Alumni Spotlight: Kyle Harrison
When did you work at CFF?
I was a member of the original class which was founded in 2014.
Why did you want to be involved with CFF?
Before I knew what a start-up was I had started building my own business doing videography. I was making wedding videos, and commercials to pay for school. Eventually, I had too many clients, so I started farming them out to other creatives. I realized I could make more money getting jobs for other people rather than making my own videos. Over time I found myself with a marketplace for videography, photography, and graphic designers.
The thing I loved most about running my business was being a source of support that my creatives could rely on for everything from business development and marketing to their bookkeeping. After I sold my business, I was trying to figure out what to do next. A friend of mine asked what I liked doing and I mentioned how much I enjoyed being the kind of person my creatives could rely on for support. “Well you know, that’s sort of what venture capitalists do.”
That was my first introduction to venture. A few days later, I was walking through the Tanner building at BYU and saw a sign that said, “Want to be a Venture Capitalist? Come to this meeting.” Super convenient. I attended the meeting, learned about CFF, and met several Kickstart partners. I applied and was accepted. I still remember being taught what pre and post money meant on a whiteboard at the Kickstart office.
What was your experience like at CFF? Any memorable projects or deals?
One of the first deals we worked on was Simple Citizen. I remember thinking, “the founder is an accountant who is struggling to figure out the immigration system to help his immigrant wife. If its complex for him, it has got to be complex for others too.” It was a great lesson in understanding the importance of an entrepreneur’s passion. He really sold his business to me through his story.
Another investment that taught me a lot was investing in Whistic. The team originally started with a completely different idea in sport rental software and then pivoted into vendor risk assessment. Going on that journey with them as they figured out the most meaningful problem to solve showed me that as long as you’re backing solid people they’ll figure out the best problems to solve.
Tell me about your career since graduating and leaving CFF?
After working at CFF I knew that I wanted to work in VC. Everyone I talked to kept telling me that I had to do banking and consulting first so I started interviewing with different firms. Then, out of the blue, a BYU alumni approached me about a position at TCV, a VC firm. Somehow, I tricked them into giving me the job! I worked there for a couple of years and spent most of my time sourcing deals from Series C to pre-IPO. I ended up talking to over 1000 companies in those first few years. There is a lot of pattern recognition I learned early on by being exposed to so many different companies.
After a few years, I realized that I could spend four or five years slowly climbing way up at TCV or I could go somewhere that could allow me to progress in my career more quickly. I ended up being connected with a hedge fund called Coatue and landed a job on their private investment team. I went from doing a lot of frontline work and sourcing to leading diligence. I really enjoy the process of getting to understand a business more deeply, doing research, understanding a market, and talking to customers.
About two years ago I transitioned again and joined the team at Index Ventures. My primary work has been to help lead deals, convince companies to take our money, and support the companies we invest in. I’ve had the chance to help a few companies on their boards as well as helping with things like hiring and closing customers.
How has being part of CFF influenced your career?
Working at CFF was the most influential thing that I did during undergrad. There are a lot of VC internships out there and a lot of firms looking for talent. But there are hardly any that provide as much autonomy as CFF does. As a CFF member, you oversee diligence, sourcing, and ultimately making the investment decision. You get to know the founders; you are their primary contact. That is a unique experience that members of CFF enjoy.
Do you have any advice for students looking to enter the VC/start-up space?
Working at a venture fund, or doing something like CFF, can help you learn the lingo in terms of talking about startups and venture, but those experiences can’t teach you technology curiosity. That has to be genuine. You have to be genuinely curious about how technology works and what kinds of companies you’re interested in. Ask questions. Read for fun. Talk to people about the companies they find interesting. Learn about all sorts of businesses – big companies, public companies, large private companies, unicorns, etc. Become interested in market trends and new technology.
Another thing to keep in mind: consider working for a company. You will learn deep and meaningful things in a company setting that you can’t learn anywhere else. Take a risk and join a small start-up. You can find those solid companies by talking to a lot of VCs and asking, “hey, of your companies, which is one you are really excited about and why?”
📅 Interview Date: January 18, 2022 (This interview was edited for length and clarity)