Abir Liben (Associate @ Serena Ventures)

The dynamics of working under a celebrity, how Serena can add value to portfolio companies where other investors cannot compete, and misused founder evaluation frameworks

October 27, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

This week we had on Abir Liben, an investor at Serena Ventures based in San Francisco.

Serena Ventures is the venture arm of Serena Williams, and since launching in 2014, the fund has established itself as one of the top-performing celebrity-backed funds.

In this talk, we discuss:

  • Abir's unplanned path into venture

  • The dynamics of working under one of the most popular figures in the world

  • How celebrities are able to add value to portfolio companies where other investors cannot

  • Misused founder evaluation frameworks

Check out the full episode below:

🎩 Making is show business now

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 NFX breaks down tribal network effects

⍰ List of better questions to ask in an interview

📈 Great essay by Erik Torenberg on career development

👥 Great framework to building lasting communities

👕 Cool essay + visuals to better understand Stitch Fix

Thanks so much for reading! We began this initiative because of personal struggles we experienced while settling into venture roles, and we want to continue to make this newsletter a resource rather than a burden to your inbox.

If you have any thoughts, suggestions, or feedback that you think would benefit the entire community, please share it directly using the chat bubble included in-between the heart icon and export box below. 👇

Reply

or to participate.