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The Gold Standard for Seed VC: Inside Primary
Brad Svrluga has been a mentor and a close friend of mine for years. Watching him build Primary - one of the most respected firms in the industry - has been a masterclass in itself, so sitting down with him for this episode was a highlight I've been looking forward to and a great way to kick off the year.
We went deep on an often overlooked topic in VC: How do you actually scale a firm's infrastructure?
Whether you're a GP or a founder, Brad’s perspective on building a modern, institutional-grade firm is unmatched.
⏱ Chapter Markers
00:00 – Intro & Brad's Background
01:00 – What Primary Ventures Does Differently
03:20 – Incubation and Building Companies from Scratch
05:00 – Why Founders Pick Primary
07:00 – Inside the Operational Support Team
09:00 – Is There a Downside to Scaling a VC Firm?
10:30 – Culture and Structure at Primary
12:15 – Aligning Operational Teams with MOIC Goals
14:00 – Ben & Brad: cofounder Dynamics
17:30 – Why Brad Became a VC
21:00 – The Challenge of Scaling Venture Itself
24:00 – The Downfall of Venture Networks
26:00 – Scaling with Specialized Partners
30:00 – Rebranding and Starting Primary
31:30 – Advice for Emerging VCs: Sourcing, Picking, and LPs
38:50 – Wrap-Up and Reflections
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