Erik Rannala

In this video Andrew Bermudez, CEO of Digsy talks with former VP of Trip Advisor, Erik Rannala about what investors look for in founders when deciding to invest. Erik is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor and Partner at Los Angeles Seed Stage fund, Mucker Capital.

In this interview Erik describes his entrepreneur genesis story, the etymology of the name “Mucker Capital”, as well as sharing his insights on the traits he seeks in founders, their business, and their team.

Erik’s Key Takeaways:

Entrepreneurs should:

  • Have demonstrated staying power, even when startups stop being fun
  • Be neither allergic to advice, nor too easily influenced or convictionless
  • Stubborn (perhaps to the point of being unemployable)
  • Be paid enough to cover their (modest) personal burn
  • Not be growing their savings account with investor dollars
  • Build wealth from their equity
  • Not take investment money from startup tourists

It’s a great conversation. Check out the full interview here: