Daniel Gulati is one of the most all-round impressive people I know: brought up in Wollongong, NSW, he’s founded and exited 4 startups and launched his own VC fund, Forecast Fund, in the US.
We kick off this conversation with fatherhood, a subject close to both our hearts, and then cover what opportunities he’s looking for, why he’s bullish on Australia, building his VC business, the role of a Board member and much more.
Topics we cover and great quotes:
“I'm interested in…the anti-Amazon”
“I don't think there's any reason that the next great consumer company can't come out of Australia”
Why he’s a Zero to One founder and not a One to Ten founder
“If you're a really good idea or content creator or really good coder, you can take over the world. And if you're not one of those two things, better to invest in people that are”
“School teaches you to address your weaknesses, and I think life teaches you that you actually need to double down on your strengths”
“The best startups are the ones that exist in many categories or don't exist in any categories”
The power of the immigrant chip on your shoulder
How he’s built out his investment funnel and sourcing network for his VC fund
The role of a board member: “not holding a mirror to a founder but actually doing the opposite and trying to counterbalance a founder is really, really important”
“Good founders are able to execute on their vision and great founders are able to adapt”
Investing and Fatherhood with Daniel Gulati