We wrap season three with a conversation between myself and Jessica Straus. Listeners of the podcast know Jessica as the main host of the show for the past three seasons. She was gracious enough to let me fill in for her over the past two episodes while she was getting ready to leave Carta to become the chief operating officer at Poppy Flowers.
Jessica was one of the reasons I chose to come to Carta. I enjoyed the conversations and moments we shared in the months we spent together. As part of her sendoff, I sat down to talk with Jessica to learn more about her experience in VC, her time at Carta, and what she’s most excited about in her next chapter.
Jessica has spent the past decade working in VC. She’s been a venture partner at Dundee Venture, entrepreneur-in-residence at GE Ventures, and the VP of development at the National Venture Capital Association. Jessica is a Kauffman Fellow and earned her MBA in design strategy from the California College of the Arts.
Jessica is a cherished colleague who has a true passion for VC generally, and for emerging managers specifically.
During her time in VC, Jessica realized there weren’t many resources focused on supporting emerging managers, particularly when it came to helping them understand how to start a venture fund. She conceived The First Close as a platform that could amplify the voices of emerging GPs who could share insights from their journeys, and that could offer a glimpse into the future of VC through conversations with some of the sector’s most dynamic and innovative investors. The First Close was always intended to be a practical resource for aspiring managers.
Don’t fret: The First Close will be back for another season later this year, this time with me as your host. To keep things fresh, we’ll be changing things slightly—but we will always stay true to the curious and constructive ethos that Jessica imagined for the podcast.
Listen to our interview with Jessica Straus Fuchs of Poppy Flowers by streaming The First Close on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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