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Devin: What do you see as your superpower?
Kt: I would say curiosity.
In today’s episode, I had the pleasure of hosting Kt McBratney, General Partner and Head of Community at Renew Venture Capital. Kt's journey is nothing short of inspiring, having transitioned from journalism to non-profits, brand marketing, and early-stage startups. Their path led them to co-found Own Trail and ultimately join Renew VC, where they focus on backing diverse founders and purpose-driven businesses.
One of the key ideas we delved into during the interview is the importance of supporting diverse founders as a crucial aspect of social impact investing. Kt eloquently explained, “From a business perspective, there's data. It's data-backed that diverse-led startups, women-founded, and companies led by people of color perform well and often overperform compared to their white male counterparts.” This insight highlights the dual benefit of driving social change while also achieving strong financial returns.
Kt shared their perspective on the limitations of traditional venture capital and the innovative concept of “Purpose Rounds” that Renew VC champions. Purpose Rounds democratize investment opportunities by allowing both accredited and non-accredited investors to participate, thereby expanding access to capital for historically excluded founders. As Kt noted, “It’s not just Wall Street or accredited investors who already have the financial wealth and privilege to invest and participate in the financial upside of a company. But how can you open up that to Main Street investors?”
Throughout our conversation, it became clear that Kt’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is deeply personal and integral to their work at Renew VC. Their dedication to challenging systemic inequities and fostering a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem is truly inspiring.
Renew VC’s no-warm-intro policy, which allows any entrepreneur to pitch without needing an insider connection, is a testament to its commitment to equity. This approach ensures that talented founders from all backgrounds have an equal opportunity to succeed.
In summary, today’s episode with Kt McBratney sheds light on the vital role of diversity in driving both social impact and business success. Their work at Renew Venture Capital exemplifies how purpose-driven investment can create a more equitable and prosperous future for all.
AI Episode Summary
1. Kt McBratney shared her unconventional career path leading to her role at Renew Venture Capital, highlighting her background in journalism, nonprofits, and early-stage startups.
2. At Renew VC, the focus is on social impact investments and supporting diverse founders, including women and minorities, which aligns with Kt's personal values and experiences.
3. Kt emphasized the importance of integrating profit with purpose, challenging traditional models by aiming to create scalable, sustainable businesses led by historically excluded founders.
4. Kt and her team believe in backing diverse founders, presenting data that shows such startups often outperform those led by their white male counterparts.
5. Kt noted the democratization of VC access by eliminating the need for warm introductions, allowing anyone to pitch through a straightforward online form.
6. The conversation highlighted "Purpose Rounds," which democratize investment opportunities by allowing non-accredited investors to participate alongside accredited ones.
7. Kt pointed out the benefits of having a capital mix for businesses, emphasizing that venture capital is one of many funding options available to different kinds of ventures.
8. She underscored the importance of curiosity as a superpower in her career, using it to ask questions, connect with people, and solve problems innovatively.
9. Kt shared practical advice for harnessing curiosity, such as reading diverse materials and taking time away from screens to allow the brain to process information creatively.
10. Kt invited listeners to connect with Renew Venture Capital and herself via their website and LinkedIn, encouraging engagement and dialogue within the community.
How to Develop Curiosity As a Superpower
Superpower Summary
Kt McBratney's superpower is curiosity. They have an innate drive to ask questions, seek understanding, and explore new ideas and perspectives. This relentless curiosity has guided their non-linear career path, allowing them to connect with people authentically, understand complex systems, and uncover new possibilities for innovation and impact.
Illustrative Anecdote
During a recent event with Techstars in Atlanta, Kt demonstrated their superpower of curiosity. They engaged with a founder who had an unexpected meeting with a certain type of customer. By asking probing questions like "Why didn't you expect it?" and "What new right thing did you learn from this?" Kt quickly connected the founder to a potentially valuable contact. This story illustrates how Kt’s curiosity leads to meaningful connections and opportunities.
Tips for Developing Curiosity as a Superpower
1. Read Widely: Diversify your reading materials. If you typically read fiction, try non-fiction or poetry, and vice versa.
2. Take Breaks from Screens: Give your brain some liminal space by stepping away from screens. This can help you notice patterns and generate new ideas.
3. Embrace Humility: Approach situations with the mindset that you don’t know everything and use this as a foundation for asking questions and learning.
4. Create Liminal Spaces: Engage in activities that allow your mind to wander, such as taking a shower or doing dishes. These moments can lead to great ideas.
By following Kt McBratney’s example and advice, you can make curiosity a skill. With practice and effort, you could make it a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world.
Remember, however, that research into success suggests that building on your own superpowers is more important than creating new ones or overcoming weaknesses. You do you!
Guest Profile
Kt McBratney (I use both she/her and they/them ):
General Partner and Head of Community, Renew Venture Capital
About Renew Venture Capital: Renew Venture Capital produces excess returns for investors and changes inefficient, ineffective, and exclusionary systems for better outcomes. We are a community of founders and investors united by our theses: 1. Companies generating impact at scale represent one of the biggest investment opportunities in VC, and 2. Ignoring companies led by women, and overlooked and excluded founders is VC’s biggest recurring investment error. We support this community through different financing mechanisms: our venture studio Pixel Recess, our Strategic Impact Fund, and financing growth-stage fundraising to accredited and non-accredited investors up to $100M+. From early-stage to large-scale funding, we engage with founders and investors at every step.
Website: www.renewvc.com
X/Twitter Handle: @renew_vc
Company Facebook Page: fb.com/RenewVC
Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/renewvc
Instagram Handle: @renewvc
Biographical Information: Kt McBratney is obsessed with disrupting the status bro. As a General Partner and Head of Community at Renew VC, she’s passionate about shifting how we invest in and build companies toward putting more good in the world. She brings her experience as a founder, operator and longtime marketing leader to her work, overseeing the experience for portfolio companies and investors across financing mechanisms and stages.
Kt’s previous roles include co-founder and chief community officer at OwnTrail (acquired 2023) and CMO of acclaimed crowdfunding platform Seed&Spark. Her work has been featured in the BBC, USA Today, Forbes, Variety, Business Insider and more. She is a frequent public speaker and podcast guest on entrepreneurship, human-centered leadership and the power of community. She is also a parent, writer, and artist who believes there is no such thing as too many books.
X/Twitter Handle: @k_to_the_t
Instagram Handle: @k_to_the_t
Upcoming SuperCrowd Event Calendar
If a location is not noted, the events below are virtual.
SuperCrowdChicago, June 12, 2024. This in-person event at Columbia College Chicago features some of Chicago’s prominent citizens and community leaders, along with crowdfunding experts. Use the discount code “SuperCrowd” to save 30 percent!
Impact Cherub Club Meeting hosted by The Super Crowd, Inc., a public benefit corporation, on June 18, 2024, at 1:00 PM Eastern. Each month, the Club meets to review new offerings for investment consideration and to conduct due diligence on previously screened deals. To join the Impact Cherub Club, you must first become an Impact Member of the SuperCrowd.
SuperCrowdHour, June 19, 2024, at 1:00 Eastern. Each month, we host a value-laden webinar for aspiring impact investors or social entrepreneurs. At this month’s webinar, Angela Barbash of Revalue will share insights about moving money from Wall Street to Main Street. Register here.
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How Small Businesses Can Raise Capital from the Crowd, Thursday, July 11, 1 – 2 pm ET: Explore transforming your community connections into capital to start or grow a small business through regulated investment crowdfunding. Learn more about how this type of crowdfunding works and the benefits and challenges of raising capital from the crowd. About our Presenter: Author and journalist Devin Thorpe has over 25 years in finance and a rich background as a former CFO and investment banking firm founder. He’s also a champion for social good, publishing his Superpowers for Good newsletter and show.
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Building a Better Future: Kt McBratney on Diversity, Inclusion, and Purpose