In Conversation with Kanyi Maqubela: Entrepreneurship, Startups, and VCs

DESCRIPTION

In this podcast, Boost journalist Persis Baah interviews Kanyi Maqubela, a managing partner at Kindred Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital fund based in San Francisco, California. Maqubela discusses what it means to be an entrepreneur, what is necessary for an innovative startup, and how he runs a successful VC.

TIME STAMPS

0:00 - 1:26: Introduction and Maqubela’s bio

1:26 - 4:09: Describing why people become entrepreneurs

4:09 - 5:56: Discussing characteristics of an entrepreneur  

5:56 - 7:55: Sharing how his family’s academic scholarship and social activism inspire his values

7:55 - 9:53: Rethinking what technology is and how it may be oriented towards good

9:53 - 14:11: Speaking on the difficulties of the entrepreneurial journey

14:11 - 17:18: Explaining why he left the VC Collaborative Fund to work on the virtual heart platform Heartbeat Health

17:18 - 21:40: The heuristics he uses to determine the founders he wants to work with

21:40 - 24:12: Elaborating on the uniqueness of his venture capital firm Kindred Ventures

24:12 - 28:03: Adapting to shifting markets and how companies build towards a future 

28:03 - 30:50: Unemployment, uncertainty, and market dislocation increasing entrepreneurial energy 

30:50 - 33:07: Advice for young people who want to enter the entrepreneurial field

33:07 - 36:13: Reflecting on his identity formation during college

36:13 - 37:46: The importance of building relationships