net worth individuals, and then
maybe some quasi institutions.
And I think the additional work is once youstart dealing with the institutions, there's
all the documentation and auditing andinstitutional guidelines that you got to follow
(34:08):
as well.
I'm assuming.
Yeah, absolutely.
And I think I miss answering part of the otherquestion.
What is the advice if fundraising won't comefrom family or friends?
Yeah.
I think there, again, just like I said before,I think it's just really getting your name out
there, getting Naples Technology Ventures orwhatever company you're working with, just
(34:33):
really getting the name out there as best asyou can, resharing things on LinkedIn.
Honestly, you have no idea how many people willreach out to you by just seeing posts on
LinkedIn like that.
And another thing that I've noticed is anyopportunity you can get to meet someone in
person.
I know obviously we're in a pandemic right nowand it's very challenging times.
(34:55):
But if you do have the opportunity to go andmeet with someone in person, I think that goes
a long way.
Yeah, I agree.
And it's just gonna be a really magicalexperience this Friday because I'm actually
meeting some people that I've been havingconversations with virtually for about a year.
(35:16):
So excited to kind of we're meeting in likeBryant Park.
So we're meeting outside.
So I totally agree.
I mean, it's great to finally try to meetpeople even if it's socially distanced.
I mean, I got my first vaccine, I'm stillwearing a mask and still being careful.
But if you're able to at least do that with amask and still get some face time with people,
I think it definitely makes a big difference.
(35:39):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
What other questions you guys have?
Any other questions from the audience?
Let's see here.
So let me think about emerging managers here.
Oh, I got a good one.
So community building, right?
So what are some tips that you recommend forcommunity building?
(36:01):
Would say on my end, I just try to do what isorganic for me.
Like I'm not, I just run out of things to tweetabout.
And I just I'm not as regular on Twitter, but Ido like writing something if I want to learn
about it.
That's the best way for me to learn.
And then I'll just kind of document it.
And then it's helpful for me to reference itand then I'll just share it and get some
(36:24):
feedback.
And then obviously these video shows are reallyhelpful for me, but what do you guys do?
And then maybe you specifically for yourpersonal brand to build community and what do
you feel comfortable doing and any tips on thatas far as building community?
I mean, I think you just made a good pointright there.
You're giving me tips by saying if it'ssomething you wanna learn more about, you write
(36:48):
about it.
And that kind of leads to what I was sayingearlier on not being very active on LinkedIn
and not even just like posting things, but alsojust clicking on pretty much every article you
come across, reading it, educating yourself inthe comments, asking other questions, and just
really building up that engagement, I think issomething that is really important.
(37:13):
Yeah, it's really helpful.
What advice would you give to somebody that'strying to break into VC that's not in VC?
So you and I both had some pretty hard pivots.
So what has worked for you to kind of breakinto venture and let's say somebody is coming
from a non finance background, they work inconsulting.
(37:36):
What are some words of wisdom that you wouldgive to them?
Yeah, so obviously I came in from thecybersecurity space.
So pivoting into VC was very, very differentfor me.
Initially I was hesitant.
Didn't know, you know, if A, I would enjoy itor B, if I knew enough to really dive into the
(37:57):
industry.
But sometimes, you know, you need to just beable to take that jump, take that dive and, you
know, just really soak up the opportunity thatyou can get and learn as much as you can,
whether whether it be, you know, reading thenews on what's going on in the VC space or
talking to other people that are in that space.
Just really learning from them.
(38:18):
So being in investor relations in some ways,it's very similar to customer success.
So I kind of took that role, but then alsospoke to a couple of people that are in the
investor relations space and got their input onreally what they do, what works best for them,
(38:38):
how they go about potentially sourcing LPs andworking with current LPs.
Yeah, and I think also being innovative andbeing open to alternate locations.
So there was a really great fund that was inthe DC area that kind of was in a neighborhood
that isn't like obviously a huge big city, butobviously if you're just trying to break in,
(39:02):
sometimes you might have to sacrifice thelocation, sometimes the pay, sometimes it's not
like necessarily like the exact role that youwant, but if it's at least in kind of the
sector that you're interested in, you'recloser.
I feel like that's been helpful for me atleast.
Yeah, just to expand on that, I couldn't agreemore.
(39:25):
Sometimes that when you're whether you'reexploring a new opportunity or just something
slightly different, if it's an opportunity foryou to grow and to learn more, in my opinion,
you know, even if you are taking that pay cutor having to move somewhere, it's totally worth
it.
Because even for me having to move from NewYork City down to Florida, I was able to learn
(39:49):
so much in this past year and I really wouldn'tchange it for the world.
Yeah, that was me too.
I'm just like you.
So I was in New York and then I moved toFlorida.
And had I not went to Florida, I would havenever got my PhD, but I got a job with the DoD,
very gracious, they paid for my full collegeand I even bought a house during the recession
(40:14):
and then sold it later.
So I think everything kind of works outsomehow.
I think just the path, guess just enjoy thejourney as you navigate it.
And I feel like the money will always come,right?
Because I mean, once you're in VC, you canalways go to another city because you're kind
(40:34):
of you already got your foot in the door andyou've kind of got some really good experience,
but it's really that first pivot.
I felt it was challenging, right?
Because you just don't, how do you sellsomebody on you and giving you a chance to be
reliable to do the job if you've never done itbefore.
(40:54):
I've had to do that a few times.
No, I mean, I think advice that I would give isreally have more confidence in yourself.
Don't doubt yourself because I, you know, I'mnot gonna lie.
I've, I've been there going into a new space,moving it down back to Florida.
The worst thing you can do is doubt yourselfand come to find out there really is no reason
(41:15):
to just be confident, and trust your gut andtrust yourself and everything in my opinion
always falls into place.
Yeah, no, I totally agree.
Any other questions guys, feel free to shoutthem out or post them in the DM here.
And I also I would love if everyone reached outto me on LinkedIn would love to connect with
(41:36):
everyone there and just really learn about whatyou guys are all doing.
Yeah, I think another tip too is, and youprobably definitely did this too, but really
just research the fund.
And I always tell everybody, act as if you'realready in VC.
So already source some deals.
There's so many templates on the internet.
(41:58):
So you can probably find some type of partnersmeeting template.
We try to put out a lot of educational contentand templates as well just for community
building and on our Slack channel.
But would you recommend also just kind ofalready bringing in deals and you guys actually
(42:19):
have a role open as well, right?
We do.
So perfect plug.
So me this, what are you looking for in aperfect candidate?
So we are looking for an analyst.
To be completely honest with you, I don't knowthe details as to if they're looking for
(42:39):
someone who's more of a senior analyst orjunior analyst.
But we are hiring it for an analyst role.
So all of those applications are comingdirectly to me, then I'm sending them over to
our CIO.
So if you guys know anyone that would be a goodfit for that role, please have them apply
because that would be awesome.
But yes, so we're really expanding our teamright now.
(43:01):
We're growing.
We're excited and we've got some prettyexciting news that's probably going to be
announced in the next couple of weeks or so aswell.
I actually posted your job description.
So I'll send that again to the community.
And then on culture, so what is the DNA of yourculture?
So when you guys are picking people, obviouslythe hard skills are there, right?
(43:25):
So somebody can source deals, they candetermine the market size, they can come up
with an investment thesis, they can calculatethe ownership that you have when you're
investing in a company, right?
So all those hard skills are there.
What is important in your culture, in your DNAwhen you guys are trying to find the next
(43:45):
analyst?
I mean, for us, it's really important thatyou're genuinely are a good person.
You're a hard worker.
Don't say no to something just because it's notnecessarily your job focus.
Take me for example.
I get involved in really everything, and wewant someone that's willing to help wherever
(44:06):
they need to help.
And someone that wants to get involved, thatwants to continue learning.
So those are really important aspects of whatwe look for.
But we also look for someone that's willing tocollaborate and that wants to collaborate.
So a lot of the stuff we do is collaborativeEveryone is in the office every single day.
(44:26):
We've got a pretty big office.
So during COVID, we also came to the office andit was easy for us to stay apart from each
other.
Half of us a few weeks ago ended up gettingCOVID anyway, but it was funny because it was
right after we were vaccinated, got the firstvaccine.
But no, someone wants to collaborate and workwith the team, put ideas together.
(44:50):
That's really, really important to us.
Yeah, I'd say one big thing too, and you kindof hit on this and look, I've been in this
situation, right?
So I found Somebody was asking earlier, Hey, doyou get to make investment decisions?
There was a long time where I had no triggerparole at all.
I would share my opinions and you're really atthe mercy of the partners, it's their decision,
(45:13):
have a lot of times the partners have their ownskin in the game, right?
They put in their 1% of the fund.
So obviously, they deserve to have their sayand all I can do is give my opinion.
So how should people manage their ego and kindof navigate that?
And I'll be honest, I mean, there's been timeswhere I thought there was like amazing deals.
(45:35):
And I thought those deals were like going to beunicorns.
And then the partners like, look, this is not agood deal.
And I think for me, it's just been helpful tojust try to be humble and learn and take that
as good feedback.
I think for me, it's been helpful to justunderstand and have a reality that everybody
sees the world differently.
(45:55):
What I think is a great opportunity in FinTech,somebody else, you may not think the same and
you may have stronger conviction.
It's all about conviction.
So you may have a stronger conviction oncybersecurity and robotics.
So how do you advise people starting out intheir first VC role to kind of mentally prepare
(46:17):
for that and be okay with like not all theirdeals going to investment committee?
Yeah.
I mean, I think you made a very good pointthere.
Everyone does have different opinions, but youstill know, you and I might have very different
opinions and that's totally okay.
But I always like to learn the other person'sopinion.
I always like to learn why they feel that way.
(46:38):
And then maybe after I learn why they think itmight be a good deal, why why they think it
might not be, maybe my opinions will change.
Maybe they won't change, but at least Ieducated myself a little bit more.
Yeah.
So don't I I don't think anyone should reallyget discouraged if someone says, you know what,
I don't really like that opinion.
Let's move on.
You're still expressing your opinion and you'restill building up that courage and confidence.
(47:02):
Don't be afraid to get shut down.
I've definitely gotten shut down before for forkind of voicing my opinion.
But at the same time where I'm at now, everyonereally gets their their opinion.
And even if our managing partners have adifferent opinion, they sit down, which is why
(47:23):
our meetings sometimes can get dragged out foran hour or hours.
They sit down and they wanna learn why youthink that way.
Yeah.
And there have been multiple times wheresomeone has proven the facts and stated their
opinion, and it's honestly altered the opinionof other team members of ours.
Yeah, no, it's totally fair and it reminds meof you know everybody has different opinions
(47:43):
about Bridgewater, but one thing that I doappreciate about Bridgewater, one of the tips
that Ray Dalio gives is see why people disagreewith you.
And if you can really embrace that, I mean, youcould probably really save yourself a lot of
money and save yourself from mistakes.
So I totally agree with that.
And there's been times, I mean, with me, I feelsomething and then the whole room completely
(48:09):
disagrees with me.
So there has to be some reason and rhyme tothat.
So I think really drilling down and not reallybeing focused on being obsessively right.
But really if the differing opinions are therereally, like you said, really diving deeper and
figuring out why is really helpful.
(48:31):
That was really helpful.
Well, I know we got ten minutes.
I'll let people jump in if they have anyquestions.
A question that I always ask all the guests isany type of helpful advice that you've received
from maybe a mentor, a family member, somebodyyou look up to that you'd like to share with
us?
(48:51):
I've honestly, I've received a lot of goodadvice over the years.
So I'd say, you know, something that I receivedthat I think is so valuable is always remain
humble.
You know, even if you do something that blowseverybody away, that's awesome.
You, you know, you get promoted to whateverrole it might be that you you've been aiming
(49:15):
for.
That's awesome.
But always kind of just remember who you areand stay humble and just always stay grounded
no matter what situation you're in.
Yeah, that's good advice.
Because I mean, even though you're a partnertoday, something could happen and you might
have to start all over again.
And I think you're right.
I think just always being humble and treatingpeople how you wanna be treated is definitely
(49:38):
important.
Cool.
Well, hey, this was amazing.
Guess if nobody else has any other questions,just want to really thank you for coming in.
I know it's a little late in the evening, soappreciate you giving some time and talking
about you, your story and all the great thingsthat you guys are doing at Naples Technology
(49:59):
Ventures and shoot me a note if you come out toNew York, maybe we'll meet at the park or
something and get some Yeah, other people thank
you.
Thank you again.
Thank you for having me.
Thank you everyone that joined.
Again, please connect with me on LinkedIn.
Would love to learn about what everyone is upto.
Yeah.
Great.
(50:19):
Well, thanks a lot, Daria.
Have a good evening.
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