Included VC 2021 Partner Reflection: Pavel Mucha (KAYA VC)
Included VC 2021 Alumnus, Matthew Falcotelo sits down for a reflection interview with Pavel Mucha, General Partner at Kaya VC, on Kaya being part of the Fellowship from the beginning and what are his hopes for the future!
Highlights include:
- ✎ How being part of Included VC connected the dots for Pavel
- 🌟 Pavel’s personal Included VC highlights
- 💬 Pavel’s advice for future Included VC Fellows: break down the wall of hesitation
Matthew: What first drew you to Included VC?
Pavel: I think a Fellowship like Included VC was a growing need, over time, before Included VC had even started.
Included VC connected several dots on my side. One is, we always look for increasing diversity or variety in the team, and we were facing challenges to discover talent that can be onboarded.
Also, I’m a father of a daughter, and I see a real need for role models in society, especially for underrepresented groups. Those role models, I believe, are super critical, because they become pillars of the future network and future access. I tend to think these points are big for mine and KAYA’s motivation to join the Included VC family. When we met with Stephen Millard, it was a pretty easy decision and took me probably less than one second to approve and go for it.
I believe KAYA VC is committed for the long term. The change we are talking about cannot happen in 365 days, it takes years.
Matthew: What makes Included VC unique?
Pavel: Included VC has been built by very concrete people. I felt connected very quickly with Stephen and Nikita- that was very important in the beginning. Following from that I just had that gut feeling that Included VC was something special.
The hidden side that I didn’t know back then until I got more involved in the Fellowship that I find unique is that Included VC really makes things happen.
The Fellows don’t leave just with certificates to say they’ve completed it and got a job in venture, it has a bigger impact on their career lives. I actually think it is a career changer, to a big extent for many fellows- that’s already a huge impact!
The commitment of VC partners is long term, it’s not just a blip that showed up for a year, and then it disappeared. Included VC is an ongoing platform. Today, we could probably say or consider that this is also the largest network of Fellows and Alumni’s in the world. It’s fantastic to have this access and become a network that can be networked for life.
Matthew: What have been your favourite moments with Included VC?
Pavel: I have had so many great moments with Included VC!
Having Ana, an Included VC 2020 Alumna, now part of our team was a defining moment.
I also had a memorable moment talking to Pol, another Included VC 2020 Alumnus, about him helping ex-convicts transition back into society, and that is clearly a topic that can put a lot of people out of their comfort zone.
I love to do blind interviews. We talk about diversity, but you really realise it only when you go blind. The Investment Committee simulations with fellows has also been a highlight. It is so fun to interact with the Fellows and listen to their opinions and be really hands on. I wish that the second cohort were able to enjoy in person events but unfortunately COVID happened, but hopefully we can all meet in the future!
Matthew: How would you like to see Included VC develop over the next five years?
Pavel: I wish that we can get it deeply rooted within the regions. I think we are doing a first level touch across the globe, and I think that that is very important to get it started building awareness. The next level is to be rooted deeply in the regional ecosystems.
Stephen shared a thought that I really liked which was considering building a structure that would allow future Included VC Fellows to invest real money. It’s a very different experience, when you really do it versus when you go through a simulation. But I think the main aim and development over the next five years is to definitely get deeper into the regions.
Matthew: What piece of advice would you give to the third cohort of Included VC Fellows?
Pavel: I would tell the Fellows to break the wall of hesitation, and that they’re good enough to go for it.
There is no better welcoming place to start this challenging journey, and there is no better place to increase your optionality in your career.
But to do that, you must not hesitate to break down that wall of self-doubt.
Matthew: How would you describe Included VC?
Pavel: Welcoming, out of the comfort zone, career changer.
About KAYA VC
Kaya, previously Enern, is a multi-stage venture capital firm focused on building internet companies and backing entrepreneurial talent in CEE region — predominantly Berlin, Prague and Warsaw.
