Hiring is Destiny
...in most cases, but especially in venture building.
"Hiring is destiny" might sound like a line from a corporate guru handbook, but when it comes to venture building we learned that it's more than just a catchy phrase – it is the foundational principle.
When we embarked on launching our first Proto Ventures studio, we thought we understood the importance of the venture builder role. But as we delved deeper, we discovered that this role was not just another cog in the machine; it was the engine driving the entire system.
In the landscape of venture building from advanced research and engineering, the true challenge is to find someone who is a technical wizard, a visionary, and a natural leader, all rolled into one.
Imagine the quest to find a multifaceted polymath. Someone who can waltz through the technical intricacies of a research paper with a professor while simultaneously attracting potential team members out of the labs and pitching investors on total addressable market. We were on the hunt for what we termed the "unicorn human" – a blend of 1/3 startup founder, 1/3 technical expert, and 1/3 venture capitalist.
And when our first Venture Builder for our AI+Healthcare studio finally walked through the door (after 150+ candidates), everything clicked. His declaration that this was his dream job wasn't just music to our ears; it was a confirmation that we had found our unicorn.
In his first year, he proved to be the dynamo we needed – coding, training models, exploring, strategizing, designing, and leading teams. With the pilot nature of that first studio, the stakes were high to get this right, and we hit the jackpot.
Reflecting on this journey, it's crystal clear: in venture building, the caliber of your builders is paramount. You can have all the funding and resources in the world, but without the right human catalyst, you won’t be building the ventures that change the world.
So, while "hiring is destiny" might seem a tad dramatic, at Proto Ventures, it encapsulates the essence of our success. It’s about finding those unique individuals who are not just part of the process but who redefine it entirely.
If you want to see for yourself, follow our first Fusion and Clean Energy venture builder David Cohen-Tanugi as he writes about his journey through the Proto Ventures process.