New to Venture · 2025-07-17 · 49 min
When everyone said it was too early to invest, Manu Kumar , founder of K9 Ventures and HiHello , said it was too late. Meet the man who coined the phrase “Pre-seed.” In 2008, Manu Kumar saw something others missed. While VCs were waiting for traction, the best founders were building in garages with credit cards. So he coined a term that would reshape how we think about early-stage investing: Pre-Seed. In episode 045 of New to Venture, Manu and I dive deep into what it really takes to spot greatness before anyone else does. From his time building companies to investing at the earliest stages, his insights hit different. This conversation challenged everything I thought I knew about venture. The truth that stuck with me? “You cannot be in venture without having lowlights. The successes get amplified and the failures get swept under the rug.” My key takeaways: 1️⃣ You never really learn to be a CEO. Every company and every problem is unbelievably nuanced. There’s no playbook, no shortcut. Each journey demands its own map. 2️⃣ Hire only when you’re hurting: Never hire in anticipation, wait until you feel the pain. Be slow to hire, fast to fire.
Ep 050 - Molly Cantillon, Founder at NOX64 / 100
Ep 049 - Nate Leung, Partner at Sapphire Partners
Ep 048 - Chauncey Kerr Hamilton, Partner at XYZ Venture Capital
Ep 047 - Bryan "BK" Kim, Partner at a16z
Ep 046 - Grace Ge, Partner at Amplify Partners