Today’s incredible guest is Nikhil Basu Trivedi, an investor who has been on the leading edge of investing in dozens of startups just before they become the next big thing. His portfolio includes Canva, Hinge, DoctoronDemand and many more. We asked Nikhil about what sort of data points he looks for when analyzing markets, in order to time the next big thing perfectly for investment; and we dig into some of the biggest lessons he’s learned in the process. About Nikhil: Nikhil Basu Trivedi is Co-Founder and General Partner of Footwork, an early-stage VC firm focused on consumer technology and the consumerization of enterprise technology. Previously, he was Managing Director of Shasta Ventures and an investor with Insight Venture Partners. He graduated from Princeton University with a degree in molecular biology and finance. A message from our sponsor: Now more than ever, entrepreneurs need committed partners to help them navigate the hardest pain points of scaling a technology business. Created by one of Canada’s largest banks, RBCx is re-imagining what it means to create meaningful and impactful technology companies in Canada. RBCx – the tech banking arm of the Royal Bank of Canada - is a full-service platform that accelerates the entrepreneurial journey at every stage of growth – providing access to a complete suite of capital solutions, innovative products and services, and operational expertise to help technology companies scale. Sid Paquette – former Managing Partner at OMERS Ventures, is leading the group and has recruited a bunch of new faces to the bank from the Venture and Tech industry. Tony Barkett and Tyler Kirk – two former Silicon Valley Bank leaders in addition to Nicole Kelly and Anthony Mouchantaf have also joined Sid from OMERS Ventures. RBCx has been incredibly active since their launch in June as an LP, and have already backed some of Canada’s most notable VC funds including Golden, Amplitude, Version One and Lumira Ventures.  To learn more about RBCx visit www.rbcx.com  or follow them on Twitter  or Linkedin . In this episode we discuss: 03:38 How does Nikhil define the “next big thing” 04:48 The biggest lesson Nikhil has learned 07:18 How to think about timing when to step in 10:05 The NFT wave and opening up of new opportunities 12:53 How to think about potential sizes of investment 16:57 Staying grounded in reality rather than being driven by hype 19:09 What Nikhil looks for in founders 20:36 Analyzing product market fit 24:59 Viewing competitors in the early-stage market 27:14 Enterprise trends post-pandemic that Nikhil is excited about 29:50 Thoughts on clean tech/ deep tech 32:34 Staying a generalist when investing 35:54 What to look for from Footwork VC Fast Favorites Podcasts The All In Podcast Newsletter/Blog Not Boring by Packy McCormick Tech Gadget AirPods New Trend Founders working on climate related solutions Book Leading: Learning from Life and My Years at Manchester United by Alex Ferguson and Michael Moritz Follow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here! Podcast production support provided by Agentbee.Agency