Michael Berolzheimer, Founder @ Bee Partners, Discusses Pre-Seed Investing in Deep Tech

Subscribe to the Sandhill Markets Newsletter: https://blog.sandhillmarkets.com/subscribe Michael has amassed over a decade of experience at the earliest stages of deep tech venture creation. He has partnered with Founders on 75+ pre-seed investments via funds totaling over $150M and has held over a dozen board roles supporting Founders going from zero-to-one. His successful track record with inception-stage ventures has included TubeMogul (IPO 2014) and BuildingConnected, which sold to AutoDesk for $275M in 2018. In addition, he’s invested in nineteen pre-seed startups that have since grown to $100M+ in enterprise value. Notable companies include Rapid Robotics, Deepscribe, Crowdbotics, Embroker among others. A proud alum and continuing supporter of UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, Michael graduated with honors from Vanderbilt University with dual undergraduate degrees in computer science and economics. Today on the podcast we discuss: 1. Michael Intro (1:32) 2. The Beginnings of Bee Partners (4:43) 3. Thoughts on Fund Construction and Fund Sizes (7:27) 4. Approach to Building Teams (12:56) 5. What Are the Controllable Factors When Thinking About Fund Strategy (16:00) 6. In Depth on Deep Tech (20:33) 7. Michael’s Long Term Outlook on Sourcing (24:42) 8. Which Came First, Michael’s Focus on Pre-Seed Investing or Deep Tech Investing? (26:55) 9. What Has Changed in VC in the Past 15 Years? (32:02) 10. The Future of Bee Partners (35:42) 11. Michael’s Take on the Future of VC (39:42)