Disclosure certainty 4/5 debate potential 1/5

McClure invested $25,000 into Mint.com's Series A round

Dave McClure · 20VC: 500 Startups' Dave McClure on Whether Unicorns Are Necessary For Venture Returns & Why Ownership Is Not The Math To Think About When Investing · Aug 15, 2016 · at 5:22

Dave McClure, founder of 500 Startups, recalls his early angel investment in Mint.com.

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“Mint.com, I guess, was probably a little bit competitive Certainly by the time the A round happened, I put about 25 K into the A round, but I'd already been, you know, helping the company here and there a little bit.”

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