Quote: "One of the biggest, most profound realizations I've had is there is no life path that can be planned or followed."
The Afropolitan Podcast highlights Afropolitans who embrace the unknown and walk with purpose. Through this podcast, we aim to empower Africans in the Diaspora to maximize their potential and contribute to the development of a vibrant and progressive black community.
In this episode, we chat with Mercedes Bent, partner at Lightspeed, a venture capital firm based in the USA. Born in North Carolina and raised in California, Mercedes' parents introduced her to web development at a young age, and dinner table conversations centered around the next invention. It's no surprise that Mercedes found herself working at startups in her early career as a Product Manager and later as a General Manager.
Mercedes' path to venture capital is a true convergence of her life experiences, finance roles managing P&Ls at two consumer startups (including growing one from $2 to $100M in revenue), and her long-term goal of empowering communities she cares about.
A member of Lightspeed's consumer and crypto investing team, Mercedes is primarily focused on investing in crypto, fintech, and other wealth-building and consumer products. Join us as Mercedes shares her insights on venture capital, empowering communities, and embracing the unknown.
Mercedes reading list:
Show Notes:
6:59 Mercedes' Path to Venture Capital and Joining Lightspeed
8:41 Approach to Evaluating Startups for Investment
11:00 Common Misconceptions about Venture Capital
12:40 Factors that Led Mercedes to Join Lightspeed
15:01 Personal and Industry Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
17:41 Breaking Barriers for Women in Raising Capital
21:25 Lessons Learned from Early Failures
24:17 Tips for Founders on Recruiting and Retaining Talent
28:24 Advice for Aspiring VC Professionals
29:51 Hypothetical title of the book about Mercedes’ life
33:41 Mercedes’ perspective on what it means to be Afropolitan
The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan. Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Connect with Afropolitan:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan
Website - https://www.afropolitan.io
Learn the strategies behind tech and crypto within the African diaspora. We demystify the pathways to limitless value creation within these emerging technologies and the communities around them.
