Harry Stebbings, a 28-year-old podcaster from London, has raised a $400 million fund for his firm 20VC in just four months. The fund is backed by institutions like Rothschild’s RIT Capital Partners and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Investment Management. Stebbings made the Forbes Under 30 list in 2019 for founding “The Twenty Minute VC,” a podcast where he interviews top venture capitalists.
“Successful podcasts understand time to value. If we don’t get to a nugget of wisdom, a lesson, in the first three minutes, we cut it,” Stebbings said. 20VC currently manages over $600 million in assets, investing between $100,000 to $3 million for seed rounds and up to $15 million for Series A.
The firm has a unique structure with three sub-funds: 20Sales, 20Product, and 20Growth. Each sub-fund has eight industry professionals from companies like OpenAI, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Spotify as investors. When looking for founders to invest in, Stebbings prioritizes obsession.
Harry raises $400M venture fund
“I’m not the smartest guy in this industry, but I work harder than anyone else is willing to,” he said. He gauges obsession by asking people how they made their first dollar.
Stebbings emphasizes the importance of networking for those looking to start investing or launch their own venture capital firm. Relationships with MIT and RIT Capital took seven to eight years to build. “Build relationships early.
Don’t ask for the job. Meet them for a coffee, ask them for advice, engage with them on social media,” Stebbings advised. The latest fund follows a $140 million round raised in 2021 and an $8 million fund before that.
Stebbings says the podcast has helped attract founders to 20VC, with one of his favorite investments being LinkTree, currently valued at $1.3 billion.
