By Clifford Holekamp, an EO St. Louis member and 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.