Venture Alpha, Seed Investing, and Climate Volatility with Rick Zullo
- Joe Magyer
- Mar 17
- 2 min read
Rick Zullo is the Founder and Managing Partner of Equal Ventures. Equal is a New York-based early stage venture capital firm that takes a concentrated approach with investing themes around climate, insurance, retail, and supply chain. We talked about why Rick invests with conviction, the state of seed investing, what climate volatility means for insurers and investors, and why being kind is more important than being nice.
The episode is now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, and YouTube Music.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Startup Investing
00:50 The Importance of Kindness in Venture Capital
06:13 Feedback Dynamics Between VCs and Founders
10:06 Investment Strategies and Meeting Flow
15:04 Climate Volatility and Its Impact on Insurance
20:51 Developing Investment Themes and Research Process
25:53 The Current State of Seed Investing
30:56 Concentrated Investment Approach and Personal Journey
36:11 Reflections on Power Law and Investment Philosophy
39:02 Personal Connections Through Baseball Cards
Takeaways: Rick Zullo on Venture Alpha, Seed Investing, and Climate Volatility
Investors should prioritize kindness over niceness to help founders succeed.
Feedback is essential, but it must be wanted and informed.
The current seed investing environment is challenging due to high valuations and competition.
A concentrated investment approach allows for deeper insights and better outcomes.
Climate volatility is reshaping the insurance industry and requires innovative solutions.
Developing investment themes involves extensive research and understanding of market dynamics.
The venture capital industry often prioritizes social circles over financial outcomes.
Investors should focus on long-term relationships with founders for better results.
Power law outcomes are important, but not the only focus for successful investing.
Personal connections can strengthen family bonds and create lasting memories.
The content here is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, legal or tax advice. The opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not reflect the views of Seaplane Ventures. Our host, guests and clients may hold investments discussed in this podcast. Please invest responsibly.
