Founder Support Builds VC

Ryan Breslow shares his perspective on building a strong reputation in venture capital through prioritizing founder relationships and support. His approach emphasizes genuine care for founders over traditional VC relationship building.

• Building Trust with Founders:

  • Treat founders exceptionally well, and they'll refer other founders
  • Be someone founders can call about anything
  • Create an environment where founders don't have to mince words
  • Maintain complete trustworthiness and support

• Maintaining Long-term Success:

  • Many firms start with good founder treatment but develop ego over time
  • The key is maintaining the founder-first ethos consistently
  • Firms that maintain this approach will become next-generation leaders

• Personal Investment Approach:

  • Helps hundreds of companies raise money
  • Has facilitated hundreds of millions in fundraising
  • Takes minimal compensation (usually less than 0.5% in advisor shares)
  • Sometimes helps for free if he likes the founder

• Scaling Challenges:

  • Must be selective with companies to maintain quality
  • Time becomes the main limiting factor
  • Can't work with hundreds of companies per quarter
  • Need to dedicate available time to supporting the next generation

• Business Model Options:

  • Can be done as an individual
  • Could be structured as a firm
  • Multiple ways to approach the model
  • Focus on quality over quantity

The core message is that authentic founder support, maintained consistently over time, is the key to building a strong VC reputation and referral network.