Lessons from a Former Operator: How to Prepare to Raise
It’s often said that startup operators make the best venture capital investors because they have firsthand experience navigating the challenges of building and scaling a company. Whether it’s understanding the nuances of product-market fit, fundraising, or team dynamism their insights help them guide founders through critical decisions as well as spot high-potential opportunities.
Join us for a Fireside Chat on Tuesday, 10/22 at 2 pm ET with Shruti Shah, Partner at Symphonic Capital. As a former startup founder and operator, Shruti will not only share her story, but how her experience as an operator has influenced her current role in early-stage venture capital.
About the Speaker
Shruti Shah is a partner at Symphonic Capital, a pre-seed investment fund for early stage startups. Previously, she was an entrepreneur in residence at Nike and an advisor, investor, and consultant to a number of startups. She also worked as Entrepreneur in Residence at Silicon Valley Bank, where she supported the early stage practice team on strategic partnerships and coached entrepreneurs.
She was previously the co-founder and COO of Y Combinator-backed Move Loot, an online full-service marketplace for buying and selling used furniture. Over the course of three years, the team raised $22 million and was highlighted in publications including Forbes, TechCrunch, Bloomberg Businessweek, CNN, TIME, Fortune and more.
Shruti has been honored by Forbes as a 2016 30 Under 30 recipient in Retail and E-Commerce and the Aspen Institute as an Aspen Ideas Festival Scholar in reimagining capitalism. Shruti earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a minor in Entrepreneurship from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and her Master of Science in Education with a focus on Urban Education from Johns Hopkins University.