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Ben Zises
@SuperAngel.Fund😇 - Investor #1 & Founding Advisor @quip🦷 @Caraway🏠 @Arber🪴 - Consumer, PropTech & Future of Work - ben@superangel.vc
Ben Zises is the founder and General Partner of SuperAngel.Fund, an early-stage venture capital fund launched in January 2021.12 As an angel investor, advisor, and fund manager, Zises focuses on investing in Consumer (CPG, eCommerce SaaS), PropTech, and Future of Work startups.13
Investment Experience
Zises has a notable track record as an early-stage investor:
- Prior to starting SuperAngel.Fund, he spent six years as an angel investor in 30 companies.1
- He was the first investor and founding advisor to successful startups like quip (2014), Caraway (2018), and Arber (2020), before they had their current names.12
- His fund has invested in more than 50 companies to date.2
Investment Approach
Zises aims to:
- Be one of the first investors (day 0) in a startup.1
- Leverage his network to bring in strategic capital and resources.1
- Provide unwavering support and dedication to founders.14
Background and Experience
- Zises has personal experience as a founder, having gone through the complete lifecycle of building a company.1
- He raised $2 million from early investors for his own startup, which ultimately failed to secure additional funding.1
- After his startup experience, he served as COO at an NYC-based real estate investment and property management firm.1
Education and Personal
- Graduate of Boston University's School of Hospitality.1
- Lives and works in Tribeca, NYC with his wife Ashley and two daughters, Sarina and Scarlett.1
Ben Zises can be found on LinkedIn under the username "bzises".5
Highlights
Sequoia turned down Google in 1999. Accel turned down Facebook in 2004. Bessemer turned down AirBnb in 2008.
Every GREAT investor has a long list of the companies that got away. That’s just a part of the job. You’re going to have big misses.
For example, the Triple Whale team reached out to me early on and I passed. I also had an early look at beehiiv and decided to pass anyway.
I missed both… big time. But, the big misses are just as important as the big wins.
Before you pass on a deal, you have to actually SEE the deal. And, as painful as it is to realize that you forfeited a huge opportunity, the fact that you saw that deal means you’re doing something right.
Big misses are a sign that you have good deal flow. They’re a sign that your network and your reputation attract great founders.
Each time that you experience a big miss, you should feel confident about doubling down on your strategy for sourcing deals and building relationships.
After all, it’s clearly working!
So many people in this world are flakey, distractible, and unreliable. In my experience, the best founders are the ones who consistently prove their ability to follow through on their goals and promises. That’s why I sometimes use the “Pitch Test”…
Six weeks after a pitch meeting, I’ll email the founder to check in and see how they’re doing. I’ll ask them specific questions about their progress toward milestones and details related to what they pitched me just a month and a half earlier.
Oftentimes, many of those founders have made little to no progress. Other times, they’ve pivoted, changed their idea, or given up entirely.
If they can’t consistently pursue their strategy or business plan for 6 weeks, how can they build a company for 6+ years?
The founders who demonstrate their ability to follow through are the ones who raise capital, hire great talent, and win new business.
The lesson here is simple: The key to success is to do what you say you’re going to do. Be consistent, remain focused, and be disciplined.
The very best things in life take time.
