Alexa von Tobel (Inspired Capital) - The evolution of New York's startup ecosystem, staying price discipline and what it means to be a generalist

My guest today is [Alexa von Tobel](https://twitter.com/alexavontobel), Founder of [Inspired Capital](https://inspiredcapital.com/) and [LearnVest](https://learnvest.com/). Inspired is a generalist fund based in New York City that backs early-stage founders with transformative ideas. Some of their companies include Chief, Geneva, Public and Snackpass. They recently closed their second fund of $281 million investing in seed and series A companies. She also founded LearnVest, which was an American financial planning company which she sold for $250 million. In this episode we discuss how New York's entrepreneurial and venture capital scene has risen in the past 15 years, her approach to investing as a generalist and staying price disciplined in this current market. Without further ado, here's Alexa. Some of the questions I ask Alexa: 1. So what inspired you to start Inspired Capital? 2. How did the fund come together? 3. What was fund 1’s focus? 4. Unfair advantages? 5. Operational experience to be a great investor? 6. What were some of your biggest learnings through fund 1? 7. How do you approach investing at seed and Series A? 8. How has New York transformed as a startup and venture ecosystem in the past 15 years?     1. What verticals in New York are you most excited about? 9. How is fund 2 going to be different from fund 1? 10. How do you think about price discipline in the current market? 11. Is founder-friendly in today’s landscape writing a larger check? 12. How do you approach partnering with founders? 13. Are you finding that founders aren’t always choosing the highest prices? 14. How do you stay price discipline in this current market? 15. What’s your sourcing strategy? 16. What parts of the creator economy excite you? 17. Has COVID changed your mind on any particular verticals? 18. What’s one thing you would change about venture capital? 19. What’s one piece of advice for founders?

Om Podcasten

The Consumer VC takes a look into early-stage consumer investing and venture capital. If you are interested in learning about consumer trends, have a b2c business and interested in learning about the fundraising process at the early stage, you have come to the right place. Mike interviews some of the top venture capitalists in the world that focus on B2C and consumer type companies or have a deep track record investing in these categories such as marketplaces, SaaS, social, CPG and non-tech subscription. Mike also interviews founders that are building some of the most disruptive consumer facing companies in the world. The conversation usually includes the insight the founder discovered, fundraising strategy, and the pitch. This podcast also includes bonus episodes. Each bonus episode dives into a particular subject that might not have to due with the fundraise or venture capital, but still would be helpful to founders. For example, a bonus episode on brand strategy or how to construct a board of directors. All bonus episodes will be clearly labeled. For all episodes, please visit www.theconsumervc.com. For updates, you can follow @mikegelb on Twitter.