The venture capital industry is notorious for attracting people from similar educational backgrounds, geographies, and social circles. The networks are closed, the unconscious bias is rampant, and representation is scarce. According to Pitchbook data, women-founded startups raised only 1.9% of all VC funds in 2022, and those percentages are even lower amongst minority founders. Research suggests that diverse teams are more successful, so why is the VC industry still so far behind?

Brad Zapp is a serial entrepreneur who lives outside traditional venture capital hubs like San Francisco and New York but still wants to bring business to life. As co-founder of early-stage venture capital firm Connetic Ventures, Brad strives to bring opportunities to founders in overlooked geographies and eliminate bias using artificial intelligence. 

In this episode, Brad talks to Rebekah and Mac about accessibility and representation in venture capital, creativity's role in entrepreneurial pursuits, and the resiliency required for aspiring business owners. 

Key Takeaways

• [01:12 ] - An introduction to Brad Zapp and Connetic Ventures.


• [03:04 ] - The role creativity plays as a founder.


• [07:13 ] - What led Brad to business?


• [12:10 ] - Why Brad describes himself as the “Wizard of Oz.” 


• [13:42 ] - How Brad found his community of thought leaders in tech.


• [17:21 ] - Brad’s compliance challenges.


• [23:34 ] - How to get in touch with Brad.

Quotes

[03:04 ] - “When you are a founder, one of the most important attributes is creativity because nothing goes according to plan.” ~ Brad Zapp

[11:26 ] - “Access is the keyword at our firm. We want to be accessible for founders to make it easy to get funding wherever you are.” ~ Brad Zapp

[13:55 ] - “If you haven't been a tech founder, you don't know the loneliness, the pain, and the whipsaws of emotion. And the resiliency that you need to go up and down.” ~ Brad Zapp

Links

• Brad Zapp on LinkedIn


• Connetic Ventures


• Wendal


• SEC.gov

Connect with our hosts

• Smartria


• Mac on LinkedIn


• Rebekah on LinkedIn

Subscribe and stay in touch

• Apple Podcasts


• Spotify


• Google Podcasts

Learn more about Smartria

Creativity, Community, and Compliance is brought to you by Smartria, an award-winning compliance management platform for compliance consulting firms and RIA networks. We excel at making the complex and frustrating world of compliance simple to manage and easy to understand. Want to get a behind-the-scenes tour and check it out? Reach out to us at hello@smartria.com and take a peek at our website, smartria.com.