Vishal Vasishth of Obvious Ventures: Having a Clear Focused Thesis & Trusting the Process

Episode Summary:
Vishal Vasishth is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Obvious Ventures, founded in 2014, and investing in both early and growth stage companies.  In this episode we speak with Vishal on his path to starting Obvious Ventures - from his time at Patagonia which greatly influenced the way he thought about brand and culture to his entrepreneurial path focused on how to solve real problems in the world.  Tune into this episode to learn more on the parallels between building a company and venture funding, the importance of a clear focused thesis and how to build trust with key stakeholders. 

What is Uncovered: 

• Vishal’s journey to starting Obvious Ventures 
• The process and experience of getting those first few LPs to invest  
• The biggest difference between being a venture capitalist and an entrepreneur 
• The parallels between venture capital and starting a company
• Biggest challenge running Obvious Ventures thus far 
• How Obvious Ventures is growing and differentiating themselves in a competitive VC landscape 

Learn More About:

Vishal Vasishth

Vishal invests in values-driven founders and companies that dramatically improve healthcare outcomes, create more human-centered financial systems, and reimagine consumer services from the ground up.

He leads Obvious’ investments in full-stack healthcare with Virta, Galileo, and Devoted Health; financial technology startups such as Hedvig, One, Corvus, and Openly; and purpose-led consumer services like Good Eggs and Block Renovation.

Before co-founding Obvious, Vishal was the founding partner of Indian-based fund SONG Investment Advisors. He also served as a senior executive at Steve Case’s Revolution, LLC. Prior to his career as an investor, Vishal spent a decade at outdoor gear and apparel retailer Patagonia, in roles ranging from product manager to Chief Strategy Officer. He was selected as a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute and a Next Generation Fellow of the American Assembly, both recognizing value-based leadership. Vishal earned a B. Tech degree in India, an MS from North Carolina State University, and an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.

Vishal grew up in the fast growing city of Chandigarh, India. He is an avid cricket fan and aspiring batsman.

Connect with Vishal on LinkedIn 

Obvious Ventures: 

Obvious is a venture capital firm investing in startups reimagining trillion-dollar industries through a world positive lens. Our three investment pillars are Sustainable Systems, Healthy Living, and People Power. We invest at both early and growth stages. Learn more by visiting their website at https://obvious.com/.

Quotes: 

• On raising money for follow-on investments: “It's a journey. I think it's similar to building companies and operating companies, which is ultimately building trust.  You need to be building trust with all the stakeholders, including internal teams, external teams, customers, and showing progress, day after day, which enables you to get more people involved in your tribe.” 
• “You are becoming better by doing the things which have brought success and learning from the failures”