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Emerging Manager Spotlight: Jai Malik of Countdown Capital
Talking near monkhood, the Midwest & the Wild West of private market investing
11 min readFeb 10, 2021
Key Takeaways:
- Don’t follow in anybody’s footsteps. Build a thesis and firm that is authentic to you, your passions, and your experience, not just what you see in the market
- As a VC fund manager, provide support for your portfolio companies. Push your founders to grow outside their comfort zone as a mission-aligned partner for your investments as opposed to a passive investor.
- When building a 506(c) or rolling fund, use your network to publicly advertise to potential LP investors. This will create momentum and transparency around your raise, but be sure to quickly verify investor accreditation.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Jai Malik of Countdown Capital to learn about his journey in venture capital, the critical importance of the American industrial base and building a 506(c) VC fund.
Jai, a product manager turned investor, wasn’t always on the VC path. In university, Jai started out majoring in business and…
