“I wake up most days just wishing someone would tell me what to do”

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game Plan

Ed Keelan is a Partner at Octopus Ventures focused on B2B SaaS. As well as identifying & nurturing disruptive SaaS startups, Ed's actively involved in various initiatives addressing D&I topics - including neurodiversity - within the VC sector.

We discussed:

• What do VCs really care about when evaluating startups & entrepreneurs?
• Why many SaaS businesses that raised money during the VC bubble need to refocus on unit economics and "Swiss army knife" talent
• The importance of all types of diversity, including neurodiversity, in VC - Ed, who himself is dyslexic, is involved in several D&I initiatives
• The struggles faced by “the forgotten 90%” in VC portfolios - one CEO told Ed “I wake up most days just wishing someone would tell me what to do” - and a few crucial steps overwhelmed CEOs can take to address their challenges

For more insights into Octopus Ventures head over to https://octopusventures.com/ & for advice on recruiting exceptional leaders for startups & scale-ups check out https://alpinasearch.com/