Gili Raanan, founder of cybersecurity VC firm Cyberstarts, discusses whether traditional venture capital functions as an asset class amidst sky-high startup valuations.
“The venture business as a whole doesn't work. It doesn't work. It shouldn't work. And returns distribution are not divided equally between players.”
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More from Gili Raanan
Insight
Raanan: TAM and tech differentiators are useless for seed investing
“In the early days I was looking at markets and total addressable market time and technology and differentiators. And I simply realized that all of that is bullshit. You know, it's not important at all.”
Gili RaananMar 18, 2024▶ 16:17Gili Raanan: One of the Best Seed Investor of All Time: 1 Decacon, 7 Unicorns, 4 Acquisitions| E1128 · 20VC with Harry Stebbings
Insight
Raanan targets founders who overcame severe childhood hardships like divorce and isolation
“So I'm looking for the individual who, whose parents went through ugly divorces. I'm looking for the individual who lived in a closet for a while. I'm looking for the individual who was a socially isolated child. I'm looking for people who went through real di…”
Gili RaananMar 18, 2024▶ 23:13Gili Raanan: One of the Best Seed Investor of All Time: 1 Decacon, 7 Unicorns, 4 Acquisitions| E1128 · 20VC with Harry Stebbings
PredictionNot checkable as stated
Raanan: Venture market imbalance will lead to catastrophe and wasted capital
“I think it's going to end up with some serious catastrophe for many of the players. The market is not balanced. It means that a lot of that cash that's flowing into the market would be wasted.”
Gili RaananMar 28, 2026▶ 0:00Why Margins Don't Matter for Early-Stage Startups | Gili Raanan · 20VC with Harry Stebbings
Insight
Gili Raanan: Selfishness and greed are good traits for seed investors
“We need to be selfish, and we need to be greedy. Those are good trades for an early stage investor.”
Gili RaananMar 28, 2026▶ 0:33Why Margins Don't Matter for Early-Stage Startups | Gili Raanan · 20VC with Harry Stebbings
Opinion
Gili Raanan: Over-Capitalizing Founders Is Not a Risk for VCs
“I'm not in a business of babysitting founders. And for me, this is like babysitting the founder. If we trust them to build, in my case, an important cybersecurity company that's critical to all the major banks in the US, and you put in their hands the safety o…”
Gili RaananMar 28, 2026▶ 26:06Why Margins Don't Matter for Early-Stage Startups | Gili Raanan · 20VC with Harry Stebbings
Disclosure
Raanan: I never discuss gross margins with early-stage startups
“How much I discuss, how often I discuss gross margins with our, with my early stage companies? Never.”
Gili RaananMar 28, 2026▶ 27:51Why Margins Don't Matter for Early-Stage Startups | Gili Raanan · 20VC with Harry Stebbings
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