Longtrepreneur continues to bring the best-in-class tech and business leaders to get their take on long-term thinking in the world of Commerce, Technology and Entrepreneurship.
This week’s “Take the L” series guest is an individual who needs no introduction: Lisa Dolan.
Here is the conversation in an interview format between Yawar Abbas(Longtrepreneur) and Lisa Dolan(Link Ventures)
Yawar:What is the meaning of Lisa Dolan?
Lisa Dolan: The origination of my name – I believe, is Elizabeth. Another meaning of my name is “Oath of God.”
Yawar: How do you introduce yourself at a cocktail party?
Lisa Dolan: “A Founder-lover.” I love getting to know founders. Starting a company is not just a function of time and performance as it is in Finance. It is about market timing, persistence with good luck, and great people selection and development – the startup world is riddled with numerous variables.
Yawar: Double-clicking on a career in Finance, What are the top 2 correlations between startups and Finance which you could draw?
Lisa Dolan: Nowadays, young people are going into product manager careers, and during my early career days, people went into Finance. It’s merely a function of “where the money” is. Both industries: Tech and Finance, breed one similar kind of a person – “All-in attitude.”.
I am wary of founders that have worked at large financial institutions for a lifetime and then decide to do something new because they work in their roles where they have customers and don’t have to go looking for them. You’ve got to find your customers, meet their needs, and maintain that relationship over the long term to make the math of the business work. A new product/business line in a pre-existing company is just a different formula.
Yawar: How is your relationship with your mother? How has that shaped your worldview today?
Lisa Dolan: Okay! So, I am close to my mom. I worked with my mother right after I graduated from undergrad. My sister did, Its a right of passage.I have an old soul. I believe that’s because my mom had me late in life b/c she was focused on her career.
Yawar:What’s the 1 quality your mother has and you subconsciously adopted?
Lisa Dolan: It’s the same for my sister and me. We all are hard workers. I vividly remember my mother heading to the office every day, even when it snowed- she was very fashionable but on snow days I remember her heading out there with a backpack ha! She illustrated that you must work hard (in anything you do) to build a purpose.
Yawar: Growing up? In what subjects did you have interest?
Lisa Dolan:
Math and Science(I particularly liked biology).
Yawar:One correlation question that was not part of the questions is? Biology is about how organisms work. Do you see startups in the same realm as biology, where different departments inside a startup must work together towards a common goal? What are your thoughts?
Lisa Dolan: There’s a book called “The Scale” that I’d recommend that discusses and The founder of EverQuote suggested that I read the book “Scale”
The book compares companies to organisms. here is a strong correlation between startups and biology(organisms). All organisms have their own growth trajectory and ultimately die.
Yawar:Do you cook? If so? What are your 2 go-to dishes?
Lisa Dolan: Cooking and having food around have been a part of my upbringing.
It would be a Mediterranean dish when I cook; I am super healthy. I’m unfortunately not domestic at all – to a fault but enjoy cooking for large family/friends together.
Yawar: What led to your decision to join Link Ventures?
I joined Link because of the team – Dave and Rob, Link ‘s acquisition expertise and MIT ties, which provides our founders with the key constraints of any startup – the right talent & the right customers.
Yawar: Why should a founder take money from Link Ventures over other firms?
I think it’s a personal decision so…talk to me! Ultimately, it’s the talent and community that you can’t get from others
Yawar:What sectors and markets are Link ventures investing in?
Lisa Dolan: We primarily use two systems to source investee companies. They: Web Traffic or Talent analytics, which gives us an insight into where people are going to work, and web traffic provides us with a snapshot of how a company is doing on the metrics.
Yawar: At what stage does Link ventures invest?
Lisa Dolan: Our sweet spot is Seed- Series A. However, we opportunistically invest in pre-product and pre-traction; such decisions are based on the founders & market thesis themselves.
Yawar:What led Link Ventures to invest in Canela Media?
Lisa Dolan: It was a simple decision. Most awesome companies are simple. We invested in Canela Media threefold: The team, The founder(Isabel Rafferty Zavala)
She is someone that delivers, pulls people towards her vision, and one with whom people want to work. She is also an experienced digital TV entrepreneur. She had a “Founder-Product-Market” fit. Regardless, I would still bet on her because I believe in her as a founder who can make things happen. Execution sets Canela Media apart,, and the growing market size made sense for Link Ventures to get involved.
Yawar:What do you want your legacy to be?
Lisa Dolan: The “go-to” person for my loved ones and helping build/fund companies that are doing their part in solving meaningful problems
Yawar: Which 3 people do you want to nominate for the “Take the L” interview series?
Lisa Dolan:
1. Isabel Rafferty Zavala – Canela Media
2. Cody Barbo – Trust & Will
3. TBA
