GTM

The key qualities of a founder, with Pietro Bezza of Connect Ventures

Go to the website of London-based Connect Ventures and the first thing you’ll see is three statements: They invest early. They are product focused. They are hands on. But what drives this approach to investing in young startups? I spoke to Managing Partner Pietro Bezza to find out.

connect ventures pietroIn the Venture Capital world, it’s becoming increasingly common to see VC firms specializing in one particular business vertical or niche  – whether marketplaces, healthcare or something even more narrow. With Connect Ventures, I saw a wealth of young, innovative products and services in their portfolio. The fund is certainly targeted towards seed companies, with numerous SaaS investments under their belt — Typeform, CharlieHR and Marvel to name a few.

But it wasn’t until I sat down with Pietro and really dug into their philosophy as a team, that their true specialism really became obvious. They’re fully committed to backing exceptional founders, who want to solve problems in the world through product innovation.

Pietro also has a view of SaaS metrics that every business should probably print out and stick on their wall:

“MRR don’t lie.”
Pietro Bezza, Connect Ventures

Some things Pietro talked about:

  • The global vision for Connect Ventures
  • What he learned building, growing and selling his own successful business (prior to Connect Ventures)
  • Some common qualities seen early-on in a successful team that he looks for
  • The metrics that are important when assessing at the growth of a startup (pre-investment & post-investment)

Listen to the full conversation below, or listen to it on your daily commute:

Subscribe on iTunes

Subscribe on SoundCloud

https://soundcloud.com/chartmogul/pietro-bezza-connect-ventures

Ed Shelley

Former Director of Content

@Mr_Ed

interview podcast saas saas open mic VC