ANGEL: Laurie Yoler on investing early in Tesla, strategic partnerships, and her VC career | E1701 | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Laurie Yoller, an experienced investor and board member of Playground Global, shares her journey in startups and venture capital, including her involvement in Tesla and her current focus on AI, automation, and cybersecurity.

Key Insights

• 🪘 Laurie Yoller has a long history in startups and venture capital, having been involved in the founding of companies like Tesla.
• 😃 She takes a contrarian approach to investing and looks for companies that tackle big and challenging problems.
• ❓ Laurie's investments in AI, automation, and cybersecurity reflect her belief in the future potential of these areas.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: How did Laurie Yoller get involved in venture capital?

Laurie's journey into venture capital started after she became an advisor to the newly founded index Ventures in Europe. She started making angel investments in technology startups and got involved in the European startup scene.

Q: What led Laurie Yoller to invest in Tesla?

Laurie became an investor and board member of Tesla early on because she believed in the revolutionary nature of electric vehicles and saw the potential in the company. Despite facing skepticism and challenges, she persisted in her belief and played a role in Tesla's growth.

Q: What is Laurie Yoller's role at Playground Global?

Laurie serves as a managing director at Playground Global, where she focuses on investing in AI, automation, and cybersecurity. She works closely with portfolio company CEOs and provides operational resources to help them grow.

Q: How does Laurie Yoller approach investing in startups?

Laurie takes a contrarian approach and looks for fundamental technologies with long-term potential. She believes in investing early and focuses on companies that address big and challenging problems, such as optimizing supply chain logistics, improving cybersecurity, and enhancing AI capabilities.

Summary

In this video, Molly interviews Lori Yoler, a GP at Playground Global and an experienced investor in startups and venture capital since 1993. Laurie discusses her journey in venture capital, including her founding board membership in Tesla. She also talks about the challenges of fundraising for revolutionary ideas and the importance of persistence and patience in the face of skepticism.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Laurie Yoller has been working in startups and venture capital since 1993 and has been involved in the founding of companies like Tesla.

• She joined Playground Global in 2019 and focuses on investing in AI, automation, and cybersecurity.

• Laurie's investments in companies like Leaf Logistics and Mosaic ML are aimed at optimizing supply chain logistics and reducing the cost of training neural network models.

• She believes in investing in fundamental technology and taking a contrarian approach to find long-lasting winners.