Amit Garg, co-founder and managing partner at Tau Ventures, shares how he backs startups at the intersection of healthcare, enterprise, and automation.. Drawing from his experiences as an operator, VC, and nonprofit founder, Amit offers a pragmatic and deeply thoughtful perspective on what makes a venture-backable company, and why doing the right thing can (and should) drive valuation.In this episode, you’ll learn:[04:40] Why Amit believes _“VC is one of the most intellectually fulfilling jobs in the world”_—and how it blends empathy and long-term conviction[11:40] Betting on uncomfortable timing: Tau backed Iterative Health before AI in gastrointestinal innovation was trendy[17:40] "I value humility more than confidence." Amit’s surprising lens on what makes a founder trustworthy (and fundable)[21:30] Understanding how to extend your runway to 24 months is the key to success in early-stage startups.[25:20] What founders must understand about true VC alignment[29:49] Value vs. valuation: The myth founders must unlearn to avoid being misled by hype-driven fundraisingThe nonprofit organization Amit is passionate about: Hospital for HopeAbout Amit GargAmit Garg is the Co-founder and Managing Partner at Tau Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based early-stage venture capital firm. With a background in engineering, product, and investing, Amit has built a career around intersecting deep tech with human impact. Prior to founding Tau Ventures, he worked at Google, Norwest Venture Partners, and Samsung NEXT. He’s also the co-founder of Hospital for Hope, a nonprofit hospital in rural India. Amit brings a global, grounded, and mission-driven lens to evaluating startups, with particular focus on AI, digital health, and enterprise infrastructure.About Tau VenturesTau Ventures is a seed-focused venture capital firm investing in startups at the intersection of AI, healthcare, automation, and enterprise infrastructure. Founded by operators-turned-investors, the firm applies deep technical understanding and pragmatic business insight to back early-stage teams tackling real-world challenges. Tau operates with a lean fund model, high conviction, and a focus on value creation over hype. Its portfolio includes startups applying cutting-edge technology to improve healthcare diagnostics, workflow automation, and infrastructure scalability. Tau’s portfolio companies include 1Password, Absci, Alpaca Health, Autonomize AI, Iterative Health, Vecna Robotics among others.Subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related