Susan Kimberlin builds and invests in things that are Good & Useful. She is an angel investor, limited partner and product leader with a career that is equal parts building SaaS software products, and investing in companies, funds, teams, and projects that promote social equity with practical solutions for real-world problems. She is committed to bringing more diverse people into investing and the innovation economy. With a background in building search and natural language products for companies like PayPal and Salesforce, she leverages her experience to help her portfolio companies with product and fundraising strategies. Susan believes that bringing diverse perspectives to creative and practical challenges is the best way to create durable and impactful change.
In addition to her tech roles, Susan co-owns and manages Tammberlin Vineyards, growing Rhône wine varietals in Bennett Valley, Sonoma County. She works on documentary and narrative film projects as an executive producer, supporting creative projects that raise awareness, start conversations, and bring joy. She is a lifelong singer, and has been singing with pop a cappella group The Loose Interpretations for nearly 20 years.
You can find Susan on her socials here:
Twitter: https://x.com/susansearchpro
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susankimberlin/
Substack: https://goodanduseful.substack.com/
And huge thanks to this episode’s sponsor, Alchemist Accelerator: https://alchemistaccelerator.com/superclusters
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also watch the episode on YouTube here.
Brought to you by Alchemist Accelerator.
OUTLINE:
[00:00] Intro
[02:51] What are madrigals?
[10:10] How to balance high expectations for your team and the trust that they will get there
[14:53] How does Susan recognize drive and excellence in others?
[21:49] What made Susan’s founding LP check in Backstage Capital so unique?
[26:01] Difference between LP stakes and GP stakes
[38:51] The smokes and mirrors behind the first pitch
[43:54] Susan’s investment strategy as an individual LP?
[50:21] What topic would Susan give a TED talk in that’s not startups or venture?
[59:24] Thank you to Alchemist Accelerator for sponsoring!
[1:00:25] If you enjoyed this episode, could you share this with one other friend?
SELECT LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:
- Backstage Capital
- Forum Ventures
- Operator Collective
- Amber Illig
- The Council
- Salesforce
- Tammberlin Vineyards
- The Loose Interpretations
- Monta Vista Madrigals
- Jack Lindsay
- Lincoln Elementary School
- Stuart Brioza
- Arlan Hamilton
- Sequoia Capital
- Sapphire Partners
- Josh Wolfe
- Lux Capital
- 2019 Lux Capital Annual Dinner Talk
- The Nutcracker
- Wonder Woman
- Shuggie’s Trash Pies
- Star Trek: The Next Generation
- Constructed language (aka conlang)
- Koilang
- Klingon
- “Why I’m Really Into Emerging Managers” by Susan Kimberlin
SELECT QUOTES FROM THIS EPISODE:
“Communication between us is the definition of our experience in the world.” – Susan Kimberlin
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