️ Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction00:48 - Opening Question01:08 - Challenges in Evaluating Founders03:56 - Assessing Founders06:58 - Market and Product Assessments09:25 - Founder-led companies do better at later stages?12:00 - The Importance of Quantitative Assessments13:14 - Psychological and Motivational Discernment16:24 - Value Creation in AI20:30 - Framework for Assessing Founders24:32 - Storytelling + Narrative26:43 - Vision31:35 - Inquisition + Curiosity33:42 - Grit and Drive35:40 - Do Founders really need External Validation?37:51 - Irreverence for Status Quo39:53 - Resourcefulness in Time and Money41:46 - Magnetism45:56 - Superpowers50:32 - Not-So “Ideal” Founders51:45 - Curiosity as Sign of Intelligence54:45 - Adapting to Time Constraints01:01:09 - Conclusion About:Born and raised in Philadelphia, James Shecter began his journey into entrepreneurship and venture capital as an undergraduate, where he served as a strategist and consultant for several student-run startups, including Seated and Transcend. He launched his professional career at Citibank in New York City, providing multi-stage M&A advisory services in the aerospace and business services sectors. Following this, he transitioned to Lee Equity, a middle-market private equity firm, where he was involved in various transactions within the fintech/insurtech and healthcare industries.Most recently, James worked at 9Yards Capital, a growth-stage venture capital firm based in Los Angeles, where he contributed to deploying over $50 million into fintech, logistics, and enterprise startups such as Chainalysis, LeafLink, and Remote HR. Additionally, he co-leads The MBA Fund, an institutional seed fund that supports entrepreneurs from the Harvard, Stanford, and University of Pennsylvania ecosystems.Since his high school years, James has been actively engaged in mentoring, tutoring, and coaching students from inner-city Philadelphia. He holds an MBA from Wharton and a BA in Behavioral Economics from Harvard. Outside of his professional pursuits, James enjoys surfing, reading, and writing, and is working towards building a collection of guitars as functional decor for his future home. Follow us:Website : https://understandingvc.com/LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/understanding-vc/ Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/show/1q7DxW3FEyP7EhH8m0VvAD Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/understanding-vc/id1551524895  Connect with Rahul:  LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulthayyalamkandy/ Email : understandingvc@gmail.com Twitter : https://twitter.com/rahul0720  About: Understanding VC is a podcast that provides founders with the knowledge and resources they need to understand venture capital. Our goal is to create the best and most comprehensive resource on venture capital on the internet, so that founders can make informed decisions about their businesses and secure the funding they need to succeed.