Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape.
We&#8217;re thrilled to bring on <a href="http://twitter.com/altcap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brad Gerstner</a>, Founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.altimeter.com/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Altimeter Capital</a>. 
Altimeter was first founded in 2008 during the GFC with an initial fund of only $3 Million which Brad raised from friends and family. Today the firm employs both private and public strategies.
Altimeter takes an incredibly focused and high-conviction approach to investing and has backed companies such as Snowflake, Unity, Gusto, and Modern Treasury. And now manages a variety of venture and public funds, taking a hybrid and pragmatic approach to funding, using a variety of vehicles depending on stage and need to give companies and managers access to capital.
About Brad Gerstner:Brad Gerstner is the Founder and CEO of Altimeter Capital. Before Altimeter, Brad worked as a multiple-time entrepreneur, was a founding principal of General Catalyst, and worked at PAR Capital. He is also an active thought leader on all aspects of the innovation economy, including numerous media appearances and a recurring role on the popular All-In Podcast. And Brad is working to improve the future of the country through efforts such as Invest America.
He earned a bachelor’s from Wabash College, a JD from Indiana University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
In this episode, we discuss:
* (2:17) Brad discusses his early life in Indiana and the influence of his father&#8217;s entrepreneurial journey​​.
* (3:23) Brad talks about his path to law school and subsequent shift towards technology and entrepreneurship​​.
* (4:10) His impulsive trip to Silicon Valley and his first experiences there​​.
* (7:18) Brad discusses his insights into public and private markets and the realization of the need to participate in the venture market​​.
* (11:24) He explains the motivation and founding principles behind Altimeter, focusing on competitive advantage​​.
* (12:28) Brad highlights Altimeter&#8217;s unique approach, combining venture capital experience with public market sensibility​​.
* (14:02) He speaks about the importance of founders choosing partners that provide intellectual resources along with capital​​.
* (18:41) Brad reflects on Altimeter&#8217;s investment strategy and acknowledges that they haven&#8217;t always done everything perfectly​​.
* (20:44) He discusses the cyclical nature of the venture business and the importance of the price of entry in investments​​.
* (23:24) Brad talks about technology super cycles and how they improve lives and outcomes​​.
* (28:19) He elaborates on the role of cloud computing and AI in reshaping industries and improving consumer experiences​​.
* (30:09) Discussing the evolution of search engines, Brad talks about the transition from Google as a card catalog to an answer bot​​.
* (32:32) He shares insights on the power of AI in business and its impact on efficiency and profitability​​.
* (39:45) Brad explains Altimeter&#8217;s disciplined approach to valuation and their investment decision-making process​​.
* (44:51) He emphasizes the fiduciary duties of board members to all shareholders and the importance of research-based decision-making​​.
* (47:11) Brad reflects on his work with Richard Lugar and his influence on Brad&#8217;s view of the world​​.
* (50:59) He discusses the Invest America initiative and its goal to invest in the future of American children and democracy​​.
* (54:03) Brad talks about the need for job retraining and economic participation in the face of labor displacement caused by AI​​.
I’d love to know what you took away from this conversation with Brad. Follow me <a href="https://twitter.com/Samirkaji" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@SamirKaji</a> and give me your insights and questions with the hashtag #ventureunlocked. If you’d like to be considered as a guest or have someone you’d like to hear from (GP or LP), drop me a <a href="https://twitter.com/Samirkaji" target="_blank" rel="noopener">direct message on Twitter</a>.
Podcast Production support provided by Agent Bee 
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://ventureunlocked.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">ventureunlocked.substack.com</a>

Samir Kaji

Brad Gerstner talks AI, Tech Super cycles vs. Market cycles, and the start of Altimeter as a $3MM fund

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. We&#8217;re thrilled to bring on Brad Gerstner, Founder and CEO of Altimeter Capital.  Altimeter was first founded in 2008 during the GFC with an initial fund of only $3 Million which Brad raised from [&hellip;]