Today is day one! I am thrilled to share that I am starting a new position as an analyst at IA Capital Group, a Fintech and Insurtech VC firm based in New York City.
I never would have expected to be able to say “I work in insurance.” But, the truth is, I could not be more excited about this opportunity. While there is no such thing as the perfect job, based on my interests and curiosities, I feel this is cutting pretty close.
First of all, I am really excited to invest in financial services. In particular, I am most curious to learn more about entrepreneurs innovating at the intersection of climate change, weather risk, and insurance. On this front, IA has a few startups in its portfolio I find incredibly exciting — including Demex, a parametric-based insurance provider, and Delos, a startup underwriting for wildfire risk. An important part of navigating climate change is developing resiliency and mitigating damages at the outset of extreme weather events.
The way I see it, there are two types of venture funds: those that are tech-led, and those that are industry-led. The distinction is subtle, but broadly, the process of an industry led-fund starts with industry and ends with technology — whereas a tech-led fund does just the opposite, starting with tech and ending with industry. I believe industry-led funds to most exciting and opportune. In the case of IA Capital, the industry focus is financial services and insurance. To be successful requires one to accumulate a deep understanding of these industries and how entrepreneurs may operate within them. The need to develop expertise through focus and depth is in line with my personal philosophy of achieving greatness through mastery.
Another thing that excites me deeply about the firm is that they also have an incubator program. To date, they have incubated five startups, including Boost and Marble. My interest in venture capital was born out of a curiosity for entrepreneurship — and so I feel fortunate to be in a position where I might get to also satisfy this itch in an active way, alongside my investing work.
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On a personal note, I am really excited to have landed my first full-time gig post undergrad in New York City. I have actually spent most of my life within a one-hour radius of the city, but I feel like I’m about to step foot into a whole new world.
It’s funny — I remember in the middle of high school, as I was beginning to develop an interest in entrepreneurship, I visited a relative out in California for a few weeks. He’s based in the valley, and is a tech entrepreneur. From this experience, my interest in doing stuff related to entrepreneurship was tied to the idea of going out to California eventually (I remember I considered schools out there). But, things are changing and there’s other great cities to do venture in other than SF. And for Fintech, there’s perhaps no better place than New York.
I’ve stayed on the East Coast for pretty much my entire life (despite a brief intermission in France), and I really do like it here. Yeah, it moves fast and it gets cold, but I don’t mind. The city is big and exciting — perhaps unmatched in its sheer opportunity and raw energy — and exactly where I want to be, for now at least.
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A great piece of advice I have held onto goes as follows: Always think about what you are optimizing. As with any point in life, there’s a spectrum of possibilities and practically infinite answers. For me, I felt it was most important to optimize the potential to learn from talented people who have done it before me.
At the end of the day, that is what excites me most about this opportunity. More than being thrilled about landing a full-time gig in venture, being engaged with a Fintech thesis, or being intoxicated by the allure of New York, I most deeply value the opportunity ahead of me to work with inspiring, ambitious and talented people. I am confident it is this element that will provide an outsized opportunity to learn, a key ingredient in long term success.
Thanks for reading. More to come!