Venture Capital 101 with GP Lolita Taub

Most of us didn't grow up learning about venture capital — it can feel like a world you're either born into or invited into by elite networks. This week, Jannese sits down with Lolita Taub, General Partner at Ganas Ventures, who has done it all: founder, angel, LP, GP, and ecosystem builder. Lolita breaks down what venture capital actually is (no jargon, promise), how to become an accredited investor without a six-figure salary, and why the questions investors ask founders of color are so different from the ones they ask everyone else. If you've ever felt like investing — or raising money — "isn't for you," this episode is your invitation to the table.

WE GET INTO:

01:55 — Growing up in South Central LA & lessons about money

03:39 — "Echale ganas": the origin of Ganas Ventures

05:51 — From USC to big tech: IBM, Cisco & finding her "tribe"

07:45 — The interview series that introduced her to venture capital

09:12 — Breaking into VC and building her own fund

10:25 — Representation in venture & the Siete Foods story

11:37 — What venture capital actually means, no jargon

13:23 — VC vs. lotto tickets: the real odds

14:24 — What makes a business "venture backable"

15:01 — Bootstrap vs. raise: the Calendly story