
Leveraging Entrepreneurial Experience to Invest in Startups
By Clifford Holekamp, General Partner at Cultivation Capital
As successful entrepreneurs, we are often asked to invest in new startup companies. Last year, fellow EO St. Louis member Rick Holton and I professionalized our angel investment activities by joining three other veteran entrepreneurs, starting an early stage venture capital fund, Cultivation Capital. A recent Kaufman Foundation research report concluded that venture funds managed by former entrepreneurs yielded higher returns than those that weren’t, and our first two years of results are confirming that assertion. Reflecting back, we have recognized a few ways that our entrepreneurial experience has helped us be better investors.