What can the New Zealand haka teach us about dealing with climate change?
In this episode of New Frontiers, we dive into the world of Benjamin Kayser, a former professional rugby player for France, with 37 caps to his name and a memorable run in the 2015 Rugby World Cup under his belt.
After grappling with injuries, Benjamin made the bold decision to hang up his boots and make an unlikely pivot into an entirely new arena – Venture Capital.
He is now one of the founders of Teampact Ventures, a VC firm with a focus on Health and Climate Tech, who leverage wisdom from elite-level sport to help portfolio companies build winning teams.
From dealing with imposter syndrome, to the best way to handle criticism – what I love about Benjamin’s story is that his expertise on performing at the highest level isn’t just based on theory.
He’s walked the walk, and while his ears are a bit worse for wear, his mind has clearly been sharpened by the hard yards he’s travelled to get to where he is today. I only wish I’d come up with a pun about going from the hardest tackles to tackling the hardest issues before we recorded this episode.
It was an inspiring, down-to-earth conversation and I hope you enjoy it too.
Today’s episode of New Frontiers is brought to you by the Financial Times. I’ve been an FT subscriber for more than a decade, so I’m particularly happy to tell you that New Frontiers subscribers can access exclusive articles and up to 40% off a standard digital subscription by visiting ft.com/newfrontiers. Offer available until 28th March.
Chapters
(00:00) Intro to Benjamin Kayser
(01:06) Today's sponsor – The Financial Times
(02:29) From Pro-Rugby to Venture Capital
(05:23) The highs and lows of a new career
(09:59) Why invest in climate?
(13:01) Fear can be a motivator
(17:40) Dealing with imposter syndrome
(21:44) The opinions that matter
(24:09) How to identify high performance
(28:34) Team dynamics at Team Pact VC
(32:02) Final thoughts
(34:36) Today's sponsor – The Financial Times
Links:
Get 40% off a standard digital subscription with The Financial Times:
Visit Team Pact Ventures
Visit Ben’s Website:
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