What's your strategy for developing relationships with entrepreneurs and founders?

As an investor, having a clear thesis is very important. You must understand your domain expertise, investment capacity, stage of investment etc. A good thesis help you understand your customer (aka startups) better as well as help you communicate your value proposition much clearer.

One of the most straightforward methods to familiarize yourself with projects aligning with your target audience is through attending specialized conferences, exhibitions, and events. These venues provide an opportunity to hear presentations from project representatives, pose pertinent questions, engage with relevant company delegates or at least establish connections with non-core division speakers. Additionally, you can effortlessly generate content for your social media networks by capturing a selfie with a project representative. I've personally found this approach invaluable for establishing contact with the right individuals on numerous events.

There is also another path, where there is no perceived market, but their is a latent need, Dropbox is an example, before there was no easy way to transfer files personally, the investment in innovation, or in other contexts often pays off, having a methodology that rewards true innovation, is equally viable

Investing in relationships can provide an in-depth understanding of your investment, helps mitigate risk as an investor and for your LPs, and makes it more meaningful as the challenges and opportunities inevitably come. We can focus on regular communication, offer help for challenges/opportunities that have arisen, offer mentorship as the entrepreneurial journey isn’t easy for anyone, and celebrate their progress. I encourage more entrepreneurs to enter VC so there is more empathy, more interest in getting to know these leaders and to creatively come up with fresh new ideas and perspectives for their company. Venture Capital as an industry has an opportunity to be more impactful and investing in these relationships is a big part.

Money is not all that investors can offer to start-up projects. Often, projects must rely primarily on synergy with the resources of the fund, and secondly on money. The startup world is built on knowledge, which is a competitive advantage that creates a barrier to rapid copying, creating a barrier to entry or being squeezed out of the market. A lack of expertise in a narrow niche (technology, economics, or law) can create an unbridgeable chasm for a project. This is not a dogma, but often a lonely project in the world of venture market wolves can be killed with two clicks of clawed paws.

We strengthen our relationship with founders by actively using their products, a strategy that also allows us to pinpoint areas for improvement. Additionally, we foster a "safe environment," focusing on providing solid support during challenges, rather than merely offering advice.

Do not have a strategy when discussing ideas, i think that's what decency is, not having an agenda or something rolled up your sleeve, to say what you believe and interact in an innocent agenda free manner.

Get ahead of the game. Influence begins way before any meeting. It begins with signals. Signal to the founder community what you can offer - and what, specifically, you look for in founders. Do it repeatedly, through every channel where your target founders spend time. If you get it right, the founders who are your natural best fit will gravitate to you. Other VCs will have to waste time and currency struggling to convince a founder they like that they are the perfect fit. For you, the founder will already know that your check is the one they want.