06: Ilse Calderon (OVO Fund)

Ilse Calderon is Senior Associate at OVO Fund, a $35M seed stage venture capital fund in San Francisco. In this episode, we discuss her background, how she got into tech, how investors view startups, which companies should raise VC money, diversity in startups, and more.

We also talk about how to build relationships with venture capitalists, including what matters when you're getting your company off the ground. If you are pre-product or pre-launch, reach out to Ilse and pitch your idea! She also mentions the industries and business models that interest her the most.

LINKS

Ilse Calderon LinkedIn
OVO Fund Website

PODCAST

Safa Mahzari
Patreon
Alluxo Website

TERMS

Hypercultural Latinx = second-generation consumers who are 100% Hispanic and 100% American
VC = venture capital 
PE = private equity
LP = limited partners
SMB = small and medium businesses 
CEO = chief executive officer
CPG = consumer packaged goods
GTM = go to market
FDA = U.S. Food and Drug Administration
FinTech = financial technology

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Episode intro
1:14 - Ilse's background
11:33 - Her introduction to startups
16:53 - What is OVO Fund?
20:18 - Investing across different sectors
24:54 - Product, market, or team?
31:48 - Startups that start as research projects
36:32 - Is there too much funding in some areas?
43:31 - Which areas are underfunded?
49:15 - How should founders network with VCs?
55:03 - The right founder for the right startup
1:00:09 - Ilse's question for Safa
1:04:09 - Wrap up and final thoughts