DeepSummary
In this episode, Eric Bahn, co-founder and general partner at Hustle Fund, shares his experiences and insights as a father of two kids while also managing a successful venture capital firm. He discusses the decision to have children with his wife, prioritizing his marriage, finding joy in family life, and integrating work and family responsibilities.
Eric opens up about his childhood growing up in Detroit with immigrant Korean parents, and how their efforts to assimilate culturally impacted his upbringing. He also talks about the surprises and challenges of parenthood, and how it has influenced his leadership style and approach to working with founders at Hustle Fund.
The conversation explores Eric's hobby of high-performance driving as a way to recharge, his views on the potential impact of AI on education and learning for future generations, and the role of technology in his kids' lives. Throughout the episode, Eric shares candid insights, humorous anecdotes, and practical advice for balancing work and family life.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Prioritize your spouse/partner over your kids to maintain a strong foundation for your family.
- Find ways to integrate and balance work and family life, rather than striving for complete separation.
- Pursue hobbies and activities that recharge you and allow you to fully immerse yourself.
- Be open to the potential impact of AI and technology on education and learning for future generations.
- Manage and set boundaries around excessive use of devices and technology for your kids.
- Foster an environment of love, respect, and vulnerability within your family and professional relationships.
- Appreciate the joy and fulfillment of coming home to your loved ones, even amidst the challenges of parenthood.
- Reflect on your own childhood experiences and how they may shape your parenting approach.
Top Episodes Quotes
- โWhen you bow to the mirror, the reflected image bows back. When you bow to the mirror, the reflected image bows back. So the way that I've always interpreted that is how I treat my environment will naturally be reciprocated in kind.โ by Eric Bahn
- โSo I get really excited about this and also really scared, because on the one hand, I think AI is going to be an amazing lifelong tool for learning. And I actually have a lot of my own custom GPTs already.โ by Eric Bahn
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Episode Information
Startup Dad
Adam Fishman
6/27/24
Eric Bahn is the co-founder and a GP at Hustle Fundโa pre-seed venture fund that invests in very early stage founders. He has also been a founder himself as well as a product leader at companies like Intuit and Instagram. Most importantly, heโs a husband and the father of two kids. In our conversation today we discussed:
* What it means to feel joy in coming home to your family
* His decision with his wife to have children
* How to prioritize your spouse
* Life integration rather than balance
* Some non-traditional methods of recharging his batteries
* A hilarious tangent about home projects including a recent plumbing success
* What emerging companies he has seen that could have a significant impact on kids and future generations
โ
Where to find Eric Bahn
* Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericbahn/
* X: https://twitter.com/ericbahn
* Website: https://www.hustlefund.vc/
Where to find Adam Fishman
* FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/
โ
In this episode, we cover:
[1:54] Welcome
[2:30] Professional background
[3:06] Explaining career to his kids
[4:16] Grew up in Detroit
[5:12] Childhood
[7:14] Immigrant family/being Korean in Detroit
[11:03] Talking to kids about how Ericโs parents culturally assimilated
[13:00] How did you meet wife/what does she do?
[15:45] Decision to start a family
[19:53] Earliest memory of becoming a dad
[21:50] Most surprising thing you discovered?
[23:44] Parenting approach helped professional life?
[26:53] Prioritizing wife over kids
[29:45] Where you and partner donโt agree?
[33:30] Ericโs home plumbing tweet
[36:10] Advice for younger Eric?
[39:41] What does it mean to โhustleโ vs. family life?
[43:57] Leadership style influenced by having kids?
[47:37] What things has he seen in VC that will affect kids?
[52:18] What relationship do you want your kids to have with technology?
[55:09] Recharge batteries?
[59:38] Mistake you made as a father?
[1:00:08] Follow along
[1:01:11] Rapid fire
[1:04:52] Thank you
โ
Show references:
Hustle Fund: https://www.hustlefund.vc/
Instagram: instagram.com
Intuit: https://www.intuit.com/
8 Mile: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298203/
McAllen, TX: https://www.mcallen.net/
Patrick Thompson Epidsode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDbmT4AgizQ
โJuicyโ By Notorious BIG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JZom_gVfuw
Sonoma Raceway: https://www.sonomaraceway.com/
Squatty Potty: https://www.squattypotty.com/
Cocomelon: https://cocomelon.com/
โ
For sponsorship inquiries email: podcast@fishmana.com.
For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.comย
Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit startupdadpod.substack.com