Neal bloom general partner at rising tide partners at tech con southwest

Описание: Great to sit down with Neal Bloom🎩 general partner at Rising Tide Partners at TechCon Global in Austin.

We talked about he use of AI and automation, People are using automation to save time, which they are then using to be "more human" by taking more lunches and attending more events and conferences. This also leads to expecting more curation, meaning people are going to the right events rather than just many events.

The fund is based in San Diego, and its investment thesis is "all about people". They look for great founders, especially those they have known for a long time, which helps with underwriting.

Rising Tide Partners' Investment Approach The fund is made up of a group of founders who were previously backed by Bloom and have now joined him; they also continue to back them again. They consider themselves active investors, offering operator strengths and mentoring. The fund seeks to prove that their check is their "least valuable asset". A "flywheel" is created when founders who have had an exit become an LP, and then start new companies that the fund is ready to finance.

Investment Focus The fund invests in pretty much everything except deep bio, which is ironic since San Diego is known for that. They are strong in software and hardware. While based in San Diego, they are not San Diego-only investors. Bloom travels frequently to find and help great founders wherever they are.

The Ethos of TechCon and Geographic Investing The video highlights TechCon's goal of democratizing access to capital and entrepreneurism, based on the idea that innovation doesn't have to be limited to Silicon Valley. COVID-19 helped "flatten the world," allowing people to move where they want to live rather than being tied to traditional tech hubs. Bloom notes that people and networks have scattered, leading to "networks colliding," which he sees as a positive development.

Media and Podcasting for Investors The video discusses the trend of funds and VCs building media properties to deploy influence and reach alongside capital. Neal Bloom runs the Tacos and Tech podcast, which was started to amplify the stories of the many technical people in San Diego who are "anti-talk" and forget to tell people what they are building. The podcast has become a way to meet and track amazing people, and Bloom has funded a few people he first met on the show because it facilitates a relationship build that is "non-pitch performative".

The The Tacos and Tech Podcast - The show includes a question about the interviewee's favorite taco spot. The podcast has expanded from being San Diego-heavy to telling human stories that don't have to be geo-specific, such as a coffee shop founder in Las Vegas. The show now releases about three episodes a week, including interviews, a segment called This Week in San Diego Tech, and a series called AI Builders Roundtable.

Contact Information Neal Bloom can be found at https://lnkd.in/gQnitiG8

Thanks Strike Social for sending me