The Gold Standard for Seed VC: Inside Primary

Brad Svrluga has been a mentor and a close friend of mine for years. Watching him build Primary - one of the most respected firms in the industry - has been a masterclass in itself, so sitting down with him for this episode was a highlight I've been looking forward to and a great way to kick off the year.We went deep on an often overlooked topic in VC: How do you actually scale a firm's infrastructure?Whether you're a GP or a founder, Brad’s perspective on building a modern, institutional-grade firm is unmatched.⏱ Chapter Markers00:00 – Intro & Brad's Background01:00 – What Primary Ventures Does Differently03:20 – Incubation and Building Companies from Scratch05:00 – Why Founders Pick Primary07:00 – Inside the Operational Support Team09:00 – Is There a Downside to Scaling a VC Firm?10:30 – Culture and Structure at Primary12:15 – Aligning Operational Teams with MOIC Goals14:00 – Ben & Brad: cofounder Dynamics17:30 – Why Brad Became a VC21:00 – The Challenge of Scaling Venture Itself24:00 – The Downfall of Venture Networks26:00 – Scaling with Specialized Partners30:00 – Rebranding and Starting Primary31:30 – Advice for Emerging VCs: Sourcing, Picking, and LPs38:50 – Wrap-Up and ReflectionsLinks:Brad Svrluga: LinkedInPrimary: Website, LinkedInInterplay: Website, LinkedIn, TwitterMPD: LinkedIn, Twitter