We split this episode into two parts: in this, the second and final part (9B), we discuss the implications of COVID-19 in the Venture Capital and the Start-up ecosystems. We share our no-BS view on how easy/how difficult it will be to fundraise, depending on the space you are in, on what will likely change when the “new normal” comes into play and what to focus on in order to make your business survive this, the biggest and most ruthless of all storms (recorded on April 16th).

Navigation:

Introduction (01:27)
Section 1 - Impact on Venture Capital firms (01:44)
Section 2 - Impact on Start-ups (14:37)
Section 3 - Boards and Governance (31:02)
Conclusion (38:23)

Our co-hosts:

Bertrand Schmitt, Tech Entrepreneur, co-founder and Chairman at App Annie, @bschmitt
Nuno Goncalves Pedro, Investor, co-Founder and Managing Partner of Strive Capital, @ngpedro

Our show: Tech DECIPHERED brings you the Entrepreneur and Investor views on Big Tech, VC and Start-up news, opinion pieces and research. We decipher their meaning, and add inside knowledge and context. Being nerds, we also discuss the latest gadgets and pop culture news. 
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Full transcription: may contain unintentionally confusing, inaccurate and/or amusing transcription errors

Intro (01:24)

Nuno: In this, the 2nd part of episode 9, episode 9B, we will be discussing the impact of COVID-19 on VC firms and startups. For further reference, listen to the first part of this episode, episode 9A. Let’s start today with Venture Capital firms.

Section 1 - Impact on Venture Capital firms (01:44)

I recently shared with a number of you, on Twitter and a couple of other social networks my own views on what's happening in venture capital. And let's start from the bottom up.

Let's start with the individual impact. I know it's shocking, but we, VCs are people, and therefore as people, we have the same issues as everyone else. When we go into shelter in place, we might have families that we need to take care of. We might have kids that we need to take care of, spouses, and we need to articulate complexities.

Like, for example, all of a sudden, if you have two kids, if you have a spouse that's also working, you might have three or four zoom sessions at the same time. And you know, houses are not of unlimited space. So obviously people need to articulate. I was seeing a social media post from a well known general partner saying that he was taking his calls in his car because that seemed to be the only real quiet space in his house.

So again, we as individuals are dealing with the same complexities as any other individual. And one needs to take that into account. What that implies is, there's a lag. You have a latency right now, if you're a company fundraising, you have to deal with this latency. The first step to that latency is what I just talked about.

It's the fact that I as an individual, as a venture capitalist, need to deal with this new reality and this new complexity. I might not be more productive immediately. It might take me a while to get back to my productivity. 

The second level of latency that I have to deal with, if I again, am a startup fundraising, and trying to fundraise from a venture capital firm, is the fact that VC firms have portfolio companies, and portfolio companies in some cases right now are going through complex times.

And the way I normally categorize portfolio companies for a venture capital firm is you either have counter cyclical portfolio companies or cyclical portfolio companies. If they're cyclical, they're aligned with the current economic cycle we're in. If they're counter-cyclical, they're not.

If they're counter-cyclical at this stage,