On March 21, 2025, Rashaun Williams made his debut on Shark Tank, bringing invaluable experience as a venture capitalist with a background managing a substantial $1.5 billion tech fund. In an insightful interview with Inc. Magazine, Williams discussed the key factors venture capitalists consider prior to making investment decisions.
“Growth and engagement are a big part of it. How many customers per month? How much are you growing that customer base? Then, here’s another one that folks don’t think about: market size.”
Williams emphasized the importance of understanding market potential when evaluating investments:
“How many potential users and customers are in this universe, and if this company got 2 percent of them, does that equate to a revenue number that gets me to the billion-dollar valuation I need in order to make the returns I’m trying to get?”
“So I’m underwriting it based on how big the market size is, what percentage of that market this company can get, and how many customers it needs to have—at what price—in order to get there.”
As a former executive at Deutsche Bank, Williams oversees investments ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 in emerging companies, carefully balancing risk with market potential.
Rashaun Williams on Investment Strategies and Market Engagement
Williams’s investment philosophy emphasizes broad market access and aims to mitigate risks associated with niche market segments by focusing on scalable, mass-market opportunities. He seeks businesses that showcase a clear trajectory toward large customer bases.
In a notable example, Williams discusses LimeBike, now rebranded as Lime:
“One example is LimeBike, now Lime. One of the fastest-growing startups in the history of Silicon Valley. Zero to $150 million in revenue in, like, 18 months. And what they did right was they built the infrastructure.”
“Instead of just jumping on the scooter wave and finding scooters and buying them from other people and then just wringing them out, they locked up manufacturing all around Asia…They outperformed their competitors because they did the hard work in the beginning, where most people figure out the hard work at the end.”
Williams carefully navigates competitive landscapes to avoid direct confrontation with tech giants like Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook. He notes that startups seeking $10 million with a 20% equity offer often struggle against $50 million valuations under current market conditions.
During his conversation with Inc. Magazine, Williams outlined three pivotal funding phases that entrepreneurs should pursue. The first phase involves founders investing personal capital, demonstrating their commitment to the venture—an essential step reflecting their convictions about the business model.
The second phase brings in funds from close connections who understand the founder’s vision and capabilities based on firsthand knowledge of their work ethic and market insights.
In the third phase, angel investors step in, providing strategic capital for market testing, thereby facilitating the collection of critical operational data and market validation.
Williams stresses that each funding stage lays the groundwork for companies before they approach venture capital firms, demanding demonstrable market response and growth potential as key indicators of readiness.
Background and Expertise of Rashaun Williams
Rashaun Williams currently leads Value Investment Group as a family office investor and acts as a general partner in the MVP All-Star Fund. His career includes positions at leading financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs, Wachovia Securities, and Deutsche Bank.
In 2007, he founded Dixsville Partners, concentrating on infrastructure development and mineral ventures in West Africa. As a co-founder of Queensbridge Venture Partners, he played a crucial role in early investments within various tech companies.
In addition to his investment endeavors, Williams is dedicated to financial literacy. He established the Kemet Institute in 2001 to educate underserved communities, and in 2023, he launched Antimatter Business Partners, teaching athletes and entertainers about private equity and family office operations.
A distinguished graduate of Morehouse College with summa cum laude honors, Williams has served on Fisk University’s Board of Trustees since 2015. For the latest updates from Rashaun Williams, followers can connect with him on Instagram @rashaun_williams.