Meagan Loyst is an investor at Lerer Hippeau, an early-stage venture capital firm in New York, where she focuses on seed-stage investing. Meagan is also the founder of Gen Z VCs, the largest and fastest-growing community for Gen Zers in tech and VC, with more than 12,000 Gen Z investors, founders, angels, students, and aspiring VCs. She coined the term "Gen Z VC" in her first Medium article and started the Gen Z VCs Slack community in November 2020, which has grown into a much larger movement centered on empowering the next generation of builders and investors. In the past year, Meagan has been featured in Business Insider (most recently as the "Queen of Gen Z VC" and one of the top up-and-comers changing the world of venture capital), in Forbes 30 Under 30 for 2022, as well as The Washington Post, Axios, Cosmopolitan, Bloomberg TV, and more. She is on the advisory board of Girls Who Invest and is passionate about increasing diversity in VC and asset management.
Meagan's Investing Style
How many years of investing experience do you have? 1-5 years
What is your investing risk tolerance? High
What is your portfolio size? 20+ stocks
What are your favorite investing sectors? Information technology
When did you get started in investing and why?
I started investing full time at General Atlantic right after I graduated from college, focusing on technology companies looking to raise growth equity (Series B, pre-IPO). Now I invest at the seed stage at Lerer Hippeau and focus on technology, consumer, healthcare, and fintech as well. I first became interested in investing my freshman year of college, hearing founders speak at my alma mater Boston College about their start-ups and also meeting Warren Buffett in Omaha on a trip. I loved the idea of helping founders change the world through investing and being their trusted advisors, supporters, and champions.
Can you tell us a little bit about your relationship with money at an early age?
My parents were big on saving money, so we'd have one big shopping day for back to school and that was about it. My mom was always cutting coupons and teaching us to save, so I think I've always been a bit conservative with money. Although now that I'm living in Manhattan, it's so easy to spend money and much harder to save since there's always so much going on!
What has your journey been like as an investor, and what are some of the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I feel very blessed, truthfully. I'm learning from a great team, working with incredible founders changing the world, and have the opportunity to lead a community of thousands of other young investors and founders all over the world. I've learned that working in VC can be all-consuming, especially in your early 20s. Your social life becomes so closely intertwined with your professional life, and you're always thinking about what more you can be doing -- tweeting, blogging, going to events, etc. Finding a balance has been tough because I really love what I'm doing, but my health has taken a toll at times.
What’s one story from your life that totally defines who you are today, and how has that impacted your investing career?
At 12 years old, I was recruited to play varsity soccer at my high school. I went to the third largest public school in New York state and ended up being the first seventh grader in the district's history to make the team and play. It was the first time in my life where, (a), I was constantly underestimated by the people around me because of my age, and (b), I had to look and act the part, rising to the occasion because the majority of girls on the team were six years older than me. Being the youngest in the room, always underestimated, has been a theme in my life since then -- and I've learned that age is just a number, especially when it comes to the professional world. You can always add a valued perspective, be creative to be heard, and shoot your shot. I'm the youngest investor at Lerer Hippeau (they started interviewing me when I was 22 after sending a cold email), and I wasn't even qualified for the job, but I proved I could do it.
With so many younger investors dipping their toes in investing, what’s the best advice you have for someone who may be looking to start investing or who may be newer to the industry?
Get your voice out there -- on Twitter, through writing, really anywhere. You can start doing the work at any time by developing theses on spaces, meeting founders (if VC is what you're interested in), creating market maps, etc. Building a personal brand has helped me be the best investor I can be, and it's kickstarted my career in a number of ways.
Don't be afraid to send a cold email. The worst they can say is no!Meagan Loyst
If you could go back in time and change one thing about your investing strategy, what would you change and why?
I'd be a bit smarter about having conviction and when to speak up.
What are three things that really excite you about the future of investing?
1. Seeing more diverse perspectives enter the landscape, especially more women in senior roles.
2. The qualifications for investors changing, with more young people entering the space than ever before.
3. Creating more accessible pathways for founders and VCs to connect without warm intros, so everyone feels heard and seen.
Who are some leaders in the investing industry you admire and why?
Kirsten Green is a big reason I wanted to get into venture capital. I've always looked up to women in investing and think what she's done through All Raise is incredible and also how she thinks about the future of consumers. The first time I seriously thought about making the jump into VC was at the All Raise conference in 2019, where one of the events was hearing Emily Weiss talk about building Glossier and working with Kirsten. I'm the ultimate consumer and love brands that transform people's lives (especially women), so that was the first time it really clicked for me that I wanted to work somewhere where I could work with founders building the next Glossier.
What are some of your favorite educational resources (books, podcasts, websites, etc.) that you’d recommend for investors of all ages?
The Twenty Minute VC podcast by Harry Stebbings is fantastic! I also love the Accelerated newsletter (they break down some great S-1s). And lastly, Twitter. User-generated content (UGC) is incredibly powerful, and I love how I can curate my feed around thought leaders I admire and learn new things every day.
How do you feel about crypto as an investment?
Diamond hands! There will likely continue to be volatility in 2022, but it's hard to ignore how crypto is quite literally fueling entire ecosystems -- Axie Infinity, OpenSea -- that are changing consumer behavior as we know it.
What’s one quote or saying that inspires or challenges you?
I've always loved this quote by Audrey Hepburn. It's arguably my favorite quote. “For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” It's not investing-related, but I think leading with kindness and an open heart is incredibly important. I think a lot of people believe you need to step on toes or be competitive to get ahead. I believe the opposite is true. Nothing is more important than being a good person and putting people first.
