Investor Insights
Investor Insights is a series hosted by Launch With GS in which we interview venture capitalists in our ecosystem to discuss their unique investment strategies and insights on the shifting VC landscape.
The latest insights and perspectives from founders, investors and business leaders in the Launch With GS ecosystem.
“We want to use capital to affect the supply and demand dynamics – increasing the number of women investors, while generating meaningful proof points for women’s investment performance.”
Suzanne Gauron
Managing Director
Global Head of Private Equity Strategies
“In Asia, many healthcare, technology and consumer companies are increasingly catering to female consumers. Portfolio companies with a diverse leadership team at the helm have a clear competitive advantage since they are better positioned to understand the true needs of their customers.”
Stephanie Hui
Managing Director
Head of Private Equity in Asia and Global Co-head of GS Growth Equity
“The bottom line is this makes sense for our business – because investing and helping companies grow is our business. We also hope it makes a difference for entrepreneurs who have big ideas but find themselves cut out of the funding ecosystem.”
Stephanie Cohen
Global Co-Head of Consumer and Wealth Management
“Diversity is critical to every analytical process. When you bring many different thoughts and unique perspectives together, everyone makes better decisions.”
Lisa Opoku
Managing Director
Global Head of the Goldman Sachs Partner Family Office for Consumer and Wealth Management
“Entrepreneurs think differently than everyone else – otherwise their idea would already exist. If you’re looking for entrepreneurs in the same place over and over again, you’ll get the same ideas, over and over again.”
Jade Mandel
Vice President
GS Growth
“When we invest in growth companies, amongst other things we are really backing management teams. We look for resilience, passion, and a demonstrated track record of making good decisions. And we believe that diverse teams make better decisions.”
Nishi Somaiya
Managing Director
Global Co-Head of Growth Equity
“We want to work with entrepreneurs who are humble and willing to do the work with us, because in the end they care about creating a great business that lasts. There’s a vision component to investing – what are you trying to build? And a values component – how are you going to build it?”
Darren Cohen
Managing Director
Global Co-Head of Growth Equity
“We believe that having a diverse team makes investors better at understanding risk. The investing industry as a whole has a long way to go when it comes to gender diversity. We can accept that as the way it is, or we can try to change it.”
Julian Salisbury
Managing Director
Global Co-Head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management
“We believe in the power of community in growing businesses, and that having a diverse network can make the difference in getting to that next level, whether you’re an entrepreneur or an investor. That’s what we’re building with Launch With GS.”
Jemma Wolfe
Managing Director
Global Co-Head of Consumer and Wealth Management Strategy
“A successful investment firm requires a special combination of great investment thinking and great business building. We’ve found that the most thoughtful firms recognize these two skill sets are really distinct. The best managers work hard to build teams with a range of talents that complement, where the whole is truly greater than the sum of the parts.”
Chris Kojima
Managing Director
Global Head of Client Solutions and Capital Markets
Investor Insights is a series hosted by Launch With GS in which we interview venture capitalists in our ecosystem to discuss their unique investment strategies and insights on the shifting VC landscape.
Our first Investor Insights guest was Marlon Nichols, Founder and Managing Partner of MaC Venture Capital. Marlon joined Suzanne Gauron, Global Head of Launch With GS, for a candid conversation on his journey to create MaC Venture Capital, MaC's unique thesis of investing at the intersection of technology and culture, and how he plans to navigate the deployment of a new $203 million fund amidst a challenging economic environment.
Our second guest was Miriam Rivera, Founder and Managing Director at Ulu Ventures. Miriam joined Regina Green, Americas Head of Launch With GS, for an energetic conversation around the creation of the largest Latina-led venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, Ulu's deployment of a sophisticated decision analysis model to guide investment decisions, and Miriam's outlook on choppy venture markets, particularly in the enterprise IT and smart data sectors.
Our third episode features Jason Robart and Tuoyo Louis, Co-founders and Managing Partners of Seae Ventures. Jason and Robart joined Jo Natauri, a partner in Private Equity overseeing Global Healthcare Private Investing, for a conversation around using technology to address disparities in healthcare and serve vulnerable populations, emerging trends in healthcare, and the intersection of healthtech with other key venture-backed categories like fintech and information technology.
Leaders in the Launch With GS community on recent trends across the funding ecosystem.
Hear from Goldman Sachs Investors and Launch With GS ecosystem founders and fund managers on topics of entrepreneurship and building great businesses.
A spotlight on business leaders who are changing the game and lighting the path.
Melissa Hanna, Co-founder and CEO of Mahmee
Melissa Hanna built Mahmee to address inequities in maternal healthcare, focusing first on new digital tools that could help the industry reduce negative outcomes.
Deepak Chopra, MD, Founder of The Chopra Foundation
In this episode of Talks at GS, Deepak Chopra, MD, discusses his insights on well-being, mindfulness and purpose during these challenging times. Watch Now
Theresia Gouw: Founding Partner of Acrew Capital
In this episode of Talks at GS, venture capitalist Theresia Gouw discusses what she looks for in an early stage company, the opportunities from building a diverse investor team, and the state of venture capital in Silicon Valley. Watch Video
How Computational Biology is Transforming Drug R&D
In this episode of Exchanges at Goldman Sachs, Goldman Sachs Research’s Heath Terry explores the growing world of computational biology—using the power of big data to revolutionize drug discovery, disease prevention and cancer detection. Listen Now
Kirsten Green: Founding Partner of Forerunner Ventures
In this Talks at GS session, Kirsten Green discusses the investing approach that has guided her success as a venture capital investor in fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands, as well as her views on the constantly-shifting consumer landscape. Watch Video
Sign up for BRIEFINGS, a newsletter from Goldman Sachs about trends shaping markets, industries and the global economy.