Authentic and Engaging VC Marketing, Transitioning from Angel Investor to Fund Manager, and Avoiding Common Failure Patterns, with Dan Kimerling of Deciens Capital

Justin Gordon (@justingordon212) talks with Dan Kimerling (@dkimerling), Founder and Managing Partner of Deciens Capital, a venture capital firm that supports early-stage founders building the next generation of enduring companies in financial services.

Deciens Capital exclusively focuses on financial technology investments with interests in payments, lending, insurance, regtech, risk management, capital markets, trade finance, personal finance, savings, marketplaces, and much more. They seek visionary founders at the earliest stage of their company's life. They support their founders with advice, expertise, relationships, and, yes, capital.

Dan Kimerling is a start-up veteran with three exits, an angel with 30+ deals, an experienced GP, LP, and CxO. He is focused on the future of Financial Services in the US and abroad. Educated at the University of Chicago, YCombinator, and Kauffman Fellows.

Website: Deciens

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dkimerling/

Twitter: @dkimerling

Show Notes:

• Deciens’ investment thesis
• How hard criteria, soft criteria, and timing must align to get a yes from Deciens
• Why leading deals is key to their thesis
• The reality of the transition from angel investing to running a fund
• The parallels between enterprise sales and raising a fund
• The challenge of how to market Deciens authentically and learning to tell their story engagingly
• Deciens’ Venture Partner role dedicated to capital partnerships and capital formation
• The importance of partnering a great product with successful sales marketing as a VC fund
• How Dan’s experience as a founder/operator has influenced how he works with founders as an investor
• Common failure patterns among VC funds
• Deciens’ investment in Sydecar
• Key traits to look for in a founder
• Deciens’ investment in Chipper Cash
• What’s next for Deciens

More about the show:

The Vitalize Podcast, a show by Vitalize Venture Capital (a seed-stage venture capital firm and pre-seed 400+ member angel community open to everyone), dives deep into the world of startup investing and the future of work.

Hosted by Justin Gordon, the Director of Marketing at Vitalize Venture Capital, The Vitalize Podcast includes two main series. 

The Angel Investing series features interviews with a variety of angel investors and VCs around the world. The goal? To help develop the next generation of amazing investors. 

The Future of Work series takes a look at the founders and investors shaping the new world of work, including insights from our team here at Vitalize Venture Capital. 

More about us:

Vitalize Venture Capital was formed in 2017 as a $16M seed-stage venture fund and now includes both a fund as well as an angel investing community investing in the future of work. Vitalize has offices in Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

The Vitalize Team:

Gale - https://twitter.com/galeforceVC
Caroline - https://twitter.com/carolinecasson_
Justin - https://twitter.com/justingordon212

Vitalize Angels, our angel investing community open to everyone:
https://vitalize.vc/vitalizeangels/