Why Deep Tech? Houston Sets a Trend in Tech Investing with Paul Sheng’s Fathom Fund
Paul is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Fathom Fund. Over a 25 year career, Paul has served energy and resource clients across North America, Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa on strategy, operations, organization and technology topics. He is a Founders’ Advisor for The Engine, serves on advisory boards for UC Berkeley, is a member of Goose Capital, and advises several start-ups. Paul received his SB, SM and PhD degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT.
Connect with Paul:
LinkedIn: Paul Sheng
Websites: Fathom Fund | ff.vc, Emvolon | emvolon.com
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🎧 Episode Highlights
- [00:00] Podcast Begins
- [02:12] Why Fathom Fund? Risk heavy startups, high potential investments
- [04:06] Beyond Brick & Mortar: Raising a venture fund in Houston’s private equity world
- [10:22] Deep Tech, High Risk: What makes deep tech startups so difficult to fund?
- [17:38] “Markets of One”: Evaluating startups from industry to consumer to team
- [24:35] What About Houston? Looking toward a future as the molecular capital
🔑 Key Takeaways
- Houston Goes Deeper! Leaving his previous role at McKinsey & Company, Paul founded Fathom Fund on the thoroughly researched yet high risk idea that more deep tech investment opportunities would be cutting edge in Houston. “For many of the trends happening in the world, Houston is ground zero.”
- What Makes Deep Tech Difficult? Risk is the name of the game for Fathom Fund and their investors, but between long gestational periods, esoteric tech topics, and the necessity of research, deep tech can be a hard sell. “It’s generations of scaling up required, and therefore, generations of capital that are required.”
- Markets of One: When it comes to evaluating a deep tech startup, Paul’s tech at Fathom Fund first asks, “Is this IP truly distinctive?” Beyond the question of distinctive IPs, Paul also believes in the importance of an energetic yet experienced team, 2-3 market potentials, and lastly, commercial and exit potential.
👤 Guest Spotlight
Paul Sheng:
Paul is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Fathom Fund. Over a 25 year career, Paul has served energy and resource clients across North America, Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa on strategy, operations, organization and technology topics. He is a Founders’ Advisor for The Engine, serves on advisory boards for UC Berkeley, is a member of Goose Capital, and advises several start-ups. Paul received his SB, SM and PhD degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT.
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