Episode 70: "The Story Is the Asset" | Courtside Ventures Founding Partner Vasu Kulkarni on Collectibles, Community, and Angel Investing

🗞️ Get essential angel intel straight to your inbox every week with The Diligent Observer Newsletter. 🗞️ **Today's episode explores three ideas that caught my attention:** **① Collectibles are built on story:** Vasu explains why a game-worn jersey, a rare watch, a ticket stub, or a trading card is not valuable because of raw materials. It is valuable because of the story attached to it. **② The hunt is the utility:** For serious collectors, the joy is not only in owning the item. It is in the search, the community, the chase, and the feeling of finding something rare that almost no one else can access. **③ Collectibles need infrastructure:** Watches, cards, memorabilia, sneakers, handbags, and art become more valuable, the market needs better marketplaces, insurance, financing, shipping, authentication, vaulting, and liquidity. Vasu has spent his career at the intersection of sports, startups, venture capital, and collecting. In this conversation, he shares the bull case for collectibles as an asset class, why physical collectibles may have staying power in an AI-driven world, and what angel investors should look for when evaluating companies in this market. **During our conversation, he shares:** • Why collectors form such strong communities. • How COVID accelerated interest across collectible categories. • Why the hunt matters more than the object itself. • How utility objects become hobbies, then asset classes. • Why story drives value in watches, art, jerseys, ticket stubs, and trading cards. • Why scarcity and supply discipline matter so much. • How the internet changed global liquidity for niche collectibles. • Where Courtside Ventures sees opportunity in collectibles infrastructure. • Why insurance, financing, shipping, and logistics are becoming more important. • What angel investors should ask when collectible deals hit their desk. **Connect with Vasu:** LinkedIn **Connect with Andrew:** Newsletter | X | LinkedIn | Book | Website **Stuff We Reference:** Courtside Ventures StockX The Athletic Bezel WAX Collect Know someone who would enjoy this episode? Share it with them!   **Want more?**  - Get essential angel intel straight to your inbox every week with The Diligent Observer Newsletter. - Check out the entire show library and follow via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. *All opinions are personal and may not reflect the views of The Diligent Observer. Not investment advice.*