Founders Are Made, Not Born. You Can Learn the Craft

Chris McKelvy, founder of K. Ventures and military veteran, recounts his journey from the military to tech companies like Oculus VR and Meta, culminating in establishing his own venture capital firm. Chris talks about his early involvement in JFK family's non-profit initiatives and getting inspired to start K. Ventures, focusing on the disabilities community. Chris also shares useful tips for founders on preparing for meetings with VC and encourages VCs to address societal challenges.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

[1:45] Transferring military leadership skills to tech and investing for social impact

[4:14] K. Ventures takes a unique approach to disabilities by investing seed capital in startups serving this community.

[6:22] Startup opportunities: The disabilities community is the largest underrepresented group in the world.

[9:23] It takes a lot of mentorship and support to learn the craft of being an entrepreneur.

[16:27] Feel comfortable in the way that you want to talk about your business and yourself.

[19:18] VCs are guided by their belief in the founding team's ability to lead and create something groundbreaking.

[22:35] More investors need to really think about the hard societal problems

The non-profit organizations that Chris is passionate about: Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation, iMentor

About Chris McKelvy

Chris McKelvy is the founder and managing partner at K. Ventures. He has a diverse background spanning tech, business, non-profits, and the military. Notably, he led Oculus VR's partnerships & e-sports division, instrumental in its $2B acquisition by Facebook. Chris orchestrated multimillion-dollar partnerships with tech giants like NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, Unreal, and Ubisoft. A combat veteran with the 101st Airborne Division and graduate of Army Ranger school, he holds degrees from Harvard and Syracuse. Additionally, he served proudly as Vice Chairman of the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation for over eight years.

About K. Ventures

K. Ventures is a Massachusetts-based venture capital firm with a mission to catalyze the next generation of disability care. The firm invests in early-stage technology companies serving those with intellectual, developmental and learning disabilities. This includes down syndrome, autism, ADHD and dyslexia as well as other overlooked conditions. Portfolio companies include Juno, Juniper, Mightier, Finni Health, and NeuroNav.

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