Luba Lesiva: Founder of palumni.vc investing in Palantir Alumni
with Luba Lesiva — Founder
Luba Lesiva, Founder of palumni.vc, joins The Startup Project to share her playbook for building a highly successful investment syndicate focused exclusively on Palantir alumni.
5 Things You'll Learn from This Episode
- Prioritize building a high-social-proof LP base first to attract top-tier founders.
- Reverse the traditional VC playbook by getting warm introductions to founders, rather than waiting for them to pitch you.
- Leverage online events like 'Ask a VC' webinars to build community and accelerate the growth flywheel.
- Maintain a strict deal review template to ensure objective analysis and avoid emotional decision-making.
- Build a long-term reputation based on trust, even if it means passing on a deal.
About the Episode
Luba Lesiva details the journey of creating palumni.vc, a syndicate investing in Palantir alumni. She discusses the tactics used to solve the classic marketplace problem of attracting both LPs and deals, emphasizing the power of social proof, community building, and reversing the VC playbook for deal flow.
Timestamps
- 0:00 — Introduction
- 0:55 — The Origin Story of palumni.vc
- 3:45 — Scaling to Over 400 LPs in a Year
- 5:30 — Solving the LP vs. Deal Problem
- 7:15 — Using Social Proof to Attract Early LPs
- 9:40 — Reversing the VC Playbook for Deal Flow
- 12:50 — Building Community with Online Events
- 16:10 — The Brand Advantage of an Alumni Syndicate
- 18:00 — How to Pick Deals and Analyze Companies
- 20:45 — Writing Honest Memos and Identifying Risks
- 23:10 — Grappling with High Startup Valuations
- 25:00 — Advice for Aspiring Solo Capitalists
- 27:45 — The Syndicate Challenge: Thesis vs. Sales
- 30:15 — Helpful Resources for Emerging Managers
About Luba Lesiva
Luba Lesiva is the Founder of palumni.vc, an investment syndicate that invests exclusively in Palantir alumni founders. Prior to this, she ran Investor Relations for Palantir and has a background in investment banking at firms like Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch.
Founder at palumni.vc
About the Host
Nataraj Sindam is the creator of The Startup Project, a podcast featuring founders, investors, and operators building the future.
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