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At �ƶ�����, we believe that investing in future talent is as crucial as investing in promising startups. Internships play a vital role in shaping the careers of young professionals, providing an opportunity to gain hands-on experience, apply academic knowledge in real-world settings, and develop the skills necessary for future success. 

This summer, our interns brought fresh perspectives and a hunger for learning that enriched our work environment. They supported sourcing and research efforts, with an eye on the Austin ecosystem, exercising astute judgment on which companies would be of interest to �ƶ�����. Below, you’ll hear from them directly as they offer a glimpse into the challenges and rewards of our industry. 

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Left to Right: Interns Coleman, Chris, Maahika and BuilderGroup team Miguel and Eric at an Escape Room in Austin

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Maahika Saini reflects on how her academic and extracurricular experiences influenced her career trajectory and brought her to �ƶ�����: 

“Throughout middle and high school, I was involved in my schools’ robotics teams, in the “business” department, where I helped run the team as a robotics company aiming to solve a real-world problem, such as renewing power to communities after a natural disaster or reducing lives at risk during firefighting.This made me realize how impactful technological innovation can be on a global scale. I felt proud of my business role, where I worked to build a different brand and market our product, and I learned that while building the product (robot in this case) to solve the solution is vital, it is also critical to make sure it reaches the right customers and that the company is run effectively and sustainably. 

This experience motivated me to study finance at the University of Texas, where I learned how to analyze businesses primarily through the public market. When I grasped the fact that good stocks and good businesses do not always correlate (and vice versa with the bad ones), I was motivated to work with early-stage companies. I wanted to use my talent to help them grow correctly, rather than try to salvage an older and potentially mismanaged business. This summer, I found a great fit at �ƶ�����, which combined my interest in technology businesses, early-stage investing and an active attitude in building companies, as the name suggests.”

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Chris Wang extrapolates on how his background and prior skills informed his summer internship: 

“My background in data science and consulting gave me a solid analytical foundation, but my internship at �ƶ����� required me to adapt these skills to the venture capital industry, where information gaps are common. As an illustration, when I evaluated an agricultural technology company that was transitioning from hardware to software licensing, traditional metrics could not fully capture the company’s potential due to declining retention and margins, so I focused on qualitative factors–like the proprietary imagery and thermal datasets they possessed, along with the management team’s ability to execute the transition and scale the company to the next stage. This approach led to deeper insights than raw data alone could provide. 

In another case, I had to make quick judgments when sourcing evaluating marketing and health technology companies. I developed criteria to identify those with truly unique data assets and defensible products, allowing me to efficiently prioritize high-potential opportunities. This experience sharpened my ability to rapidly assess and qualify investment opportunities. 

Overall, I believe these projects allowed me to take a step back from the analytics and be adaptable when making decisions. I know this will help me with challenges I might face in either a strategic or technical role in the future.” 

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Our third intern, Coleman Cochran, reflects on how his key learnings this summer has impacted his perspective on early-stage investing: 

“My summer at �ƶ����� taught me the importance of qualitative analysis in software investing. As a math major, my default assumption was that the key information to make an investment decision would lie in the quantitative data, such as revenue retention and annual recurring revenue. While being data-driven is critical, companies are fundamentally composed of people (for the moment). Augmenting quantitative analysis with qualitative considerations, such as the company’s management team and long-term growth strategy, are also vital to understanding the risks and rewards of an investment in a business.

At some level, early-stage investing is really a statement of belief in a founding team, their idea, and a probabilistic bet that the combined will be able to scale and overcome growing pains. I learned this summer that while a material part of the investment process stems from financial modeling and market analysis, one should take time to become fluent in the elements that exist outside the spreadsheet. This is especially true at a firm like �ƶ�����, whose founding team is composed of former operators who successfully scaled businesses.” 

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As the summer comes to a close, we extend our heartfelt thanks to our interns for their hard work, dedication, and the fresh energy they brought to our firm. We are proud to contribute to this important phase of their career journeys, and it has been a pleasure to watch them grow and develop during their time with us. We have no doubt that they will achieve great things in their future careers and make their mark on the world. Perhaps we will even see them in the founder’s chair in a few years!

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The information in this blog post is provided in good faith without any warranty. It does not constitute investment advice, recommendation, or an offer of any services or products of �ƶ����� Management and it is not intended to provide a sufficient basis on which to make an investment decision. This document is provided for educational purposes only. Discussions of current or former �ƶ����� portfolio companies are intended for educational and discussion purposes only. Any portfolio company so discussed has been selected based on objective, non-performance based criteria.

This content does not constitute or form part of an offer of any investment advisory services of �ƶ����� Management, LLC, nor does it constitute or form part of an offer to issue or sell, or of a solicitation of an offer to subscribe or buy, any securities or other financial instruments, nor does it constitute a financial promotion, investment advice or an inducement or incitement to participate in any product, offering or investment.