I’ve interviewed hundreds of VCs, and one thing is undeniably true: there are lots of different ways to be a VC.
But almost everyone pays lip service to how much they love working with founders — and honestly, that’s not interesting. What is interesting is what it actually takes to truly know someone. That’s a question Adam Zeplain, cofounder and managing partner of Austin-based Mark VC, has thought deeply about.
Here’s how his process starts, from my feature on Zeplain’s deeply psychological approach to venture capital published today:
When founder Jeff Cardenas took his first meeting with venture capitalist Adam Zeplain in 2023 he was expecting to answer questions about his robotics company’s revenue, margins, and market share. Zeplain surprised him, opening with: “Tell me about your father.”
“I thought: Oh, he’s going there, let’s do this,” said Cardenas of their first meeting.
