Leveraging Leadership

How Venture Capital Firms Utilize Chiefs of Staff for Firm and Portfolio Growth

• Emily Sander • Season 1 • Episode 215

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Remi Guarini, a three-time Chief of Staff, shares how she moved from fashion operations at Maison Kitsune to working at Capital Factory, and then to helping launch Neon, an early-stage venture capital firm. She talks about learning on the fly, juggling investor and operations duties, building strong relationships, and how her role evolved to include everything from audits to portfolio support. Remi also gives practical advice for those looking to break into VC or become a Chief of Staff, and explains what makes the job challenging but rewarding.


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Who Am I?

If we haven’t yet before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want. 

 

Time Stamps:

00:33 Journey to Becoming a Chief of Staff
04:54 Role at Neon and Career Aspirations
06:37 Working with GP Kimmy Scott
09:54 Balancing Dual Roles: Chief of Staff and Investor
14:07 Kimmy Scott's Role and Responsibilities
16:26 Chief of Staff in VC Firms
18:54 Deploying Chiefs of Staff in Portfolio Companies
19:34 The Role of a Chief of Staff in Early-Stage Startups
20:54 Healthcare and VC Firms: A Unique Partnership
22:13 Differences Between VC and PE Firms
23:35 Key Skills for a Chief of Staff in VC
27:47 Building Relationships and Partnerships in VC
30:28 Advice for Aspiring Chiefs of Staff in VC
34:18 Managing a Chief of Staff Effectively
37:04 The Importance of Trust and Personal Connection
38:59 Opportunities at Neon and Closing Remarks

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Remy Guarini is on our show today. Welcome all the way from New York City.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

you for having me. I'm, I'm really excited to be chatting.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

I'm looking forward to this one. So you are a three time chief of staff, so can you just give us an overview of how you got yourself into the chief of staff role three times.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

Yeah, so. I would say I've been a chief of staff, as you said, three times in really different contexts. Um, just to give a bit of background, so first I was, um, the chief of staff at Bayes on Kitney, which is a Facia brand, music label and hospitality brand. then I was the chief of staff at Capital Factory, which is a. More established VC firm and startup incubator in Austin, Texas with other Texas locations too. And then I was at Neon, a solo GP early stage VC fund where I was the first hire. And then I recently stepped into a VP of operations role. But in terms of kind of like getting into the roles, getting into my first role, I was actually. Introduced to the CEO of Ma through his wife, um, who I worked with at Madewell at the time. Um, I had met him once before, like we had gone out to dinner together. Um. Really, he, he took a chance on me in, in hiring me. I hadn't ever been in a like chief of staff role. I, I actually really didn't know anything about the role prior to that, but really I was like super hungry for responsibility. I wanted something I could grow into really quickly. The idea of working with the CEO across all aspects of the business was really exciting and appealing to me, and I knew that it was gonna be demanding, like. It was a hundred hour weeks. I probably made like$5 an hour if you broke down

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Wow.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

to hourly. But I also knew I'd be doing a lot of things for the first time without any roadmap, and that just really excited me, the learning potential and, um, it really changed my trajectory, of my career and, and kind of led me into my next roles.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

It's so funny, like all the chiefs of staff I've had on, it's the connection. It's the, I knew his wife, we went out to dinner, knew him socially and then. Boom, and then it opened up all these doors. So it really is who you know sometimes, and it's, it's the person you least expect at times as well. So, um,

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

hundred percent.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

gotcha. How, so how did your, how did your chief of staff roles build on each other? You kind of alluded to it there, but what was the, what was the next piece in the puzzle?

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

Yeah, so I think like at kids a. Well, I would say like, I feel like every chief of Saff roles kind of like getting like an MBA, but paid and, and without having to take the time off. But you get to get this like really incredible typically like, yeah, like 1, 2, 3 year experience. Um, and each role has taught me definitely something really different. Um, I think like at Pit A one I really like. Build up my ops like chops. It was a fashion brand, like fir first and foremost, but also hospitality and like, so I did really every aspect of operations from, you know, HR and people operations to, um, manufacturing and production and logistics on the fashion side

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Were you learning all this on the fly? Like, did you know any of this before?

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

I knew some of the fashion, like kind of logistics and like how long it took for certain things to happen because I'd been a design like operations

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Okay.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

kind of coordinator at Madewell before, but a lot of it was quite new. Um, and I will say like fashion's one of the most complex businesses from an ops perspective, so it was a really great way to like dig in and get experience across all of that, like in p and l management and everything. And I think. That's something that I really like learned there. and then I think, you know. I at Capital Factory, it was without like network building and visibility. The CEO was more seasoned. I had to manage up, they would navigate kind of internal politics and be really outward facing with super high profile stakeholders, which was really uncomfortable to me, especially at the time. Like I'm, I'm more shy and I don't like to be at the forefront, but it kind of like forced me in into that. Um, so I kind of built up that skillset alongside the op skill set, and also got a one-on-one and like all things venture capital through that role. Um, and then I'd say that like neon kind of like brought all of it together. You know, I couldn't have like done the zero to one without having. I've done, you know, a lot of things across all operations before and working with a, a lot of different people and, and really like high kind of level of people internally out to externally before. And so I think like the first two definitely prepared me for this one. And also the first two taught me that I really wanted to be a fa, like I wanna be a founder one day. I wanna build something on my own. And Neon was this opportunity to like that zero to one experience. Build something but not have to take on the risk. You know, I got paid a salary the whole time. I've, you know, it's not my name on the firm, it's, it's my gp Kimmy's. But still getting to get all that like frontline everything. Experience from, from day one,

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

You get a front row seat. Yeah, you get a front row seat to it all. I wanna highlight something you said, which is you felt uncomfortable going in with like all these senior people, and thank you for sharing that because I know chiefs of staff that I speak with one-on-one. Most of them have that experience yet a lot of people think they're supposed to kind of front in this way. Like, I can take on the world and I'm not scared of anything. I remember walking into my first board meeting, I was like sweating and I was like, oh my gosh. Like this is like, I'm just a little old me and these are very professional, very senior season. Like everyone knows what they're talking about. Um, so I appreciate you sharing that and the fact that it seems like it translated into. I grew from that. I learned how to be in these situations. Now I know about VC stuff, now I'm in these conversations with the front row seat. So I just wanted to highlight that for listeners because I know that goes through people's minds.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

Yeah, definitely. It's good to do things that scare the crap outta you.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yes. So you mentioned, um, your gp, Kimmy Scott. Can you tell us a little bit about her and how long you've been working with her and all of those, all of those good things.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

Yeah, so she's incredible. Um, we've been working together now two years of, like two months. Um, and so it's, it's been a little while, but we actually met about a year and a half before I started at Neon. Um, I was at Capital Factory at the time. I met her through my now husband actually, which

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Ah.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

of funny. Um, yeah. Which I'm like, I always love to, to bring him into the mix. But, um. I, I was at Capital Factory. I really wanted to connect with like a woman in vc, but also somebody that like came from kind of a non-traditional background. Like I didn't come from banking, pe, like anything like that, consulting into vc. I came through fashion that's very odd. And so I really wanted to like talk to someone that maybe also had that kind of, uh, background that was a bit unique and. My Ashcon, my husband was like, you have to meet Kimmy. She was a founding partner, so she co-founded the firm eight VC Life sciences, a technology firm with Joe Lonsdale and a number of other partners. But she, you know, started her first company, a jewelry company. When she was 15, she went to the Fashion Institute of Technology for college, and then she moved into, uh, incubating and, and, and investing. Um, and so like when we talked, we instantly clicked and it was just like a relationship building combo, but I was like. She was wearing a, a, a dress like from Hill House Home, that's current, that's what I wear right now. But I love the brand. We were like, you know, geeking out over that and then really just like shared kind of like values, ambition, nontraditional past, and I just respected also, like she has this sense of being really bold, really smart. Curious, but also, and serious, but fun. Like she enjoys it. And, and that's something that I kind of aspire to out of my like career and, and roles is to like be really excited and, and have work, be fun, even if it's also serious. And so kind of how we met. Um, and then I reached out to her about a year later, so I guess I've known her for technically like four-ish years or, or so. Um, and. I really feel like a mentorship. Hey, I'm, I'm leaving, you know, Austin, I'm leaving Capital Factory at Boogie Bat to New York. I, I wanna do something zero to one. What do you think? and it just so happened that she was actually about rolling out of eight VC to spin out the investment practice She built there and, and watch her own firm. And we spent a bunch of time together and, and then we're kinda like, Hey, let's, let's jump in and, and do this together. She knew she needed like a operational right hand and. We fit. So that's kind of, that's how I, I joined and have been there ever since.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Wow. Now, how had she had a chief of staff before or was this her first one?

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

She had had a chief of staff at eight VC and actually like, I think two one though she had for like years, who after about two years transitioned to more of an investor role, but still work to like really close with her, which I think is like so important. Uh, it's really great to not have to like break it exec

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yes.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

what a chief of staff is. Yeah.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

She knew what she, she knew what she wanted and she was like, I want you for that role. That's awesome. Okay, so, um, and then you mentioned investor, so you're in a dual role. You've got chief of staff hat and then investor hat. Can you talk about how you approach those, those two roles?

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

So I think like on, you know, the ops side I've, I've built and then I manage all of the firm operations at Neon and that, and that really sits with, it sits with me. and that's kind of a range of, of different things from, you know, I. Everything with like the ven tax audit, you know, every kind of vendor that you, that you choose to, to onboard, to launch a fund, but even like business tools, things like that, to like managing the budget and that, and actually managing the audit and the quarterly closes and there's a lot of financial like work that goes into fund management. And so, um, it's all of that, but it's also like firm building. And hiring and, you know, our values and who we are and how we show up. and our main business line is venture investing. Right. It's, it's working, it's investing in early stage companies. It's, it's partnering with LPs and, and getting into great deals and generating returns and really like each inform each other. Right. The investing work is, is the strategy in what we do, but the operational work needs to be set up and strong for us to execute on the, that investing work and being able to kind of like have my hand in both, I actually think informs each other, makes me better as an investor, makes me better as an operator because I know the firm level goals, um, when I'm talking with companies or digging into the portfolio. Um. on the other side, I know operationally what's coming, oh, we have to send a wire next week'cause we're about to close on a deal. You know, it kind of shortens the communication timeline, but I would say it's a lot of like, definitely multitasking and kind of wearing different hats and being able to context switch a lot. Neither you like that or you don't. I happen to, to like that and it energizes me and so I've, I've found that it's something that I enjoy doing.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

I think that's important to know because for some people it would like drive them insane and I'd be like, I'm burnt out because this is like frazzling my wires. But for a lot of people it's energizing and it's not a good or bad thing to, to do that or not, but you have to know that I. Is I hear people going for a chief of staff role and they're like, I kind of like things to be like stable and predictable. I'm like, mm, no, not for you. Go go a different direction. But, um, I think it's,

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

else?

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

yeah, go ahead.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

No, no, no. I'm just saying like anything else if you want stable,

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah. Yeah. Not, not, uh, one thing I'll say for chiefs of staff, never boring, you're never bored. You have, you have variety all the time. And it's interesting. For you, it sounds like you're doing like the LP kind of fundraising and partnerships and all of those different rounds, and you're also doing the Port Cos. So in those, I'm assuming have, you know, different rounds and things to them. So you're doing both ends of the equation there.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

Mm-hmm.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Wow. Would you say like it's 50 50 or is it just kind of like, it just depends on what the need is or how does that go?

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

Yeah, that's a great question. I mean like, I think that my answer depends on the week, honestly. Like some weeks are like, we just got through our audit, right? Our first ever audit. Great. Like so glad that's done. But like that meant that for a time I was. Pretty focused on operations because our audit

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

yeah.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

time as a quarterly, like close that we have to send out to LPs, you know, at the same time as, as some other kind of like LP work. So that was like a lot of like ops heavy lp, like communication heavy work. Uh, but then there's times when. You know, we're working on a live deal and we need to move really quickly so we don't lose it. Or our portfolio company needs support on something and, you know, I'm, I'm jumping in and doing that. So I think it, the, the priorities really change week to week. But I would say generally speaking right now it's about, it's about 50 50. Um.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Okay,

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

It started out more focused on the ops and the fundraising stuff as the firm was getting

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

sure.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

we've raised a bunch of money and the structures set up, um, it's kind of shifted a bit.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

And then whatever you're, you're comfortable and willing to say, where does Kimmy spend most of her time?

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

Yeah, so Kimmy's the GT the firm, and so big role of hers is fundraising. She's the front facing person. Um, you know, taking every, like, fundraising, uh, meeting and,

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

like being that relationship manager on the front facing side, um, which is a ton of. in itself is, is a lot of work and, and, and gps are kind of always fundraising. Even if you've closed your fund, you're,

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

of never, not fundraising. Um, and so that has been a really big focus for her. Um, as well as obviously she's a gp, so anything deal related, she's the ultimate decision maker. and so she's getting pulled in as we're doing diligence and, and creating relationships with founders. And then she holds also all the board seats, um, you know, for portfolio companies. And she's a, because she's an operator and has started a bunch of companies, she's very operationally inclined. And so she digs in with portfolio companies, I would say like likely a lot more than maybe what you would see. Um. You know, kind of across the market. Um, and so that's, I feel like those three things where she spends her time and then of course, you know, hiring and, and meeting candidates and, and like the firm building things as well, that, that's something we partner on together.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah. Very cool. Let me take one step back. Just uh. We're throwing out acronyms and I'm, I'm aware that some people might not know what we're talking about. Um, so LPs are limited partners and in like a very nutshell, they fund the VC firm. And then the VC firm will make investments to, uh, nascent companies and hopefully that they grow. So just like think of three layers, LPs, vc, and then the portfolio companies called Portco. So if you're like listening and you're lost, hopefully that helps you, um, drive this. But what Remy is saying, she works on both the LP side. And the port coast side, which happens in some cases and not others. And then it sounds like your gp, your principal, Kimmy, is very, um, very involved in both sides as well. Obviously fundraising through the different rounds of LPs, and then also being involved in the due diligence for the port coast. Did I have that right?

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

Yes,

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Here we go.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

And also like really like there's a lot of similarities with what she does and what a CEO does. Like think very commercial, you know, driving and winning business.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

there's a lot of overlap there.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

So you and I were talking about this earlier, but I've seen VC firms and some PE firms honestly,

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

yeah.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

um, have, uh, chief of staff as an operating partner at the firm level. So sometimes they're chief of staffing for the PE firm or for the VC firm, and then sometimes they have them. I. Deployed into their Port cos, and I've seen this where you're doing a hundred percent of your time in this one portfolio company for like 18 months. And then I've seen it also where you're gonna do fractional work for maybe three or four of our portfolio companies. And I was wondering like, have you seen this, have you thought about this? What are, what's your, what are your thoughts on, on how VC firms use chiefs of staff?

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

Yeah, great question and it's cool, interesting too.'cause I feel like the chief of staff role has grown a lot in BC over,

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

don't know the, like, number of years, but I've just seen it become like more and and more common. I think, I mean this is always kind of the answer to chief of staff related things, but it really depends on the general partner, you

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

like kind of the ultimate decision maker firm and also the structure of the firm. You know, like is it multiple partners, is it, is it one gp? Like how, how does it all kind of work? Um. You know, at, at the firm level, especially with like solo gps or lean teams or, or younger VC firms, I think a chief of staff with an ops background especially could be like extremely impactful

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

a lot of VC firms don't. Always have the management fees. basically what your budget is, right? Management fees, um, that you kind of call on a quarterly basis. Think of that as like your income or revenue in a way. That's what's paying salaries and things like that, that you often don't have the fees to like cover. Having an HR person having this, you know, every single function if, and so if you could have a utility player that could fill those. Kind of gaps and holes and still create a best in class structure that provides a lot of value to the team, the portfolio, the like leaders of the firm. Um, I think like in terms of then getting, I've seen more of like that kind of model.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

And then I also see, you know, chiefs of staff that are also really like deal, you know, they work with a partner, maybe not the GP that's overseeing the whole firm, but a partner in charge of like the healthcare vertical. And they are really like. The deal kind of, uh, like associate to that partner, but also operationally keeping them on track with all of their to-dos for their portfolio or other things within the firm. I've seen a little less in the VC context of people, VC firms deploying chiefs of staff into the portfolio companies. I see that a bit more in pe,

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

I'll say, I think like generally. It's likely better for, um, companies like for portfolio companies to hire their own chief of staff if that's something that they need.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yep.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

I think it can be tough to like. Come in and, and deploy somebody in to do like a certain project or something like that and not be like completely hands-on and involved in everything. I think that's where a chief of staff really adds value and impact. Um, and they'd likely be better served by like that, that founder, knowing exactly what they need as a chief of staff and, and bringing that person in

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah. Do you see a lot of founders have a chief of staff by the time they get to you?

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

So it depends. We invest seed in seed rounds and series A rounds. And so seed is and and is pretty early. And so sometimes we're, and even we do some kind of pre-seed, even though we

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Hmm.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

it seed, but we still invest, we invest in some companies that are like pre-product, pre-revenue, you know, like

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

A dream. It's an idea. Yeah.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

And so sometimes that's like they just, it's the founder and they haven't hired anybody yet at this series A stage, which is like they've raised Capital one or two rounds of cap of capital before and they, they have a team that's, yes, I'm seeing a lot of chief of staffs like at that stage and then chief of staff, some being a higher, at that like. Kind of initial funding round stage, but it depends on the type of company. If it's a really highly technical company, they're often maybe bringing on engineering talent, or other kind of folks like that. But chief of Staff is like a very popular role right now, even at the seed early stage.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

For sure. Okay. I'm seeing that too. And then you had mentioned the scenario where maybe a partner, like a healthcare. Um, vertical or division has a chief of staff. And then can you say more about like, what they would be doing? Are they, um, like let's say healthcare is a main, uh, is a main industry or as a main kind of focus for the VC firm? Is that why that partner would have a chief of staff?

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

Yeah, exactly. So like. So, for example, at a VC Kimmy was one of the like founding, you know, co-founders, founding partners. She was not the GP of that firm. That's,

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Um.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

um, Joe Lonsdale, she had a chief of staff, she, for her investment practice, which was healthcare and consumer. Um, and really it's like a deal associate, like somebody sitting on all calls with you, digging in really intensely into diligence and really just being a direct resource because you have like a certain level of. Steal like velocity and things you're looking at that having somebody that's completely in tune with, with everything that like you're working on and and diligence and how you're thinking about the world is really helpful, especially if they have a complementary skillset. So say you like need someone that's quite like quantitative because you're spending a lot more time on the relationship side,

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

like allow you to that, uh, partner to like multiply their impact by having, having this person in lockstep with them,

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

And I'm more familiar with like the PE deal teams, where they would always have an associate who was like the analyst and like the quant guy, and then they would have like the managing director and so forth for the more so the relationships. But VCs typically have. Like 10 x the number of porticos. So you're like, the amount of companies that you're working with is just massive. Uh, and so I'm only, I'm trying to imagine what it would be like to be a chief of staff with like 200 plus in some cases for some VC um, firms. Like how you even manage that. Uh, and I guess it's just altitude of involvement for each portco, but that's a whole different animal when it's 200 in VC land in some cases versus. 10, 12 in a fund in PE world, so.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

Totally.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Wow. Okay. Okay.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

it depends again, also like on like how the firm itself gets involved with companies. Like do they take board seats? Are

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Right.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

know, real, what kind of like. How do they interact with the company too? and that will define it on top of like just like number of companies as well, and also like different life cycles. You might have 200 the portfolio, but maybe some of them are, you know, like stage have exit, you

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

are like on their way to exit and you're working really closely to help help them with that. Or, you know, companies need different things at different times, I guess

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah, for sure. So if, if someone's listening and saying, oh, okay, I'm interested in potentially being a chief of staff at a VC firm. It's. There's some similarities to being a chief of staff for one individual organization, and then there's some big differences. What would you say in your experience that people would need to be aware of, like, this is a difference. Like you, you will still have a principal, you'll still be, you know, seeing across the board and connecting dots and building relationships. But like, this is pretty unique to, to VC world.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

That's a good question. I would say like one compared to like an an operating company, like, um. It's, you just have different, like kpi, like it's kind of a different language. One, like if

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

from like me coming from fashion, you know, for us it was like all about like the customer and like average order value and how much time are they spending on the site and what's a conversion and store traffic and all these things. And for vc it's a whole different set of KPIs and, and terminology and, and all of that, which is different. Um, and also you don't necessarily, you know, there's not like a direct you, you're not like selling a product to a customer

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Right.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

of like managing this dual relationship between portfolio companies and, and LPs. Um, and in some ways LPs are, are really your. Customer.'cause you know, if, if they're not giving you any money, then you no longer have a fund. Um, but I would say that's, that's a pretty, that's a pretty big difference. And then two, the investment work is obviously different. It's project based. You're real, like you're digging in on something maybe really intensely for a week or two, and then you're moving on, you know, to the next thing versus. Um, you know, I'm working on this like rollout across the company that's taking months and months of time, I would say is, is also quite different. Um, I feel like there's other things that comes to mind

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah, those, no, those were helpful. Do you think that there's, um, more of a financial emphasis, like you have to at least have a working knowledge of kind of p and ls or budgets or forecasting or things like that? Or is it like, eh, like it doesn't hurt, but there's certain chiefs of staff in VC firms who deal nothing with that side of the business.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

I am sure that there are like definitely roles in venture where the chief of staff is more of like the pure like. I do the HR kind of oversight. I'm doing like working, you know, managing like LP communications and, and relationships and like internal employee experience and things like that, which that skillset like, you know, you don't need as much of that, like modeling and, you know, p and l skillset.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

Um, and then I think then there's the other end of the spectrum, which is like they really want you to actually be an investor, you know, kind of alongside them. I, I didn't actually have, like, I didn't come from baking or pea or anything like that, and, and I came from like, you know. Understanding and building out p and ls and managing p ls in a business context. So what I will say is like even if you are like, oh, I haven't, you know, been an investor before or I haven't like done that specific workflow, if you've been an operator and you've like interacted with or built a p and l or you know, done that kind of work within a company, you have the skillset to be able to figure it out. You don't need to have like, you know, years and years of. Certain banking or whatever experience, and so I don't want that to like hinder people either.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah, yeah, for sure. I, I didn't know anything. I knew I operated teams and ran teams and did basic stuff like that. But for my experience with, um, growth equity, usually on the PE side, like their language is, are like spreadsheets in some cases. Like you have to speak finance in order to like get through to them or to ask for budget or to get different approval for things. And so that really. Um, as any chief of staff does, you learn on the fly and you figure it out and like, oh, okay, if you want this, then I'm gonna tee it up for you in, in your language. Um, so I was just curious if that was similar in the VC world. Oh, I'm also interested, so. For me, for chief of staff, I had the whole like, internal side of things. And then there was the external, um, you know, strategic partners, strategic, um, vendors, kind of the media and press and things like this. And I'm wondering is, is there that split for you and like, what does that external piece look like for you? And, or maybe more so Kimmy

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

Yeah, so kind of in terms of like partnerships and things like that. Definitely. It's also just like a lot of ecosystem relationships,

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

other firms that we have great relationships with operators in the ecosystem. For deal flow, you know, that we have relationships with. So there's a lot. Relationship mapping in VC is so important and you spend a lot of time doing that, honestly, no matter what role you're in, because it's so relationship based. So I would say like that is definitely a huge part of just like VC in general, it's been a huge part of this role. when it comes to things like partnerships, that's something that sits with, with me and, and you know, with Kimmy, um, and for us. That's been to date, like less of a focus, right? Because we've been focused on the fundraise and, and the launch and everything like that. And it will become kind of more of a focus as time goes on. But where we've kind of had partnerships is, you know, more so also like with student organizations, um, on college campuses where Kimmy can go and speak. But what that also does is it gives us access to a great group of like emerging entrepreneurs. Um, that we can create relationships with, that we can help get into vc, um, you know, or place in a job. And so there's a lot of work that we do around that. Um, and then also a lot of events. We've done a number of events, um, either with other firms or with companies for operators and founders and investors and things like that. And then on the PR side, firms take different approaches. decided to be, this is really driven by Kimmy this strategy. Um, which I think is really smart. We've decided to kind of a backseat and not have a massive, like push. Um. That's not like a huge focus for us yet. We're kind of, we're gonna like have our website like launch officially in our LinkedIn, but we're not gonna do a massive push behind that, um, because we're like still young and building. And that's not to say that we won't in the future. Um, but that's kind of how we wanna approach things from the start, um, is to be a little bit more kind of like heads down and, and incognito. But when we do get there, that's definitely something that. I'll be very involved in, but that Kimmy will direct the strategy of.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Gotcha. And if you're talking to, um, maybe an aspiring chief of staff or current chief of staff, but looking specifically to get into vc, what kind of advice or just kind of lessons learned or things that you would want someone to know going into that? I.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

So you don't have operating experience, get it. Like it, it will make you better for your part, your like GP to your portfolio companies to the like firm as a whole. Um. Again, like a lot of firms have to operate without, you know, a lot of operational support internally. And so having that experience and being able to provide some of that I think could be actually a big differentiator, um, for vc. And so also it'll make you a better investor. It'll make you actually have like great impact, um, with your portfolio. So I'd say that, and then I'd say like, spend a lot of time like. One, talking to a lot of people. Like I probably had hundreds of of people that I talked to, you know, alongside Kimia as I was deciding kind of what was next. Um, it's it kind that's like kind of how you get there in vc because there's not always, it's a little bit occlusive, like jobs aren't always posted. It could sometimes be challenging to know where to start. Things usually happen through people and they're usually the key. And so even if you're like, Ugh, I don't wanna go get another coffee, like, go get that coffee'cause you never know. Um, and then I'd say like really starting to zero in on like kind of what kind of fund would you also wanna work for. You know, as you go through that conversation, that process of having all those conversations, like do you wanna work for a solo GP where there's really like one person in charge? Do you want it to be an early platform? you know, you have more ability to grow because there's, it's less top heavy. Do you wanna go to a really established firm, um, because you wanna like, learn, you know, kind of from the best of the best or you like that more, you like a more hierarchical and less flat environment? Um, do you wanna be really early stage, later stage? You know, what areas excite you? Um, it's just like a company like. If you are working at a company where you're not passionate about the thing that you're selling, it is quite hard to work hard for that company.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

similarly, I think that transcends to VC too, where if, if I wasn't interested in, in healthcare and consumer companies, it'd be really hard to talk to these founders all the time and, and to underwrite businesses. So that's important too. Um, and then, yeah, I think just like knowing your own strengths, you know, are you. Are you that operator? Are you an extremely, like, are you a Do you have a great like ability to network? Are you really strong with numbers? And then like, find that firm that's looking for that to, to match their needs.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

So I think just to recap what you said, like there's so many different kinds of VC firms out there, and there's like boutique firms that specialize in one super niche area, and then there's ones that are more broad. There's different stages, like you said. Um, if like the, the board seat makeup is important to you, some people have like policies around how they do that with all of their, so kind of filter and pick the ones that you wanna go in that direction. And then I love your advice of like, what are you good at? What are you naturally good at? What are you the go-to person for other people for, and like, what lights you up and makes you excited to go work on something? And if you kind of do the Venn diagram for those two things, whatever's in the middle is probably a good direction for you to explore. So I, I love that advice. Um, if you are talking to a GP or a principal who has a chief of staff in a VC firm, and it's like some of these decisions are. Really high level, they're impactful. It's high pressure moving fast. What would you say in terms of advice for managing a chief of staff?

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

I think like just build trust early. Prioritize that. I think that the chief of staff role may work like the, the chief of staff is fully in the loop and they're empowered to act give them the context. Don't just give tasks. There's a lot going on. I know, like it's, it's a very hectic, busy environment, but context really matters. and it's gonna make them better. Um, and then I'd also say like, investing in their growth, know. Student staff roles can burn people out if you're, if you're not careful. And I also think generally too, staff tend to be kind of like people pleasing. We wanna help. It's a service oriented role. Right. And, and sometimes a little bit of perfectionist, um. So it can be really challenging. You're working a lot and you always have to be on, and you're involved in really high impact things. So if your manager, you know, comes to you and is also like investing in you, um, thinking about helping think about where you're headed next and not just like, what can this person do for me today? I think that goes a really long way too.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Context, it can take an extra 30 to 90 seconds, but that time could save you so much in both like production time and like effectiveness, quality, just back and forth. So I love the fact that you mentioned context. And then is there anything that you and Kimmy do just to kind of make sure that you're, I. In open communication and you're singing off the same sheet of music. I mean, I remember with my principal, CEO and our COO, when we would get stressed, we'd be like, let's just go out and play some Topgolf. And we would go out in the evening, just go like, play some fun, like silly, stupid Topgolf, eat really bad nachos and you know, drinks and just kind of spend time together doing something that we're all pretty bad at, but have fun doing. So I'm just wondering, is there anything like that with you and Kimmy.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

Gosh. Yeah, I mean, like, probably talked to her more than anyone else for like constantly communication and, and I think that's just the nature of the role. Um, but I would say like, yes, doing those things that are, you know, a little bit more personal, go a long way. Like for us that's a lot of times like. Talking about like the next, uh, like clothing drop at Hill House, like what's coming out and what are you gonna buy and what am I gonna buy? And we're both interested in fashion. So like, oh, did you see this new collection that came out? And kind of like taking 10 minutes and doing that. Um, you know, versus banging our heads against the wall about something else. Um, or going on a walk, going to grab lunch, like getting time kind of out of, out of the office together too. Um, but I find that like. the relationship building at the front where you have that trust and you're able to. Feel comfortable like communicating, kind of getting what you need in any moment can also alleviate, you know, some of that. And so, like for example, I feel very comfortable if, even if it's like 8:00 PM but if I really need an answer on something, just calling Kimmy and being like, Hey, sorry, five minutes, like need, need this answer. And she gets that and is open to that. But I think it's hard to do that unless you. First build up the relationship and the trust and empower the person to do that. And she empowered me to do that, like from the beginning.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah,

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

so I think that's important too.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

it is the, the upfront work is so important'cause it sets the foundation and then it's like, I know that it's important if Remy is calling me at 8:00 PM at night, it's not just like I'm ringing my bell for no reason.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

you.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Yeah. Beautiful. Remy, as we wrap up here, is there anything else, uh, across all the things we've talked about, vc, chief of Staff, fashion Neon that you would want people to know?

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

No, just that I think, um, I think the chief of staff role is really special. I think like if you're curious and if it seems exciting to you, like. Go for it. I think it can change the trajectory of your career. Um, I think it can accelerate it. Um, and I think there's also an incredibly, like amazing group of chiefs of staff, you know, across industries. That are all like, really ready to dig in and, and talk and help. Um, especially somebody that's, that's newer to the role. Um, it's pretty awesome, like how kind and like open, most chiefs of SAP are. And so I'd also say like, don't be afraid to like reach out to that person on LinkedIn that you're curious about their career path and, and kind of talk through it or you know, something like that. Um, and I'm always open to that too.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Beautiful. And, uh, last question here. If someone is kind of like, oh, like neon, and that sounds, that kind of sounds interesting, uh, I might wanna reach out. Like, what types of people would you be excited to partner with and what types of people should reach out to you or Kimmy or Neon? I.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

Great question. I mean, definitely like anyone that's looking to break into vc. Um. Or like kind of career, like make a career shift, even if it's not right into vc. Both Kimmy and I spend time each week, like individually meeting with people, making career changes, and, and helping make intros and think about what's next because both people have both, like people have both, uh, taken checks on both of us rather. And so we like to do that and kind of be thoughtful that way. So I'd say that generally, I'd say definitely a. Consumer early stage, like consumer healthcare founders, um, would love to meet folks that in, in those realms. And then also, you know, we spend a lot of time on this, uh, like a side fund called Neon Pink, which is, um, we built to kind of close the confidence gap and, and educate women on. VC investing, get more women on cap tables. And so we do like quarterly kind of education uh, like round tables around like VC memos, like 1 0 1 language, what's a, like, safe document, things like that. So anyone that's interested in like learning more about angel investing or VC in general, always happy to, to chat with them too.

emily-sander_1_05-08-2025_130216:

Be. Fantastic. I love that name too. So we'll have all of that information in the show notes. But Remy, this has been fantastic, so thank you so much for being on.

remi-guarini_1_05-08-2025_160215:

Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.