They say that in order to judge a successful VC, you typically have to wait 5-10 years. Yet this timeframe seems to not be necessary for The Hyde Park Angels. Started by Jeff Carter merely 9 years ago, HPA has come to the forefront of Midwestern VC. I had the pleasure of speaking with Jeff in the studio last week.
“We have this fascination with failure, probably since it happens so much with startups,” Jeff acknowledged “but we should not forget that winning can teach us just as much as failing can”. This notion of learning from winning as well as failing is interesting. In the startup world we’re accustomed to failing, so we rationalize that it was necessary to learn an important lesson. Jeff argued lessons can just as easily be learned from winning.
Jeff also had some interesting thoughts on business timing. He noted that, “if we ever have another financial crisis it’s the best time to write a check, the best companies get started under stress”. This makes sense seeing as firms that are less viable will not last long in a crisis, while the more viable firms can get by. Hearing this reminded me of a quote from the French Revolution, that the best time to buy was “when there is blood running in the streets”. I am sure Jeff is not that cold, but I’m sure he would find viable startups in a time of war as well as a financial crisis.
Listen to the full show:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/angel-hyde-park-jeff-carter/id1089527000?i=1000371465798&mt=2
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