Discovering talent before it's obvious, the challenges of raising a fund I without a traditional pedigree, and startup fund culture with Eric Tarczynski of Contrary

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape.This week we are joined by Eric Tarczynski, Founder and Managing Partner of Contrary, a firm backed by founders of Tesla, Reddit, Facebook, Airbnb, and many more iconic companies. The firm acts as a full stack platform to identify and support entrepreneurs often before they are starting a company. Contrary has raised nearly $100MM across funds. In our discussion Eric and I covered their thesis on talent, how he was able to raise a first fund without the normal background LPs often look for, and how they use culture to attract top talent. First, a word from our sponsor:Allocate is the digital operating system for investors looking to build and manage world-class private portfolios within venture capital and other technology-focused private assets.Despite the enormous growth of the private markets and the rapid increase of retail demand for private alternatives, investing in the highest quality private assets within the innovation sector remains inaccessible and opaque.Go to allocate.co to apply to be an early-access member and join 500+ active Allocate users.About Eric Tarczynski:Eric Tarcynski is the Founder and Managing Partner of Contrary, a venture fund that identifies and invests in the world’s top talent. He took on $50,000 in debt to get Contrary off the ground, sleeping in the back seat of a rental car or on friends' couches. Prior to Contrary, Eric was a co-founder and operator at numerous startups. He got his undergrad degree at Northeastern.In this episode we discuss:01:11 Eric’s journey to tech and startups04:42 How Eric’s non-traditional background affected his first fundraise08:27 What happened in the two years between Fund I and Fund II that got his from a sub-$10MM fund to a $75MM fund11:09 Concrete factors that LPs weighed when investing in Contrary14:01 Why Contrary avoided “logo hunting”16:11 Contrary’s unique thesis and why their model is the endgame for going earlier in the investing process19:00 Why Contrary has such a high NPS21:09 How Contrary invests in individuals “pre-company”24:10 The software platform that Contrary is building to help identify founders26:44 Building a platform without a lot of carry28:46 What Eric’s schedule looks like as an emerging manager30:57 Aspects of VC that Eric underestimated34:04 The advice he would give himself five years ago35:36 Would he have done anything differently?36:36 Why you do need some name brand consensus investments37:35 The best advice he gives to emerging managers39:48 The importance of persistence as a competitive advantageI’d love to know what you took away from this conversation with Eric. 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 Agency 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