We sat down with Nancy to find out a bit more about her career path to date, and why she loves venture investing. This is what she told us:
What brought you to where you are today?
“I started my career at Goldman Sachs and worked as a fixed income trader and portfolio manager for 5 years. The biggest learning from my time at Goldman Sachs is that people are the most important asset. This still applies now when I look at start-ups, and also for my own career – a large reason I chose to join Hambro Perks was the opportunity to work with the amazing people here.
In 2018, I decided that I wanted to pivot my career into venture investing, with a focus on start-ups, and also began my MBA at INSEAD. Over the last couple of years, I have spent time with a number of investment teams, and when I graduated a few weeks ago, I took up my role at Hambro Perks.
What made you want to be in venture capital?
The reason I wanted to be in venture is because we are trying to predict the future, whether it is an emerging macro trends or the next rising start-up. I wanted the challenge of looking beyond the status quo and taking a view on what is possible.
I enjoy sourcing and supporting passionate founders and working with them along the journey. The Hambro Perks team shares that same passion for working with visionary entrepreneurs. The unique insights the team brings to the investment process is hugely exciting for me, as is the opportunity to work in one of the most experienced and active investing teams within the VC industry.
What sectors and themes are exciting you the most at the moment?
Maybe it’s because of my professional background but I love FinTech. I also think ESG is a very exciting space to watch given the macro trend. I’m looking forward to working alongside the ESG team at Hambro Perks to explore investment opportunities in this area, as it is important for founders and investors alike. Europe is leading the way here.
What is your prediction for the next big thing?
We look at fintech, digital health, consumer and B2B. I think each of these has its “next big thing”, but within FinTech, I am looking hard at DeFi – Decentralized Finance. After the mass interest in Crypto and Blockchain, this feels like the next area of interest. If you have a start-up in this space or want to share thoughts I would love to connect”.
What do you love doing and how do you expect to use that in your job?
I am a big fan of escape rooms and I almost exhausted the escape room options in Singapore while I was doing my MBA there. An escape room is about problem solving and teamwork, and the clues are always hidden or subtle. Unlike investing in public market, early stage investing requires lots of looking for clues, just like escape rooms. I hope to uncover the next trends in the markets, as well as the start-ups best positioned for these trends, and most importantly, successfully exit!