#5 - Hidden Outliers: How An Alternative Capital OG & Philosopher Funds Founders in Overlooked Markets - Jamie Finney, Co-Author at Innovative Finance Newsletter and Cofounder & GP at Greater Colorado Venture Fund and Kokopelli Capital

RBFN Podcast

In a packed episode, we welcome my friend Jamie Finney, co-founder of Kokopelli Capital and the Greater Colorado Venture Fund, and alternative capital philosopher. He is also one of the alternative capital OGs. Jamie shares his journey from entrepreneur to a capital raising road trip to raising $40 million across two funds to support more funding options for entrepreneurs. He discusses his vision for the future of early stage funding and the Innovative Finance Newsletter, and how including smaller and rural towns in startup funding is critical for the future. Also, Jamie and I recorded an interview back in 2019 that you can find in the show notes. It’s amazing to track his journey from there!

Key Takeaways

[4:21] Jamie talks about what led to him co-founding Kokopelli Capital.

[7:21] Fundraising for the first fund, and the difficulties of hitting up LPs who weren’t familiar with the venture strategy and approach.

[7:39] Securing the backing of the State of Colorado, and what that meant for credibility.

[14:26] Becoming “the alternative capital guy”.

[17:44] Getting entrepreneurs to understand alternative capital deal structures.

[22:10] The Innovative Finance Newsletter project.

[29:00] The importance of simplifying and demystifying things for founders and taking away the dizzying of too many options.

[41:22] Who is currently catching Jamie’s interest in the alternative capital space?

[42:46] Why what you stand for is as important as the money you deploy as an investor.

[51:02] There's just no reason that other financial products don't exist and aren't widely used.

Resources:
RBF Network

Novel Capital

First RBFN interview with Jamie- October 19, 2019

Guest:

Jamie: LinkedIn | Twitter| Innovative Finance Newsletter