The Ledger
Every statement that passed quotation and attribution checks. Mix any filter with any other: certainty 1/5, debate potential 5/5, or both at once.
why aren't all 6 resolved? a statement only gets an assessment when the public record can support or contradict it. opinions and what-ifs never can, and 0 checkable ones are still open, waiting for their date. predictions held up or didn't; assertions are supported or contradicted. on every card: ▮▮▮▮▮ certainty · ▮▮▮▮▮ debate potential. speakers are clickable
Kaul: VCs are judged on net returns above 20% IRR, not win rates
“In this business, being conservative is a real problem, because we're in the business of returning 20% or greater net IRR to our investors, and we don't get judged by how many companies succeed out of the number of companies we invest in.”
Kaul: A CEO who blindly follows board advice is unfit for the role
“If a CEO, if he or she just listens to everything I say, then they're definitely not the right entrepreneur. They're definitely not the right CEO.”
Kaul: Consumers refuse to pay price premiums for green energy or fuel
“And we learned that consumers won't pay more for power. Consumers won't pay more for fuel for their cars.”
Samir Kaul: Double down aggressively when positive startup signals emerge
“The odds of one of our initial investments being successful is lower than 50%. Sometimes it's 10%. And so when you get a signal that it might be better, you've got to really push your chips to the table and have the courage to do that.”
Kaul: Consumers will pay premium prices for healthier food and alternative protein
“People will pay more for food. They'll pay more for what they put in their bodies. They'll certainly pay more for what they put in their kid's body.”
Founders should start board meetings with one slide on key concerns
“Make sure at least 48 hours before the board meeting, you've sent a pre-read. And for goodness sake, please don't just read us those slides. You've got three to four hours with six or eight busy, intelligent people, hopefully, and you've got us in a room toget…”