Matt Harris, Partner at Bain Capital Ventures, talks of how he wanted to become a big fish in a small pond when he started investing in fintech. How has that turned out for him two decades later? Matt elaborates his practical approach when evaluating new investments, and gives tips for managing a startup’s expenses to ensure sustainability.

In this episode, you'll learn:

[3:36] Great investors are optimistic and empathetic when listening to founders’ stories.

[6:35] Pros and cons of investing across stages in a single sector

[25:41] Why should founders be careful about what P&L components to beef up?

[29:51] Decentralization is taking over centralized systems, and it’s not just in financial services.

Non-profit organization that Matt is passionate about: Endeavor

About Guest Speaker

Matt Harris is a Partner at Bain Capital Ventures, and he focuses on investments in financial technology and services. Matt sees a huge amount of revenue, profit and market cap shifting from regulated financial institutions to entrepreneur-led insurgents, across payments, lending, capital markets, real estate and insurance. He has invested in companies like acorns, BlockFi, defi solutions, Digital Currency Group, Corvus, FINIX, hi Marley, Justworks, Passport, roofstock, and many others.

Fun fact: Matt is obsessed with military history. Someday he'll write a book connecting the strategy and tactics of insurgency with what he has learned about entrepreneurship.

About Bain Capital Ventures

Bain Capital Ventures is a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm that invests in seed to growth-stage startups that use tech to disrupt existing markets or create entirely new ones. BCV leverages the global platform of Bain Capital to help founders access networks, partners and customers that are pivotal on the path to scale. Companies in BCV’s portfolio include Archive, soona, Topography Health, Clockwise, Arc Technologies, Ankorstore, Cogsy, acorns, Clari, Vesta, BlockFi, defi solutions, Digital Currency Group, Corvus, FINIX, hi Marley, Justworks, Passport, and roofstock.

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Competition is Irrelevant 35:48 Share

The Sure Shot Entrepreneur

Shownotes Transcript

Competition is Irrelevant