Competition is Irrelevant

<p>Matt Harris, Partner at Bain Capital Ventures, talks of how he wanted to become a big fish in a small pond when he started investing in fintech. How has that turned out for him two decades later? Matt elaborates his practical approach when evaluating new investments, and gives tips for managing a startup’s expenses to ensure sustainability.</p><p><i><strong>In this episode, you'll learn:</strong></i></p><p><strong>3:50 - 6:16</strong> Great investors are optimistic and empathetic when listening to founders’ stories.</p><p><strong>6:51 - 15:06</strong> Pros and cons of investing across stages in a single sector</p><p><strong>25:40 - 29:41</strong> Why should founders be careful about what P&L components to beef up?</p><p><strong>29:49 - 32:17</strong> Decentralization is taking over centralized systems, and it’s not just in financial services.</p><p>Non-profit organization that Matt is passionate about: <a href="https://www.endeavoreg.org/?utm_source=the-sure-shot-entrepreneur-podcast&utm_medium=Episode-81&utm_campaign=competition-is-irrelevant">Endeavor</a></p><hr /><h3>About Guest Speaker</h3><p>Matt Harris is a Partner at Bain Capital Ventures, and he focuses on investments in financial technology and services. Matt sees a huge amount of revenue, profit and market cap shifting from regulated financial institutions to entrepreneur-led insurgents, across payments, lending, capital markets, real estate and insurance. He has invested in companies like acorns, BlockFi, defi solutions, Digital Currency Group, Corvus, FINIX, hi Marley, Justworks, Passport, roofstock, and many others.</p><p><i>Fun fact:</i> Matt is obsessed with military history. Someday he'll write a book connecting the strategy and tactics of insurgency with what he has learned about entrepreneurship.</p><hr /><h3>About Bain Capital Ventures</h3><p><a href="https://www.baincapitalventures.com/?utm_source=the-sure-shot-entrepreneur-podcast&utm_medium=Episode-81&utm_campaign=competition-is-irrelevant">Bain Capital Ventures</a> is a Silicon Valley-ba