7:47Shruti Gandhi | Array Ventures
From My First Million · Published Jul 6, 2017 · Watch on YouTube
TL;DR
Shruti Gandhi founded Array Ventures in 2015 after her own startup, Pensieve, failed to raise capital because she didn't fit the typical VC pattern of being an old white male with a Stanford degree and a big network.
Key insights
- VCs rely on pattern recognition, and Shruti did not fit that pattern because she did not look like a typical VC (old white male, Stanford, Patagonia, kite surfing).
- After failing to raise money for her own startup, Shruti reverse-engineered the VC process by working for free for anyone who would hire her, doing research and theses.
- When reaching out to people for help raising her fund, she thanked them with knowledge, network insights, and anything else she could offer, which built a reputation and led to introductions.
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