Welcome to the first episode of the special series NEUVC, hosted by Freddie Macpherson, analyst at Isomer Capital, and Linda Võeras, associate at Karma Ventures. Today we have Martin Krag with us. Martin is a partner at byFounders, a seed fund looking to back the best tech founders in the new Nordics. We spoke to Martin to hear how he rose to partner in four years, the firm culture and coaching the courage to do so, and, of course, his own secret sauce of excellence.

Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction of Martin & byFounders
00:01:52 - Incentive alignment and portfolio assistance
00:03:24 - Joining a Startup Venture Capital Firm
00:04:44 - The importance of decisiveness for VCs
00:06:07 - Using Analysts for Understanding Spaces and Sectors
00:07:43 - Progression and Responsibility Levels
00:09:17 - The Importance of Curiosity and Quick Learning
00:10:41 - Finding Focus and Prioritizing
00:12:09 - Balancing Networking and Board Responsibilities
00:13:35 - The Fluid Partnership with Founders and Career Development
00:15:09 - Building a Strong Team and Defined Roles
00:16:42 - Calibrating New Hires for Long-Term Aspirations
00:18:04 - Transparency and Core Values in VC Industry
00:19:39 - Career Progression and Future at the Fund
00:21:18 - The Responsibility of Partners and Youngsters in Investment Decisions
00:22:40 - Avoidable Mistakes made by Junior VC Team
00:24:29 - Being Patient and Calibrating Before Making Decisions
00:25:58 - The Perspective of a Poker Player-Investor
00:27:30 - Dreaming with the Founders
00:28:57 - Diversifying Experience in the VC Industry
00:30:42 - Choosing between being a VC or Founder
00:32:19 - The Challenges of Being a VC
00:34:14 - Building a Fund and Firm
00:36:15 - Experience and Bad Judgment