[Investor Journey] Alex Lazarow (Cathay) on innovation through cross-pollination, the last frontier & entrepreneurs as creators

On this episode host Patrick Alex sat down with leading investor Alexandre (Alex) Lazarow, author of "Out-innovate" and Partner at leading fund Cathay Capital to talk about his vision for emerging ecosystems, his book, how to best add value to entrepreneurs, the opportunities SPACs provide for young ecosystems and last but not least the importance of cross-pollination between ecosystems.

On this episode you will learn: 

• Alex's journey into VC 
• That ecosystems outside Silicon Valley, no matter in which country, actually have more in common than one might think and cross-pollination plays a crucial role to take full advantage of this
• Emerging markets ecosystems are unique in that entrepreneurs are not disruptors in the classic sense, but creators of new industries and serving new customer segments
• Why exits are important to get the multiplier effect kicking in and how SPACs could help 
• The difference between camels and unicorns and why camels are more adequate for emerging ecosystems 
• How to add value as a VC and find your product-market fit
  
  

You can subscribe to Alex's newsletter 99% Tech covering stories of entrepreneurship outside Silicon Valley here, his book can be found at your local book store or on Amazon here.
We also invite you to follow Alex on Medium for more content on emerging markets tech.

More on Alex's biography below:

Alex is a Partner of Cathay Innovation’s San Francisco office. He is also an Adjunct Professor with the Middlebury Institute for International Studies MBA program, where he teaches entrepreneurship.  Previously, Alex was with Omidyar Network, a global early stage investing platform, founded by Pierre & Pam Omidyar (founder of eBay), with over $1 billion AUM, and offices across North America, South America, Africa, Europe, India and South East Asia. Alex also has experience in strategy consulting with McKinsey & Co., financial regulation with the Bank of Canada, and M&A investment banking with the Royal Bank of Canada. He is a Kauffman Fellow, CFA Charterholder, and CFR Term Member. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.Comm from the University of Manitoba.

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If you are interested in more shows and content on emerging markets investing and company building follow me on twitter @pat_travels or LinkedIn.