Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape.
Today I’m thrilled to bring you my conversation with Alexis Ohanian, founder of stage-agnostic firm Seven Seven Six, which was founded in 2020 and has over $750MM in AUM today. Many know Alexis from his experience as co-founding both Reddit and later Initialized Capital.
There are so many interesting components of the firm’s model, including their Cerebro platform, which is the in-house technology they use to drive values to founders and limited partners. They are also exploring the intersection of VC and social media, launching their Titan Program to help those with strong platforms become investors.
Alexis and Seven Seven Six have also been at the forefront of investing in underrepresented entrepreneurs and communities with their Seven Seven Six Foundation and other initiatives.
About Alexis Ohanian:
Alexis is an investor and founder. He has invested in ten decacorns and 25 unicorns, including Coinbase, Gusto, Hubspot, Patreon, and Deel. He was a member of the initial cohort at YC with his startup Reddit, and he co-founded Initialized Capital with Garry Tan. He’s the founder of the Seven Seven Six Foundation and is a proud father.
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In this episode we discuss:
03:36 Why Alexis still lists being a waiter at Pizza Hut on his LinkedIn
07:52 Why being customer-focused and EQ is so important in business
09:28 Lessons Alexis has learned as a VC and why he decided to start Seven Seven Six
16:52 How technology works as an edge to Seven Seven Six’s investing
26:13 What founders really want from VC’s today, and why the venture landscape has complete shifted
30:42 What the early focus has been at Seven Seven Six
33:52 Their focus on being intentional on the type of LPs they admit
40:47 How Seven Seven Six’s Titan Program is an alternative to scouts, and represents the new era of investing
48:41 The power of ownership and investors having a voice and following on Social Media
51:35 The best advice he’s ever received in his career
I’d love to know what you took away from this conversation with Alexis. Follow me @SamirKaji and give me your insights and questions with the hashtag #ventureunlocked. If you’d like to be considered as a guest or have someone you’d like to hear from (GP or LP), drop me a direct message on Twitter.
776's Alexis Ohanian on the new era of VC, using technology in a firm, and things he's most excited about today.