Mac the VC on the Journey from Homeless To Becoming A VC | Full Interview with Harry Stebbings

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

February 5, 2022

Duration

42m

Channel

The Twenty Minute VC

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

McKeever “Mac the VC” Conwell II is the founder and managing partner of RareBreed Ventures, a pre-seed fund that invests outside of large tech ecosystems, with a concentrated portfolio approach being the first check with in with up to $250K. Mac’s journey into venture is nothing short of inspirational, Mac went from being homeless to being an engineer to founding his own companies to today, raising Rarebreed largely on Twitter. For more 20VC, check out the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twenty-minute-vc-venture-capital-startup-funding/id958230465 In Today’s Episode withMac the VC You Will Learn: 1.) How Mac went from being homeless to becoming an engineer and starting his own companies? How did his time operating lead to his becoming a VC and building his Twitter brand? 2.) What are the biggest ways that venture is messed up today? Why does Mac believe it does not matter about getting into hot deals? Why does Mac believe that the brand of the VC that does your round does not matter? Does Mac see the leading venture brands investing outside SF and NYC? What elements of an investment compel them more than others? 3.) In the wake of the George Floyd event, who does Mac note did not say anything? How does Mac want to see diversity introduced at the institutional LP level? What does Mac believe institutional LPs care about? What can institutional LPs do structurally to allow themselves to invest in the next generation of emerging managers? 4.) Why does Mac not like AngelList Rolling Funds? How did he structure his fund in a creative way? In what way does Mac feel the requirements for GP commits needs to change? How did Mac use Twitter very specifically to raise his fund? Which people went out of their way to help him? What were some of the biggest takeaways from those discussions? #MactheVC #20VC #VentureCapital #HarryStebbings

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Harry Stebbings

  host

• Mac the VC (McKeever Conwell II)

  guest

• Narrator

  other

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of The Twenty Minute VC, featuring Harry Stebbings and Mac the VC (McKeever Conwell II), Mac the VC on the Journey from Homeless To Becoming A VC | Full Interview with Harry Stebbings explores from Homeless Founder To VC: Mac Challenges Venture’s Broken Rules Mac (Mac the VC), a former software engineer and twice founder, shares his unconventional path into venture capital, culminating in launching RareBreed Ventures without a degree, finance background, or savings. He explains how personal failure, depression, and support from family and friends reshaped his identity beyond startup success. The conversation dives into how he raised a $10M pre-seed fund largely via Twitter DMs and 506(c), while deliberately ignoring many traditional fund rules. Mac also critiques structural problems in venture—especially around hot deals, LP behavior, and performative diversity—while outlining his long-term ambition to build a top-tier, Baltimore-based multi-stage firm.

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