<description>&lt;h3&gt;Episode Summary:&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Join Cheryl Mack and Maxine Minter for an engaging session as they delve into the world of early-stage investing with Matthew Browne from Black Nova Venture Capital. This episode offers an intimate look into Browne's journey from a founder's seat to a leading venture capitalist's role, with a focus on thematic investing in what he calls "boring B2B SaaS." Browne unravels the nuances of mission-critical software that businesses cannot operate without, discussing why such investment strategies are both conservative and highly lucrative.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The episode highlights Browne's investment philosophy—characterized by rigorous thematic focus, underscoring software's unturnoffable nature in various enterprise settings. He shares insights from his venture fund experiences, discussing the competitive dynamics of boring businesses and the journey of transitioning from an entrepreneur to a fund manager. Throughout the conversation, Browne also provides valuable advice to those considering venturing into fund management, emphasizing the importance of sticking to areas of known expertise and understanding the role's demands.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Key Takeaways:&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thematic Investment Strategy&lt;/strong&gt;: Matthew Browne emphasizes investing in enterprise SaaS that is mission-critical to operations, underscoring the intrinsic value and longevity of such investments.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Importance of Execution&lt;/strong&gt;: His first investment’s failure taught the importance of knowing how to effectively acquire customers and sticking to one's domain expertise.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Transition from Entrepreneur to Investor&lt;/strong&gt;: Browne shares his journey into VC, stating the unique challenges of fund management compared to traditional business operations.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B2B SaaS Success Factors&lt;/strong&gt;: Long-lived customer relationships and LTV are key, with an enterprise focus often yielding higher customer loyalty and lower competitive pressures.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;h1&gt;Sponsors:&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;h2&gt;First Cheque is supported by our wonderful sponsors:&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Vanta:&lt;/strong&gt; Join 7,000 global companies like Atlassian and Dovetail that use Vanta to build trust and prove security in real time. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get 10% off https://dayone.fm/vanta&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rocking Horse: &lt;/strong&gt;Rocking Horse helps startups access their R&amp;amp;D tax rebate early. Get up to $3M in non-dilutive finance, solve cash flow challenges, and accelerate growth. Easy application, fast approval. Smart investment for innovative startups. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;https://dayone.fm/rockinghorse&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Galah Cyber:&lt;/strong&gt; Galah Cyber are perfect for founder-lead and SAAS businesses. Galah provides advice, education, and training. Get in touch with Galah Cyber for a complimentary call to make sure you’re secured.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;https://dayone.fm/galah&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;h1&gt;The Day One Network&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;h2&gt;First Cheque is part of Day One, the podcast network dedicated to founders, operators &amp;amp; investors.&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;To learn more, join our&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://dayone.fm/podcast-network/newsletter/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;newsletter&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;to be notified of new and upcoming shows. The only content we create is content that will help Australian founders.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you want to learn about upcoming guests and when a new First Cheque episode is available, join the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://dayone.fm/podcast-network/first-cheque/newsletter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;First Cheque newsletter&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mentioned in this episode:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://first-cheque-dayone.captivate.fm/rockinghorse"&gt;November 2024 - Rocking Horse&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://first-cheque-dayone.captivate.fm/vanta"&gt;June 2024 – Vanta First Cheque&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://first-cheque-dayone.captivate.fm/galah"&gt;November 2024 - Galah Cyber&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Spotify Ad Analytics -...</description>

First Cheque

DayOne.fm

From Zero to One: Why Founders Make Exceptional Early Stage Investors with Matthew Browne

OCT 6, 202453 MIN
First Cheque

From Zero to One: Why Founders Make Exceptional Early Stage Investors with Matthew Browne

OCT 6, 202453 MIN

Description

Episode Summary:

Join Cheryl Mack and Maxine Minter for an engaging session as they delve into the world of early-stage investing with Matthew Browne from Black Nova Venture Capital. This episode offers an intimate look into Browne's journey from a founder's seat to a leading venture capitalist's role, with a focus on thematic investing in what he calls "boring B2B SaaS." Browne unravels the nuances of mission-critical software that businesses cannot operate without, discussing why such investment strategies are both conservative and highly lucrative.

The episode highlights Browne's investment philosophy—characterized by rigorous thematic focus, underscoring software's unturnoffable nature in various enterprise settings. He shares insights from his venture fund experiences, discussing the competitive dynamics of boring businesses and the journey of transitioning from an entrepreneur to a fund manager. Throughout the conversation, Browne also provides valuable advice to those considering venturing into fund management, emphasizing the importance of sticking to areas of known expertise and understanding the role's demands.

Key Takeaways:

  • Thematic Investment Strategy: Matthew Browne emphasizes investing in enterprise SaaS that is mission-critical to operations, underscoring the intrinsic value and longevity of such investments.
  • Importance of Execution: His first investment’s failure taught the importance of knowing how to effectively acquire customers and sticking to one's domain expertise.
  • Transition from Entrepreneur to Investor: Browne shares his journey into VC, stating the unique challenges of fund management compared to traditional business operations.
  • B2B SaaS Success Factors: Long-lived customer relationships and LTV are key, with an enterprise focus often yielding higher customer loyalty and lower competitive pressures.

Sponsors:

First Cheque is supported by our wonderful sponsors:

Vanta: Join 7,000 global companies like Atlassian and Dovetail that use Vanta to build trust and prove security in real time.

Get 10% off https://dayone.fm/vanta

Rocking Horse: Rocking Horse helps startups access their R&D tax rebate early. Get up to $3M in non-dilutive finance, solve cash flow challenges, and accelerate growth. Easy application, fast approval. Smart investment for innovative startups.

https://dayone.fm/rockinghorse

Galah Cyber: Galah Cyber are perfect for founder-lead and SAAS businesses. Galah provides advice, education, and training. Get in touch with Galah Cyber for a complimentary call to make sure you’re secured.

https://dayone.fm/galah

The Day One Network

First Cheque is part of Day One, the podcast network dedicated to founders, operators & investors.

To learn more, join our newsletter to be notified of new and upcoming shows. The only content we create is content that will help Australian founders.

If you want to learn about upcoming guests and when a new First Cheque episode is available, join the First Cheque newsletter.

Mentioned in this episode:

November 2024 - Rocking Horse

June 2024 – Vanta First Cheque

November 2024 - Galah Cyber



This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/