Episode22

Beezer Clarkson

Beezer Clarkson on How to Get a “Yes” from Investors, Advice to Young VCs, Fund Mission vs. Returns, and What Diversity Means in Venture

How can values create value? On this podcast, Michael Eisenberg talks with business leaders and venture capitalists to explore the values and purpose behind their businesses, the impact technology can have on humanity, and the humanity behind digitization.

Subscribe and listen anywhere:

Beezer Clarkson

June 3, 2024

All Insights

Beezer Clarkson

June 3, 2024

All Insights

Beezer Clarkson

June 3, 2024

All Insights

All Episodes

Subscribe and listen anywhere:

On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts Beezer Clarkson, a partner at Sapphire Partners.

‍

Beezer leads Sapphire Partners‘ investments in venture funds domestically and internationally.

Beezer began her career in financial services over 20 years ago at Morgan Stanley in its global infrastructure group. Since, she has held various direct and indirect venture investment roles, as well as operational roles in software business development at Hewlett Packard. Prior to joining Sapphire in 2012, Beezer managed the day-to-day operations of the Draper Fisher Jurvetson Global Network, which then had $7 billion under management across 16 venture funds worldwide.

In 2016, Beezer led the launch of OpenLP, an effort to help foster greater understanding in the entrepreneur-to-LP tech ecosystem.

Beezer earned a bachelor’s in government from Wesleyan University, where she served on the board of trustees and currently serves as an advisor to the Wesleyan Endowment Investment Committee. She is currently serving on the board of the NVCA and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts!

‍

No transcript found

Read full article

Show Full Transcript

KEY TOPICS

[00:00:00] Intro
[00:01:42] Starting OpenLP
[00:03:45] Groupthink in Venture
[00:07:06] Momentum Investing
[00:10:13] Choosing the Right Investments
[00:14:40] How to Get a “Yes” from an Investor
[00:21:00] Large Funds or Small Funds
[00:30:00] How Important are Early Wins
[00:35:20] Is There a VC Personality Type?
[00:37:36] Advice to Young VCs
[00:43:00] Is Now the Worst Time to Invest?
[00:54:48] Mission or Returns
[00:59:00] Importance of Diversity
[01:01:00] Ageism in VC
[01:08:00] How Investments Changed Since October 7th
[01:12:21] Investing in AI
[01:15:31] Rapid Fire

‍

Show References

Follow Beezer Clarkson on LinkedIn

Follow Beezer Clarkson on X

Subscribe to Invested here

Learn more about Aleph

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

Follow Michael on Twitter

Follow Michael on LinkedIn

Follow Aleph on Twitter

‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn

‍Follow Aleph on Instagram

‍

Resources

‍

Credits

Executive Producer: Erica Marom

Producer: Sofi Levak

Video and Editing: Ron Baranov

Music and Art: Uri Ar

Design: Rony Karadi

‍

Latest Episodes

All Episodes

Vee Founder May Piamenta on Selling Her First Company at 16, Smuggling a Computer Onto an Army Base, Laying Off Her Entire Company and Knowing When to Pivot

February 14, 2024

Adam Fisher, Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, on What it Takes to be a Great VC, Lessons from Wix and Fiverr, and Why Israel Should Let Go of the “Startup Nation” Narrative

February 14, 2024

Harvard Professor Roland Fryer on Relentlessly Pursuing Truth, ‘Closing Social Gaps with Market Caps,’ and Celebrating Failure

February 14, 2024

Harry Stebbings on Starting 20VC, Being Underestimated, Investing, and Wealth vs. Happiness

February 14, 2024

Yasmin Lukatz on Investing in a Time of War, Founding ICON, How to Make a Difference, and Being on Shark Tank

February 14, 2024

Yonatan Adiri on Stepping Down as CEO of Healthy.io, the Future of Healthcare, and What’s Next for Him - Part Two

February 14, 2024

AI Expert Oren Etzioni on How Deepfakes are Influencing Global Events, Our Moral Obligations Around AI & the Fight Against Disinformation | Invested

February 14, 2024

Yonatan Adiri on Founding Healthy.io, Challenges in HealthTech, and Working with Shimon Peres - Part One

February 14, 2024

Izhar Shay on Losing His Son Yaron Oree, the October 7th Attack, an Initiative for the Fallen, and Moving Forward

February 14, 2024

Yoav Shoham on What Machines Understand About Us, Leading AI in Israel & Stanford, AI21 Labs Innovations, and How We’re Wrong About AGI

February 14, 2024

Sam Lessin on What Entrepreneurs Don’t Realize About VCs, When the State Should Intervene with Tech, the Future of Crypto and the Evolution of Truth

February 14, 2024

Ami Daniel on the October 7th Massacre, Rescuing Survivors Using Tech, and Managing a Company During War

February 14, 2024

Matan Bar on Melio’s Humble Beginnings, The Power of Storytelling, Making Tough Decisions as a CEO, and Meeting George W. Bush

February 14, 2024

Marc Rowan on Having the Courage to Speak Up, Apollo’s Investing Strategy, Commitment to Israel, and Looking Ahead

February 14, 2024

Palantir Co-Founder Joe Lonsdale on Fixing America, Disrupting Defense Innovation & Building the University of Austin

February 14, 2024

Lior Eshkol on How Wolt Israel Became a Cultural Icon, the Essence of the Israeli Consumer & Navigating the Company Through Crisis

February 14, 2024

Jacob Helberg on the China Doomsday Scenario, the Dangers of Wokeism, and What America Needs to Win the Technological Arms Race

February 14, 2024

Eyal Waldman on Building Mellanox, Employing Palestinians and Israelis Together, and The Future of AI

February 14, 2024

Eyal Waldman on What Went Wrong on October 7th, His Personal Loss and Plan for Peace, and Mellanox’s Impact on AI

February 14, 2024

Jon Pelson on China's Influence, TikTok, Huawei and Different Values

February 14, 2024

Kathryn Mayne on VC, Investing in People, Taking Risks and Why Israel is Special

February 14, 2024

Daniel Schreiber on Storytelling, Good vs. Bad Investors, Running a Public Company

February 14, 2024

Russ Roberts on the Difficulty of Giving Good Advice, Work-Life Balance, Our Obsession with Productivity, Storytelling and Wild Problems

February 14, 2024

Jeff Swartz on Timberland, Social Impact, Philanthropy, Having Too Many Words and Lots of Dreams

February 14, 2024

Ron Gura on Empathy, Grief and Scaling Humanity

February 14, 2024

Aryeh Bourkoff on Empathy, Digital Communities, Relationships vs. Transactions, Being Self-Aware, Dreaming about Being Shy and Lazy

February 14, 2024

Stefan Tompson on Founding Visegrad24, Fake News, Fighting for Israel and the West

February 14, 2024

Bradley Tusk on Investing Like a Politician in Regulated Industries, the Flaws of Elite Education, and the Fragmented Future of America

February 14, 2024

Bradley Tusk on How to Save Democracy Before it’s Too Late, the Problem With Our Political Structures, and the Power of Mobile Voting

February 14, 2024

Ben Lang on Being Early at Notion, How to Build Community, Angel Investing and Taking Risks

February 14, 2024

Alon Arvatz on the Future of Israeli Cybersecurity, Exiting Multiple Companies, Leaving Money on the Table, and Making Financial Literacy Accessible

February 14, 2024

Michael looks back on the incredible and tragic stories from October 7th within the Israeli tech ecosystem that were shared on the Invested podcast over the past year.

February 14, 2024

Barak Herscowitz on TikTok’s Anti-Israel Bias, the Memo That Got Leaked, Resigning From TikTok, and the Story Israel Needs to be Telling

February 14, 2024

Antonio Garcia-Martinez on the Hippie Influence over Silicon Valley, Behind the Scenes at Facebook, Writing ‘Chaos Monkeys’ and Founding Spindl

February 14, 2024

Alex Konrad on Covering Israeli & Gazan Tech, the Forbes Midas List, & Civic Resilience

February 14, 2024

Orit Farkash HaCohen on AI Regulation, Burnout, Israel’s Natural Gas Exploration, and Diversity in High-Tech

February 14, 2024

All Episodes

Beezer Clarkson

Beezer Clarkson

Beezer Clarkson

Beezer Clarkson

Latest Episodes

Vee Founder May Piamenta on Selling Her First Company at 16, Smuggling a Computer Onto an Army Base, Laying Off Her Entire Company and Knowing When to Pivot

Adam Fisher, Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, on What it Takes to be a Great VC, Lessons from Wix and Fiverr, and Why Israel Should Let Go of the “Startup Nation” Narrative

Harvard Professor Roland Fryer on Relentlessly Pursuing Truth, ‘Closing Social Gaps with Market Caps,’ and Celebrating Failure

Harry Stebbings on Starting 20VC, Being Underestimated, Investing, and Wealth vs. Happiness

Yasmin Lukatz on Investing in a Time of War, Founding ICON, How to Make a Difference, and Being on Shark Tank

Yonatan Adiri on Stepping Down as CEO of Healthy.io, the Future of Healthcare, and What’s Next for Him - Part Two

AI Expert Oren Etzioni on How Deepfakes are Influencing Global Events, Our Moral Obligations Around AI & the Fight Against Disinformation | Invested

Yonatan Adiri on Founding Healthy.io, Challenges in HealthTech, and Working with Shimon Peres - Part One

Izhar Shay on Losing His Son Yaron Oree, the October 7th Attack, an Initiative for the Fallen, and Moving Forward

Yoav Shoham on What Machines Understand About Us, Leading AI in Israel & Stanford, AI21 Labs Innovations, and How We’re Wrong About AGI

Sam Lessin on What Entrepreneurs Don’t Realize About VCs, When the State Should Intervene with Tech, the Future of Crypto and the Evolution of Truth

Ami Daniel on the October 7th Massacre, Rescuing Survivors Using Tech, and Managing a Company During War

Matan Bar on Melio’s Humble Beginnings, The Power of Storytelling, Making Tough Decisions as a CEO, and Meeting George W. Bush

Marc Rowan on Having the Courage to Speak Up, Apollo’s Investing Strategy, Commitment to Israel, and Looking Ahead

Palantir Co-Founder Joe Lonsdale on Fixing America, Disrupting Defense Innovation & Building the University of Austin

Lior Eshkol on How Wolt Israel Became a Cultural Icon, the Essence of the Israeli Consumer & Navigating the Company Through Crisis

Jacob Helberg on the China Doomsday Scenario, the Dangers of Wokeism, and What America Needs to Win the Technological Arms Race

Eyal Waldman on Building Mellanox, Employing Palestinians and Israelis Together, and The Future of AI

Eyal Waldman on What Went Wrong on October 7th, His Personal Loss and Plan for Peace, and Mellanox’s Impact on AI

Jon Pelson on China's Influence, TikTok, Huawei and Different Values

Kathryn Mayne on VC, Investing in People, Taking Risks and Why Israel is Special

Daniel Schreiber on Storytelling, Good vs. Bad Investors, Running a Public Company

Russ Roberts on the Difficulty of Giving Good Advice, Work-Life Balance, Our Obsession with Productivity, Storytelling and Wild Problems

Jeff Swartz on Timberland, Social Impact, Philanthropy, Having Too Many Words and Lots of Dreams

Ron Gura on Empathy, Grief and Scaling Humanity

Aryeh Bourkoff on Empathy, Digital Communities, Relationships vs. Transactions, Being Self-Aware, Dreaming about Being Shy and Lazy

Stefan Tompson on Founding Visegrad24, Fake News, Fighting for Israel and the West

Bradley Tusk on Investing Like a Politician in Regulated Industries, the Flaws of Elite Education, and the Fragmented Future of America

Bradley Tusk on How to Save Democracy Before it’s Too Late, the Problem With Our Political Structures, and the Power of Mobile Voting

Ben Lang on Being Early at Notion, How to Build Community, Angel Investing and Taking Risks

Alon Arvatz on the Future of Israeli Cybersecurity, Exiting Multiple Companies, Leaving Money on the Table, and Making Financial Literacy Accessible

Michael looks back on the incredible and tragic stories from October 7th within the Israeli tech ecosystem that were shared on the Invested podcast over the past year.

Barak Herscowitz on TikTok’s Anti-Israel Bias, the Memo That Got Leaked, Resigning From TikTok, and the Story Israel Needs to be Telling

Antonio Garcia-Martinez on the Hippie Influence over Silicon Valley, Behind the Scenes at Facebook, Writing ‘Chaos Monkeys’ and Founding Spindl

Alex Konrad on Covering Israeli & Gazan Tech, the Forbes Midas List, & Civic Resilience

Orit Farkash HaCohen on AI Regulation, Burnout, Israel’s Natural Gas Exploration, and Diversity in High-Tech

Recommended

New Space Meetup Join us for a meetup featuring the latest developments in Space tech and ventures, with speakers from the IDF, Utilis, Effe

Apply to Aleph.bet B2B Pricing

The Future of Talent Why is it so hard to recruit engineers? Maybe we’re going about it all wrong. Avishai Ish-Shalom, Aleph’s Engineer-in-R

HoneyBook Raises $28M Series C Read Michael Eisenberg’s blog post about HoneyBook’s journey to cracking a new market, now servicing solopren

Firewall Podcast Comes to Israel

Usability Testing 101

What I Hate About High Tech When Erica Marom joined Aleph, she fell in love with the energy of the Israeli high tech community. But as a for

Beyond Innovation Tourism

30 Time Management To-Dos We all struggle to manage our time better, so Eden Shochat has prepared a cheat sheet to ease our path to producti

A Seat at the Table As Nexar’s GM Mobility Solutions, Kate Balingit partners with the world’s largest auto manufacturers. She shares five le

Aleph III We are pleased to announce the closing of Aleph III, a $200 million fund, to continue partnering with great Israeli entrepreneurs

Aleph DreamBuilders Erica Marom shares the philosophy behind the creation of Aleph DreamBuilders, a new video series capturing our founders’

Don’t Bail Out Israeli Startups In an op-ed in Israeli newspaper Calcalist, Adam Fisher of Bessemer Venture Partners, Rona Segev of TLV Part

Dear Entrepreneur Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Aleph Equal Partner Michael Eisenberg writes in an open letter that this is a time for empathy

The Houseparty Exit A year on, Eden Shochat shares a personal perspective on the sale of Houseparty, why exits are not black and white, and

$LMND — Aleph’s First IPO Lemonade is a meaningful company with values at its core, a reflection of its founders, Daniel Schreiber and Shai

Investing in Great People Michael Eisenberg says investing in great people has always been his strategy, but keeping small business in busin

Branding for Founders Uri Ar and Erica Marom, aka Urica™, share the 3-step practical guide they use as a basis for helping startups build th

Why You Need Sales Ops Sales Operations is misunderstood, says Leore Spira, head of Sales Ops at Syte, and formerly of Anodot. Once consider

Melio Raises $250M

A Deal of Biblical Proportions Michael Eisenberg attended the first-ever Business Summit of the Abraham Accords in Abu Dhabi, and says lsrae

Eran Shir, Nexar — Aleph DreamBuilders Nexar CEO Eran Shir says he never met a pessimistic entrepreneur. Intrigued by the challenges of mobi

Aleph’s New Partner

Bringg Raises $100M at $1B Valuation Bringg, a last-mile delivery platform for retailers, helps companies scale up and optimize their custom

Games and the Economy Digital games teach us that economies should be expressions of culture, says Michael Eisenberg. He explores the econom

Michael’s New Book The most successful companies of the 21st century are values-driven, because the best way to be successful is to make oth

Invest in Relationships In an era of transactional investing, Michael Eisenberg says relationships are both scarce and proprietary. Reflecti

Aleph’s Latest Investment

Announcing Fund IV We are pleased to announce Aleph IV, a $300 million fund. We are humbled and honored by the ongoing support of our LPs, t

Trullion Raises $15M Trullion raised $15M in a Series A funding round, as they continue to create business transparency by powering real-tim

Placer Raises $100M

anecdotes Raises $25M

RiseUp Raises $30M

Coralogix Raises $142M

Unit Raises $100M

Healthy.io Receives FDA Clearance Healthy.io received landmark FDA clearance for Minuteful Kidney, holding promise to reduce dialysis rates

Raftt Emerges From Stealth

Agora Raises $20M