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episode 119: The Insurance Industry Desperately Needs Startups
Charles Moldow, a general partner at Foundation Capital, shares his remarkable journey from being a Wall Street analyst to becoming an entrepreneur and eventually transitioning into his current role as an investor over two decades ago. His captivating anecdotes leave you eager for more, whether he's recounting stories about his father's wisdom on the internet or recalling a memorable encounter with an exceptional entrepreneur. Charles also delves into the exciting market trends within insurtech and offers valuable insights into the areas to focus attention for fruitful opportunities.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
[2:20] Charles Moldow's early entrepreneurial ventures during the dynamic evolution of the internet.
[7:58] The role of a VC in sometimes discouraging founders to protect them from their own pitfalls.
[13:01] The revealing nature of a founder's personal life story, showcasing their unique abilities.
[19:54] "Don't prepare to impress me. Just share your authentic truth." - Charles Moldow
[23:43] The importance for entrepreneurs to explore the vast array of promising opportunities for leveraging technology in the insurance industry.
The non-profit organization that Charles is passionate about: safespace
About Charles Moldow
Charles Moldow is a general partner at Foundation Capital. At Foundation, he identifies technology trends and new user experiences that will change the financial services landscape. His thesis investing has him focused on fintech, insurtech and proptech opportunities with a crypto overlay to everything he evaluates. Since he joined Foundation Capital in 2005, he’s made seventeen successful investments, five of which have gone public and twelve have been acquired. Charles’ public portfolio includes early-stage investments that have led to notable IPOs with DOMA (IPO 2021), Rover (IPO 2021), LendingClub (IPO 2014), OnDeck (IPO 2014) and Everyday Health (2014).
Fun fact: Charles moonlights as AAA Little League coach and family vacation planner.
Learn more about Charles here.
About Foundation Capital
Foundation Capital is a Silicon Valley-based early-stage venture capital firm that’s dedicated to the proposition that one entrepreneur's idea, with the right support, can become a business that changes the world. The firm is made up of former entrepreneurs who set out to create the firm they wanted as founders.
Foundation Capital is currently invested in more than 60 high-growth ventures in the areas of consumer, information technology, software, digital energy, financial technology, and marketing technology. These investments include AdRoll, Beepi, Bolt Threads, DogVacay, Kik, ForgeRock, Lending Home, Localytics, and Visier. The firm's twenty-six IPOs include Lending Club, OnDeck, Chegg, Sunrun, MobileIron, Control4, TubeMogul, Envestnet, Financial Engines, Netflix, NetZero, Responsys and Silver Spring Networks.
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