{"podcast":{"title":"Venture Unlocked: The playbook for venture capital managers","slug":"venture-unlocked-the-playbook-for-venture-capital-managers-2990261","podcast_index_feed_id":2990261,"rss_url":"https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/73172.rss","website_url":"https://ventureunlocked.substack.com/podcast","image_url":"https://substackcdn.com/feed/podcast/73172/f198d8343a19d4654fb4c4b0f92c9a4d.jpg","author":"Samir Kaji","episode_count":159,"summary":"Venture Unlocked offers unique insider insights into venture capital through our Podcast and writings.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-05T00:20:47.002881+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/venture-unlocked-the-playbook-for-venture-capital-managers-2990261"},"episode":{"title":"The Benchmark Way: Running of an Iconic firm with Victor Lazarte","slug":"the-benchmark-way-running-of-an-iconic-firm-with-victor-lazarte","published_at":"2025-03-19T11:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/venture-unlocked-the-playbook-for-venture-capital-managers-2990261/the-benchmark-way-running-of-an-iconic-firm-with-victor-lazarte","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/venture-unlocked-the-playbook-for-venture-capital-managers-2990261","url":"https://ventureunlocked.substack.com/p/the-benchmark-way-deep-partnerships","audio_url":"https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/159358092/5e1f9a7bd58d452ef44beeea86d43e17.mp3","summary":"Today, I sat down with Victor Lazarte , a Benchmark partner who transitioned from founding a billion-dollar mobile gaming company in Brazil to becoming a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley with Benchmark in 2023. Victor shared Benchmark's unique investment philosophy, which focuses on deep, meaningful partnerships with entrepreneurs, with each partner doing only 1-2 deals per year. We also spoke about the equal partnership Benchmark has, and what that means in practice day to day from a decision making and culture standpoint. This was a fun one so hope you enjoy! Throughout our conversation, Victor provided a nuanced perspective on company building, technological innovation, and the evolving role of venture capital in bringing transformative ideas to market. About Victor Lazarte Victor Lazarte is a General Partner at Benchmark, a renowned venture capital firm focused on early-stage technology investments. With a background in entrepreneurship and investing, Victor brings deep operational expertise and a founder-first mindset to supporting high-growth startups. Before joining Benchmark, Victor co-founded Wildlife Studios, one of the world’s largest mobile gaming companies, where he helped scale the business to global success. His experience in building and leading companies gives him a unique perspective on product development, scaling operations, and long-term strategy. Victor is passionate about partnering with visionary founders to build category-defining companies. He holds a degree in engineering and is committed to fostering innovation across industries. Benchmark is a leading venture capital firm specializing in early-stage technology investments. Known for its hands-on, founder-first approach, Benchmark partners with entrepreneurs to build transformative compa…","meta_description":"Today, I sat down with Victor Lazarte , a Benchmark partner who transitioned from founding a billion-dollar mobile gaming company in Brazil to becoming a…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2700,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/venture-unlocked-the-playbook-for-venture-capital-managers-2990261/episodes/the-benchmark-way-running-of-an-iconic-firm-with-victor-lazarte/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/venture-unlocked-the-playbook-for-venture-capital-managers-2990261/the-benchmark-way-running-of-an-iconic-firm-with-victor-lazarte.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}