$100M Exits · Guest

Andrew Ackerman

Managing Partner · Second Century Ventures

InvestorOperator

About Andrew

Andrew Ackerman is a venture capitalist and the author of 'The Entrepreneur's Odyssey.' He was a Managing Partner at Dreamit Ventures, a global accelerator, where he made over 70 startup investments and led the firm's expansion into its EdTech, PropTech, and ConstructionTech verticals. Before his career in venture capital, Andrew was a founder of two startups and an active angel investor. He is currently a Managing Partner at Second Century Ventures (SCV), the strategic investment arm of the National Association of Realtors.

On the podcast with Andrew

Nov 20, 2025 • Episode 98
How VCs Find & Select Startups (The DreamIt Ventures Model)
To find top startups, DreamIt Ventures pivoted from a generalist pre-seed model to a later-stage program focused on enterprise sales, filtering for founders who understood the value of customer introductions over small checks. Andrew Ackerman reveals the playbook, including the unique deal structure that served as an "intelligence test" to separate sophisticated operators from the rest.

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Jason personally tees up the warm intro when there's a clear fit. Tell him what you're working on and why Andrew's perspective would move it forward.

Andrew Ackerman

About Andrew

On the podcast with Andrew

How VCs Find & Select Startups (The DreamIt Ventures Model)

Add Andrew to your advisory board