Beatrice Lion: From No-Pay Intern to Global VC, Betting Early on AI & Blockchain – E662
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ce0UwMlbOnzKtIo8hJ2r6?si=37673d1d261d47df
Youtube:https://youtu.be/2ZN82aIYPk8
"Everyone is afraid of using AI in their tools because they see it as a black box and do not understand the generated responses. We invested in a company called OpenTopic that focused on generating content for media agencies. That opportunity mirrors why Bitcoin emerged in the first place, which was the failure of the traditional financial system where infrastructure was not robust enough and bank runs occurred. New players entered and asked why there should not be a decentralized system where, in Bitcoin’s case, no one even knows who started it and the system is fair to everyone." - Beatrice Lion, General Partner and CEO of True Global Ventures
"I wanted to be the technophile, the one who says, have you heard about this exciting thing that is happening. That was a pivotal moment for me to decide I wanted to be in this industry because it is where innovation is. I like being the person who introduces new technology to my friends. I do not want to be the technology lagger or the last to adopt something new. I want to be the one who asks, how are you not using this yet. That is what drew me in, and it is the same reason I wanted to enter at that moment and why I feel the same way about AI today." - Beatrice Lion, General Partner and CEO of True Global Ventures
"That moment coincided with the launch of ChatGPT, when AI became understood by the mainstream as a truly transformative technology. More people started using it and became less afraid of it, which made it the right time to deploy into these companies because clients were now asking what AI could help them do. That also made it a bad time to leave, because I did not want to miss being part of this fund at that moment. The pattern kept repeating, and I never felt like I was stagnating or done learning. That is why I never wanted to do anything else, not just for the economic incentive, but because it is always exciting to be part of real innovation." - Beatrice Lion, General Partner and CEO of True Global Ventures
Beatrice Lion, General Partner and CEO of True Global Ventures, joins Jeremy Au to unpack how early conviction, long cycles, and hands-on learning shaped her path from finance student to venture capital leader. They explore why blockchain and AI only look obvious in hindsight, how decentralization solves real risks created by centralized platforms, and why hype often masks weak demand rather than weak technology. The conversation covers building a venture fund from self-funded roots to institutional scale, navigating fundraising and regulation, and what it takes to grow as an investor across multiple market cycles. Beatrice also shares how staying in one firm for years can still mean many different careers, and why resilience and judgment matter more than timing.