This 25-Year-Old Venture Capitalist Raised $8.9 Million for its Second Fund, Behind Genius Ventures
Paige Finn Doherty is making a name for herself in Silicon Valley with her latest fund
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Paige Finn Doherty, a 25-year-old venture capitalist based in San Diego, is making a name for herself in Silicon Valley as the “next generation” or so-called Gen Z investor.
Since graduating from San Diego State University, she has written investment checks in more than twenty startups, is the general partner at Behind Genius Ventures, and has been recognized by Fortune as one of the youngest solo GPs in the U.S.
Ms. Doherty sits at the intersection of early-stage startup investing and the fast-growing companies shaping the “future of work and play”, a niche that is thriving.
She independently runs her own venture firm, Behind Genius Ventures, and just raised nearly $9 million for her second fund.
Headquartered in San Diego, Doherty was inspired to build a firm that looks different from traditional venture firms in New York or San Francisco. She is also a proud San Diego resident and values living close to family, she told me over Zoom last year.
“One of the things I considered when I thought about opening an office here was that my family is based here,” said Doherty, general partner at Behind Genius Ventures. “I went to San Diego State University, I had taught a course there, and I wanted to put my roots down in San Diego. Some of my biggest role models who are well-known entrepreneurs in the community have also stuck around here — it’s an amazing place.”
Founding Story
Ms. Doherty was among the first investors in San Diego to take the power of social media seriously, allowing her to build not only a strong brand among startup founders but relationships with top deal makers, and future backers.
She used platforms such as X to connect with venture investors, high-net-worth individuals, some who have massive networks in the Bay Area or have accumulated wealth from startup building, who are eagerly looking to fund the next big idea.
Doherty’s credibility has been enhanced because she also operates as a creator. She posts frequently on her YouTube channel, hosts a podcast interviewing luminary VCs in the Silicon Valley startup ecosystem, and created Seed to Harvest, a self-published book to help people learn about the inner workings of the venture capital business.
In particular, She has championed the mantra “make venture more transparent,” which she embodies daily by distilling technical VC terminology into concise, easy-to-understand content to her 40,000-plus followers on her various social media platforms.
Breaking into Venture Capital
In 2019, Doherty interned at San Diego growth investment firm TVC Capital, which backs late-stage tech and software companies. During that time, Dohery strategically forge relationships with successful angel investors and helped source deals for VC firms such as Accel, Kleiner Perkins, and Bessemer Venture Partners.
Doherty became fascinated with the creator industry, the companies that support them. She also began compiling resources and writing prolifically how to break into venture capital for people who historically zero background in the industry.
She also managed an angel syndicate of her own, investing in early-stage “product-led growth” founders and worked at a San Francisco-based startup for a year, before launching the firm Behind Genius Ventures in the spring of 2021.
“When I was breaking into venture and startups, I had no idea where to even begin,” said Doherty, who has invested in startups Pallet, Beacons, and Roots Home.
Investing in San Diego
The firm writes checks between $150,000 and $250,000 and plans to use the new funding to invest in young companies with “compelling brand stories” in verticals such as fintech, gaming, education, among others.
LP’s in Behind Genius Ventures include Michael Kim, founder of Cendana Capital, Arash Ferdowsi, co-founder of Dropbox, and Pankaj Kedia, managing partner at 2468 Ventures, to name a few.
Since starting Behind Genius Ventures, Ms. Doherty leased a cozy office space that overlooks La Jolla cove near San Diego’s startup Pura Vida Bracelets former headquarters, which is now occupied by startup Float Factory and Patient Partner.
These days, she regularly finds herself traveling to the San Francisco Bay Area and New York to meet with founders and investors. Last summer, she shared the stage with two luminary first-time emerging fund managers Sophia Amoruso and Kelli Fontaine, who invest at Trust Fund and Cendana Capital, respectively.
In April, Doherty held her second annual investor meeting at the La Jolla Athenaeum bringing together founders and private investors from New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, among other cities.