Sramana Mitra: The narrative in the media is how much money have you raised. The maximum focus is on the people raising the most money. That is a flawed way of evaluating companies. There are a lot of innovations that are done in a capital-efficient way. As such, they have a lot more options. The
Sramana Mitra: Let’s do some case studies of companies that you’ve invested in that you’re passionate about everything. As you talk through them, talk about what they’re doing. Also, talk about at what stage and in what condition you encountered this company. What was it about that situation that made you write your check? Julie
Julie Lein: What we want to see is execution. You may not have a full-fledged product yet. You may not have everything figured out, but you’re doing things to attract attention. You’re doing things to move the customer feedback forward. That’s what we get impressed about at pre-seed. The definition has changed. It’s typically that
Julie Lein, Managing Partner at Urban Innovation Fund, discusses pre-seed and seed funding in companies focused on the betterment of cities. Sramana Mitra: Let’s get you and Urban Innovation Fund introduced to our audience. Julie Lein: I’m the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of the Urban Innovation Fund. We are a venture capital firm that invests
Julie Lein, Managing Partner at Urban Innovation Fund, discusses pre-seed and seed funding in companies focused on the betterment of cities.