Community is a term thrown around quite a bit these days, but it is clear that building genuine networks of people and working to help others can provide real value. Our guest today is Rex Salisbury, Founder and Managing Partner of Cambrian. Cambrian began in 2015 as a community of members and founders interested in the fintech space and that eventually landed him a role at a16z as a partner on the Fintech team where he backed unicorns like Deel and Tally. We talk about launching Cambrian as a Solo-GP fund with $20M in capital and why he thinks now is the best time to build in the fintech space.
About Rex Salisbury:
Rex Salisbury is the Founder and Manager Partner of Cambrian, which is a community and venture fund focused on FinTech. Formerly he was a partner on the fintech team at Andreessen Horowitz.
Previously he worked as an investment banker for Merrill Lynch supporting the real estate industry and as a Product Engineer at Sindeo and Checkr.
In this episode we discuss:
(01:35) Rex’s journey to becoming an investor
(12:07) Making big life choices
(14:28) How Rex got hired as an engineer without an engineering background
(19:41) Lessons from Rexs’s time at a16z
(27:27) The process of turning Cambrian from a pure community into a community driven venture fund
(29:04) The power of the Cambrian network
(30:18) Further benefits of building a community
(34:39) Managing opportunities as a Solo GP
(36:20) Rex’s definition of FinTech
(40:19) Advice to startups around interest rates
(44:11) Where crypto fits into Cambrian’s investing thesis
(48:38) The sociology behind crypto
(50:44) Being a FinTech super connector
Fast Favorites:
🎙- Favorite Podcast: Capital Isn’t
📰- Favorite Newsletter/Blog: Matt Levine, FinTech Law
📲- Favorite Tech Gadget: Facebook portal
📈- Favorite New Trend: Moving back to the Bay Area
📚- Favorite Book: Ender’s Game
🤔 - Favorite Life Lesson: Invest in relationships, networks matter
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Building a Community-Driven VC with Rex Salisbury of Cambrian Ventures