Timestamps
Urban.us partners Shaun Abrahamson & Stonly Baptiste seed & support startups to improve cities, solve climate/housing/transportation, & profit in the expanding urban megaregions & TAM.
0:01 Thank you to Netsuite for supporting Angel. Go to http://netsuite.com/angel to get your free guide called “Crushing the five barriers to growth.”
1:44 Jason briefly goes over the different rounds of funding that occur before Venture Capital. And introduces today’s guests: Shaun Abrahamson, Managing Partner, and Stonely Baptiste, Partner at Urban.us Fund.
3:29 What is Urban.us and why did you start it? Shaun explains the sectors they like to invest in. And why he decided to launch this city focused fund.
6:12 Stonly shares why he decided to join Urban.us. A story of scratching his own itch and meeting Shaun at the perfect time.
10:09 Why is there an increase in young people wanting to live in cities? Shaun explains his belief, which relates to the social aspect of being close to opportunities.
11:20 Why are the areas around major cities becoming more viable as a place to live? Stonly explains the development of mega regions, and the urbanization of suburbs.
14:26 What stage do you like to engage with founders? Shaun shares his sweet spots in seed investing, funding both pre-launch and post-launch companies.
17:00 What qualities do companies need to have in order to raise a successful series A? Stonly shares the important metrics that accurately show company progress.
18:52 Advice to entrepreneurs trying to sell to governments. Stonly believes it is a binary decision, and depends on what kind of company they want to build.
22:16 Thank you Netsuite by Oracle, for supporting the show. Go to http://netsuite.com/angel to get your free guide called “Crushing the five barriers to growth.”
24:41 Housing, homelessness, affordability. Shaun shares what Urban.us is doing to counter these problems, along with the companies they’ve invested. Also, Jason and Shaun are co-investors in Blockable.
39:08 Jason advises startups to not call themselves a benefit corporation. Shaun shares a similar view to Jason.
42:15 Jason explains the inefficiencies associated with maintaining bus lines, and why cities should push for Uber Pool / Lyft line models.
43:54 Do Mayor’s have real power to bring real change to cities? Shaun explains why it is extremely complicated.
46:21 Should people be allowed to park on streets? Jason doesn’t think so, and offers his alternative. Also, Jason explains dynamic pricing being introduced in San Francisco.
50:25 What do you think about Airbnb, and the increase of rideshare demand in cities?
53:10 What is the craziest pitch you’ve gotten? Stonly shares a “teleportation” pitch he received. Jason shares his most out of the park pitch.
57:04 Stonly and Jason talk about the small percentage of secondary consequences/side effects that companies can create. For example, Facebook and Russian campaigns potentially swinging an election.
1:01:01 Thank you to Shaun and Stonly for coming on the show. And thank you to Netsuite for supporting.
Angel Podcast © 2017