Heather Hartnett, General Partner and CEO of Human Ventures, shares how she identifies ‘futurists’ to back them until the market sees their value. Heather talks about supporting early-stage entrepreneurs through ‘Humans in the Wild’ (the firm’s business incubator) and explains how valuation affects a startup’s future.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

[3:40] Why VCs like to invest in ‘futurists’

[9:29] How ‘Humans in the Wild’ helps early-stage founders to transform raw ideas into the next big idea

[13:48] Why should founders be mindful of which firms they choose to come into their earliest rounds?

[17:33] The dangers of startup over-valuation

Non-profit organization that Heather is passionate about: David Lynch Foundation

About Guest Speaker

Heather Hartnett is the General Partner and CEO of Human Ventures. Under Heather’s leadership, Human Ventures has invested in and co-built more than 30 companies, with key investments including Reserve (acquired), TheSkimm, Current, Tiny Organics and Clark (acquired).

Prior to founding Human, Heather’s venture capital career spanned across various roles at firms including Lightspeed Venture Partners, CityLight Capital, and Claremont Creek Ventures. She also led the development at David Lynch Foundation, crystalizing her professional expertise and operations with the largest family offices and sophisticated investment firms. Heather is a member of the Kauffman Fellows program and a frequent Forbes contributor on the topic of venture capital.

About Human Ventures

Human Ventures is a New York City-based venture capital firm that invests in Model Businesses with ambitious founders who are creating and building innovative technology companies that aim to make life easier and more fulfilling. The firm comprises an early-stage fund and venture studio. Its portfolio includes: Paloma Health, The Muse, Tiny Organics, Current, AmbassCo, Bikky, Day One, Hello.me, Kindred, Lupii, Spora Health, Quantime and Tia.

Next Week’s Episode

Coming up next week in Episode 75, we welcome a special guest, Dan Rosen, Founder and General Partner at Commerce Ventures, to talk about fintech investing, and how fintech has evolved over the last two decades.

Subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode that will drop next Tuesday.

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Do Business with Gratitude