Andy Chen

Co-founder + GP @outcastvc. Former GP @coatuemgmt @kleinerperkins @cia. Early in Figma, Distyl, Scale. Still tinkering in my garage.

[Andy Chen @andychen]

@heyamylin @OutcastVC Catalyst applications officially closed last night but we're accept late submissions. We can't guarantee a response by April 13 midnight but we do read every application.

https://t.co/t0GAGBNs3t

[Andy Chen @andychen]

This is the question I get asked more than any other:
I'm grabbing coffee with a potential technical co-founder. What do I ask?"

So I wrote down 100 of them: https://t.co/JRERXhCo4z

[Andy Chen @andychen]

@heyamylin @OutcastVC The hard questions most people avoid until things start breaking.

The best founding teams I've backed didn't leave this to chance. They got explicit early on risk, on ambition, on life stage, on who owns what when things get hard.

And they always get hard.

[Andy Chen @andychen]

@rajatsuri @OutcastVC Full episode here:

YouTube: https://t.co/lZwCFVjzty

Spotify: https://t.co/h6n2RHWmy4

Apple Podcasts: https://t.co/DdgiSzq79V

Substack: https://t.co/9gKAP1BpCz

[Andy Chen @andychen]

What if the best co-founder for you is someone outside your network? If that question hit home, Catalyst applications close TONIGHT at midnight.

Been a longtime listener of Founder in Arms so was thrilled to sit down with @rajatsuri and talk about why we built @outcastvc and Catalyst around the contrarian idea...

[Andy Chen @andychen]

@rajatsuri @OutcastVC Applications for Catalyst close TONIGHT midnight: https://t.co/dmanWDYIYc

[Andy Chen @andychen]

@rajatsuri Thanks for having me! I've been a longtime listener of Founders in Arms and so was thrilled to join you! 🙏

[Rajat Suri @rajatsuri]

Most founders default to picking co-founders from their network.

@andychen argues that might be the wrong move.

We talk about what actually makes a founding team work, why “strangers” can outperform friends, and how the best companies are built around talent, not ideas.

Really enjoyed this one.

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Why successful founders struggle to find co-founders
(00:28) Introduction to Andy Chen and Outcast Ventures
(01:17) Andy’s path into Silicon Valley
(03:23) Building Outcast and rethinking founder formation
(04:19) Research on co-founder success (and what most people get wrong)
(06:25) Why working with your co-founder before can hurt outcomes
(07:47) Skill, interest, and timing alignment in founding teams
(08:22) Inside Outcast’s co-founder matching model
(10:24) Why existing co-founder platforms often fall short
(11:23) Talent vs. finance backgrounds in venture capital
(13:37) Why the team matters more than the idea
(14:47) How venture capital has evolved over time
(17:48) Rethinking the “atomic unit” of startups
(19:20) AI, enterprise vs. consumer, and new opportunities
(24:49) The rise (and limits) of solo founders
(27:48) The future of venture in the AI era
(30:33) Rapid fire: trends, feedback, and lessons
(34:20) Andy’s experience working in government
(37:45) Why everyone should try building something

[Andy Chen @andychen]

@OutcastVC Read the full study here: https://t.co/6q9ShLqVPb

[Andy Chen @andychen]

Most billion-dollar companies take over a decade to build.

[Andy Chen @andychen]

@OutcastVC 📈 Apply to Catalyst to meet other founders building in the age of AI. https://t.co/dmanWDYIYc

[Andy Chen @andychen]

@OutcastVC Read the full study here: https://t.co/6q9ShLqVPb

[Andy Chen @andychen]

The AI generation may build companies 10x larger than those before it.

[Andy Chen @andychen]

@OutcastVC Apply to Catalyst to meet other founders building in the age of AI. https://t.co/dmanWDYIYc