Neil Sequeira (Defy) - When to invest before the Series A, the verticalization of social and the future of celebrity co-founded business

The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I Brands

Our guest today is [Neil Sequeira](https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-sequeira-76739a40/), Co-Founder & Managing Director at [Defy](https://defy.vc/). Defy backed exceptional entrepreneurs at the early stages. Some of their investments include Fable, Triller, and Boom Sports. Previously, Neil served as Managing Director of General Catayst and has been a venture capitalist for the past 20 years. I had a blast chatting with Neil about the current state of VC, celebrities cofounding consumer companies, the verticalization of social and categories he's comfortable writing the first check in. Without further ado, here's Neil.

Some of the questions I ask him:

1. What was your initial attraction into venture?

2. How did you make your way into venture capital?

3. You've had a ton of experience investing in consumer technology and consumer goods companies. How do you think about the market today? When things are tough

4. What's your approach for looking at opportunities?

5. What's your due diligence process?

6. How do you think about fund differentiation?

7. How do you approach price and ownership?

8. When I talk to investors, deals are closing really fast. Their wish is for the market to actually move slower. Have you had to alter at all your due diligence process at all to get to conviction faster?

9. What makes a good board member?

10. What does an entrepreneur really want?

11. Do the things that makes their life easier

12. What has been your biggest learning from COVID?

13. How are you seeing the world of startups and venture capital as the world begins to open up?

14. How has venture capital changed?

15. What's one thing you would change about venture capital?

1. Very diverse firm

2. People invest in people who look like them

16. What's one book that inspired you personally and one book that inspired you professionally?

17. What's the best piece of advice that you've received?

18. What's one piece of advice for founders currently building?