Avoid this VC.
There are a ton of great VC firms out there. This one is not one of them.
Pretty bad experience with Ekaterina Almasque - General Partner of the firm. She appears nice on the surface, but was rude and disrespectful in every way. Fellow VC professionals, stay away from this firm. If you are looking for a place that values your background, credentials and respects diversity, run far far away. Founders and entrepreneurs, the same applies to you, avoid this VC and look for other VCs, you’ll be better off.
From the onset, she was rude, disinterested and looking for ways to reject any consideration of my candidacy from the get go. Do you know when you speak to someone and you know they are hell bent on ensuring you are not given a fair evaluation? This was one of those experiences. Even though I had a perfect match with the requirements for the role. Under normal circumstances, an ideal candidate.
Was asked about deal experience in Europe which she assumed I did not have because she hadn’t bothered to review my CV or the job description and she also belittled and condescended my background and experience for no reason. Had to request her to review the CV to remind her of my deal experience.
Was asked about nationality and background and she straight up said you are not a fit for the firm and did not even bother continuing the discussion. Cut the call off at the end early saying she had to run to some other call. Quite unprofessional. If this isn’t racism, I don’t know what is.
Given covid, I asked if they were working from home to which she hesitatingly said no. This was a lie since the team has been WFH for months and plans to be for the next six months to a year like most other firms. The job description also states that they support WFH practices which goes against what she said.
Finally, she took no time and showed no desire to answer any questions regarding the firm or her role at the firm.
I was polite and respectful throughout. But realise I should’ve just ended the discussion mid way.
I pity those who have to interact with this firm in any capacity and would like to warn talented entrepreneurs/founders to stay far away. If this is the way they treat potential team members, one can get a taste for how they treat you post investment.
Conclusion, stay far away. They’ve done a great job with all of their website/marketing material but its all a facade. Again, there are a ton of great VC firms out there. This one is not one of them.
