The Deck Deluge: Boris Wertz’s Journey Through 200 Decks from Emerging Managers Raising Today

This week on Swimming with Allocators, Earnest Sweat and Alexa Binns welcome Boris Wertz, Founding Partner at Version One, about his experience as an LP investing in emerging fund managers. Boris discusses his motivations, such as giving back to the VC community, learning from innovative spaces, and achieving good returns. He also shares insights on the importance of having a differentiated strategy and the potential of areas like crypto and climate tech. Additionally, don’t miss our insider segment as Martin Armstrong of Armstrong International talks about the importance of nailing talent to build successful products and teams, emphasizing ownership and accountability.
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
Boris’ Reasoning for Investing in Emerging Managers (0:57)
Wrong Reasons for VC Investment in Emerging Managers (3:15)
Funding Strategy at Version One (4:28)
Motivation for GP Level Investments (5:27)
Areas of Interest for Investments (6:59)
Relationship with Fund Managers (8:24)
How One Tweet Generated an Overwhelming Response (11:56)
Insider segment: Building Successful Teams with Ownership and Accountability (14:13)
Trends in VC (24:32)
Climate and Tech Funds (26:48)
Investing in Climate (28:55)
Fundraising Strategies (29:53)
Advice for Emerging Managers (32:10)
Fundraising Tactics (35:40)
The LP Investment Mindset (37:53)
Importance of Conviction in Risky Asset Classes (39:28)
Success Stories and Non-traditional Paths (40:02)
Selecting Emerging Managers (41:13)
Final thoughts and takeaways (43:33)
Boris Wertz is an entrepreneur turned investor. He is Co-Founder of AbeBooks, which sold to Amazon. And an early-stage investor and founding partner at Version One. Their Current portfolio of 100+ investments, includes Ada, Booster Fuels, Coinbase, Dapper Labs, Jobber, Outreach, Shippo, and Uniswap.
versionone.vc
Armstrong International is a specialist financial services executive search firm with 30 years'​ experience across Public and Private Markets. Our consultants possess deep subject matter expertise within; Fixed Income, Equities, Private Equity, Private Debt, Digital (Data Science & Technology), Private Wealth, Corporate Finance, Real Estate, Infrastructure, Emerging Markets, Credit, FX, Emerging Markets & Commodities We are trusted by some of the world's leading financial institutions, who use us for 3 primary reasons: industry expertise, speed of hire, and ease of doing business. We like to innovate and have been at the forefront of some of the most profitable and exciting changes in the industry, including the technology revolution and the ever-expanding world of Private Markets. www.armstrongint.com
Swimming with Allocators is a podcast that dives into the intriguing world of Venture Capital from an LP (Limited Partner) perspective. Hosts Alexa Binns and Earnest Sweat are seasoned professionals who have donned various hats in the VC ecosystem. Each episode, we explore where the future opportunities lie in the VC landscape with insights from top LPs on their investment strategies and industry experts shedding light on emerging trends and technologies. Follow along and subscribe at swimmingwithallocators.com.
The information provided on this podcast does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this podcast are for general informational purposes only.