From Operator to VC: James Pringle’s Unique Perspective on Startup Success

This week we get the inside scoop of what VCs are looking for in an investable startup. My guest, James Pringle, is an investor at Portfolio Ventures which backs UK headquartered businesses in SaaS, FinTech and InsureTech sectors. James offers us a fantastic insight to the investor sentiment and how weather the current storm. As an operator himself turned VC he has a unique view of what it takes to build a successful business, sharing practical strategies and tactics that he’s seen work for many of the startups he supports. Some of the key takeaways I picked up on are how to make the most of hiring an advisor, the importance of documenting the founder led sales process early on and how businesses should be incorporating AI into existing products. Full conversation notes below. I think you’re going to enjoy this conversation and if you do, please give it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️rating, thanks.PhilHere are your conversation highlights: (01:43) The Good and Bad early stage business sales and GTM(04:08) Becoming a VC after experiencing the hard knocks as a start-up operator himself (11:05) Integrating AI into existing products vs building an investable new AI product(13:20) Surviving the current investment drought (16:32) Advice to founders who find selling uncomfortable or even distasteful (18:44) Building your first sales team (22:01) Making use of advisors and the importance of using retainers with context (26:37) The value of using a good sales structure like MEDDICC(28:43) Driving awareness and lead generation strategies that actually work in the early days of building a new business (33:38) Quick fire questions – Playing the long game and markers of success, decision making to  maintain momentum, the types of business Portfolio Ventures invest in and how to get in touch. For more information:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipguest/Website: https://www.revcelerate.com/Twitter:  https://twitter.com/PhilGuesty