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Mark Suster

Managing partner at Upfront Ventures, Upfront Ventures

Search every verified Mark Suster interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Mark Suster, managing partner at Upfront Ventures, appeared on the podcast *Something Ventured* in June 2024 and again in May and June 2026. During the conversations, Suster discussed his background in computer programming and software, his transition to venture capital, and his creation of Launch Pad LA. He described venture capital as a "get-rich-slowly business" and said he does not see himself as being on the same stage as founders who are "collecting awards and collecting big paychecks." Suster stated that Upfront Ventures has been operating for 30 years, has raised approximately $3.2 to $3.3 billion in aggregate, and is the most tenured venture capital fund in Los Angeles. Suster made several observations about the venture capital landscape. He said that "40% of every venture capital dollar that goes into hard-tech or aerospace national defense goes to Los Angeles, not to the Bay Area." He argued that being "nonconformist" is important for venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, adding that "if you're funding what everybody else is talking about today and you have a really easy time at cocktail parties, you probably miss the trend by 3 to 5 years." Suster also commented on regulation, stating that "most regulation is funded by big business as a way to keep out competition" and that founders need a seat at the table in Washington, D.C. to shape policy.

Recent appearances

Notable quotes

“40% of every venture capital dollar that goes into hard tech or aerospace national defense goes to Los Angeles not to the Bay Area to Los Angeles.”

“What sounds good, like regulation to protect consumers, most regulation is funded by big business as a way to keep out competition. It's just how the country works. And if you're not part of the conversation in DC, first of all, you don't even know what's coming that can influence you, and you don't have a seat at the table to try and shape perspectives and opinion, and federal law will impact you.”

“40% of every venture capital dollar that goes into hard tech or aerospace national defense goes to Los Angeles, not to the Bay Area, to Los Angeles. So we know not to touch the stuff that San Francisco is going to dominate because of Let me just call it more broadly the network effect.”

“I think masters are a waste for almost everybody — organized education is broken, the costs are too high and the benefits are too low; credibility increasingly comes from lived experience rather than a certificate.”

“You make money by believing in something that very few people believe in, having access to people that very few people have access to, by having a thesis that you're willing to put money behind, and being right.”

“I think too much of our market has become stock pickers... some investors prefer to write checks and not actually do work, and many founders value having no oversight.”

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