Democratization of Venture with Cali Chill from OurCrowd ($2.3 Billion Committed)

I had a fascinating, in-depth conversation with Cali Chill, Chief Investment Officer at OurCrowd, covering a wide arc of the venture capital landscape — from the democratization of VC and how platforms are opening access to world-class deals, to different types of investors, to the geopolitical forces reshaping investment priorities, and the risks and why investor education is more critical than ever.

We explored portfolio strategy, fund selection, and the unique challenges of running a global investment platform — all through the lens of someone operating at the intersection of capital, innovation, and global markets.

And it’s not just about access — it’s about understanding the quality of that access. We discussed how platforms like OurCrowd have enabled opportunities in different formats and how global networks can support company growth.

Today, OurCrowd has a broad community of over 240K registered users from more than 50 countries who contribute not only capital but also expertise, partnerships, and support for portfolio companies.

The underlying idea we explored is simple: how venture can be opened as an asset class to a wider group while still emphasizing rigorous selection standards.

The VC world is changing — and it’s being rewritten one investor ticket at a time.

Chapters in this podcast:

(00:00) Episode intro and introduction of the Rethinking Venture Capital strategic report.

(01:41) What is OurCrowd, and how does it enable the venture asset class?

(02:48) The ideology behind focusing on building a global network.

(05:11) Global user base, geographic distribution, and portfolio diversity across sectors and stages.

(08:08) Overview of assets, portfolio composition, and creation of index funds like OC50.

(11:08) Portfolio highlights — BioCatch, ThetaRay, and late-stage access deals such as OpenAI and Databricks.

(15:59) Challenges of the platform model — concentration risk, raise variability, and follow-on strengths.

(20:30) Evolution of LP structures and growth of venture democratization platforms.

(23:04) Why democratization matters and how OurCrowd differentiates in terms of quality.

(27:36) Risks and the importance of education.

(29:42) Fund strategy — emerging managers, brand-name funds, and unique sectors like space tech.

(37:47) Geopolitics shaping venture globally.

(45:25) What’s next for OurCrowd — introduction of the Co-Vest product.

So dive into this educational podcast episode to demystify the strategic changes happening in the venture ecosystem.