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All opinions expressed by the guests are their own. 9×90™ and its affiliates do not endorse or guarantee any specific outcomes discussed in this episode. This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Listeners should conduct their own due diligence and consult with professional advisors before making any investment or business decisions. Nothing discussed in this episode constitutes an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities. Any such offer or solicitation will be made only through official offering documents and to qualified, accredited investors, in accordance with applicable securities laws. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or 9×90™.

About this episode

At just 14, Justis Mendez survived a harrowing kidnapping. By 27, he became one of the youngest Hispanic Founding GPs in U.S. venture capital. In this riveting episode of 9×90™, Adi Soozin sits down with Justis to unpack how trauma fueled his relentless drive—leading to the creation of OneSixOne Ventures and the successful raise of a $5M fund focused on overlooked founders and frontier tech.

From building a thriving startup community in Miami to structuring a fund that gives him freedom, Justis shares how he and his team are leveraging deep tech, AI, and their youth to gain an edge. They discuss what VCs really look for in founders, why underestimated investors can punch above their weight, and how emerging GPs can build visibility and traction early.

This is more than a startup story—it’s a masterclass in resilience, vision, and strategic execution.

👉 Learn how to pitch Justis, hear his strategy for Fund Two, and walk away with actionable insights whether you’re a founder, investor, or future GP.

About this guest

For those of you who do not know Justis Mendez, he …

1. From Kidnapped Teen to Founding GP: Justis Mendez survived a traumatic kidnapping at age 14 and went on to become one of the youngest Hispanic founding general partners in the U.S. venture capital landscape.
   
2. Raised a $5M Fund by Age 27: As co-founder of OneSixOne Ventures, Justis raised and deployed a $5 million venture fund focused on early-stage, high-growth startups—with an emphasis on overlooked founders and frontier innovation.
   
3. Backing Disruptors, Building Community: Through OneSixOne Ventures, Justis has supported numerous founders across tech and SaaS, while also building a tight-knit community of operators, investors, and technologists in Miami and beyond.

Connect with this guest

1. https://www.onesixone.ventures/
2. https://www.linkedin.com/in/justis-mendez-a78453b6

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Show Notes Generated by Gemini

These show notes were generated by AI

• Guest Introduction Adi Soozin introduced Justice Mendes, highlighting his journey from surviving a kidnapping at 14 to becoming a young Hispanic founding general partner in US venture capital and co-founding 161 ventures with a $5 million fund focused on overlooked founders. Justice expressed gratitude for the invitation (00:00:00).
• Mental Shift Justis Mendez described his mental shift as transmuting anger from his youth into passion and relentlessness, adopting a mindset of self-acceptance and leveraging his unique perspective (00:01:10). Adi Soozin noted that high performers are often perceived as intense, which is necessary for breaking barriers (00:02:15).
• Fund One Structure Justis Mendez explained that for fund one, they ensured no single LP owned more than 20% to maintain operational freedom. They received offers for larger stakes but opted for a diverse group of exited founders, other GPs, and family offices (00:03:07). Adi Soozin agreed with this approach, sharing a similar experience with his real estate fund (00:04:17).
• Punching Above Weight Class Justis Mendez attributed his ability to be taken seriously by LPs and founders despite his youth to several factors. These included building a tech community since 2016-2017, starting an accelerator to demonstrate deal flow, and hosting curated events with industry leaders for deal sourcing and due diligence (00:05:20). Adi Soozin emphasized Justice’s innate ability to curate high-quality deals and connections (00:08:03).
• Ideal Founders and Investments Justis Mendez stated that they look for founders with big visions, unique industry insights, and technical expertise, aiming to invest in companies at the cutting edge of tech like deep tech and AI (00:09:57). Adi Soozin inquired about his educational background, and Justice mentioned studying business with industrial systems classes, while his co-founder Pablo’s background is in industrial systems and marketing; they met in college at the University of Florida (00:10:56). his shared vision of bringing people together led them to organically build a community through events and workshops, eventually leading to his fund (00:11:50).
• Key Personal Attributes Adi Soozin highlighted Justice’s hyper-awareness and high emotional intelligence as critical in his interactions with investors. Justis Mendez emphasized the importance of understanding and relating to people in the finance world, recognizing the nuances of relationships (00:14:41). Adi Soozin shared a relatable anecdote about managing different personalities (00:15:33).
• Fund Two Strategy and Expansion Justis Mendez indicated that fund two will follow a similar approach to fund one, leveraging his growing network and compounding effects (00:16:25). They aim for bigger ownership targets and are considering opportunistic investments in LATAM and Europe, while still primarily focusing on the US market, recognizing the fragmented nature of the European market (00:17:24). Justice shared an example of an early investment in a successful young founder with international roots (00:18:39).
• Advantages of Youth in VC Adi Soozin suggested that Justice’s young age might make them more approachable to younger founders, and Justis Mendez agreed (00:19:43). They noted that while they invest in a range of founders, his youth helps build rapport and facilitates open communication post-investment (00:20:36). Adi Soozin shared a similar perspective from the real estate industry (00:21:38).
• Advice for Emerging GPs and Founders Justis Mendez advised emerging GPs and underestimated founders to build in public, showcasing his deal flow and network in real time (00:22:39). For founders, they emphasized demonstrating velocity and building a strong internal and external community (00:24:32).
• Time and Team Management Justis Mendez discussed his use of internal AI tools to streamline processes, such as generating investment memos from meeting transcriptions and pitch decks (00:25:25). They are also developing AI agents for event management to automate logistical tasks (00:26:25).
• Pitching Process and Fund Two Investor Information Adi Soozin inquired about the process for pitching startups to 161 ventures, and Justis Mendez stated they prefer to review a deck, data room, or demo, with contact information provided (00:27:27). For potential investors in fund two, Justis Mendez mentioned they are opening up around Q3 and are currently having introductory conversations to gauge interest, with email as the primary point of contact (00:27:27). Adi Soozin thanked Justice for his time on the show.

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Transcript

This transcription was generated by Gemini & edited by ChatGPT

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Adi Soozin: Welcome to another episode of 9×90™. Today’s guest is nothing short of extraordinary. For those who don’t yet know him, Justis Mendez is a rising star in the venture capital world. His story is remarkable—having survived a traumatic kidnapping at age 14, he went on to become one of the youngest Hispanic founding general partners in U.S. venture capital. By 27, he had co-founded OneSixOne Ventures, raising a $5 million fund focused on early-stage, high-growth startups—particularly those led by overlooked founders driving innovation at the frontier. Today, Justis continues to champion bold entrepreneurs across tech and SaaS while cultivating a thriving community of operators, investors, and technologists in Miami and beyond.

Justis, it’s an honor to have you with us.

Justis Mendez: Thank you so much for having me. Always great to see you.

Adi Soozin: We don’t get nearly enough time together—both of us seem to live on airplanes these days. But I think you’re traveling even more than I am at the moment.

Justis Mendez: It’s been nonstop. I’m actually heading to San Francisco right after this.

Adi Soozin: I’ve been trying to get Justis on the show for months, but he’s been crisscrossing the globe, sourcing the best, brightest, and most exciting startups for his fund. He’s the embodiment of hustle. Justis, you went from surviving unimaginable circumstances to building a $5 million fund by 27. What mental shift made such a transformation possible?

Justis Mendez: That’s a great question. I like to think of it as the transmutation of energy. When I was young, I was angry. I felt trapped—like the odds were stacked against me and I had no purpose. Over time, I learned to channel that energy into passion and growth. Instead of letting anger consume me, I used it to fuel relentless determination.

People often say I come across as intense, and I think that’s because I’ve taken everything inside me and directed it toward building something meaningful. I stopped worrying about fitting in and started focusing on using my unique perspective as an advantage.

Adi Soozin: That intensity is so misunderstood. High performers who’ve broken records don’t come with “off switches.” To achieve the extraordinary, you need a level of focus and drive that most people can’t comprehend.

Justis Mendez: Exactly.

Adi Soozin: Let’s talk about structuring Fund One. How did you balance keeping LPs confident while still operating with the autonomy of a founder?

Justis Mendez: From the start, we were intentional about not allowing any single investor to own more than 20% of the fund. We had offers from people who wanted to give us large sums, even offers to buy into the GP. But mentors warned us: “If someone owns 50% of your fund, you’re essentially working for them.” That resonated with us.

So we diversified our LP base—bringing in exited founders, other GPs, and a few family offices. That structure allowed us to maintain control and operate like true founders.

Adi Soozin: I completely agree. With my real estate fund, we’re raising $200 million, and I turned down two investors who each wanted to take half the stack. That would have made us employees with two bosses—and I know firsthand how disastrous that dynamic can be. So we implemented the same 20% rule to preserve our independence.

Justis Mendez: Exactly.

Adi Soozin: When you were raising and deploying Fund One, what strategies, advisors, or operational decisions helped you punch above your weight class and get taken seriously by LPs and founders?

Justis Mendez: That was one of our biggest challenges. We didn’t spin out of a big-name fund, and at 26, we were extremely young by industry standards. But we had been building a tech community since 2016, which gave us some initial credibility.

We also launched an accelerator before the fund, which I recommend to any young VC trying to break in. Even if you don’t run a full 10-week program, you can host demo days to showcase your deal flow—that’s the name of the game.

Finally, our highly curated events became a cornerstone of our strategy. We host gatherings with Fortune 500 executives, exited founders, and notable VCs. These events not only generate deal flow but also provide access to some of the brightest minds in tech for due diligence. Once LPs experience these events, they see firsthand the caliber of our network.

Adi Soozin: For those listening, Justis is being humble here. The real magic is his ability to curate—he doesn’t just fill a room with people; he hand-selects high-caliber founders and investors. This isn’t about random pitches; it’s about connecting winners at every level. That’s what makes him a force in the venture space.

Justis Mendez: That’s so true. At a recent London event, we had three times as many applicants as spots, and we were extremely selective about the 150 who were invited.

Adi Soozin: It’s the same in commercial real estate. We host intimate gatherings of about 30 people, but every seat is filled by someone managing billions in assets. That level of curation is everything.

Justis Mendez: Absolutely.

Adi Soozin: What type of founder or business makes you lean forward and say, “This is a OneSixOne deal”? Do you discover them primarily through your events?

Justis Mendez: Primarily through the events, yes. We look for founders with bold visions—people who are poised to revolutionize industries. They have to possess deep domain expertise and a level of technical mastery that commands respect.

We focus on where the future is heading—deep tech, AI, cloud infrastructure. I want founders who can stand on any stage and make everyone in the audience think, “I wish I had invested in that company.”

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Adi Soozin: What did you study in college?

Justis Mendez: I majored in business but took a significant number of industrial systems courses. Interestingly, Pablo—my co-founder—started in industrial systems but later switched to marketing. He realized he didn’t want to pursue engineering anymore. That said, most of my closest friends in college were engineers, spanning everything from computer science to physics.

Adi Soozin: And you and Pablo met during college?

Justis Mendez: Yes, we met at the University of Florida in 2016. It was on a random Tuesday evening at a pitch night hosted by the entrepreneurship club. Pablo was presenting an idea for a mastermind app—something to help people form mastermind groups.

Adi Soozin: Of course, you’ve read Think and Grow Rich…

Justis Mendez: Absolutely. That’s where the mastermind concept really struck us both. Little did Pablo know, I was already gathering some of the brightest engineers I knew once a week at my apartment. We’d watch videos on cutting-edge innovations—like 3D-printed homes in China—and then brainstorm, debate, and explore how we could build something impactful.

That led me to draft a manifesto I called Hyper Future. One day, I’d like to publish it as a book. So when I met Pablo, it felt serendipitous. We instantly became close friends because we shared a vision for bringing brilliant people together to create meaningful things.

Adi Soozin: So you organically started hosting events at UF?

Justis Mendez: Exactly. The University of Florida has 60,000 students, including 13,000 engineers, and is ranked among the top 15 engineering schools in the country. It’s a powerhouse—the co-founder of Nvidia came out of UF, and the university has the most advanced supercomputer in U.S. higher education, second only globally. Nearly half of Florida’s research funding flows through UF.

We looked around and thought, How do we rally all these talented, entrepreneurial minds to level up together? At the time, Gainesville had no venture capital presence—there wasn’t a single VC in town besides us when we visited—and no robust startup ecosystem. Founders weren’t being taught how to scale.

So we started small—hosting gatherings, then educational workshops, which evolved into an accelerator. Eventually, the accelerator became the foundation for our fund. It was all born out of solving real problems we saw as young founders.

Adi Soozin: For those listening, there’s something important to highlight here. Justis grew up with two older sisters, and there’s a phenomenon often referred to as the “younger sibling effect.” When you grow up surrounded by older siblings or cousins, you develop an innate ability to accelerate your growth by studying others’ successes and mistakes. Rather than repeating errors, you’re hardwired to observe, learn, and level up faster.

Justis Mendez: That’s such an incredible observation—and absolutely true. I often say: A smart man learns from his mistakes; a wise man learns from others.

Adi Soozin: Exactly. And something else I’ve noticed about you—you’re hyper-aware, with an extraordinary level of emotional intelligence. That must play a critical role in your success with investors.

Justis Mendez: Absolutely, 100%. I constantly try to step into their shoes: What was this person’s morning like? Did they have a stressful family interaction? Are they nervous, caffeinated, distracted? Understanding those nuances helps because, at the end of the day, venture capital is a relationship business—just like what you’re doing in real estate finance.

Adi Soozin: Oh yes. And even beyond individual relationships, there’s the dynamic between personalities. I’ve found that two people can be amazing separately, but together their energy clashes.

Justis Mendez: Exactly. I’ve seen it countless times. Someone can be great one-on-one, but when you bring them together with another high-powered personality, it’s like trying to force two positive ends of a magnet to connect—it just doesn’t work.

Adi Soozin: I’m laughing because I’m dealing with that right now. I know two exceptionally powerful women in international business who are both wonderful separately, but if you put them in the same room… it would be catastrophic.

Justis Mendez: Eclectic is the polite way I describe people like that.

Adi Soozin: Ha! Yes—eclectic indeed. So let’s talk about Fund Two.

Justis Mendez: With Fund Two, we’re building on the foundation of Fund One but at a larger scale. The compounding effect of everything we’ve done—the events, mentors, co-investors—has been powerful. We now have a highly curated email list of nearly 10,000 people, including corporate executives, exited founders, notable VCs, and exceptional founders.

Fund One was intentionally small; we backed about 30 companies, deploying $50K–$100K in early rounds, which typically yielded 1–3% ownership stakes. For Fund Two, we’re aiming for larger equity positions—closer to 10%.

Adi Soozin: You just hosted an event in London. Are you looking to invest in European companies?

Justis Mendez: For Fund Two, our primary focus remains U.S.-based companies. However, we’re open to opportunistic investments in Europe and LATAM. There’s tremendous potential to back outstanding founders in those regions and help them commercialize in the U.S. market using our networks.

Europe, in particular, is fragmented—moving from Ireland to Spain involves different languages, currencies, and regulations. By contrast, the U.S. is a single market. That’s why we see an opportunity to help international founders scale stateside.

Adi Soozin: So you’re already backing global talent?

Justis Mendez: Yes. For example, we invested in a founder originally from Uruguay. He was previously Head of Growth at Speechify, scaling it from 20,000 downloads to 20 million. At 20 years old, he launched Bookster and within nine months already had a million users and $300K in annual revenue. These are the kinds of tenacious, visionary founders we love backing early.

Adi Soozin: Do you think your age makes you more approachable to young founders compared to a 60-year-old VC?

Justis Mendez: Without question. Founders often tell us they feel comfortable opening up about challenges in a way they wouldn’t with older investors. That rapport gives us deeper insight into the companies we’re backing.

At the same time, we invest across generations. For example, we recently backed Silara, led by a former Head of Engineering at Uber. But I agree—tech is evolving at such a pace that younger founders often gravitate to peers who understand that speed.

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Justis Mendez: For example, when a founder says, “I’m running low on runway right now” or “I just had a major disagreement with one of my co-founders—what should I do?” I want to be the person they call. That kind of trust is very different from the traditional VC approach of, “I’m taking a board seat so I can monitor everything and control the company.”

Instead, I aim to be their confidant, their advisor, and their friend—someone they know has their back. When founders feel that level of support, they’re far more open to your advice, more willing to share real information, and much more receptive overall.

Adi Soozin: That resonates so much. I can’t tell you how often men in their 50s and 60s ask me why I get access to certain real estate deals faster than they do. I tell them, “You don’t understand—I’m the unintimidating goddaughter for all the gladiators.” They’ll call me because I’m seen as the bright, unthreatening kid who’s smart enough to talk strategy without being the type who’s secretly plotting to stab them in the back.

Justis Mendez: Exactly. That’s such a powerful dynamic.

Adi Soozin: What advice would you give to emerging GPs or underestimated founders trying to raise in today’s market?

Justis Mendez: Great question. The first thing I always tell people: build in public. Gone are the days when you could quietly work in the shadows, only emerging when everything was perfect. In today’s world, you need to show your work—consistently. Post about the meetings you’re taking: “Just sat down with Audi.” “Closed another investor today.” “Hosted dinner with an amazing founder last night.” “Just recorded a podcast episode.”

This is the printing press moment of our generation. When the printing press first appeared, the people with access to it became exponentially more powerful than everyone else because they controlled the distribution of information. Today, social media is your printing press. You now have the ability to distribute your story, your deal flow, and your value to the entire world. Why wouldn’t you use it?

Adi Soozin: That’s so true.

Justis Mendez: If you’re raising LP money, show people in real time what your network looks like. Venture capital is a network-driven game. People want to know: “How are you going to find the best opportunities?” If you can demonstrate that—either in person or virtually—it becomes real in their minds.

A great example is Mike McCombie in New York. Once a month, he hosts a deal-sharing call where a couple hundred investors join, submit deals, and review the top 50 together. Over time, he’s become a gravitational center of deal flow because of it.

That’s how you establish yourself as indispensable.

Adi Soozin: That’s brilliant.

Justis Mendez: And from a founder’s perspective, investors want to see a few key things: velocity—your ability to grow quickly; community—your ability to inspire a “cult-like” following internally and externally; and credibility—showing that people are gravitating toward your vision.

When we hosted our Miami event, you could feel the energy in the room. Everyone was talking about it for weeks. That’s the type of gravitational pull you want your company to have. So host events, build community, and show your work publicly.

Adi Soozin: That’s phenomenal advice. Shifting gears a bit—what tools and tactics do you use to manage your time and team effectively?

Justis Mendez: That’s an area we’re constantly innovating in. Right now, we’re developing custom internal AI tools to streamline time-intensive processes. For example, when we evaluate deals, we write a detailed memo analyzing the market, competitive landscape, team dynamics, and more. These memos used to take hours.

Now, we’ve built an internal AI system that uploads our meeting transcripts and initial pitch decks. It leverages tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT’s deep research capabilities to generate a 10-page investment memo. Honestly, it’s scarily accurate—sometimes all we need to do is clean up a couple repetitive sections at the end. That saves us an enormous amount of time.

Adi Soozin: That’s incredible.

Justis Mendez: Another area we’re working on is AI-powered event management. Hosting events requires countless micro-tasks—outreach, venue booking, guest management. We’re envisioning an “AI swarm” of agents to handle everything for us.

Adi Soozin: That doesn’t exist yet?

Justis Mendez: Not yet, but we’re building it. Maybe after this episode goes live, I’ll have startups pitching me their own versions of event AI.

Adi Soozin: Oh, you’re definitely about to get bombarded with pitches for that.

Justis Mendez: And honestly, I wouldn’t mind.

Adi Soozin: Speaking of pitches—if someone wants to pitch their startup to you, what does that process look like?

Justis Mendez: It’s pretty straightforward. We like to see one of the three Ds: a Deck, a Demo, or a Data Room—ideally all three, but at least one.

You can email me directly at justis@onesixone (spelled out). Or connect with me on LinkedIn—I’m active across most social platforms under my name.

Adi Soozin: Perfect. And for investors interested in Fund Two, when are you officially opening it?

Justis Mendez: Fund Two is targeting an official launch in Q3. Right now, we’re having soft conversations and building a backlog of interest before we go to market formally.

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Listen to this episode using your favorite app

⚖️ Legal Disclaimer

All opinions expressed by the guests are their own. 9×90™ and its affiliates do not endorse or guarantee any specific outcomes discussed in this episode. This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Listeners should conduct their own due diligence and consult with professional advisors before making any investment or business decisions. Nothing discussed in this episode constitutes an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities. Any such offer or solicitation will be made only through official offering documents and to qualified, accredited investors, in accordance with applicable securities laws. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or 9×90™.

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