UVC: Sergey Gribov from Flint Capital on their investment strategy, mistakes to avoid when entering the US market, and the exciting future of tech
In the latest episode of the UnderstandingVC podcast I talk to Sergey Gribov, General Partner at Flint Capital. Sergey talks about his transition from building startups to investing in them and shares the fund strategy at Flint Capital. He also gives his perspective on whether startups should target the US market and highlights common mistakes that startups make while trying to expand into the US market.
Sergey shares his approach to assessing startups, especially at the early stages, and how he adds value to his portfolio startups. The discussion also delves into Flint Capital's investment in the cybersecurity industry, with Sergey sharing his thoughts on the future of the industry.
The conversation then shifts to the exciting potential of future technologies, including OpenAI, and Sergey's perspective on recent layoffs at big tech companies.
In this episode you will learn:
- After building multiple successful startups, why did Sergey get into VC?
- What is the fund strategy at Flint Capital?
- Is it a good strategy for startups to target the single biggest enterprise market in the world - the US?
- Based on Sergey’s experience, what are some of the mistakes that startups make while trying to expand into the US market?
- How does he add value to his portfolio startups?
- How does Sergey assess startups, especially at the very early stages?
- What does Sergey think about the cybersecurity industry, since Flint Capital has invested in a bunch of cybersec startups?
- What are Sergey’s thoughts on OpenAI?
- Is the future of tech exciting, considering the recent layoffs at big companies?
About
Sergey Gribov is an experienced technology entrepreneur and investor, currently serving as a Partner at Flint Capital, an early-stage venture fund with a global focus on investing in startups across Israel, the USA, and Europe. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Sergey has been involved in many successful startups as a founder or top manager in the U.S. and Israel. Notably, he was part of the founding team at Vivox and served as the Director of R&D and Operations. Sergey has a diverse background in various IT sectors including software development, cybersecurity, digital health, and fintech. He holds an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management and a B.Sc. in Computer Science from Beer-Sheva University, and has also studied Computer Science at the University of Ben Gurion (Israel). In addition to his professional accomplishments, Sergey is also a licensed pilot and Bareboat IYT Skipper. Currently, he serves as an investor and board member at companies such as Socure, Cyolo, Sensi.ai, XRHealth, and others.
Sergey Gribov
General Partner at Flint Capital
Sergey Gribov is an experienced technology entrepreneur and investor, currently serving as a Partner at Flint Capital, an early-stage venture fund with a global focus on investing in startups across Israel, the USA and Europe. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Sergey has been involved in many successful startups as a founder or top manager in the U.S. and Israel. Notably, he was part of the founding team at Vivox and served as the Director of R&D and Operations. Sergey has a diverse background in various IT sectors including software development, cybersecurity, digital health, and fintech. He holds an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management and a B.Sc. in Computer Science from Beer-Sheva University, and has also studied Computer Science at the University of Ben Gurion (Israel). In addition to his professional accomplishments, Sergey is also a licensed pilot and Bareboat IYT Skipper. Currently, he serves as an investor and board member at companies such as Socure, Cyolo, Sensi.ai, XRHealth and others.
Listen:
