In this episode, Serhat Cicekoglu from Sente Ventures joins to discuss his career transition into venture capital and his approach to hypothesis-driven investment and hybrid fund strategies. The conversation delves into the unique challenges engineers face as investors and the importance of systematic thinking in risk assessment, particularly in deep tech investments. Serhat shares insights on the evolution of the scouting process, due diligence, and the significance of building strong relationships with founders. They explore trends in international deep tech and transformative technologies, as well as the impact of global connectivity and innovative credit scoring. The episode concludes with advice for emerging fund managers and LP relationship strategies. (0:00) Introduction by Speaker 1 (0:14) Joel Palathinkal introduces the podcast and guest (0:47) Srhat Sikoglu's career and transition to venture capital (4:12) Hypothesis-driven investment and hybrid fund strategies (8:48) Engineers as investors and challenges in startup financing (16:45) Systematic thinking in risk assessment and deep tech investment (23:39) Scouting process evolution and due diligence advice (28:12) Building relationships with founders and leadership qualities (30:24) Founder leadership transitions and investor transparency (34:42) Emerging fund manager strategies and LP relationship advice (37:13) Trends in international deep tech and transformative technologies (45:23) Global connectivity and innovative credit scoring impacts (47:07) Closing advice for fund managers