Diverse Tech Founders Media

Interview with Nassir Criss, Associate at Sixty8 Capital
One of the issues that often go unnoticed in the venture capital space is that the vast majority of venture capital goes to people who look alike and live nearby. That’s why the world needs more initiatives that focus on investing in diverse communities. This week on the Diverse Tech Founders podcast, we’re having a deep conversation with Nassir Criss, an associate at Sixty8 Capital, a venture capital firm dedicated to shining a light on undercapitalized innovators and entrepreneurs.
[00:30] Nassir’s Background – We start the conversation with a brief loom at Nassir’s background, childhood, and how those early years shaped his professional life.
[07:07] Bootstrapping – Nassir shares his thoughts on the pros and cons of bootstrapping as a method for raising capital for a startup and how Nassir helps entrepreneurs in his venture capital efforts.
[15:00] People – Nassir reflects on some of the people and mentors that added value to Nassir’s venture capital work and professional growth.
[18:41] Ideal Founder Team – Rare and important characteristics and personality traits a team of co-founders should have in order to develop a successful brand.
[24:46] Profitable Advice – Nassir shares with us some of the most profitable pieces of advice that actually resulted in measurable success.
[28:20] Inspiration from Arts – Nassir talks about what artists he taps into when getting into optimal focus.
[30:43] Interesting Developments – Some of the interesting developments Nassir has seen in the local startup space and the importance of government support for the startup ecosystem.
[37:10] Pivots – Nassir reflects on a major pivot he made a few years back that came with great risk and great reward.
[42:40] Billion-Dollar Companies – Nassir shares his take on whether he would like to run a billion-dollar company.
[45:32] Asking Why – Nassir shares his thoughts on why we should often look for the reason we do things in our personal lives as well as professional ventures.

Resources
Connect with Nassir
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nassir-criss-b048a4120
Website: sixty8.capital

Quotes
“People that win are either the cheapest in the market or the fastest to the market. And being kind of a bottom-up approach by being the cheapest will eventually get phased out by the person who’s first because now they’re just iterating on the product.”
“If I could give any advice to anyone, it’s identify your passion as early as possible, and focus on that exclusively.”
“I think we don’t ask ourselves ‘why.’ That’s a question that we should be asking ourselves regularly.”