EP. 105 It’s Lazy To Think The World Is Not A Good Place

Oct 5, 2023

Alex Harstrick, Founder and Managing Partner at J2 Ventures, shares his experience as an EMT and how it taught him leadership. He discusses the significant impact the middle layer of an organization can make. Through his time as an intelligence officer, he learned about dual-use applications and creating meaningful returns for investors. He believes in aligning purpose with teammates in VC. The podcast also explores the importance of mentors, seizing opportunities, an empathetic approach in venture capital, and having guiding principles as an entrepreneur.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Reflections on EMT Experience and Career Paths

02:30 • 8min

From Bureaucracy to the Military: Finding Efficiency and Effectiveness

10:14 • 7min

Education and Mentors in the Military

17:41 • 21min

Finding Support and Seizing Opportunities

38:16 • 8min

The Importance of an Empathetic Approach in Venture Capital

46:20 • 6min

North Star: Guiding Principles for Entrepreneurs

52:30 • 8min

Alex Harstrick, Founder and Managing Partner at J2 Ventures, leans into his experience from the Iraq/Afghanistan war to inform and fuel the next generation of technology and capabilities. Although he graduated from Columbia and Harvard, he shares that his time as an NYC EMT taught him a lot of how to be a Leader and ultimately run a VC. Spending time in the back of an ambulance teaches you extreme accountability and that one must take responsibility for their actions. Being an EMT also allowed him to meet his co-founder, Jonathan Bronson and build an enduring relationship. Alex dives into the significant impact the middle layer of any organization can make and it is the Sr. NCOs, LTs and CPTs on the battlefield that use high-levels of creativity to solve our biggest problems. The closeness to the problem makes you invaluable, but it is also the thing that can prevent others (especially the public) from seeing the value one is truly able to create. Through his time as a management consultant and intelligence officer, Alex was able to involve himself with entities like the National Security Defense Capital and KKR, that would ultimately allow him to better understand how dual-use applications can be a way for him to continue to Serve and create meaningful returns for investors. Alex believes that life is not just about measuring risk, but instead aligning your purpose with Teammates who you want to do the fun and hard things with. In the world of VC it is easy to be mired with the returns and numbers, but the "doing right" part for a world that is inherently good, is not lost on Alex and the J2 Team. Exposure to war and what's going on in our world can leave you wondering if we're going to be okay. Alex strongly believes that the world is good, but it requires Good People to get to work and keep it that way.

Learn more about Alex and J2 Ventures: www.j2vp.com

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