E39: Magnus Grimeland - The Genius VC who invests in 2 start ups every day
Magnus Grimeland is a husband, father, Ironman triathlete, and the Founder of Antler, one of the most active VCs globally. Before building Antler from scratch, Magnus co-founded Zalora, the leading online fashion store in Asia. In this episode, Magnus recounts how losing a family member at the age of 7 made him question the meaning of life at a very young age and gave him the drive and ambition to achieve great things in life: from receiving a scholarship for college, to studying alongside Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin at Harvard, to becoming a partner at McKinsey, to building the leading online fashion store in Asia, to now being world's day zero investor supporting founders globally in the hardest and most creative moment of their entrepreneurial journey - the inception. We also talk about how to find one's life purpose early, happiness, having kids at a young age, mental health, how to develop judgment, and the concept of "frontloading" which is key for entrepreneurs to achieve success. Key Topics: 00:00 - The Incredible Journey of Magnus Grimeland 04:59 - The Defining Moments That Shaped a Future Entrepreneur 06:07 - Escaping Rural Norway to Join the Global Elite 13:43 - Rubbing Shoulders with Zuckerberg at Harvard 21:15 - When Is the Right Time to Take the Leap? 31:00 - Sacrificing Now to Win the Future 35:25 - How Fatherhood Transformed My Worldview 43:33 - Never Stop Hustling and Stay Resilient 51:43 - Leverage Your Network for Massive Success 53:01 - My Crazy Plan to Build a Global Startup Empire 01:00:09 - Developing the Judgment to Spot Billion-Dollar Founders 01:10:32 - Battling Entrepreneurial Burnout and Mental Health 01:26:31 - Finding Happiness in the Simple Things 01:35:11 - Seeking Your Life Purpose Through Self-Reflection 01:40:30 - Using Your Talents to Change the World 01:43:54 - How AI Will Revolutionize Education as We Know It Sponsor: We are proud to partner with Coinsilium, a focused Web3 investor and venture builder supporting innovative startups building the decentralized future. Coinsilium provides vital funding and expert advice to Web3 and AI powered early-stage technology companies. Coinsilium also provides strategic advisory services to projects looking to issue tokens. With deep expertise across crypto, DeFi, and Web3, Coinsilium helps accelerate ambitious Web3 startups to the next level. Learn more at www.coinsilium.com Follow Magnus & Antler Website: https://www.antler.co/ Intagram: https://www.instagram.com/magnusantler/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/magnusgrimeland/ Follow When Shift Happens: Website: https://www.when-shift-happens.co/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinffollonier/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kevinfollonier Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinfollonier/ Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/yieldlabs