Eric Bahn

Co-founder & GM, Hustle Fund
Minivan Enthusiast

Eric Bahn is the Co-Founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund, a pre-seed venture capital firm with over $100 million in assets under management, focused on investing in “hilariously early” startups around the world. He began his entrepreneurial journey by founding Beat The GMAT, a leading MBA prep platform that was later acquired. He went on to lead product teams at Facebook and Instagram, and in 2016, co-founded Read Your Story, a personalized children’s book company with his sister that was acquired by JibJab in 2022. Eric holds both a BA and MA from Stanford University.

He got his first taste of venture as a Venture Partner and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at 500 Startups, where he unexpectedly fell in love with the VC game and saw countless ways to improve it for founders. Today, he’s known not only for his sharp insights and founder-first investing approach, but also for his deep loyalty to Costco’s rotisserie chicken, his love of minivans, and his commitment to making venture capital more human, accessible, and fun.

A Funders’ Fishbowl

At Responsive Conference, Eric Bahn brings his no-fluff, founder-first lens to a live, unscripted roundtable on the evolving world of work and startups. Known for saying what others are thinking (but won’t say out loud), Eric draws from his experience building companies and backing hundreds more to offer sharp takes on what’s broken, what’s shifting, and where disruption is headed next. Whether he’s sharing lessons from the trenches or challenging outdated narratives, expect a dose of candor, humor, and hard-won insight.

Alongside fellow GPs Virginie Raphael and Danielle Strachman, Eric will co-lead a dynamic, rotating-seat roundtable where audience voices join the conversation in real time. Together, they’ll explore the messy realities of founding and funding in a rapidly changing world – from the myth of the “ideal founder” to the new rules of venture. This isn’t your typical panel, it’s a fast-paced, participatory exchange where sharp ideas and honest stories take center stage. You’ll walk away with a clearer view of what it really takes to build and back companies in 2025, and why the old playbook just doesn’t cut it anymore.