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Partner Path
Partner Path is a podcast exploring the venture capital and startup ecosystem through a younger perspective. We feature candid conversations with early-stage founders, operators, and emerging investors—offering insight into everything from sourcing and investment strategies to product execution and go-to-market lessons. Whether you’re an aspiring investor, founder, or just curious about VC, tune in for an inside look at the industry.
Partner Path
E53: Helping the Daring Build with James Flynn (Sequoia)
This week we sat down with James Flynn, an investor at Sequoia. James focuses on growth-stage investments for Sequoia and was previously an investor at General Atlantic.
During the episode, we cover James's journey to Sequoia, highlighting intellectual curiosity and his competitive spirit as key attributes in his path to the firm. The conversation features a number of fascinating perspectives across investing in "daring" companies, including James's take on the relative importance of business model / founder / market in making an investment decision. We also cover how James thinks about absolute valuation as opposed to a multiple, and how he believes junior investors can add value.
James's energy is infectious and his eloquence and clarity of thought stand out, making the conversation one of our most fascinating yet.
Episode Chapters:
- Key personal characteristics - 2:19
- James's journey post-college - 9:30
- Breaking in to Sequoia - 12:55
- Taking the shot - 13:55
- Underwriting thoughts - numbers support the story - 21:33
- Sequoia's singular KPI - 27:45
- How junior investors can add value - 30:10
- Absolute valuation matters - 35:31
- James's areas of focus - 38:32
- Implications on education - 41:12
- Quick fire round - 43:26
As always, feel free to contact us at partnerpathpodcast@gmail.com. We would love to hear ideas for content, guests, and overall feedback.
This episode is brought to you by Grata, the world's leading deal sourcing platform. Our AI-powered search, investment-grade data, and intuitive workflows give you the edge needed to find and win deals in your industry. Visit grata.com to schedule a demo today.
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