The LA Ecosystem Is on the Rise | 3 Tips from Kareem Aly (Felicis Ventures)

Few have been able to make as big a dent in VC in as short amount of time as Kareem Aly. After starting in investment banking, Kareem made the jump to venture capital and has already seen three of his investments exit within 3 years as a Principal at Thomvest Ventures. He has since moved on to Felicis Ventures, known for Fitbit, Shopify, Credit Karma, Warby Parker, Canva, and more.

We’ve chosen some of our favorite takeaways from our Demo Day episode featuring Kareem, but write in the comments below with yours!

1. Treat everyone with kindness.

We all know the cliche— entrepreneurs ought to be sharks. Vicious, ruthless…right? In our transactional world, it’s easy to focus on oneself and avoid spending time cultivating relationships. 

As an investment banker at Deutsche Bank, Kareem knew he had to finesse his way upward. Yet he didn’t just focus on mastering the material. An important part of his process involved meeting co-workers and higher-ups. 

Venture capital is a network heavy field, and ultimately it was a colleague at Deutsche Bank that introduced him to an employer at Thomvest. Had he not spent time befriending that colleague, he never would’ve learned of the opportunity. 

Though it seems basic, being considerate toward others is just as important in business as it is in life. Oftentimes, your dream job won’t be posted online— but if you’ve developed your network, someone will keep their ears open for you.

2. You won’t start out as an expert.

When you start a new gig, it’s unlikely that you’ll be the most knowledgeable person in the room (if you are— you should find a different gig). When Kareem started out at Thomvest, he worked primarily in security and cloud infrastructure. His background, however, was in economics. 

Kareem spent the first six months at his new job educating himself. He sought out Chief Security Officers to pick their brains and understand what their pain points were. Regardless of your field, you’ll always benefit from speaking with experts. You may be shocked to find how willing they are to share their knowledge with the next generation.

Don’t be afraid to ask.

3. The LA Ecosystem is on the rise!

As Los Angeleans, we constantly compare our tech community to that of the northern big dogs in SF/SV.

Kareem is from Downey, CA, just Southeast of Los Angeles. He went to UCLA and was LA through and through until heading up to San Francisco to work for Deutsche Bank. Before he left, there was hardly any tech or venture ecosystem in LA—most of his friends didn’t even know what venture capital was.

Now, LA tech is rising through the ranks— now comparable to SF in the crypto and blockchain field. However, Kareem would like to see more growth equity in our hometown. We need a brand name here for Series C and beyond growth.

Will your venture capital firm be the one to change that?

Want to Learn More? 

Hear Kareem speak on everything from his big move to SF, what Gym 4.0 means, and how to find your role at the company you work for. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our Demo Day Website.