253. The Changing "Search Image" of Founders, Lack of Diversity = Missed Opportunity, and COVID Effects on the BLM Movement in Europe (Eric Collins)

Eric Collins of Impact X Capital joins Nick to discuss The Changing "Search Image" of Founders, Lack of Diversity = Missed Opportunity, and COVID Effects on the BLM Movement in Europe. In this episode, we cover: Walk us through your background and path to VC What's the thesis at Impact X? As a black CEO and fund manager, in what ways do you think your experience fundraising was different than your white, male peers at other firms? How do you approach sourcing? What's unique about the way you've built your network vs. other firms? Less than 1% of venture funding goes to black-led and we've heard the tired line that "not enough companies are founded by underrepresented founders and black founders"...  Are you concerned that you'll have fewer deals or less pipeline? What's the right number of deals per year where you feel like you're seeing a sufficient amount? I've heard about the "deep analysis" you do and how that creates the edge.  Can you describe what this entails? Do the issues run deeper in the LP community than even the GP community? Are the return expectations different for your LPs vs. a non-Impact fund? A lot of the impact you are creating is long-term in nature.  What are the leading indicators of success for your fund? How do you set objectives and measures to know if you're winning/exceeding the plan? In response to the pandemic, the gov't created a number of programs to help fast-growth companies.  What was the impact on your underrepresented pipeline and portfolio? Black Lives Matter has been the center of attention here in the states.  What's the status of the movement in the UK and how has it impacted your efforts at Impact X?