Investors mostly agree that choosing top-performing entrepreneurs is probably the most important factor in their success. But how you identify a great entrepreneur is not so clear cut.

What do we look for? When we (an early stage venture fund) decide to back an entrepreneur, want to see a track record of success, ideally as a CEO, or C-level executive in a successful start-up, deep knowledge of the industry the venture wants to disrupt (to fix it you need to understand it), and high-level contacts with potential customers and partners. Investor  contacts are good too.