Amy Saper of Uncork Capital on how startups should embrace constraints to foster creativity, and her learnings from being at Accel, X, Uber, and Stripe

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape.We are back with Amy Saper, partner at Uncork Capital. Amy shares her journey from Silicon Valley operator at Twitter and Stripe to venture capitalist. She talks about Uncork’s strategy, including its recent $200 million seed fund and $200 million opportunity fund, and how the firm balances growth with specialization.Investors will find her perspective on non-consensus investing particularly compelling, as she outlines how she evaluates technical teams and market potential. Successful founders attract and develop talent. Finally, she reflects on her move to Uncork and shares her key learnings as an institutional investor.A word from our sponsorIn the fast-paced world of startups, every decision counts. And for venture-backed startups, choosing the right banking partner can make all the difference. That’s why you need to consider Grasshopper Bank. Nationally chartered and headquartered in New York City, Grasshopper Bank is a client-first digital bank built to serve the business and innovation economy, combining the best of banking technology and years of industry expertise to deliver best-in-class experiences with trusted security and unparalleled support. Join the ranks of forward-thinking entrepreneurs who love their digital platform by applying online in as little as 5 minutes from any device today at www.grasshopper.bank.Grasshopper - where banking meets innovation.About Amy Saper:Amy Saper is a Partner at Uncork Capital, where she invests in seed-stage B2B SaaS, API-first, and fintech companies. Previously, she spent four years as an early-stage partner at Accel where she led seed and Series A investments in companies such as Gamma, Beam, Complete, and Sprinter Health.Prior to her venture career, she worked at Stripe, Uber, and Twitter launching products, business lines and new markets, in product marketing, product management, business development and international expansion roles.She received her BS and MBA from Stanford University.In this episode, we discuss:(02:27) Amy discusses her background, including her experience at Twitter, Stripe, and her transition to venture capital(08:00) Joining Uncork Capital, the firm's history, and the recent funds they have raised(09:14) Comparing the culture of a firm with that of a startup and discusses the importance of sticking to the core focus(15:17) How Uncork Capital decided on its fund strategy and the balance they struck between fund size and being lead investors(18:28) Product market fit in Venture firm and how she delivers value to founders(24:27) How constraints can foster creativity and the importance of staying focused in a capital-constrained market(28:49) The challenges startups face in raising Series A funding and the importance of balancing focus and growth.(34:37) Non-Consensus investing and what she looks for in founders(37:17) The importance of a founder's ability to attract and develop talent and shares her thoughts on whether this can be learned(42:13) What attracted her to Uncork Capital and how the team dynamics influenced her decision(45:40) The one thing she knows now that she wishes she knew when she started investingI’d love to know what you took away from this conversation with Amy. Follow me @SamirKaji and give me your insights and questions with the hashtag #ventureunlocked. If you’d like to be considered as a guest or have someone you’d like to hear from (GP or LP), drop me a direct message on Twitter.Podcast Production support provided by Agent Bee This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ventureunlocked.substack.com