60. Ezra Galston (Starting Line) - Benefits of Chicago, Managed vs. Lightly Managed Marketplaces, and Consumer for the 99%

Our guest today is Ezra Galston ( https://www.startingline.vc/team ) , Founding partner of Starting Line ( https://www.startingline.vc/ ) , a seed stage consumer tech focused fund based in Chicago. Previously he was a Principal at Chicago Ventures. Some of his investments include Cameo, Flyhomes, and Spothero. One book that inspired Ezra personally is The Little Prince ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0156012197?camp=1789&creativeASIN=0156012197&ie=UTF8&linkCode=xm2&tag=theconsumervc-20 ) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. One book that inspired him professionally is Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0804137382?camp=1789&creativeASIN=0804137382&ie=UTF8&linkCode=xm2&tag=theconsumervc-20 ) by Greg McKeown. I highly recommend following Ezra on Twitter @EzraMoGee ( https://twitter.com/EzraMoGee ). You can also follow your host @mikegelb ( https://twitter.com/MikeGelb ). Some of the questions I ask Ezra - * What initially attracted you to venture capital and how did Starting Line come about? * What makes Chicago special as a startup ecosystem? * I've had on investors that say if you start a company outside the coasts or the main venture ecosystems, that's ok, but there needs to be a plan to move to the main venture ecosystem because of recruiting and hiring. I've other investors that love investing in secondary markets (it's weird to consider Chicago a secondary market) or not obvious markets. How do you think about this? * Talk to me a little bit about your due diligence process and your stage? * What are some of the differences between managed and lightly managed marketplaces? * For entrepreneurs that are thinking about starting marketplace, what are some things they should consider when approaching marketplace design that would influence whether they should have a managed vs. un-managed marketplace? * Now, decision making on the internet in some ways is hard because there is so much choice. How do you think about curation? * I'd love to learn a little bit about consumer technology that you are focused on that are for the 99% * What opportunities in consumer tech are you focused on and gets you excited? * What is one thing that you would change when it came to venture capital? * What's one book that inspired you personally and one book that inspired you professionally? * What's your most recent investment and what makes you excited about it? * What's one company on your anti-portfolio and did you learn anything from passing? * What's one piece advice that you have for consumer tech founders? Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands