From A Research Engineer To Launching Future Ventures w/ Maryanna Saenko (Co-Founder)

The Dealroom with Shamus Madan

In this episode, Shamus Madan interviews venture capitalist Maryanna Saenko. They discuss her journey from science and engineering to venture capital, the formation of Future Ventures, and their investment strategy in future tech companies. The conversation also explores the concept of winner-take-all markets, Saenko's interest in sustainable solutions, and lessons from her career in venture capital.

Maryanna Saenko is an early-stage venture capitalist and co-founder of Future Ventures. She started her career as a research engineer at Cabot Corporation and later moved on to venture capital working at firms such as DFJ and Khosla Ventures. Maryanna invests in frontier technologies that make the world a better place, including nuclear fusion, sustainable agricultural and land management, bee immunology, and women’s reproductive longevity.

Twitter of Host (Shamus Madan): @mbitpodcast

(0:00) Introduction and guest background: Marianne Asanko (2:03) Democratizing access to basic resources and Marianne's venture capital journey (6:19) Transition into venture capital and first role (9:33) Leaving science and engineering for venture capital, formation of Future Ventures (14:11) Investment strategy in future tech companies and importance of incentive structures (16:33) Technology-first companies, concept of winner-take-all markets, and upcoming tech startups (19:29) Interest in climate change solutions, sustainable food production, and AI innovation (22:46) Lessons from venture capital and the importance of pattern-matching (25:33) Key takeaways for aspiring investors and startup founders (27:36) Conclusion and farewell to Maryanna Saenko