Investor Connect- Episode 194 - Jake Moilanen of Seraph Group

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Jake Moilanen of Seraph Group.

 

As we kick off, Jake talks about what he did prior to investing in early stage startups. A self described geek, Jake started out working in computer programming. After getting out of that space, and getting his MBA, he headed to Silicon Valley and began immersing himself in the startup world, which eventually led to investing.

 

Jake talks about the three advantages you can have as an investor - informational, analytical, and behavioral. He goes on to explain how he sees early stage investing as an opportunity to use all three, and why early stage investing appeals to him.

 

Jake explains how, to succeed in early stage funding, you really need to have an ‘edge’. As he puts it, “if you're going to start out in the area, [the] thing you need to do is go in an area that you know better than someone else.” In addition, Jake highlights the importance of diversification when it comes to early stage investing.

 

Jake discusses where he sees the startup investment world headed, particularly as it pertains to overvaluation. Additionally, Jake talks about some of the challenges of measuring long term risk with startups, and how quant algorithms can help. Finally, Jake highlights some of the sectors he feels are especially promising for investment in the near future.