In the latest episode of Work Ethic, Ethic CEO Doug Scott sits down with Michel Del Buono, Chief Investment Officer of a16z Perennial.
Michel reflects on an expansive career spanning engineering, quantitative hedge funds, private equity consulting, institutional investing, and family offices.
Today, Michel serves a uniquely complex client base: the founders within the a16z ecosystem. To support this community, he brings a distinct philosophy that bridges between sophisticated institutional investing and the practical, fast-moving wealth management needs of venture-backed entrepreneurs.
Key insights from the episode:
For advisors seeking to serve venture-backed founders more effectively, build robust teams, or bridge between institutional investing and wealth — this episode is for you.
- Founders need a different kind of advice: Working with entrepreneurs often means building from a blank sheet and solving for many dimensions at once.
- Wealth is more complex than it looks: Great wealth management means balancing investments, taxes, structures, and client goals all at once.
- Leadership is earned, not anointed: The best leaders gain trust through judgment, empathy, and execution—not title.
- The best teams are balanced teams: Optimizing for one trait alone, even intelligence, can hurt execution.
- You do not need a career master plan: Careers can be built through curiosity, learning, and range—not just rigid planning.
- Broaden your aperture: Better advisors and investors often come from seeing more disciplines, not fewer.