Skip to content
The Twenty Minute VCThe Twenty Minute VC

Tom Hulme: Lessons from a 24x Angel Track Record, 275x on Robinhood & Making Billions on Uber |E1150

Tom Hulme is a Managing Partner of GV (Google Ventures), and leads the European team. Today, GV has over $10BN in AUM and Tom has led investments in Lemonade.com (IPO), Snyk, Secret Escapes, Blockchain.com, GoCardless, Blue Vision Labs (exited to Lyft), and Currency Cloud (exited to Visa). Prior to joining venture full-time, Tom was one of Europe’s most successful angel investors with a 5x DPI track record and 20x+ TVPI. ----------------------------------------------- Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (01:09) Background (03:14) Entry into Angel Investing (11:20) Tom’s Investment Results (17:10) Bad Investment Decisions as an Angel (20:51) Ideas vs. Execution (23:07) What's the Price Tag for Great Venture Investing? (25:19) Founders Investing as Angels (28:11) Tom’s Strengths & Weaknesses (33:23) Creating Environment & Culture (38:45) Liquidity Concerns Amid Shifting Investment Landscape (46:38) Potential in Foundation Models? (51:45) Sustainable Value in the Application Layer (01:00:00) Founder Perspective: Naivete vs Insider Knowledge (01:06:38) Remote vs In-Person Observations (01:09:53) Quick-Fire Round ----------------------------------------------- In Today’s Episode with Tom Hulme We Discuss: 1. Lessons from a 24x TVPI Angel Track Record: What are Tom’s biggest lessons from his biggest winners angel investing? What are Tom’s biggest takeaways from the 0’s in his angel track record? What is the biggest advice Tom would give to angel investors starting out today? What are the single biggest mistakes Tom sees angel investors make today? 2. The Four Pillars of Venture Capital: What does Tom believe are the four key components of being successful as a VC? Why does Tom describe VC as “being a founder on anti-depressants”? How does Tom categorise the three different types of investors that exist? Sourcing, selecting, servicing: What is Tom best at and what is he worst at? 3. The Conventional Wisdom in Venture That is Not True: Why does Tom believe it is BS that you should never sell your winners? Why does Tom believe he has never had complete conviction in any of the companies he invests in? Why does Tom believe the “everything has to be a fund returner mindset” is BS? Why naivety doesn’t lead to great founders? Why employees at rocketships are the best founders? 4. AI: Foundation Models, Generative AI, The Incumbents: Where Does the Value Go: Does Tom believe there is money to be made investing in foundation models? Why does Tom liken investing in foundation models to investing in power stations? Where does Tom believe there is value in the application layer? Why does Tom think that generative AI is largely a sustaining innovation? Why does Tom think Microsoft will win the next wave of AI? Who else is well-positioned? Why does Tom believe there is a correlation between those that fear monger around AGI and those that need funding for their businesses? ----------------------------------------------- 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 Tom Hulme on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thulme Follow 20VC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/20vchq 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 ----------------------------------------------- #20vc #harrystebbings #tomhulme #googleventures #ceo #founder #venturecapital #startup #partnership #hiring #angelinvesting #robinhood #uber #lessonslearned

Tom HulmeguestHarry Stebbingshost
May 8, 20241h 17mWatch on YouTube ↗

Episode Details

EPISODE INFO

Released
May 8, 2024
Duration
1h 17m
Channel
The Twenty Minute VC
Watch on YouTube
▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Tom Hulme is a Managing Partner of GV (Google Ventures), and leads the European team. Today, GV has over $10BN in AUM and Tom has led investments in Lemonade.com (IPO), Snyk, Secret Escapes, Blockchain.com, GoCardless, Blue Vision Labs (exited to Lyft), and Currency Cloud (exited to Visa). Prior to joining venture full-time, Tom was one of Europe’s most successful angel investors with a 5x DPI track record and 20x+ TVPI. ----------------------------------------------- Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (01:09) Background (03:14) Entry into Angel Investing (11:20) Tom’s Investment Results (17:10) Bad Investment Decisions as an Angel (20:51) Ideas vs. Execution (23:07) What's the Price Tag for Great Venture Investing? (25:19) Founders Investing as Angels (28:11) Tom’s Strengths & Weaknesses (33:23) Creating Environment & Culture (38:45) Liquidity Concerns Amid Shifting Investment Landscape (46:38) Potential in Foundation Models? (51:45) Sustainable Value in the Application Layer (01:00:00) Founder Perspective: Naivete vs Insider Knowledge (01:06:38) Remote vs In-Person Observations (01:09:53) Quick-Fire Round ----------------------------------------------- In Today’s Episode with Tom Hulme We Discuss:

1. Lessons from a 24x TVPI Angel Track Record: What are Tom’s biggest lessons from his biggest winners angel investing? What are Tom’s biggest takeaways from the 0’s in his angel track record? What is the biggest advice Tom would give to angel investors starting out today? What are the single biggest mistakes Tom sees angel investors make today?

1. The Four Pillars of Venture Capital: What does Tom believe are the four key components of being successful as a VC? Why does Tom describe VC as “being a founder on anti-depressants”? How does Tom categorise the three different types of investors that exist? Sourcing, selecting, servicing: What is Tom best at and what is he worst at?

1. The Conventional Wisdom in Venture That is Not True: Why does Tom believe it is BS that you should never sell your winners? Why does Tom believe he has never had complete conviction in any of the companies he invests in? Why does Tom believe the “everything has to be a fund returner mindset” is BS? Why naivety doesn’t lead to great founders? Why employees at rocketships are the best founders?

1. AI: Foundation Models, Generative AI, The Incumbents: Where Does the Value Go: Does Tom believe there is money to be made investing in foundation models? Why does Tom liken investing in foundation models to investing in power stations? Where does Tom believe there is value in the application layer? Why does Tom think that generative AI is largely a sustaining innovation? Why does Tom think Microsoft will win the next wave of AI? Who else is well-positioned? Why does Tom believe there is a correlation between those that fear monger around AGI and those that need funding for their businesses? ----------------------------------------------- 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 Tom Hulme on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thulme Follow 20VC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/20vchq 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 ----------------------------------------------- #20vc #harrystebbings #tomhulme #googleventures #ceo #founder #venturecapital #startup #partnership #hiring #angelinvesting #robinhood #uber #lessonslearned

SPEAKERS

  • Tom Hulme

    guest
  • Harry Stebbings

    host
  • Narrator

    other

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of The Twenty Minute VC, featuring Tom Hulme and Harry Stebbings, Tom Hulme: Lessons from a 24x Angel Track Record, 275x on Robinhood & Making Billions on Uber |E1150 explores tom Hulme Dissects Venture Craft, Founder Psychology, and AI Hype Cycles Tom Hulme, GV general partner and prolific angel, unpacks how his early experiences, angel track record, and operating background shape his investing philosophy across sourcing, selection, and founder support.

RELATED EPISODES

Inside Legora: Jude Law Generated $50M Pipeline | Are They Undervalued at $5.5BN? | Patrick Forquer

Inside Legora: Jude Law Generated $50M Pipeline | Are They Undervalued at $5.5BN? | Patrick Forquer

Cliff Weitzman: What I Learned from 100 of the World’s Top CEOs & Why Tokens Will Outspend Salaries

Cliff Weitzman: What I Learned from 100 of the World’s Top CEOs & Why Tokens Will Outspend Salaries

Shopify CEO on How AI is a Scapegoat for Mass Layoffs & Trump Derangement Syndrome in Canada

Shopify CEO on How AI is a Scapegoat for Mass Layoffs & Trump Derangement Syndrome in Canada

Inside Clay's Sales Playbook | Becca Lindquist

Inside Clay's Sales Playbook | Becca Lindquist

Jackie Reses: The Most Powerful Woman in Finance; Making $50BN for Yahoo on Alibaba | E996

Jackie Reses: The Most Powerful Woman in Finance; Making $50BN for Yahoo on Alibaba | E996

Tom Hulme & Stan Boland:  Lessons from Jensen Huang & How to Fix the UK Tech Ecosystem

Tom Hulme & Stan Boland: Lessons from Jensen Huang & How to Fix the UK Tech Ecosystem

Get more out of YouTube videos.

High quality summaries for YouTube videos. Accurate transcripts to search & find moments. Powered by ChatGPT & Claude AI.

Add to Chrome