S2E1: Carmen Alfonso Rico, VC turned Angel @ Cocoa
In this episode, Jack Richardson engages with Carmen Alfonzo Rico to explore her journey from her early career to founding Kokoa. Carmen shares insights from her angel investment experience with Hopin and discusses key realizations in investing and the startup world. The conversation delves into Kokoa's pre-seed investment strategies, unique benchmarking approaches, and the assessment of potential investments, focusing on founders and market fit. Carmen highlights the balance of empathy and ruthlessness in founders, the dynamics of small funds, and Kokoa's stance on no follow-ons. The episode also covers strategies for raising a venture fund, comparing direct founder investments with fund investments, and Kokoa's future plans.
Key Points
- Carmen Alfonzo Rico emphasizes the importance of investing in founders who are irrationally obsessed with solving a painful pain point, regardless of market size predictions.
- Kokoa's unique approach prioritizes small fund size and no follow-on investments to maintain alignment with founders and optimize access over stake.
- Carmen's journey highlights the critical balance between exceptional execution and adaptability, underscoring that even if things turn out differently than planned, they can still lead to extraordinary outcomes.
Chapters
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| 1:19 | |
| 4:05 | |
| 7:19 | |
| 10:53 | |
| 12:01 | |
| 16:41 | |
| 23:07 | |
| 24:10 | |
| 26:01 | |
| 32:45 | |
| 38:56 | |
| 40:14 |
Transcript
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