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Elizabeth Yin

Co-Founder and General Partner, Hustle Fund · 1 appearance on the record.

computed by AI from the episodes · how this works → · full disclaimer →

investorfounderoperator@dunkhippo33 ↗LinkedIn ↗elizabethyin.com ↗

Elizabeth Yin co-founded Hustle Fund, a pre-seed venture capital firm backing early-stage software companies such as Webflow and NerdWallet. She previously co-founded the adtech platform LaunchBit and served as a partner at 500 Startups.

18statements → 6claims → 2claims resolved → 3.78/5average certainty → 2.44/5average debate potential → ≈4.5/5argument clarity, estimated → 6said about them ↓

2 supported 0 partly supported 0 contradicted 1 not yet assessed 3 not checkable as stated how the 6 claims stand · each chip opens the sources

4 predictions · 2 assertions · 2 opinions · 3 insights · 7 disclosures · every statement was checked. The predictions and assertions are the 6 claims: statements the public record can support or contradict. 2 are resolved, 1 is not yet assessed, and 3 name no date, number or outcome precise enough to check. Everything else (opinions, insights, what ifs, disclosures) can never be settled by the record, so it carries no assessment.

The record, in short

What the tape says about how Elizabeth argues and how the claims held up. Everything they said, and everything said about them, is in the tabs below.

Their most notable supported claim

Prediction Held up
Startup fundraising will shift to crypto tokens within 10 years
“I actually think in 10 years, some of the craziness will level out. And maybe it's not on Bitcoin, but maybe it's on another token or so, that you will see fundraisers done differently in 10 years.”
Elizabeth Yin Nov 15, 2017 ▶ 21:40 20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Scouting Model & Why SAFE's and Convertible Notes Are The Future Of Investing with Elizabeth Yin, Founder & General Partner @ Hustle Fund

Expressed certainty vs assessment result

none yet certainty 1
none yet certainty 2
100% certainty 3
100% certainty 4
none yet certainty 5

weighted support: a fully supported claim counts one, a partly supported claim counts half. Each filled bar is clickable and opens exactly those claims; "none yet" means nothing said at that certainty level has resolved yet

How they sound: speaking style how? →

228 words/min while actually speaking · 1.4 um and uh per 1k words

No argument clarity score for Elizabeth Yin: no usable question→answer exchanges on raw tape (a fair score needs 8+). We do not score a sample that small. Roundtable and news formats yield far fewer direct exchanges than interviews. Their coarse estimate from 17 exchanges on the produced feed is ≈4.5/5, shown at half point precision because the sample is small and produced tape scores higher.

Measured by listening to 3,675 words across 1 episode, but every recording we have of Elizabeth Yin is the aired feed, and an editor cleaned that audio before release. Some of the hesitation was cut before we ever heard it, so read these as floors: the true rates are at least this high. These are measurements of speaking style, not scores. How it's measured →

How the interview went all their pushback → series average →

Across 1 rated episode:

host pushback ▾ 6/10
pushed back at the host ▾ 3/10
setup questions received 40%

Everything Elizabeth Yin said on 20VC that made the record, most notable first. Filter by type, assessment or year in the ledger →

Prediction Held up
Startup fundraising will shift to crypto tokens within 10 years
“I actually think in 10 years, some of the craziness will level out. And maybe it's not on Bitcoin, but maybe it's on another token or so, that you will see fundraisers done differently in 10 years.”
Elizabeth Yin Nov 15, 2017 ▶ 21:40 20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Scouting Model & Why SAFE's and Convertible Notes Are The Future Of Investing with Elizabeth Yin, Founder & General Partner @ Hustle Fund
Opinion
VCs assess founders on pitch skill and pedigree, not execution
“And very often VCs assess people based on those meetings, just basically by how well you talk. And also based on your resume, especially at the early stage, when you don't have a whole lot to show, Do you have pedigree or do you not have pedigree? VCs don't ac…”
Elizabeth Yin Nov 15, 2017 ▶ 4:15 20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Scouting Model & Why SAFE's and Convertible Notes Are The Future Of Investing with Elizabeth Yin, Founder & General Partner @ Hustle Fund
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Hustle Fund decides on initial $25k checks after one conversation
“Then we'll be really fast to write a first check, a 25 K check. I think that since I'm a GP of hustle fund, we have to move fast ourselves. So within a conversation, pretty much like unless there's something jarring where we absolutely need a second conversati…”
Elizabeth Yin Nov 15, 2017 ▶ 8:32 20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Scouting Model & Why SAFE's and Convertible Notes Are The Future Of Investing with Elizabeth Yin, Founder & General Partner @ Hustle Fund
Assertion Supported
Venture capital has failed to tap underrepresented minority founders
“Arlen Hamilton is going after underrepresented minorities and doing a lot of outreach around communities there. I think that's really innovative. No one has really tapped those communities.”
Elizabeth Yin Nov 15, 2017 ▶ 11:56 20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Scouting Model & Why SAFE's and Convertible Notes Are The Future Of Investing with Elizabeth Yin, Founder & General Partner @ Hustle Fund
Disclosure
Hustle Fund bases follow-on checks on speed, not absolute traction
“And really what we're looking for, if we decide to write a follow on check, that criteria in part is based on the speed at which that priority metric is moving. It's not so much about where that number stands today.”
Elizabeth Yin Nov 15, 2017 ▶ 15:05 20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Scouting Model & Why SAFE's and Convertible Notes Are The Future Of Investing with Elizabeth Yin, Founder & General Partner @ Hustle Fund
Prediction Not checkable as stated
SAFEs and convertible notes are the new wave of investing
“I like them a lot. I think actually this is the new wave of investing.”
Elizabeth Yin Nov 15, 2017 ▶ 22:50 20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Scouting Model & Why SAFE's and Convertible Notes Are The Future Of Investing with Elizabeth Yin, Founder & General Partner @ Hustle Fund
Opinion
VCs exhibit very little innovation in founder scouting
“I think, to be honest, there hasn't been a lot of innovation on scouting amongst VCs.”
Elizabeth Yin Nov 15, 2017 ▶ 10:34 20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Scouting Model & Why SAFE's and Convertible Notes Are The Future Of Investing with Elizabeth Yin, Founder & General Partner @ Hustle Fund
Disclosure
Hustle Fund does not look for product-market fit when investing
“And I think, frankly, like, it's post-seed or Series A investors who are most concerned with that. We are not looking for product market fit.”
Elizabeth Yin Nov 15, 2017 ▶ 14:41 20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Scouting Model & Why SAFE's and Convertible Notes Are The Future Of Investing with Elizabeth Yin, Founder & General Partner @ Hustle Fund
Disclosure
Strong executing teams at 500 Startups were often weak pitchers
“At least at 500 startups, I've seen so many teams execute while they were in the accelerator program, and very often they were not necessarily the best at pitching.”
Elizabeth Yin Nov 15, 2017 ▶ 4:29 20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Scouting Model & Why SAFE's and Convertible Notes Are The Future Of Investing with Elizabeth Yin, Founder & General Partner @ Hustle Fund
Insight
The best startups execute rapidly on their single core metric
“This is something that we noticed, Eric, my business partner, and I noticed in many of the portfolio companies we worked with at 500 startups and in our own angel portfolios, the best ones are the ones that execute on that one metric that matters very fast.”
Elizabeth Yin Nov 15, 2017 ▶ 5:07 20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Scouting Model & Why SAFE's and Convertible Notes Are The Future Of Investing with Elizabeth Yin, Founder & General Partner @ Hustle Fund
Disclosure
Hustle Fund targets execution speed over founder pedigree
“At Hustle, our model is to go after teams that are moving really quickly. This may or may not include teams that have Strong pedigree. Certainly it encompasses some of those teams, but it also encompasses a lot of teams that don't.”
Elizabeth Yin Nov 15, 2017 ▶ 10:45 20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Scouting Model & Why SAFE's and Convertible Notes Are The Future Of Investing with Elizabeth Yin, Founder & General Partner @ Hustle Fund
Insight
Co-founder drama and morale issues are top startup failure reasons
“One of the top reasons why found founding teams fall apart actually has nothing to do with speed. Although speed is a by-product is just, you know, co-founder drama and co-founder breaks, breakups and co-founder issues like that, you know, morale around team, …”
Elizabeth Yin Nov 15, 2017 ▶ 16:33 20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Scouting Model & Why SAFE's and Convertible Notes Are The Future Of Investing with Elizabeth Yin, Founder & General Partner @ Hustle Fund
Disclosure
Hustle Fund explicitly excludes pure consumer apps from its portfolio
“So I think first off, to be clear, we, there are certain areas that we are not investing in. So we don't invest in pure consumer apps. So we would have missed out on a Twitter and Instagram, Snapchat, et cetera, anyway.”
Elizabeth Yin Nov 15, 2017 ▶ 17:34 20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Scouting Model & Why SAFE's and Convertible Notes Are The Future Of Investing with Elizabeth Yin, Founder & General Partner @ Hustle Fund
Disclosure
Hustle Fund writes high check volumes to hedge bets and gather data
“This is why we are writing a lot of checks, essentially to hedge bets, essentially to gather information across lots of different companies.”
Elizabeth Yin Nov 15, 2017 ▶ 20:21 20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Scouting Model & Why SAFE's and Convertible Notes Are The Future Of Investing with Elizabeth Yin, Founder & General Partner @ Hustle Fund
Prediction Open · timeframe Nov 2027
Hustle Fund will not scale to a $300M fund size
“I don't actually think that that would be the strategy for us.”
Elizabeth Yin Nov 15, 2017 ▶ 21:29 20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Scouting Model & Why SAFE's and Convertible Notes Are The Future Of Investing with Elizabeth Yin, Founder & General Partner @ Hustle Fund
Insight
The best time to pitch VCs is right after fund close
“It's when they've just closed their fund.”
Elizabeth Yin Nov 15, 2017 ▶ 22:11 20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Scouting Model & Why SAFE's and Convertible Notes Are The Future Of Investing with Elizabeth Yin, Founder & General Partner @ Hustle Fund
Assertion Not checkable as stated
500 Startups shifted toward investing in higher-traction companies
“And that was actually an unusual bet for 500 startups because 500 startups has been investing in companies with more and more traction.”
Elizabeth Yin Nov 15, 2017 ▶ 23:41 20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Scouting Model & Why SAFE's and Convertible Notes Are The Future Of Investing with Elizabeth Yin, Founder & General Partner @ Hustle Fund
Disclosure
Hustle Fund uses standard YC SAFEs with pro-rata side letters
“We're investing essentially on, it's a standard YC safe, and you know, we have a side letter with a couple of terms that we want around prorata and information rights.”
Elizabeth Yin Nov 15, 2017 ▶ 10:02 20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Scouting Model & Why SAFE's and Convertible Notes Are The Future Of Investing with Elizabeth Yin, Founder & General Partner @ Hustle Fund

The other half of the tape: Elizabeth Yin's own voice is left out of every number here. Other people bring the name up 5 times in 4 episodes on 20VC. 1 statement on the record names them. every mention, with the transcript →

Who brings them up most Harry Stebbings 3Mac the VC 2

Statements about Elizabeth Yin, by other people (1)

Assertion Not checkable as stated
Elizabeth Yin reviewed over 20,000 startup decks at 500 Startups
“Prior to Hustle Fund, Elizabeth was a partner at 500 Startups, where she ran the 500 Startup Seed program in Mountain View, and where her and her partner saw over 20,000 startup decks.”
Harry Stebbings Nov 15, 2017 ▶ 0:28 20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Scouting Model & Why SAFE's and Convertible Notes Are The Future Of Investing with Elizabeth Yin, Founder & General Partner @ Hustle Fund

Every mention by year

tap a year for its mentions
002243201720182019202020212022episodesmentions
023201720182019202020212022episodes it came up in
000.81.51.53201720182019202020212022episodesmentions per episode
2022 4 mentions in 3 episodes 1 per episode
2017 1 mention in 1 episode

Appearances (1)

EpisodeDateSpeaking time
20VC: Why VCs Fundamentally Assess Founders The Wrong Way, Why VC Needs To Innovate On The Nov 15, 2017 17m
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