262: From Single Mom Flipping Burgers to a Powerhouse in Venture Capital | Olga Maslikhova of The J Curve

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Background on Olga Maslikhova of The J Curve:

Olga Maslikhova is the founder and host of The J Curve, the podcast about Latin America tech ecosystem builders. Olga is also a successful tech investor. She aims to share insights and stories from the region's most influential entrepreneurs, investors, and experts. She also leverages her network and knowledge as a member of a global community of women investors, and as a mentor at Techstars, a leading accelerator program. Additionally, she holds an M.S. in Management degree from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a WSET Level 3 certification in wine.

With over 15 years of experience as an investor and advisor, Olga has a passion for supporting Latin American founders who are building tech companies for global markets. She believes that Latin America offers tremendous opportunities for innovation and growth, and that emerging technologies can transform industries such as education, agriculture, healthcare, supply chain, and logistics.

Time-Stamped Show Notes:

  • [1:13] Olga Maslikhova, 38 years old and based in New York city, does tech investing and building her media platform called The J Curve. She is an investor in 16 early-stage tech companies around the world.
  • [3:08] When she started her career in 2008, Olga found out that she was terrible at being a corporate employee. Her situation made her realize that she needed to start something on her own. Olga gave a short summary of how she got into tech investing.
  • [5:51] Entrepreneur in venture capital is her role in early stage investing. She clarifies that she is not really a fund manager.
  • [6:45] Olga enumerates the different countries where she has made her investments. The only countries she has not made a deal yet are Malaysia, Vietnam, and China.
  • [8:56] Connecting with important people in the industry was difficult for Olga because she is an introvert. However, she is extremely passionate about venture capital, the industry and working with early-stage founders. She has found different ways to make more connections with key people in the tech industry.
  • [13:29] Olga explains how she makes money in venture capital.
  • [14:48] When she started tech investing in Brazil, Olga initially used her own money.
  • [21:21] The cultural wakeup call in Brazil was the first hurdle she had to face when doing tech investments in the country.
  • [22:33] Being born in Russia in 1985, Olga experienced the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. She grew up in a very tough time in Moscow.
  • [24:03] At the age of 16, Olga left her home in Russia and started to live independently.
  • [25:06] At 20, she became a mother, which she describes as another very important thing that happened to her and it made her more strategic in life.
  • [26:09] Being a part of a team which made a great investment deal with Evernote was a great start for Olga in the venture capital space.
  • [27:42] Olga continues to share the story of her earlier experiences in venture capital.
  • [31:19] After she moved out from her parents at only 16 years old, she could not get her own apartment and she had to live in her friends' houses.
  • [32:30] Olga talks about her experience studying in Canada, which inspired her to strive and become someone who is capable of living in another country.
  • [35:24] At 21 years old, she had this huge desire to understand and find her own meaning in the world, which led her to go to India.
  • [39:44] Being hired as an Executive Assistant for a Private Equity division was how she got into the private equity space.
  • [40:30] Her key to success in the Private Equity industry was her desire to learn and have the right attitude.
  • [42:45] Being a part of a private equity firm that promotes a great corporate environment allowed Olga to dream big in terms of what she can really do in the industry.
  • [46:53] As a single mother during the early days of her career, she used to bring her daughter anywhere with her.
  • [48:08] Olga discusses her time in Singapore. She loves the country, and it was a lot of fun for her to adapt to the culture. It was also the first time she started her own fund and live outside of Russia for a long period of time.
  • [57:41] When you are starting a fund without substantial savings, Olga recommends deferring the management fee.
  • [1:01:35] For emerging fund managers lacking cash in their bank account, there are multiple ways to start their own fund and raise capital, according to Olga.
  • [1:04:19] In 2017, she got tired of her situation in Singapore and decided to move to the US.
  • [1:07:34] When Olga finally moved to the US, she continued building an impressive business portfolio. She also decided to apply at Stanford.
  • [1:09:57] Olga’s overall thesis in venture capital is that technology has to solve a big real-world problem for humanity.
  • [1:12:34] One of the companies today that Olga thinks is worth funding is Andurill, which disrupts the way government contractors work in the military.
  • [1:14:21] For Olga, venture capital is an exciting and fun industry where she doesn’t feel like she’s working.

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The Fabulous 4 Questions:

  1. 📖📚 Favorite Books? Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight, Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future by Sebastian Mallaby
  2. 🙌😎 Favorite Amazon.com Purchase? Shure MV7 USB Microphone
  3. 🌱💸 Favorite Tool that's GROWN your Business? Definitely Descript and Captions App
  4. 💭💡 BIGGEST Challenge keeping your Business from GROWING? Building distribution for a media product is a pain in the ass

Key Point from Our Episode with Olga Maslikhova:

  • “What is that you believe that will be true to you ten years from now, that’s the most important question in venture capital.”

Resources Mentioned:

 

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