You’re a venture capitalist. How can you overcome the challenges of remote work?

In the fast-paced world of venture capital, solid communication is non-negotiable. Drawing from my own entrepreneurial journey, I've found that establishing clear channels for communication is paramount. Whether it's through regular video calls, email updates, or project management platforms, maintaining open lines of communication ensures everyone is on the same page. By fostering transparency and proactively addressing any communication hiccups, you can streamline operations and drive success in your venture capital endeavors.

O trabalho remoto demanda mais responsabilidade e autonomia. Dá mais trabalho. Você precisa ter uma boa base de gestão de conhecimento e um local que sirva como área de trabalho para ser repositório das coisas. As entregas precisam ser disponíveis para consultadas sob demanda. A comunicação precisa ser mais clara. O protagonismo e proatividade são características de apoio também. Tem muito potencial de gerar economias, dar mais comodidade, mas por outro lado, demanda um esforço a mais para consolidar cultura e acelerar a velocidade.

From my experience, a few things here: Remote work allows you to be on the ground in various global locations to scout talent better (eg. I was living in Colombia and working remote, which allowed me to scout south American startups in web3 that other VCs didn't necessarily have access too, so it makes your dealflow pipes better and more inclusive to be working remotely from different locations as a team, than one centralized team in a single office.

If you long for in person interactions make sure to allocate time to it. Whether it's sport, hobbies, or in person work activities, it's important you find a time for them because they can give you extra energy and motivation.

Inherently, a VC bridges the world of their own firm and of various portfolio companies. For VCs that take an active investing approach, remote work is an opportunity to balance the contacts within the firm and with portfolio startups. Coherence within the VC firm is key, but having more equal distance via remote work brings more attention to the ventures. This is also an opportunity to break past the local myopia that makes many VCs prone to favor local over more distant investments.

There are actually 2 issues VCs need to consider when dealing with remote work: issues impacting their company and operations, and issues impacting their portfolio companies and their operations. Remote work has little impact on most VCs, as partners must spend a significant amount of time out of the office networking and expanding the business. Usually, the Monday review session is enough to keep partners connected and involved, and a culture of responsiveness can take care of any disconnect and discontent. However, associates lose the connection with partners and portfolio companies if they don’t come into the office. Portfolio companies have different levels of risk with remote work, which must be monitored and managed.

Venture Capital is a people business - so even if you've settled for remote work as your go-to, mixing it with some in-person moments is essential to initiate and build trust with your team, LPs, or portfolio companies. For LPs, global conferences are the way to go, offering a prime opportunity for direct engagement and relationship building. For your team, retreats stand out as the ideal method to strengthen ties and align objectives. As for your portfolio companies, organizing dedicated missions to spend a few days with them, providing support in the most impactful ways, is an incredibly effective approach to deepen those connections.

I've learned that ambiguity breeds confusion, while clarity breeds results. By clearly defining expectations and goals, you provide your team with a roadmap for success and empower them to focus their efforts where they matter most. Additionally, maintaining regular check-ins fosters alignment and accountability, ensuring that everyone remains on track and accountable for their contributions.