How To Break Into Venture Capital – German Fondevila

In The VC Diaries series, I explore the Venture Capital career with an active VC from different parts of the world. We talk about how to break into Venture Capital, what the job looks like, and VC careers. My guest today is German Fondevila, a former Principal at Clout Capital in Miami.

(This interview was recorded in June 2021. German has since left Clout to work on another project.)

Clout invests in startups based in Latin America. The team focuses on B2B SaaS / Enterprise software, fintech & insurtech. They typically invest $1 million to $3 million in Series A deals but write $100,000 checks in the Seed rounds of startups whose Series A they want to lead later.

German’s Tips: How To Break Into VC

You can view the video on Youtube for time stamps. Don’t forget to subscribe to our channel, so you don’t miss the next video!

• German comes from an entrepreneur & operator background. He comments on how it is to see things from this side now
• “VCs want conversations not presentations”, a great way to explain that the pitch deck is just the door to more information
• What German looks for in Founders he backs financially
• One tip to break into VC
• One hiring interview question you like to ask VC candidates
• What is the most difficult part of the VC job?
• What did you find in the job that you didn’t expect?
• One personality trait you must possess to be successful in Venture Capital?
• One resource on VC that you watch, read, or listen to? (also read this post for the sources mentioned)
• Is an entrepreneurial background useful in VC
• Do you need to know how to code to be a successful Investor in digital companies
• One term sheet clause that is hard to negotiate with Founders
• One tip for an effective Board meeting
• What is the most noticeable trend in the VC market today?

Please comment below to let me know your thoughts or ask questions about the content of this interview.

Aram Founder

Aram is a veteran investment professional with 20 years of experience. He’s realized over 45 transactions across Project Finance, LBO Financings, Growth Equity, Venture Capital, and M&A in half a dozen countries on three continents.

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