E159:How a 24-Year-Old VC Landed Cendana Capital as a Limited Partner w/Paige Doherty

Paige Finn Doherty, Founding Partner of Behind Genius Ventures, joins the How I Invest podcast to share how she built one of the most distinctive brands in early-stage venture capital — all before turning 25. Paige talks about the power of content and community, how her engineering background shaped her investing style, and why being deliberate about media strategy can transform access to top founders and LPs. She also breaks down her investment thesis around AI in overlooked industries, the importance of institutional-grade operations from day one, and what it really takes to build a lasting venture firm. Highlights: How Paige landed Sandana Capital as a cornerstone LP at just 24 years old The "substance and vibes" approach to getting LPs to say yes How media scaled her reach with both founders and investors Behind Genius Ventures’ investment theses: "technical storytellers" and "clipboard companies" What founders of billion-dollar companies have in common Building a resilient brand through storytelling, community, and consistency Why Behind Genius invests in embodied AI and AI agents How Paige thinks about sourcing deals from TikTok to co-investor networks Best practices for building a strong brand as an emerging manager on Twitter (now X) Why investing in institutional-grade back office systems from day one matters The vision for Behind Genius' next phase: high-production visual storytelling -- Guest Bio: Paige Finn Doherty is the Founding Partner of Behind Genius Ventures, a venture firm she launched at 22 years old to back early-stage technical storytellers building in overlooked industries. She’s the author of Seed to Harvest, a children's book about venture capital, and the host of the Seed to Harvest podcast. Paige is known for her deep conviction in building brands, fostering community, and bringing an engineering mindset to portfolio construction. Through her thought leadership, content, and investing, she’s shaping the next generation of venture capital. Our Podcast now receives more than 300,000 downloads a month. Are you interested in sponsoring an episode? Please email David Weisburd at david@weisburdcapital.com We’d like to thank @Republic for sponsoring this episode! #VentureCapital #VC #Startups #OpenLP #AssetManagement -- Sponsor: Republic is the leading global investment platform making premier private market opportunities accessible to all investors. With over $3 billion deployed across its network of investment platforms, funds, and affiliated firms, Republic opens the door to new asset classes typically reserved for institutional investors such as—private equity, venture capital, and even sports teams and your favorite film producers. All securities, including the Hamilton Lane’s Private Infrastructure Fund, are offered through affiliate Republic Broker-Dealer, OpenDeal Broker LLC Member FINRA & SiPC. All securities come with specific risks not limited to a total loss of your investment. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Please review the risks specific to this investment on the HLPIF deal page hosted on http://republic.com/hlpif . -- Stay Connected: X / Twitter: David Weisburd: @dweisburd Twitter: https://x.com/paigefinnn LinkedIn: David Weisburd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweisburd/ Paige Doherty: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paigedoherty/ -- Links: Seed to Harvest the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Seed-Harvest-Explanation-Venture-Capital/dp/0578906457/ Behind Genius Ventures: https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/ Behind Genius Podcast / Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOsbv-4bWVXIqPQAp2BCf8Q The Technical Storyteller: https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/post/technical-storyteller What it Takes (Billion Dollar Exit): https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/post/what-it-takes-1 Clipboard companies: https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/post/clipboard Cold Outreach: https://paigefinndoherty.com/2020/03/25/a-cold-outreach-workshop/ Fortune Fund II Launch: https://fortune.com/2024/04/23/behind-genius-ventures-raises-second-fund-8-million/ Term Sheets Viral Thread: https://x.com/paigefinnn/status/1255208492312358912 -- Questions or topics you want us to discuss on How I Invest? Email us at david@wesiburdcapital.com . (0:00) Introduction and guest overview (0:55) Paige's passion for venture capital and Behind Genius Ventures' differentiators (4:08) Securing top LPs and media strategy for branding and deal flow (10:39) Sponsor: Republic partnership with Hamilton Lane (11:05) Taking a stand in venture capital and advice for diverse figures (15:54) Solo GP vs. joining a top fund and value add to portfolio companies (20:12) Thesis on AI in antiquated industries and sourcing strategy evolution (26:17) Building a brand on Twitter: Strategies for VCs (30:13) Institutional service providers, LP relations, and future storytelling plans (35:03) Closing remarks and gratitude