The VC hunting 'unsexy startups'
AirTree's James Cameron cut his VC teeth in Israel — "a hell of a place to learn the ropes" — but also where he developed a lasting love for technical businesses.
James Cameron is a partner at AirTree, one of Australia's largest venture firms. He returned to Australia in 2016 after 15 years living in the Valley and London. He chatted to Capital Brief about his path to VC, what he looks for in a startup and what opportunities lie ahead.
What was your path to VC?
The first time I heard about VC was when I was on the other side of the table as a fintech founder in the US looking for a seed investor. I didn't know anything about VC, and I didn't know much about running a fintech business either, so I was lucky not to be laughed out of the room. But we persevered, and wound up raising several rounds of cash.
When I left the business, I found myself curious about whether I could cut it as an investor. I hit up a few of the VCs I'd met along the way to see if they just happened to be looking for a new recruit with zero experience but a healthy dose of enthusiasm and delusion.
That obviously worked and you spent some time cutting your teeth in the Israeli startup ecosystem. What was your biggest takeaway from that time?
