Today’s episode takes us to Silicon Valley to connect with <a href="https://www.faithdrivenentrepreneur.org/trae-stephens-bio">Trae Stephens</a>. You may have seen Trae on CNBC, or you may know him as one of the Partners at Founders Fund. It was an honor to have Trae on to share about his experiences—everything from his time in politics working for Congressmen and in Embassies to now working alongside Peter Thiel. Trae also shares about his life as a Christ-Follower and how it shapes his view of the investing world.
In particular, Trae outlines what it means for an entrepreneur to be an outlier. He describes the difference between business ideas that fit into a certain pre-existing category and those that break every mold out there. He also shares cautionary advice about what not to do as an entrepreneur. His perspective as a venture capitalist is helpful to listen to for both investors and entrepreneurs alike.
But this podcast doesn’t stop there. As you know, we’re always approaching the conversation of entrepreneurship and investing from a faith-driven perspective. Trae is no exception. In this podcast, he talks about the different areas of theology and philosophy that inform his worldview. Specifically, he goes into detail about the innate tendency of all human beings to imitate something or someone. Here, he reminds us specifically of Ephesians 5:1, “Be imitators of God…”
When Trae talks about his relationship with God, you’ll hear both his personal faith journey—what it means to imitate Christ as a venture capitalist and how Silicon Valley opens the door for him to share his faith—and what he thinks about the global Christian movement. He invites listeners to consider what it would look like to be co-creators alongside God, with references to how God and Adam interacted in the Garden of Eden.
Our team had a blast catching up with Trae, as it felt like he covered dozens of topics with the fluency of an expert. His intellect and skill are on full display in this interview, but so is his spirit and heart behind what it means to be a faith driven entrepreneur and what faith driven investors can do to create value, not only for themselves, but for the world.
We hope you enjoy this episode and pray that it encourages you on your journey!
Useful Links:
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgB9p2BA4fw">Rene Girard Explains Mimetic Desires </a>
<a href="https://foundersfund.com/">Founders Fund</a>
<a href="http://fortune.com/2018/06/06/trae-stephens-founders-fund/">Trae Stephens Interview with Fortune</a>

Faith Driven Entrepreneur is a movement dedicated to gathering one million Christ-following entrepreneurs and equipping them, so they can fulfill their call to create and transform the world around them.

Faith Driven Entrepreneur

Listen to the Faith Driven Entrepreneur Podcast

Today’s episode features Trae Stephens, one of the Partners at Founders Fund. As a venture capitalist, Trae provides excellent insight into what investors are looking for in entrepreneurs. As Trae explains, “we’re looking for outliers.” Find out what that entails and also how Trae measures value by the ability to create abundance and decrease competition. Trae bounces effortlessly between business, theology, and philosophy as he speaks, and we really think you’ll enjoy listening to what he had to share!

Episode 70 - Entrepreneurs Who Create their Own Category with Trae Stephens of Founders Fund

Henry Kaestner, William Norvell, Rusty Rueff | Aug 20, 2019

Show Notes

Faith Driven Entrepreneur is a movement dedicated to gathering one million Christ-following entrepreneurs and equipping them, so they can fulfill their call to create and transform the world around them.

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