Ryan Zauk sits down with Rana Yared, Partner at Balderton Capital, one of Europe’s most storied venture capital firms.
Rana is a former partner at Goldman Sachs, and helped lead the firm's principal strategic investments in the US and UK. She represented Goldman Sachs on the Boards of Tradeweb, NAV, Vestwell, New York Shipping Exchange, and Swapclear @ LCH. Rana joined Balderton as a General Partner in 2020, focusing on fintech investments.
In today’s episode, they discuss:
- Her long journey from Wharton to Goldman to Balderton, and a surprise stop for a masters in securities analysis (nukes and bombs, not stocks and bonds)
- The secret sauce of Balderton, the Balderton Collective, and their fantastic track record
- The two fintech verticals she’s most excited about
- The 3 key things on her investor checklist and what is an immediate dealbreaker
- Her investment in Unqork while at Goldman and Flywire while at Balderton
- Why she’s so excited about Europe, Balderton’s new liquidity fund, and the massive “bridge” opportunity she sees
- And a rapid-fire round including her best pastry, favorite restaurant in London, and her advice to founders.
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