Peter Pham - The Entrepreneurial Journey To Science Inc.

Halo Drop

We are thrilled to chat with serial entrepreneur Peter Pham, one of L.A.’s most prominent early-stage investors and the co-founder of Science Inc. For those not in the know, Science Inc. is a Santa Monica startup studio and early-stage venture fund that manages over $100 million and recently launched a $310.5 million SPAC (they’re also behind Dollar Shave Club).

“You know what you’re going to get with me, you're going to get a neurotic person who's passionate beyond belief. You want me on your team.”

As an operator, Peter grew Photobucket to become the largest photo sharing site in 2007, exiting to Myspace for $300 million. He repeated that success as a co-founder and CEO of BillShrink, which was acquired by MasterCard. But how did he start out, what shaped him as a kid to become the preeminent VC he is today?

“I think what shaped me in terms of growing up, not having anything and the classic American dream. No one’s gonna give it to me, I’m gonna go earn it, work my ass off. I had three jobs to pay for college, as a waiter.”

He spent 9 years jumping between 13 different enterprise software companies, but his advice for wannabe entrepreneurs today is this: “Go work at a startup, pick it up, try different things and just be the motivated person who's willing to learn and do whatever it takes, and don't get sucked into titles.”

From finding your superpower, to founding Photobucket, BillShrink and Color, to choosing a co-founder, the qualities he looks for when he meets a founder, to the ideal company he’s looking for.

“Across all three categories for us, it's mobile, marketplaces, and consumer brands, those are the types of companies we're looking for.”

If you’re an entrepreneur, you don’t want to miss this. Download and listen now.

On today’s podcast:

His journey to entrepreneur

• Find your superpower
• Founding Science Inc.
• What makes a desirable founder
• Miami vs LA vs Austin vs Bay Area

Links:

• Peter Pham
• Science Inc.