Scooter Braun on Being Enough, Insecurity, Wealth, Investing, Fame, Marriage and Much More | E1002

From college party promoter to managing global stars to CEO and investor. Scott “Scooter” Braun is one of the most powerful people in media and one of the most multi-faceted entrepreneurs we have ever met. As the founder of media company SB Projects and the co-founder of TQ Ventures, he has backed prominent companies such as Pinterest, Spotify and Uber and managed some of the world’s biggest names in music including Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Demi Lovato. Braun’s other accolades include founding Ithaca Ventures (acquired by HYBE for $1BN+) in 2021, and philanthropic efforts such as being a Make-A-Wish board member, raising $55M+ for Hurricane Harvey and Irma relief and continuing to instill the value of social good wherever possible. --------------------------------------- Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 1:22 Happiness & Success: Finding Balance 7:37 How Money & Power Changes You 10:08 Who’s there for you? 13:49 Scooter Braun’s Approach to Online Hate & Conflict 18:53 Discovering Justin Bieber: A Career-Changing Moment 21:32 Manchester Terrorist Attack and Ariana Grande’s Response 24:01 Biggest Professional Mistake and Lessons Learned 28:23 Inside Look at Billion-Dollar HYBE Deal 32:11 What I Learned from Jeff Bezos 37:52 Scooter’s Investment Hits and Misses 43:06 TQ Ventures: Investing in the Future 44:31 Friendship with Ashton Kutcher 46:28 On Being Vulnerable 51:55 Scooter’s Advice to Harry 1:00:10 Why Everyone Needs One Week Off a Year 1:06:47 How Kids Changed Scooter’s Mindset 1:09:00 Biggest Catalyst in Scooter’s Life 1:14:02 What do you still need to unlearn? Growth and Self-Reflection 1:18:37 What achievement are you most proud of? 1:20:10 Lessons I Want My Children to Learn 1:28:52 Call Me Scott Braun: Identity and Reinvention 1:31:47 Quick-Fire Round 1:34:51 Favorite Memory Working with Justin Bieber 1:37:43 How I Discovered Ariana Grande 1:39:03 What would you like to change about the music industry? 1:41:25 Where do you see yourself in five years? --------------------------------------- In Today’s Episode with Scooter Braun We Discuss: 1. From College Party Promoter to Managing The World’s Biggest Superstars: What was the single most catalytic moment of Scooter’s career? What was Scooter’s most painful professional mistake, and what did he learn from it? What was the decision-making behind Scooter’s HYBE deal? What is the biggest challenge in scaling the trajectories of the people Scooter works with? If Scooter could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be? 2. College Party Promoter Turned Venture Investor: How did Scooter originally get into investing? How did Scooter’s party promoting business almost lead to an early investment in Facebook? Do people approach Scooter differently as an investor because of his success in the music industry? Why is vulnerability helpful for investing? 3. Scooter’s Lessons on Success (And How to Deal With It): Why does Scooter believe happiness and success are not aligned? How does Scooter approach deal-making? Is work-life balance bullshit? Does Scooter think you have to break your back to become as successful as Jeff Bezos? Is Scooter scared of mediocrity? Why does Scooter think all entrepreneurs are bad at having faith? 4. The Secrets to Being a Better Parent, Child, and Partner: How does Scooter approach trust? How did having kids impact Scooter’s mindset? Why was divorce the biggest catalyst in Scooter’s entire life? Does Scooter worry that money will negatively influence how his children are brought up? What is the most important thing a child can hear from a parent? 5. Finding the “Scott” Buried Inside “Scooter”: It’s easy to become the brand you create. How does Scooter prevent losing himself when that happens? What does Scooter need to unlearn in the future? What has Scooter changed his mind on in the past 12 months? How does Scooter approach his relationship to regret? What single lesson you most would Scooter most want a young person listening to this conversation to take away? --------------------------------------- Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3j2KMcZTtgTNBKwtZBMHvl?si=85bc9196860e4466 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twenty-minute-vc-20vc-venture-capital-startup/id958230465 Follow Harry Stebbings on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HarryStebbings Follow Scott “Scooter” Braun on Twitter: https://twitter.com/scooterbraun Follow 20VC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/20vc_reels Follow 20VC on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@20vc_tok Visit our Website: https://www.20vc.com Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/contact --------------------------------------- #ScooterBraun #HYBE #HarryStebbings