Jonathan Chang: Funding the Next Generation of Entrepreneurial Dreams

Hi! It’s me, Spiffy, the interplanetary journalist reporting from Planet Earth with the latest scoop on entrepreneurs and leaders who are helping make it a better world for all of us! Today’s rockstar is Jonathan Chang, the founder of DayDream Ventures.

Spiffy: Hey Jonathan, glad to have you here today! I’m excited to speak with you so let’s dive right in. What challenge are you addressing at DayDream Ventures?

Jonathan: It’s great to be here, Spiffy, thanks for having me! I’m a venture capitalist (VC) at DayDream Ventures, investing in pre-seed and seed founders that are GenZ or building in GenZ spaces. My mission is really to fund the next generation of great entrepreneurs and give them the funding to help them achieve their dreams. There aren't many Gen Z VCs out there and my goal as a GenZ is to inspire the next group of investors as well to change VC for the better to become more diverse.

Spiffy: What motivated you to do it?

Jonathan: I started this after my stint in VC because I looked and so many VCs like myself are talented and capable of funding the change in startups. I wanted to create an organization that is different from the traditional VCs out there with our makeup, who we invest in, and with our unique perspectives of the world.

Spiffy: Can you elaborate on how you and your colleagues are working towards a more equitable world?

Jonathan: Our goal at DayDream Ventures is to fund founders from all backgrounds, gender, and race. The best VC firms of the future are going to be ones that invest in all entrepreneurs and that is what we aim to do.

Spiffy: Tell me about a recent organization milestone or initiative, and the impact it makes on your community.

Jonathan: We started in 2021. During that year, we syndicated three deals while personally investing in four more companies. We want to double that number for 2022 as we see more amazing entrepreneurs enter the ecosystem.

Spiffy: That’s awesome! Tell me about a startup or project you’ve worked with that exemplifies the impact you’re striving to make.

Jonathan: Building DayDream Ventures from scratch has highlighted how far we have come in the journey. We started out this journey knowing no Limited Partnerships (LPs), being new in VC, and set out to make a difference in the venture capital community by funding entrepreneurs through our unique worldview. Fast forward one year and we have successfully built out a loyal brand of LPs, invested in some amazing founders, and more.

Spiffy: Thanks for speaking with me today, Jonathan—it’s been an honor!

Jonathan Chang is a partner and founder at DayDream Ventures. He is also the founder of GenZScouts, a venture capital program for students interested in venture capital. He was recently named one of the Top 29 GenZ VCs to watch out for by Business Insider. He also runs a venture capital Tik Tok account (@venturecapitalguy) where he has amassed over 3 million views and 100,000 likes across all videos. Jonathan graduated from UCLA with a degree in Statistics and a minor in Film, Television, and Digital Media. (First published on the Ladderworks website on April 13, 2022.)

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