E32: Scott Belsky’s Angel Investing Lessons and Requests For Startups

"Turpentine VC" | Venture Capital and Investing

This episode features an interview with Scott Belsky, angel investor, Chief Strategy Officer at Adobe, and founder of Behance. In this conversation, which was recorded in 2021, we dive into Scott’s early investments in companies like Pinterest and Uber, the evolution of his investment philosophy, and the principles he acquired over time.

This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [e-mail].

---

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

Turpentine Finance

Host Sasha Orloff (3x Founder & CEO) is joined by top founders and finance leaders at high growth tech companies who share how they navigated huge make-or-break decisions, rode inflection points, and architected success. If you want to learn the mental models and tactics top business leaders and CFOs, subscribe below. Debut episode features Casey Woo unpacking his wild ride managing billions in budgets at WeWork – arguably one of the craziest capital stories ever.

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5BflNhFxxLjqT2RA47352G

Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1704418764

-

Autopilot explores the adoption and rollout of AI in the industries that drive the economy and the dynamic founders bringing rapid change to slow-moving industries. From law, to hardware, to aviation, Will Summerlin interviews founders backed by Benchmark, Greylock, and more to learn how they're automating at the frontiers in entrenched industries.

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6YQZkKHN7EP2yWedAvSxBC?si=18377c69a2804333

Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/autopilot-with-will-summerlin/id1738163836.

---

Join our free newsletter: https://turpentinevc.substack.com/ -

---

SPONSOR: HARMONIC | SQUAD

🧲 Learn why Craft, Bedrock, NEA and 100s more trust Harmonic’s data to source deals. Harmonic is the most complete startup database, finding new companies as soon as they incorporate and tracking them through IPO. Head to https://bit.ly/harmonicturpentine and make sure to mention Turpentine VC during your demo.

💥 Access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to choosesquad.com and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist.

---

RELATED SHOWS: @10xcapitalpodcast

If you like Turpentine VC, check out our show The 10x Capital Podcast with David Weisburd, where David talks to the investors behind the investors: https://10xcapitalpodcast.com/

---

X / TWITTER:

@scottbelsky (Scott)

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@turpentinemedia

---

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(01:01) Beginning of Scott’s angel investor journey

(02:05) Investments in Pinterest and Uber

(04:00) The biggest principle Scott acquired

(07:15) What’s the capacity to become an investor

(12:09) Sponsor: Brave | Turpentine

(17:10) Evaluating the market

(19:55) Scott's current investment interests

(26:02) Views on consumer social

(30:34) Past examples of failed products due to timing.

(38:00) The future of work and productivity tools

(40:22) How founders extract value from solo investors

(42:33) The future of creativity

(45:57 Wrap

---

This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [e-mail].