Getting to know the Folklore team – Meet Rochelle

Our team Q&As give you the inside scoop on the people behind Folklore.‍

As Folklore continues to support the next generation of startups, we’re excited to welcome Rochelle Ritchie to the team, to promote their wins and ours. 

Rochelle brings 9+ years of startup, VC and agency operator experience to the team. With a passion for communicating the founder journey and making an impact, her role is set up to share the firm's ambitions, and connect portfolio companies with the wider startup ecosystem through storytelling.

Here are a few insights from a recent conversation with Rochelle.

What draws you to an early stage investment firm?‍

“Honestly, there’s a certain thrill that comes from being close to the action. 

Let me explain.

After years of startup operator experience, working at a VC feels like the most real way to impact the next generation of ideas.

Being in the space between early stage founders, venture firms and the wider startup ecosystem means I’m always surrounded by pretty amazing, thoughtful people.

With most of my time outside of work spent listening to VC/startup podcasts, it makes it even more special that I can connect those learnings to what I’m doing throughout the day. It also makes me feel a little more productive, which is nice too.

I’m in constant admiration of people that see an opportunity, have a deep passion about an emerging trend, and want to make an impact.

I was recently reminded of this passion at the Revenue Chapter kick-off networking drinks. A room full of people sharing ideas, pitching their business and exchanging podcast recommendations is exactly where I want to be.”

Why Folklore?

“In Byron Sharp's book, How Brands Grow, he focuses on the difference, and importance, of having a distinctive brand over a differentiated one. 

By this definition, and from what I’ve seen in the industry, Folklore's focus on being distinctive, and true to their ethos in the early stage investing space, makes them a great brand to market (and work for).” 

What are you most excited to get your teeth into at Folklore?

“I’m most excited to start engaging with portfolio companies, leveraging their stories and wins, and seeing results through promoting them online. ‍

‍A close second to this is completing my pre-reading, The Business of Venture Capital by Mahendra Ramsinghani. Shortly followed by Venture Deals, Zero to One, then working my way through the rest of the office library.”

Why is it important for startups to think about their marketing, communications and brand early?

“In a recent Tim Ferriss episode, Sam Corcos, Co-Founder of Levels, stated that a job done is one half complete. Following this thinking, only a job completed and communicated, is one completed successfully. 

On a broader scale, with a team focused on providing value to different stakeholders, the second part of this job (the role of a marketing team) is communicating this value more broadly for an expected outcome. 

The exciting thing for anyone in early stage startups is that this doesn’t have to involve huge budgets, or a huge amount of time. The barrier to entry is low and the risk is lower (often) than if you’re a larger company with a larger following.

If a startup exists to further the development in a particular sector, the knowledge and understanding of that startup on a wider scale, if relevant and impactful, only compounds the company's opportunity for growth.”

What are your most important previous learnings that you’re bringing to this role?

“Working in the startup and VC space for the last several years has taught me to: 

• Focus on high impact activities. Putting the ideas from the book, High Output Management by Andrew Grove, into practice involves constantly looking for the highest impact or best leverage way to achieve a goal.
  
  
• Treat brands as clients. It’s easy to want to take shortcuts with restricted resources, but don’t shortcut to the point where it makes testing a hypothesis pointless.
  
  
• Time management. Time blocking in my calendar has always worked better for me than long to do lists.
  
  
• Play the long game. While fads and trends mean new content and channels come into the picture, the most important thing is to remain true to an audience, and what they want to engage with."

Anything else you’d like to add?

“In the book The Business of Venture Capital, Mahendra quite honestly states that being in the venture capital space means you’re leaning into an anti fragile career. In many ways, this is true. 

It’s a job that exposes you to early stage companies, new ideas and what the world might look like for future generations. It's a business that makes you grow, evolve and test your beliefs. 

It’s both humbling and rewarding. And I’m very happy to be here.”

Note: Rochelle is always in the market for a great startup book, business podcast or recommendation that could be relevant to Folklore and the early stage VC space. Connect with Rochelle via LinkedIn.

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