The Pomp Podcast
#410: Jeff Richards on Investing In Innovation
- GGV Capital's global venture strategy focuses on sector and theme-based investing across the US, China, India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, betting on trends like e-commerce, FinTech, and SMB tech that transcend geography.
- Wish's success came from targeting the mass-market consumer (the "Amazon subprime" demographic) rather than high-income users, similar to Taobao's model in China.
- Coinbase's regulatory-first approach to crypto—assuming SEC oversight and banking law compliance—positioned it as a professionalized exchange ahead of competitors who ignored regulation.
- Lambda School disrupts education through Income Share Agreements (ISAs), shifting financial risk from students to the company and democratizing access to tech careers.
- Slice empowers small pizza merchants with technology (mobile ordering, marketing, capital) to compete with chains like Domino's, following an "arm the rebels" philosophy.
- Companies should go public earlier than current trends suggest; disciplined growth, employee liquidity, and permanent capital on balance sheets benefit founders, employees, and the economy.