Reimagining and Investing in Legacy Industries with Obvious Ventures’ Nan Li

Nan Li is a Managing Director at Obvious Ventures, a venture capital firm investing in entrepreneurs reimagining every sector of the global economy. Nan leads the firm’s investments in companies harnessing deep tech to transform legacy industries like pharmaceuticals, protein therapy, industrial materials, and manufacturing.In this episode, we learn about what Nan looks for in startups and why it’s not just about a winning business idea. It’s also about the founder and the team themselves. We hear some insights into how the tech world has been changing and moving towards greater adoption of robotics. Nan also shares his predictions for the future and why he thinks startups will increasingly spread advanced technologies to legacy industries. In this episode, find out:Why networking is crucial in the startup worldThe importance of having an open mind as an investorWhy startups will distribute tech to other industriesNan’s favorite examples of startups leading the way in techWhat investors look for in a founder and teamHow startups in the Midwest differ from Silicon ValleyWhat to expect from Nan’s Machine Visions podcastEnjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!Tweetable Quotes:“I think the first thing [I look for] is a team that is not tripped up by the technology alone.” “I think there's just going to be an explosion of new companies being started that are very problem-specific and tackle different things.”“I think that we will start seeing documented company-wide deployments of robots in the thousands of units in the next five years.”Links & mentions:Obvious Ventures, venture capital firm investing in entrepreneurs reimagining legacy sectors of the global economyMachine Visions Podcast, a show about the acceleration of robotics deployed across every sector of our economy hosted by Nan LiToronado, a classic craft beer bar in San Francisco, CAMake sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.