E184 - Taryn Pieterse, Partner, Rampersand VC

Open the Pod Bay Doors

In today’s episode, we’re thrilled to welcome Taryn Pieterse, Partner at Rampersand VC. Rampersand is a pioneering Australian venture capital firm, known for being one of the first funds in Australia and its early investment in founders with abnormal potential. With a focus on being a founder-first investor, they stay closely aligned with their portfolio companies. Currently, they are deploying their fourth fund of $50 million. Taryn and Ian discuss Rampersand's background, investment focus, fund economics, and the importance of alignment with founders.

Highlights from their conversation include:

• Rampersand's origins and investment strategy
• Their fund economics
• Rampersand’s interest in AI-driven startups
• The future of AI in both business and daily life
• How Rampersand fosters community and provides concierge services to founders
• The current exit landscape and emerging opportunities
• The differences between venture capital firms and family offices

Quickfire round.

• Book – "The Psychology of Money"
• Podcast – "Defining Gravity" by Helen Sunitz
• News source – Overnight Success Newsletter
• App – Apple watch
• Productivity tool – Robo vacuum cleaner - I have a dog and this saves me spending hours vacuuming everyday
• Tech CEO – Mark Benioff of Salesforce - a great example of start up to scale up and beyond
• TV show – "The Mole" on Netflix
• If you were asked to do a TED talk, what topic would you speak about? The art of power napping - I love power naps!

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