Athlete CEO #33: Kyle Brown of Trinity Capital on Venture Debt, Startups Successes, and Global Crisis

On this episode of the Athlete CEO, Erik dives into the debt side of Venture Capital with Founder, Operator, & current Chief Investment Officer of Trinity Capital, Kyle Brown.

Trinity Capital provides smart debt for high growth venture-backed startups. Trinity’s portfolio is packed with successful companies including the likes of Impossible Foods, Fingerprint Digital, Birchbox and Untuckit.

In a candid conversation Kyle shares his experiences ranging from nearly losing everything in 2008 to to leading Trinity through a global pandemic. While sharing how his family, faith and athletic background keep him focused on what matters most. 

Key Topics covered include:

How should founders be thinking about venture debt?Trinity’s due diligence uniquely built by Operators and how they choose who to partner with?How venture debt can be the most effective and cheap way to accelerate growthHow founders can sidestep the risk of dilution in a world of reduced valuationsHow to take advantage of the opportunities the global pandemic has createdWhat was it like going through the recession of 2008 as an operator and what lessons did you learn that could be applied to our current situation?What have been some of the hardest lessons you’ve learned in your career and how have you grown from them?How to avoid the biggest trap that could destroy a partnershipWhat advice would you give about partnering in business and leading teams based on what you’ve learned throughout your career?How have you juggled working to be excellent and accomplishing great things in business while also being present at home and working to be a great husband and father?How Trinity thought through a recent big shift in their business modelCan you talk about how you think about making an impact and what that means to you?How does Kyle approach leading a team? What characteristics does a good leader display?Go to resources, habits, and advice for high performance leadersHow Kyle defines success