My guest today is Elizabeth Edwards, the founder and Managing Partner of H Venture Partners. H Ventures invests in brands that are disrupting billion-dollar categories and changing the way we live our lives. She was an early investor in Peloton , Roots, Freshly to name a few. Previously, Elizabeth was a partner with Maywic Select Investments and West Ventures. We discuss what makes a brand compelling, the mystery of corporate venture capital, and how to increase diversity in the venture and startup ecosystems.
A couple books that inspired Elizabeth are Pretty Good Advice by Leslie Blodgett and Principles by Ray Dalio.
Highly recommend following her on Twitter @eedwards. You can also follow your host, Mike, on Twitter @mikegelb.
Here are a few questions I ask Elizabeth -
- Let’s start at the beginning. What attracted you to consumer brands?
- How did H Ventures come together?
- Alot of VCs talk about the added value that they provide entrepreneurs. At the early stages, what is the biggest added value that an investment partner can bring?
- Corporate venture capital is sometimes viewed as a dirty word as strategic partners might not be as focused or add as much value. How do you think about the landscape when it comes to corporate venture capital?
- Walk me through your due diligence process.
- Has it been hard finding conviction amongst founders during COVID since you have to meet with them remotely?
- Alot of investors seem to be looking for paths to profitability when they analyze opportunities. How do you think about the balance between growth vs. profitability?
- You’re the first investor that’s out of Cincinnati that I’ve interviewed. Do you have any advice for companies that might be located in secondary or tertiary markets?
- What’s one thing that you would change when it came to venture capital?
- What’s one company that is on your antiportfolio and why did you end up passing?
- What’s your most recent investment?
- What’s one piece of advice that you have for founders?