Today on Fast Frontiers host Tim Schigel speaks with James Norman, a general partner at Black Operator Ventures, a venture fund that specifically empowers the entrepreneurship of people of color. James takes listeners on a deep dive of his growth and trajectory from Hollywood to venture capital, lessons learned in leadership, and how important networking and nurturing relationships are to customer acquisition.

Key Takeaways:

• [00:09  - 00:58 ] Intro to James Norman and his venture projects
• [01:00  - 02:57 ] James' early life in Michigan and entrepreneurship inklings as a child
• [02:58  - 04:25 ] Building speaker systems for car audio
• [04:25  - 05:18 ] Transitioning from speaker systems to whole cars
• [05:18  - 07:58 ] Lessons learned doing private planning at Mitsubishi in LA
• [08:03  - 10:12 ] James' first tech company, Ubi, and lessons in leading
• [10:12  - 11:42 ] Growing his network and how NewME helped make connections
• [11:44  - 12:52 ] Heavy on product, heavy on execution
• [12:52  - 13:58 ] The stories we tell
• [14:04  - 15:42 ] How James realized his strength in building video platforms
• [15:44  - 18:09 ] Why diverse development teams are necessary, and navigating abrasive cultures as a person of color
• [18:10  - 20:55 ] The path to capital and realizations about next steps
• [20:55  - 23:12 ] Acquiring data and monetizing it with GroupFix and Pilotly
• [23:12  - 24:32 ] Working with Joe to build GroupFix and Pilotly
• [24:32  - 26:36 ] How Black Ops Ventures came about
• [26:36  - 28:13 ] Communicating better, and learning from icons like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk
• [28:14  - 28:57 ] Bias from investors and developing empathy
• [28:58  - 30:23 ] A golden opportunity to build a better resource for black founders
• [30:24  - 32:01 ] The Four Challenges for Venture Capital to Invest in Black Founders
• [32:01  - 34:01 ] Starting right now, and getting involved
• [34:04  - 35:06 ] Builders and leaders
• [35:06  - 36:42 ] Building relationships and holding yourself accountable to your identity as a leader
• [36:44  - 38:57 ] Customer acquisition and nurturing the relationship, and confidence in outcomes