This episode of the FEG Insight Bridge features Sebastian Mallaby, the Paul Volcker senior fellow for international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations and renowned journalist and author whose works include More Money Than God: Hedge Funds and the Making of a New Elite and The Man Who Knew: The Life and Times of Alan Greenspan, among others. The focus of this discussion is Sebastian’s most recent book, The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future, and Sebastian shares his thoughts on the unique nature of Silicon Valley, the enormous influence of key venture capitalists on the industry, and the art and responsibility of storytelling. Listen in on this fascinating conversation to better understand the mysteries of venture capitalism, the mindset of successful VCs, and why governance is crucial, even—or especially—for decacorns.
Chapters
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:35 Episode overview
00:02:22 Sebastian’s motivation for writing about venture capital
00:03:25 Sebastian’s research process
00:08:27 How long it takes to write a book
00:10:05 Strategies for telling an authentic and detailed story
00:13:41 Silicon Valley and venture capital
00:16:47 The unique success of Silicon Valley
00:18:44 The Power Law
00:23:24 How the VC model has changed over the years
00:30:04 Google and the rise of angel investing
00:38:03 Decacorns, governance, and diversity in VC
00:41:41 Sebastian’s favorite venture capital story
00:44:29 What’s next for Sebastian