Successful Startup 101: September 2014 Successful Startup 101: September 2014 | Page 52

Think You Know What Venture Capitalists
Look For In New Start-Ups? Think Again
By Patrick Hanlon
Everyone talks about how entrepreneurs and
innovators get their famous “aha!” moments.

new investment in the Imoji app, all their financial
research was boiled down into a human moment.

But no one really talks about when the VCs who
fund them get their big idea to finance fledgling
entrepreneurs with the capital that turns ideas into
industry and headlines.

“My 5-year old daughter wanted to play with
Imoji rather than have her bedtime story,” laughs
Chien.

Silicon Valley venture capitalist Chi-Hua Chien
has had a long career investing in Silicon Valley
companies including Spotify, Twitter, and Facebook.
When his firm Goodwater Capital was looking at a

Not every investment is so close to home.
Eurie Kim is a principal at Forerunner Ventures, the
company that has helped bring us Warby Parker,
Bonobos and Birchbox.