WIRED is where tomorrow is realised. ", From podcast star to 'the world's youngest VC': 20-year-old Harry Stebbings is joining Atomico, The host of the Twenty Minute VC podcast has landed a job in venture capitalism, Fat, Sugar, Salt Youve Been Thinking About Food All Wrong, The Mountain Village in the Path of Indias Electric Dreams, 25 of the Best Amazon Prime Series Right Now. The simple answer is the network he has built up through his podcast. If you would like to customise your choices, click 'Manage privacy settings'. 2023 Sifted EU Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Thoma Bravo buys third identity company this year with $2.3B ForgeRock acquisition Be the first to add a certification; Looking back, these early podcasts were classic examples of creating MVPs essentially Harry executed 2 beta projects, and then focused on improving the more successful VC podcast. The best deals are known to be the best, he says. Shes the coauthor of our weekly Startup Life newsletter, which you can subscribe to here. The premise was simple: each week, he would interview a prominent venture capitalist for 20 minutes. Harry actually was doing two podcasts at the time, the other one focusing on European angels; it was justifiably forgettable. ), What has happened, though, is that as Harry himself has gotten wiser and more confident, he now draws on his previous interviews to diplomatically bring up the opposing viewpoint and incorporate it with some authority without overtly confronting his subject. From Twenty Minute VC to 20VC, Harry Stebbings launches a micro VC off the back of his popular podcast. He said that once a venture capitalist is on a startups board it changes the relationship the investor can have with a founder, making it harder for the founder to confide in the venture capitalist and seek honest and frank advice. Currenlty, Harry serves as the contributor for TechCrunch. Harry Stebbings: That's enough of these dreary British tones, so now I'm very excited to welcome Ryan Sandler, founder and CEO at Truework. You can start listening to The Twenty Minute VC Podcast with some of these recent episodes: . In five years' time, in all honesty, the goal is a $50 million (40m) fund of my own," he says. FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. authenticate users, apply security measures, and prevent spam and abuse, and, display personalised ads and content based on interest profiles, measure the effectiveness of personalised ads and content, and, develop and improve our products and services. What does he send emails about? Stebbings released his first podcast an interview with Silicon Valley VC Guy Kawasaki on January 10, 2015. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Stebbings said he wanted to invest globally, was happy to play a secondary role alongside other venture capital firms in funding rounds, and was not interested in having a formal governing role in the companies he finances. or First, media experience, and the ability to spout useful content in a noisy world, is being increasingly valued as an asset in the modernizing world of VC. Success breeds success. Harry Stebbings, who while still a teenager made a name for himself in Silicon Valley with his popular The Twenty Minute VC podcast, has cemented his transformation from venture capital fanboy. "I came out of the lecture, phoned my parents and said, 'I'm leaving.'". The interviews are rarely probing, but they can elicit interesting responses all the same. I did the show, really enjoyed it, and have listened religiously since., Will Stebbings get to continue with his show, even if it means giving coverage to other VCs? If you do not want us and our partners to use cookies and personal data for these additional purposes, click 'Reject all'. His investors are a notable bunch too, including . Mr. Stebbings launched 20VC out of London with an $8.3. No. The fired Google engineer who thought its A.I. He founded the worlds largest independent venture capital podcast, The Twenty Minute VC which has more than 100,000 listeners and has partnerships with Mattermark as well as ProductHunt. 2023 Fortune Media IP Limited. Fast forward two years, and Stebbings boyhood dream has become a reality. [8] The fund focuses on investments in Europe and North America. Jobs People Learning Dismiss . Updated to note Daniel Ek is not an LP in this fund. Keep abreast of significant corporate, financial and political developments around the world. and other data for a number of reasons, such as keeping FT Sites reliable and secure, @balderton.com, @thetwentyminutevc.com, @googlemail.com @gmail.com, and @stride.vc. Hes ballooned to 100k downloads per show, getting bumps from social media mentions of people with large followings., VCs who have been interviewed naturally publicize the show, looking to capture the attention of the many young startup founders who comprise a good part of the audience. "It's not going to make me a millionaire, but as a 20-year-old, it's nice to have," he says. ", Read more: 'Now is the best time in history to be an entrepreneur in Europe': State of European Tech report. Today, The Twenty Minute VC averages 300,000 downloads an episode and counts the most prominent cheque-writers in the industry among its fans. That's one of the biggest solo VC partner funds either side of the Atlantic. What can I do to make my show better? and we had a nice discussion. How has a 19 year old outside of Silicon Valley gotten so connected? He once shared a photo of him and his mother where he referred to her as HERO. There are many investors who started as journalistsMichael Moritz, Esther Dyson, Stuart Alsop, Jason Calacanis, Semil Shah, MG Siegler the list goes on. For cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the Settings & Account section. Today, Stebbings is announcing that hes now raised two 20VC funds a $33m early-stage fund and another $107m growth fund which he will lead as a solo general partner. If I were a VC, Id be recruiting him as hard as possible. You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many users needs. After my post, Harry contacted me, saying: Hi Im that overenthusiastic, fawning Brit you reviewed. (Harry, I know youre reading thisyoud become my favorite podcaster of all time if you get another interview with Tim Draper and ask What is it with this Ayn Randian bullshit about all government is bad, Silicon Valley should secede from the US so you dont have to support less advantaged parts of the country, and your refusal to admit that Theranos management made egregious errors? Just asking! You can still enjoy your subscription until the end of your current billing period. Begun in 2014, it has garnered some 200,000 subscribers and has been downloaded more than 80 million times. Harry is 25 years old. The 24-year-old Londoner behind a technology investing podcast that he launched as a teenager has raised $140 million in new funds to back start-up firms. organisation Meta Verified Shows a Company Running Out of Ideas. Continue reading. Menu. Hes ballooned to 100k downloads per show, getting bumps from social media mentions of people with large followings. For more, follow Harrys Twenty Minute VC Collection on Product Hunt. This United Kingdom businessrelated biographical article is a stub. Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the Settings & Account section. Ive never broken up with anyone my dating life is woeful so it was really tough to do, says 24-year-old Stebbings, who has built an impressive network amongst VCs in Europe and Silicon Valley via his popular podcast, The Twenty Minute VC. I dont consider myself a media person, Im an investor first. The latest example: Harry now also hosts the SaaStr podcast, bringing in the enormous audience, influence and contacts of Jason Lemkin. SaaStr Podcast #001: Tiago Paiva, Founder On How Talkdesk Reached $3m in Sales Without Spending $1 on Marketing. You can change your choices at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy dashboard' links on our sites and apps. But maybe more notable is what his assumed success as a 24-year-old who has won a spot in competitive deals and raised a massive venture capital fund means for the way that tech is evolving. The total is a 15X increase from Stebbings inaugural $8.3 million fund, launched less than a year ago. The first episode was released on 10 January 2015 and was an interview with Guy Kawasaki. Host: Harry Stebbings (@HarryStebbings) Key Books Mentioned. Subscribe to Fortune Dailyto get essential business stories straight to your inbox each morning. . A Conversation with SaaStr Founder Jason Lemkin and 20VC Host Harry Stebbings (Pod 631+Video) by Amelia Ibarra | Blog Posts , Fundraising , Podcasts , Videos After several years of booming business in SaaS, the world of fundraising nearly gave everyone whiplash when capital stopped flowing as freely in 2022 as it did in 2021. Stebbings also works as a consultant, helping VCs polish their personal brands on social media. Stebbings also noted that the successful founders who are also investors in 20VCs funds would be able to provide operational assistance and advice to the companies in the firms portfolio.An $8.3 million micro seed fund that Stebbings began managing under the 20VC name in April 2020 has made investments in several companies that experienced runaway growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, including Hopin and social media app Clubhouse, as well as RevenueCat, a startup whose technology makes it simple for companies to take in-app payments from users. But the best, definitely, was Atomico. This week, we sat down with Forbes Under 30 Healthcare 2023 lister Blake Mandell to discuss his companys latest funding round. Central banks need to show a bit more imagination, Who to fire? Currenlty, Harry serves as the contributor for TechCrunch and co-host of The Twenty Minute VC Podcast. Stay informed and spot emerging risks and opportunities with independent global reporting, expert This ep tomorrow is not only a masterclass in building & scaling sales teams but is beyond fricking motivational. Well, one interview leads to anotherand hes always quick to thank and give public credit to the introducer. She covers VC, foodtech and diversity in tech, and tweets from@amyrlewin. Through his podcast, Stebbings builds relationships. [1] The first episode was an interview with Guy Kawasaki, released on 10 January 2015. Now funds are deployed in 12 months and you have to play the game on the field.. From the $107m later-stage fund, hell be writing cheques of $3-5m in $30-50m Series B or C rounds, in the very best companies from Europe and the US. If you say to a board member that you are struggling, they can fire you, Stebbings said.Still, in what may be the ultimate vote of confidence in his former protg, Destin has personally invested in Stebbings 20VC fund.This story has been updated to add Stebbings comments on Stride VCs first fund eventually hitting its target size. Big Tech Jobs Were Once a Golden Ticket. Yet Stebbings is far more than a giddy teenager. Right concept, communicated perfectly. In 2021, Harry went through his first big breakup. All Rights Reserved. With mass layoffs and pulled job offers, early-career workers no longer see tech giants as a safe bet. Stebbings laughs. Based on recent conversations Ive had with emerging fund managers, its hard to get institutions, the ones with real check-writing power, on board for new funds because they only have so much capital allocated toward venture.