E40: The Art & Science of Portfolio Construction Plus Valuation Realism with Morgan Flager

Morgan Flager is the Managing Partner of Silverton Partners. Silverton is an early-stage firm that has had more than 30 companies IPO or get acquired. We talked about the art and science of portfolio construction, when to bend on price, and which of team, product, or market is most important. We also dove into:

 

Silverton’s “early PMF” lane. Sweet spot is writing ~$3–7M checks into companies with a handful of customers and early revenue; ~70–80% fit this stage, with occasional earlier/later outliers. About 60% of deals in Central Texas, ~10% elsewhere in TX, balance nationwide—leveraging two decades of local reputation while staying opportunistic.

 

Follow-on edge = objectivity. They’re data-driven on reserves, but the real unlock is knowing when not to keep doubling down; partners anonymously rank each other’s companies to curb politics and fumes.

 

Secondary rules of the road. If a breakout round implies 5–10x+ on a small sell (10–20%), they’ll often take it—bank DPI, let the rest ride; in 2021 they even mandated trims in that range. Fund-life alignment matters. As vehicles near years 10–12, selling a majority (or all) via secondary is often the right call.

 

Owner mindset inside the firm. Silverton lends to team members so they can co-invest—shifts psychology toward prudent partial sales vs. “let it ride” with other people’s money.

 

Team > market > product (at maturity). Early it’s founder-led, later it’s team-led; great teams self-correct on market/product, and Silverton will back a stellar team in a merely “B” market over the reverse.

 

Why origin stories matter. He listens for authentic passion and connection to the problem—grit to push through the “dark, lonely days” shows up in the journey, not the pitch deck.

 

Valuation realism > unicorn fantasies. Morgan calls BS on “pay any price” at seed; most outcomes aren’t $10B, and mispriced seeds can trap founders and misalign with later-stage mega-fund incentives.

 

Austin culture advantage. Smaller, reputation-sensitive network rewards doing right by founders; openness and pay-it-forward energy were a positive “culture shock” vs. the Valley.

 

Investing in Startups is a Seaplane Ventures production hosted by Joe Magyer.