Being part of the Upfront Investment Team is an important role — each person works closely with our investing partners on all aspects of the investment process, whether it's deal flow, portfolio support, and/or networking. They have an ear to the ground on the latest trends, meeting with founders from different walks of life and you'll even see them hosting Upfront happy hours around the city.
Today, we’re giving you a glimpse into the life of Upfront’s Chief of Staff Kesar Varma - as part of our investment team, Kesar works closely with Partner Kevin Zhang on our health tech and gaming practice.
Scroll down to learn what his average work week looks like, and the advice he gives to people looking to get into the world of VC. And in case you missed our post about Kesar when he first joined us at Upfront, you can check that out here.
Okay, let’s begin!
What does your morning look like and how do you start the day?
I am usually forced awake at 6:00 am by my two cats demanding to be fed. After taking care of them and getting a quick workout in, I will either take calls and then go into the office, or just go straight in - depends what my schedule is like.
On my way to work, I’ll listen to a podcast — Bill Simmons podcast has been a newer favorite with the recent NBA playoffs, but I’m a fan of Sam Harris, Ezra Klein, FiveThirtyEight, and Alexis Gay.
I usually get into the office around 9:00 am. If Kevin is in the office, I’ll check in with him first thing — make sure we’re on the same page priority-wise, update him on any projects I have, and do a quick rundown of what meetings we have for the week. Then it’s off to the races.
In a normal week, I'll load up my schedule with calls on Tuesdays and Thursdays (we have partner meetings on Mondays, so it’s hard to meet with folks then). On Wednesdays, I try and do as many in-person meetings as I can since I always know I'll be in the office for office breakfast and/or afternoon snacks! And then Fridays are usually catch-up calls with founders and friends.
What is your “CoS Tech Stack”? (how do you stay organized / what apps do you use?)
Superhuman for Email — Yes, it's absolutely too expensive, but I can't imagine email without it anymore. I'd recommend anyone who has to go through a ton of emails a day give it a try if you can. It will change your life.
Roam for Note Taking — I'll admit that I don't think the perfect note-taking app has been created yet. I've tried every possible app on the market (Notion, Coda, Evernote, Apple Notes, Google Docs) for note-taking and none of them can do everything I need. I kept coming back to Roam because of its simplicity and ease of use. I wish they stayed on top of their feature development and made it easier to export notes, but for now, it does the job!
Things3 for To-Do/Prioritization — I used to use Asana as my go-to organization tool, but have recently switched over to Things3 instead. It has some of the best features for staying organized and I love how seamlessly it integrates with all of my Apple products so that I can access my tasks from any of my devices.
Flow for Focusing — The last app I use is called Flow. It is a Pomodoro timer app that runs in the background of my computer during the day. I started using the Pomodoro technique a few years ago to try and stay more organized and focused throughout the day. I can't recommend it enough, especially for people like myself that have trouble focusing on one task for extended periods of time.
How many new founders do you typically speak to in a week?
I try to schedule at least 8-10 new founder meetings a week. I try to bundle a majority of the calls onto Tuesdays and Thursdays in order to avoid context switching as much as possible. Those meetings are usually split between solo calls that I take with founders or tag-team calls that I take with Kevin.
What qualities do you look for in a founder?
I think the most important thing that a founder can have is Founder-Market-Fit. What I mean by that is, is this person uniquely equipped to solve the problem they are undertaking and will this person stop at nothing until the problem is solved. We typically work with founders who are early in their company-building journey. When you're still searching for product-market fit, the best possible way to find that and be successful is if you are obsessed with the problem you're trying to solve and have the ability to draw unique insights that others might take longer to find.
What's one thing you have on your desk and what's the story behind it?
I have a Dexter's Laboratory figurine on my desk. I used to grow up watching shows on Cartoon Network religiously (Shoutout Toonami for those that know!). Dexter's Lab was (and still is) one of my favorite shows of all time. Growing up I used to be the short, nerdy kid with glasses at school, so very much related to Dexter. Now, every time I look at the figurine, I can still hear his voice from the cartoons, and it brings me a bit of happiness and nostalgia that always makes me smile.
What do you read for news?
General News: Twitter, The Washington Post, LA Times, The Economist, The Financial Times
Healthcare Specific Reading: Exits and Outcomes, Vital Signs by Jacob Effron, Out-of-Pocket by Nikhil Krishnan, Healthcare Pizza by Andy Mychovsky
Tech Specific News: The Information, The Generalist, Strictly VC, The Sourcery (shoutout Molly!), Money Stuff by Matt Levine
Favorite thing about working at the Upfront office?
I'm so glad that we've been able to go back to the office because being in person with the Upfront team is truly the best part of my job (also the office is gorgeous). Everyone truly cares about what everyone else is working on and supporting as best they can. If I ever have a question, I know there will be someone in the office that has the answer. It's incredibly important to be able to learn from your colleagues and surround yourself with people that will push you to be better at your job.
Go-to spot for work meetings/meet-ups in LA (besides the Upfront office)?
I love Paper or Plastik Cafe in Mid City. It’s got awesome food, fantastic coffee, and a wonderful ambiance. They have both indoor and outdoor seating and keep part of the cafe "laptop free," which always makes the space more lively and inviting. I highly highly recommend the Fried Chicken Sandwich!
How do you unwind after a long day?
Aside from laser toys, back scratches, and catnip for my needy cats (found them during the pandemic), I love reading and playing video games (surprise!). I'm a big fan of non-fiction books. Whether they’re books on human psychology, the economy, anthropology, art history, or sports — anything is game. With the recent NBA playoffs, I'd highly recommend anyone who's a basketball fan to read How to Watch Basketball Like a Genius by Nick Greene. One of the best books I've ever read and made me fall in love with basketball all over again. If you're not a basketball fan…still read it, you will be after you do!
Advice for people looking to work in VC?
Prove to people that you can do the job. Go out and meet founders, learn about trends in the industry that you want to specialize in, and create a thesis for yourself on the space. Get operational experience or help advise startups to really understand what obstacles founders have to navigate when building a company. You may not be able to invest a single dollar into a company, but if you can prove that you can do the other 95% of the job, then eventually you will get an opportunity.
What’s the best way to get in touch with you?
