221. Crisis Coverage w/ Grace Isford - GTM Playbook; Building a Career in VC; Societal Challenges and Opportunities post-COVID; and a Comprehensive Analysis of Successful GPs and Venture Investments

Grace Isford of Canvas Ventures joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss How Companies Can Maintain Growth Post-COVID. In this episode, we cover: You're an extroverted, people-person... how you holding up w/ the quarantine? Quick overview of your background and path to VC? Your focus (and thesis) at Canvas? You developed a 30 page GTM Playbook based on interviews w/ 10+ CROs/VPs of Sales across major B2B companies. First of all, is this publicly available and also what were some takeaways that really stood out? There's a segment of VCs that believe that one must be an operator to be a good VC... what's your stance? Examples of successful non-operators? You completed a comprehensive analysis of the portfolios of over 200 venture firms, looked at 100 successful GPs, and winning, U.S.-based investments w/ a valuation greater than $500M... what were your key takeaways? A bit about signaling... Many in the industry and those observing determine the value of a startup based on whether a brand name venture firm is in the deal... "If Sequoia is in the deal, startup must be great"... what are your thoughts on this common perception? What does your weekly routine look like and how have you prioritized the various demands of the job? What have you found to be most challenging in your career as a VC? What advice do you have for young folks trying to make an impact as an investor or board observer? You wrote a great piece that analyzed three areas where VCs could invest to address the societal challenges of COVID-19. Can you walk us through each of these and why the opportunity here is greater? What do you think the future holds for venture & entrepreneurship in a post-COVID world? The old playbook for winning deals is gone... Any idea on how one might win a deal virtually? To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.