In today's episode we sit down with Vishal Harnal, managing partner of 500 Global, to find out what it's like being a venture capitalist, why he still invests in companies with only 1% chance of making it big, and the importance of enjoying what you do.

 

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

0:53 - Introduction of Vishal: What is a venture capitalist?

3:38 - How does venture capital firms / venture capitalists make money?

6:28 - Qualities Vishal look for in potential businesses before investing

7:51 - Where do VC firms get their funds from?

10:33 - The story behind investing in Grain

14:48 - Before Vishal became a venture capitalist

16:53 - Importance of enjoying what you do

18:23 - Networking with people from LinkedIn

21:03 - What is Vishal’s day like?

21:55 - Hunting for deals Vishal wants

24:38 - Vishal’s favorite part of the job

26:58 - What will the world look like in 10 years to Vishal?

28:43 - Artificial General Intelligence

29:18 - Vishal’s thoughts about the future

31:58 - Does Vishal dream of becoming a Shark?

33:14 - Do you need a finance/business degree to join VC?

35:00 - What Vishal looks out for when hiring

37:03 - An unspoken rule in the VC industry?

38:36 - 99% of startups cannot make it

39:43 - Looking for companies that give asymmetrical returns

40:43 - Personal investing vs venture capital firms

43:08 - The weirdest pitch Vishal heard

46:20 - What to say during coffee chats?

50:33 - People have a superficial understanding of themselves

51:13 - Never too late to restart

54:08 - Outro 

 

Credits:

Written by: Daryl Choo and Vivien Shiao

Hosted by: Daryl Choo and Lynette Koh

Edited by: Rasuna Azrayl

Produced by: Rasuna Azrayl

Send your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to thrivebt@sph.com.sg

services. Please consult professional advisors for independent advice. 

------

Discover more BT podcast series:

BT Mark To Market at: bt.sg/btmark2mkt 

WealthBT at: bt.sg/btpropertybt

PropertyBT at: bt.sg/btmktfocus

BT Money Hacks at: bt.sg/btmoneyhacks

BT Market Focus at: bt.sg/btmktfocus

BT Podcasts at: bt.sg/podcasts

BT Branded Podcasts at: bt.sg/brpod

BT Lens On: bt.sg/btlenson

In today's episode we sit down with Vishal Harnal, managing partner of 500 Global, to find out what it's like being a venture capitalist, why he still invests in companies with only 1% chance of making it big, and the importance of enjoying what you do.
&nbsp;
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:53 - Introduction of Vishal: What is a venture capitalist?
3:38 - How does venture capital firms / venture capitalists make money?
6:28 - Qualities Vishal look for in potential businesses before investing
7:51 - Where do VC firms get their funds from?
10:33 - The story behind investing in Grain
14:48 - Before Vishal became a venture capitalist
16:53 - Importance of enjoying what you do
18:23 - Networking with people from LinkedIn
21:03 - What is Vishal&rsquo;s day like?
21:55 - Hunting for deals Vishal wants
24:38 - Vishal&rsquo;s favorite part of the job
26:58 - What will the world look like in 10 years to Vishal?
28:43 - Artificial General Intelligence
29:18 - Vishal&rsquo;s thoughts about the future
31:58 - Does Vishal dream of becoming a Shark?
33:14 - Do you need a finance/business degree to join VC?
35:00 - What Vishal looks out for when hiring
37:03 - An unspoken rule in the VC industry?
38:36 - 99% of startups cannot make it
39:43 - Looking for companies that give asymmetrical returns
40:43 - Personal investing vs venture capital firms
43:08 - The weirdest pitch Vishal heard
46:20 - What to say during coffee chats?
50:33 - People have a superficial understanding of themselves
51:13 - Never too late to restart
54:08 - Outro&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Credits:
Written by: Daryl Choo and Vivien Shiao
Hosted by: Daryl Choo and Lynette Koh
Edited by: Rasuna Azrayl
Produced by: Rasuna Azrayl
Send your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to thrivebt<a href="mailto:btpodcasts@sph.com.sg">@sph.com.sg</a>
services. Please consult professional advisors for independent advice.&nbsp;
------
Discover more BT podcast series:
BT Mark To Market at:&nbsp;<a href="https://bt.sg/btmark2mkt">bt.sg/btmark2mkt</a>&nbsp;
WealthBT at:&nbsp;<a href="https://bt.sg/btpropertybt">bt.sg/btpropertybt</a>
PropertyBT at:&nbsp;<a href="https://bt.sg/btmktfocus">bt.sg/btmktfocus</a>
BT Money Hacks at:&nbsp;<a href="https://bt.sg/btmoneyhacks">bt.sg/btmoneyhacks</a>
BT Market Focus at:&nbsp;<a href="https://bt.sg/btmktfocus">bt.sg/btmktfocus</a>
BT Podcasts at:&nbsp;<a href="https://bt.sg/podcasts">bt.sg/podcasts</a>
BT Branded Podcasts at:&nbsp;<a href="https://bt.sg/brpod">bt.sg/brpod</a>
BT Lens On:&nbsp;<a href="http://bt.sg/btlenson">bt.sg/btlenson</a>

For young audiences to uncover the day-to-day realities of various careers in Singapore. Get an unfiltered look behind the scenes, debunking the most common myths and misconceptions.

thrive is the young audience initiative of The Business Times. In this new series by thrive, we’ll be uncovering the day-to-day realities of various jobs in Singapore. Taking an unfiltered look behind the scenes, we aim to debunk myths about these careers.

Podcaster: thrive 

Produced by: The Business Times, SPH Media 

thrive is the young audience initiative of The Business Times. In this new series by thrive, we&rsquo;ll be uncovering the day-to-day realities of various jobs in Singapore. Taking an unfiltered look behind the scenes, we aim to debunk myths about these careers.
Podcaster: thrive&nbsp;
Produced by: The Business Times, SPH Media&nbsp;

Thriving as a

thrive is the young audience initiative of The Business Times. In this new series by thrive, we’ll be uncovering the day-to-day realities of various jobs in Singapore. 

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