Arjun Sethi: Venture Capital, Bitcoin & China | SALT Talks #130

03/31/21 • 46 min

Arjun Sethi is the co-founder of Tribe Capital, a venture capital firm built by engineers and scientists. Arjun sits on the board of Carta, Relativity, and Bolt. As a founder and operator, he has also been an active angel investor in over 100 tech companies, including Lyft, Opendoor, Gusto, and Front.

Success is never a straight line and involves failure and unsuccessful attempts. Achieving success requires exposure to the people and community where you’re involved. Ultimately, it’s then about the arrival of an inflection point where you decide whether to push forward or stagnate. Silicon Valley offers exposure because of the vast community of like-minded individuals in close proximity. Lessons learned from previous unsuccessful start-ups can help create an even stronger team, where each member brings distilled ideas. “There was a set of folks that I would say, had shared DNA around thinking about iterating innovation and what could you build that's different around looking at technology companies.”

When considering whether to invest in start-up companies, it is important to recognize one’s own thought patterns and biases. Focusing on what is known about a company instead of a person’s background or network is important in avoiding those pitfalls. “We have a motto internally, which is, ‘how do we focus on what versus who you know?"

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To learn more about this episode, including podcast transcripts and show notes, visit salt.org/talks

Moderated by Anthony Scaramucci.

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To learn more about this episode, including podcast transcripts and show notes, visit salt.org/talks

Moderated by Anthony Scaramucci.

Previous Episode

Ric Edelman: Is Bitcoin a Mainstream Institutional Investment? | SALT Talks #129

Ric Edelman is the founder of the nation’s largest independent RIA, with 350 advisors in 170 offices nationwide, managing $230 billion for 1.2 million individuals and households. The firm is also the nation’s largest independent provider of advice to 401(k) plans, serving thousands of companies, including 150 of the Fortune 500.

Advisors are obligated to look into the future for opportunities and challenges. This now includes the emergence of crypto and digital asset, including Bitcoin. Bitcoin has been the top-performing asset class of the last 1-, 5- and 10-year period, but due to its newness, skepticism is understandable. RIA Digital Assets was set up to help advisors and consumers become more comfortable with this revolutionary technology. Ultimately, a 1% asset allocation of Bitcoin is recommended.

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To learn more about this episode, including podcast transcripts and show notes, visit salt.org/talks

Moderated by Anthony Scaramucci.

Next Episode

Lorenzo Thione: Elevating LGBTQ+ Leaders in Venture Capital | SALT Talks #131

Lorenzo Thione is the Managing Director of Gaingels and a co-founding chairman of StartOut, two of the leading groups dedicated to supporting and elevating LGBTQ+ leaders in the venture startup ecosystem.

There is a negative business impact when a gay person is uncomfortable being open about their orientation. The time and attention dedicated to that issue takes away from time building out an idea or company without fear. Gaingels and StartOut help support that movement by increasing awareness and highlighting members of the LGBTQ+ community who hold top tech positions. As Apple CEO, Tim Cook famously came out publicly, after some hesitation, in support of this mission. “He came to the realization that the value of representation is the power of giving people an idea of what's possible for them and seeing themselves reflected as a source of strength and diversity as opposed to just a reason to be called other.”

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To learn more about this episode, including podcast transcripts and show notes, visit salt.org/talks

Moderated by Anthony Scaramucci.