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Michael Kim is the Founder of Cendana Capital, a fund of funds that makes anchor investments in very early stage VC funds.We talk characteristics of the best investors, how Cendana does diligence on fund managers, portfolio construction best practices, Michael's “60x rule”, and why high ownership to fund size is the main driver of returns.We also get in to how VCs are using AI, the competition between Seed and multi-stage investors, why US endowments are under siege, and how secondaries are driving most early stage venture returns today.Michael also opens up about the early days of starting Cendana, the 18 month grind raising Cendana Fund 1, the day he almost died, and ranking in the top 2% globally in Call of Duty.Special thanks to Roger Ehrenberg, Kevin Hartz, Semil Shah, Jeff Claviar, Beezer Clarkson, Jack Altman, Jeff Morris Jr, Sheel Mohnot, Nichole Wischoff, Ted Alling, and Rick Zullo for their help putting this episode together.Thanks to Bolt for supporting this episode. Check out their world record largest (up to $1m in prizes) at: https://bit.ly/ThePeelBoltHackathonTimestamps:(4:24) The day Michael almost died(5:10) Call of Duty & video games(9:34) Hiring @ Cendana(10:31) How Cendana uses structured and unstructured data(16:51) How VCs are using AI(19:55) Why secondaries are driving most early stage venture returns(22:01) Deciding when to sell secondaries(24:28) Best performing venture funds ever(27:26) The best VCs have amazing access to the best founders(33:42) Why Cendana backs Solo GPs(35:57) How to invest over time and hype cycles(41:35) Why multi-stage firms are investing earlier(44:45) Cendana's current thesis: High ownership % to fund size(45:51) Why Cendana started backing non-lead VCs(48:41) How Cendana does diligence on fund managers(52:22) VC NPS Scores and Ron Conway's Silver Bullet(53:49) Good vs bad new VC firm strategies(56:36) Determining defensibility of a strategy(57:57) “Messy middle” software buyout fund(1:03:25) Portfolio construction best practice(1:08:11) Michael's 60x Rule(1:14:28) How Seed funds compete with multi-stage funds(1:20:05) Should you collect logos writing small checks?(1:21:07) Becoming an LP for the city of SF(1:24:42) Taking 18+ months to raise Cendana Fund 1 in the GFC(1:26:48) Warehousing the first Cendana Fund 1 investments(1:29:56) How to do a first close(1:34:29) Why it's hard to kill a VC firm(1:37:00) What happens to ZIRP tourist fund managers(1:40:22) How to raise a Fund 2 or 3 today(1:42:07) “US endowments are under siege”(1:44:55) What the best GP LP relationships look like(1:46:41) What Fund of Funds get wrong(1:50:43) The three most interesting trends in venture todayReferencedCheck out Cendana https://www.cendanacapital.com/Deep Checks https://www.deepchecks.vc/Prior episode with Eric at Bolt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q6n1vqUrF4Follow MichaelTwitter: https://x.com/MKRocksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-kim-cendana-capital/Follow TurnerTwitter: https://twitter.com/TurnerNovakLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnernovakSubscribe to my newsletter to get every episode + the transcript in your inbox every week: https://www.thespl.it/
What's next in fintech? In this high-signal episode, Sheel Mohnot (GP at @ Better Tomorrow Ventures) shares deep insight into the future of financial services, AI's impact on SaaS, and how VC is evolving in 2025.
In this episode Rex chats with Sheel Mohnot from Better Tomorrow Ventures. Sheel shares his journey of living on a dollar a day in India, founding and selling multiple companies (including one sparked by a chance meeting on a train), and even hosting nine weddings—one of them sponsored by Taco Bell in the metaverse. They dive into Sheel's evolving personal finance stack, from traditional banks to Robinhood's gold credit card, and discuss why consumer fintech is suddenly exciting again. Sheel also unpacks how AI-driven solutions are transforming bookkeeping, mortgage operations, and more. From vertical SaaS insights to San Francisco's culture of radical experimentation, this conversation is a whirlwind tour of where fintech is headed.00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:00 - BTV Office & Life Above Work00:02:46 - Microfinance & Typhoid Stories00:04:01 - Half-Billion Domain Startup00:05:13 - Nine Weddings & Taco Bell00:06:28 - Building a Modern Finance Stack00:08:14 - Credit Cards & Margin Lending00:10:24 - Bank Inefficiencies & Chime's IPO00:11:33 - Consumer Fintech: Lessons & LTV00:15:50 - B2B Focus & Early-Stage Strategy00:19:15 - AI in Services: Accounting & Mortgage00:23:07 - Vertical SaaS & Embedded Finance00:31:10 - AI's Impact on Low-Margin Services00:33:34 - Doing More with Less & Moats00:40:01 - Regulatory Shifts & SF's Future
“The fintech market is hot again,” said Sheel Mohnot, fintech investor and founder of Better Tomorrow Ventures (BTV). “And we are going to see some more exits in the near future.” According to recent reports, fintech funding is on the rise, with global investment hitting $60 billion in the first half of the year alone, marking a significant rebound from the previous year's dip. Mohnot – whose X account you've likely come across if you follow fintech – has invested in over 100 deals throughout the years, primarily in fintech, and co-founded the accelerator program The Mint. On today's episode of TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Mary Ann Azevedo is catching up with Mohnot to discuss why he thinks fintech is “poised to have a lot of outcomes in the near future,” the potential of AI in fintech, particularly in accounting and underwriting, and highlights the impact of DeepSea on the AI landscape. Listen to the full episode to hear more about: Mohnot's journey from founder to investor after co-founding companies like FeeFighters, which sold to Groupon in 2012. Who's getting it right in 2025? Mohnot highlights players in the accounting automation space such as Basis, Layer, and InScope The optimistic outlook for fintech, with potential IPOs from companies like Chime, Klarna, and Stripe. How Sheel built his impressive online following, and what a Taco Bell metaverse wedding and Justin Bieber have to do with it. Equity is TechCrunch's flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes here. Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. We'd also like to thank TechCrunch's audience development team. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll talk to you next time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Get our Business Monetization Playbook: https://clickhubspot.com/monetization Episode 667: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Sheel Mohnot ( https://x.com/pitdesi ) about the biggest opportunities he sees right now. — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (2:33) iPod mini hustle (10:40) Being a dot collector (20:30) The $100M story of Thistle (24:30) IDEA: Affinity-based retirement home (34:30) IDEA: Yelp for professional services (38:48) IDEA: Pearly whites (42:10) IDEA: Outsourced pizza (44:40) The story of Grey Goose (48:00) IDEA: School for AI Tools (52:00) Sheel's credit card stack (59:00) Sheel's position on crypto (1:03:00) Learning to sell — Links: • Thistle - https://www.thistle.co/ • Sam's List - https://samslist.co/ • Pizzeria DeLuna - https://pizzeriadeluna.com/ • U.S. Bank Smartly Visa - https://www.usbank.com/credit-cards/bank-smartly-visa-signature-credit-card.html — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: Need to hire? You should use the same service Shaan uses to hire developers, designers, & Virtual Assistants → it's called Shepherd (tell ‘em Shaan sent you): https://bit.ly/SupportShepherd — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton - https://www.joinhampton.com/ • Ideation Bootcamp - https://www.ideationbootcamp.co/ • Copy That - https://copythat.com • Hampton Wealth Survey - https://joinhampton.com/wealth • Sam's List - http://samslist.co/ My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by The HubSpot Podcast Network // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano
Sheel Mohnot is the Co-founder of Better Tomorrow Ventures, an early stage fintech focused fund leading rounds in pre-seed and seed-stage companies.Our conversation weaves through Sheel's two decades of building and investing in fintech, starting BTV, and why they started a fintech-focused accelerator, The Mint.Fun facts on Sheel, he was a contestant on the Zoom Bachelor during COVID lockdowns, in a Justin Bieber music video, got married in the Taco Bell Metaverse, and was once banned from Uber.We talk lessons competing against Stripe before selling his first company, common fintech startup pitfalls, and the trick every VC should use when fundraising.Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(03:13) Why fintech makes disproportionate positive change(07:49) Most interesting opportunities in fintech today(09:09) The accountant shortage(12:59) Common early fintech startup pitfalls(16:09) Building Fee Fighters to cut payment processing fees(21:15) Lessons competing with Stripe(21:57) Getting acquired by Groupon and adding $600m in market cap(25:11) Biggest first-time startup mistakes(29:21) Getting $10k in Uber credit via paid Google ad(32:13) Investing in Flexport(36:19) Navigating hot vs underhyped rounds(43:39) Sheel's domain auction company(53:18) How he started angel investing(54:57) Spotify acquiring his podcast “The Pitch”(59:55) Why accelerators succeed and fail(01:06:07) The Mint, BTV's fintech-focused accelerator(01:09:56) Camp BTV in the Santa Cruz Mountains(01:11:41) Early days of NerdWallet(01:14:55) Raising $75m BTV Fund 1 with Jake to fill a gap in the market(01:18:36) Understanding Fund of Funds incentives(01:22:15) Importance of references in VC fundraising(01:24:02) $150m BTV Fund 2(01:27:13) Importance of following-on when leading roundsReferenced:BTV: https://www.btv.vc/ The Mint: https://www.themint.vc/ Fee Fighters: https://techcrunch.com/2011/09/23/feefighters-launches-payment-gateway-samurai/ Follow Sheel:Twitter: https://x.com/pitdesi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smohnot/ Follow Turner:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TurnerNovak LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnernovak Subscribe to my newsletter to get every episode + the transcript in your inbox every week: https://www.thespl.it/
We've had a lot of cool people on the pod, but Sheel Mohnot is our first guest to achieve this trifecta: 100X an investment, have a founder in his portfolio go to prison, and have his wedding sponsored by Taco Bell. He invests at the pre-seed and seed stages into startups in the financial technology (fintech) space, and he's quick to tell you that just about everything is fintech. Through his fund, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Sheel writes $500k to $3M pre-seed and seed checks into fintech companies. He came by to talk about that time he got defrauded by a company, how he sparked a bidding war that led to him returning most of his fund, and why speed of execution is one of his favorite traits in founders. Highlights:Sheel is beginning to think that pre-seed is the new seed, and seed is the new Series A. He unpacks these thoughts and outlines what he needs to see in order to believe in a founder at the early stages.Secondaries and early exits and two ways investors can realize an outcome in a shorter time frame than an IPO. Sheel explains how he did this with two companies, Flexport and Indio, and how he feels about his decisions retrospectively. Major companies like Toast and Shopify are synonymous with fintech, but there is a vast network of less-thought-of companies making transactions happen in nearly every imaginable space. Hair salons, golf clubs, and garbage trucks are just a few of the places where Sheel is seeing fintech potential and why he believes that everything is fintech and fintech is everything.Sheel could've saved himself some trouble (and money!) if he would've heeded the warnings of fellow investors about a deal. However, he learned his lesson and now he doesn't invest unless he thoroughly vets the founder through someone else in his network.(00:00) - FIFU 16 - Sheel Mohnot (01:25) - Sheel's early days as a founder and consultant (09:58) - Why invest and why invest in fintech (12:09) - Ideal Founder Profile: Who and what Sheel is looking for (14:43) - Lessons From the Worst Investment: How to spot a fraud (21:10) - Lessons from the Best Investment: Knowing when to take chips off the table (34:03) - Sheel's thoughts on the expansiveness of the fintech market (38:00) - Speed of execution is one of Sheel's favorite traits to find in founders (43:31) - Speed round
My X: x.com/ti_morse Sheel's X: x.com/pitdesi
There may be no better pair of fintech investors than Better Tomorrow Ventures Jake Gibson and Sheel Mohnot. After successful exits in the industry -- Jake as the co-founder of NerdWallet, one of the OG consumer fintech companies, and Sheel with FeeFighter and Innovative Auctions, Jake and Sheel saw a gap in the market and started a fund to help fintech companies at the earliest stages. And they've already had some big wins, counting Ramp and Unit as Portcos. Jake and Sheel joined us on the pod to tell us how they built their previous companies and talked to the future of fintech and the the trends they're seeing across the industry. We cover the pandemic-induced surge in fintech interest and how their big bet is on embeddable fintech, where financial services are seamlessly integrated into non-financial platforms. Chapters: 00:00:35 Tyler & Sterling's Intro00:07:05 Starting NerdWallet during the 2008 Financial Crisis00:12:34 How Jake Gamed Google SEO To Grow NerdWallet00:19:08 How Better Tomorrow Ventures Started00:24:17 Early Support from Andreessen Horowitz for Fund00:30:08 Fintech Investment Opportunities During The Pandemic00:37:38 Embedded Fintech Is The Future00:45:52 The Durbin Amendment & Changing Bank Profit Pools 00:55:47 Jake And Sheel's Nominees for Best Operators & Investors Connect with Jake And Sheel Twitter (Sheel): https://twitter.com/pitdesiTwitter (Jake): https://twitter.com/iamjakestreamWebsite: https://www.btv.vc/Learn More About The Minthttps://www.themint.vc/Connect with IO Pod Twitter: https://twitter.com/IO__podcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@io_podcastYT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCayuY0VO95kQTUXJvh9T0oQWebsite: https://www.investoroperator.io/This episode of the IO Podcast is brought to you by Pelion Venture Partnershttps://pelionvp.com/#StartupLife #StartupMentality
Guess what, the increasing convergence of AI advances mean that in the near future, that “what to watch next” suggestion on your Netflix could soon be possible when it comes to financial services! What will such advances mean for seed-stage startups and what do investors watch out for when deciding which startup to fund? On this special Singapore Fintech Festival edition of Morning Shot, Sheel Mohnot, Co-Founder and General Partner, Better Tomorrow Ventures shares more. Presented by: Ryan Huang Produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
He's an OG in the Fintech Space He is the Co-Founder of Better Tomorrow Ventures He got married in the metaverse This week I had a conversation on the podcast with Sheel Mohnot(Co-Founder of Better Tomorrow Ventures) We talked about: 1. Immigrant Mentality and Bias for Action 2. The Mint Accelerator 3. The Pitch Show And so much more Connect with Sheel here: Twitter: https://twitter.com/pitdesi Check out Better Tomorrow Ventures here: https://www.btv.vc/ Check out The Mint Accelerator here: https://www.themint.vc/ The sponsor for today's episode is Akshat Jain Akshat is an incredible resource for those who want to learn more about the VC space Connect with Akshat here: LinkedIn.com/in/akijain2000 Connect with the host Roohi Kazi on the below platforms:Instagram-roohik2LinkedIn: Roohi KaziTwitter: https://twitter.com/roohi_krVisit this link for more listening options/platforms for the Business Podcast by Roohi, and next step groups: https://bop.me/roohikazBusiness Podcast by RoohiWebsite: https://businesspodcast.transistor.fm/Subscribe to the Business Podcast by Roohi newsletter here: https://businesspodcastbyroohi.substack.com/Subscribe to the YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_wI_t2KXX2Oqz0VDDe9sMgIf you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review of the podcast here on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/business-podcast-by-roohi-entrepreneur-marketing/id1516165457?uo=4 Follow Business Podcast by Roohi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-podcast-by-roohi/
In This Episode Welcome to this week's episode of Breaking Banks where we feature pieces from cohosts and Provoke.fm sister podcasts NextGen Banker and Tech on Reg. First, David Reiling, host of NextGen Banker, interviews Sheel Mohnot cofounder of Better Tomorrow Ventures, discussing Sheel's first foray into the fintech world with a non-profit and why he's dedicated his career to making the consumer experience better. Spoiler alert, they also talk about his recent viral wedding in the Taco Bell metaverse. Then we shift to Biometric Signatures: The Digital Dotted Line, and Dara Tarkowski's conversation with Matthew Gibson Co-Founder of Syngrafii. From virtual signing rooms to remote pens and more, they cover the digitization and compliance of signatures and the changed landscape of biometric signature capabilities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIg9avTcTS0
Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.Today's episode features Sheel Mohnot, the co-founder and GP at Better Tomorrow Ventures, a $225M fund that helps fintech founders at their early stages.BTV has also recently launched a fintech accelerator, this time under its own roof, called The Mint.In this interview, Sheel and KP uncover Sheel's remarkable journey, sharing their perspectives on topics like:● Intro● What Sheel is most proud of with BTV● Sheel being the most relatable VC ● The definition of winning and levels of wealth ● The dynamic experiences, setbacks and passion of immigrants● What Sheel finds most inspiring about his father's immigrant journey● Lessons learned during his leadership at 500 Fintech Accelerator● Top investments they made at 500 Fintech● Why Sheel loves early-stage companies● The Mint: its mission, vision and how they built it● Patterns and traits that great entrepreneurs have● Time founders should spend on building vs. talking to users● The Mohnots' Taco Bell metaverse wedding● Story behind The Pitch Show● Sheel's request for startups● What he would want to buildBuild In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Thanks for listening! Links:Sheel's Twitter: https://twitter.com/pitdesiBetter Tomorrow Ventures on Twitter: https://twitter.com/btv_vcBetter Tomorrow Ventures: https://www.btv.vc/The Mint: https://www.btv.vc/KP's Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP
The Twenty Minute VC: Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch
Sheel Mohnot is a Co-Founder and General Partner @ Better Tomorrow Ventures, a $225M fund that leads rounds in pre-seed and seed-stage fintech companies globally. Sheel and Jake (his co-founder) invested for many years together before founding BTV and wrote checks into Mercury, Flexport, Ramp, and Hippo Insurance to name a few. As for Sheel, before BTV he ran 500 Fintech for close to 7 years, and before that was a founder, founding two companies, both of which were acquired. In Today's Episode with Sheel Mohnot We Discuss: 1. VC Needs to Change: Why does Sheel believe that VCs should have smaller funds? What are the biggest misalignments between founders and VCs today? What are the biggest points of friction between VCs and their LPs today? 2. VC in 10 Years Time: Who are going to be the winners in venture in 10 years time? Who are going to be the losers? Will micro-funds be bigger or smaller as a segment of the ecosystem? Will solo-GPs be bigger or smaller? Were they a zero-interest rate phenomenon? 3. The Errors of a Bull Market: What does Sheel believe are the single biggest mistakes made by VCs between 2020-2022? Did Sheel take liquidity off the table in the last few years? What have been some of his biggest lessons on when to sell? How does Sheel evaluate the flood of capital into emerging markets in the bull market? What happens now? Fintech is also experiencing the same challenging time, how does Sheel assess what is happening in the fintech financing market today? 4. Building a Fund: Lessons, Mistakes and Advice Scaling to $225M: What are the single biggest mistakes Sheel and Jake have made in the fun scaling? How has it impacted their mindset? What does Sheel know now about fund management that he wishes he had known at the beginning? What advice does Sheel give to emerging managers today, raising their first and second funds?
Today, Drama and Anand discuss the recent economic news, as inflation eased to 3% in June, marking the slowest pace in over two years. They also delve into the market excitement surrounding Coinbase, which soared following its Cboe surveillance sharing agreement for five Bitcoin ETF applications. Additionally, they explore the launch of x.ai, a venture headed by none other than @elonmusk, as highlighted by Sheel Mohnot on Twitter. Lastly, they examine the challenges faced by Lina Khan as she takes on the world's biggest tech companies and seemingly struggles. Tune in for insightful analysis and this week's Winners, Losers, Content! - Written by ChatGPT Connect with Group Chat! Watch The Pod #1 Newsletter In The World For The Gram Tweet With Us Exclusive Facebook Content We're @groupchatpod on Snapchat
Before fintech was even a common word, Sheel Mohnot saw an opportunity to be a part of the digital transformation of finance and technology. Mohnot, the co-founder of Better Tomorrow Ventures, talks about his first foray into the fintech world with a non-profit and why he's dedicated his career to making the consumer experience better. We also dive into his recent viral wedding in the Taco Bell metaverse.
That Sheel Mohnot, Founding Partner of BTV, is a natural storyteller and a good hang, you can just figure that out with his Twitter feed and his track record of creating one of the most popular startup podcasts. That he also happens to be one of the sharpest minds in FinTech investing which makes him an exceedingly interesting guest.This is a wide-ranging conversation that covers Sheel's early days, what he learned as a founder, and how he's grown as an investor. Enjoy!A word from our sponsor:The team at Ripple is always focused on helping our founders and portfolio companies find the best partners to work with within the tech and venture capital ecosystem. And that is why we are so excited to announce our partnership with the incredible team at Torys LLP. When it comes to legal support and advice, the team at Torys is the best in class. Torys is a storied Canadian law firm with offices in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Halifax and New York City. Torys has been around since its founding in 1941.They have always worked closely with players across the emerging startup ecosystem in all aspects of the creation, acquisition and commercialization of businesses. They help founders determine when and how much to fundraise, how to achieve the right economic structure, how to think about board and control issues and how to successfully navigate different stages of growth. They are also advisors to VC funds, strategic investors, private equity funds and other institutional investors on fund formation and shareholder arrangements to buyouts and other exits.In fact, Torys recently acted as counsel to Maverix PE on the transformative $260M Miovision Technologies growth funding with an advisory team that included Dany Assaf, Konata Lake and Max Schwartz-Labell on that investment.So whether you are negotiating a new business arrangement or developing a new service offering, Torys helps clients seize new opportunities and build creative, market-leading business models in this fast-paced world we live in every day space.Visit torys.com to learn more.About Sheel Mohnot:Sheel Mohnot is a founding partner of Better Tomorrow Ventures. Before BTV, Sheel was a Partner at 500 Startups, running the 500 FinTech Fund and the FinTech track within the San Francisco Accelerator program. His recent startup experience includes 2 successful FinTech exits – a payments company and a high-stakes auction company. He also created and hosted a podcast called The Pitch.He formerly worked as a financial services consultant at BCG and did Microfinance work at the non-profit Kiva. Sheel holds an MBA from the University of Michigan and a BS from Carnegie Mellon. In this episode we discuss:(02:58) Sheel's journey to becoming a FinTech investor(07:55) How did growing up in India and around the world help shape him(11:14) Sheel's time at Fee Fighters and why they sold to Groupon(13:33) What he learned at Groupon(16:31) How the Pitch Podcast came to be(18:58) Selling the podcast to Spotify(20:58) How Sheel started as an Angel investor(22:24) 500 FinTech as a stepping stone to becoming a VC(25:05) His first fundraising experience(28:30) Investing in BTV's first company before they had finished fundraising(30:18) How his investing journey has evolved(32:22) The importance of being a sounding board for founders(33:20) BTV's investing thesis(35:18) Who Sheel looks up to as investors(36:29) Why VC needs to be collaborative(37:28) The importance of partnership in the VC/Founder relationship(38:56) Concrete things early-stage founders should ask from their VCs(39:37) How power law informs all of VC and portfolio construction(43:14) Lessons from Sheel's anti-portfolio(44:59) His stay with Brian Chesky at Airbnb LAFast Favorites*
This year, Taco Bell broadened its stakes in love. On February 24th, 2023, Taco Bell held its very first metaverse wedding, where lifelong Taco Bell fans Sheel Mohnot and Amruta Godbole said “I do” in a wedding ceremony in Decentraland. Winning out over 300 couples, Sheel and Amruta give Taco Bell CEO Mark King the inside scoop on how they worked closely with Taco Bell to plan their wedding and will relive moments from their happily ever after. Watch Mark, Sheel and Amruta get interviewed inside the metaverse here.
Welcome back to the Alt Goes Mainstream podcast.On today's episode, we have Sheel Mohnot, the co-founder and Partner of FinTech VC fund Better Tomorrow Ventures.Sheel is a career fintech investor and operator. He has built Better Tomorrow Ventures into an active pre-seed and seed stage fintech VC that has grown to over $225M AUM. Prior to founding BTV, he was the GP at 500 FinTech, where he was the first institutional investor in Albert, Kin, Indio, Chipper Cash, Ethic, and others. He was also an early investor in Stripe and Flexport. He also co-founded two fintech startups – FeeFighters, which was acquired by GroupOn, and Innovative Auctions.Sheel and I had a fascinating conversation about the evolution of FinTech, how to build and scale an emerging manager, the challenges of raising a first time fund, and why smaller funds can outperform.We didn't have a chance to discuss the experience of his Taco Bell wedding in the metaverse, but congrats Sheel and Amruta on your marriage and wishing you happiness in both life and the metaverse.Thanks Sheel for coming on the Alt Goes Mainstream podcast to share your wisdom and experiences.
In this episode you will learn:How does access to credit impact low income countries like India?Why does Sheel insist on a minimum ownership of 10%?What are the reasons for Sheel's reluctance to invest in startups that need to raise a lot of funds?Are both first-time founders and second-time founders equally willing to accept the valuations offered by Better Tomorrow Ventures?Under what circumstances would Sheel stop supporting one of his portfolio startups?What kinds of fintech startups are poised for success in this decade?Do all neo banks face challenges with customer trust and what factors are preventing them from competing with traditional banks?What are Sheel's plans for scaling Better Tomorrow Ventures in the coming years?AboutSheel Mohnot is a Co-Founder & Partner at Better Tomorrow Ventures, a seed-focused venture capital firm that invests in transformative fintech companies founded by exceptional individuals across the world. With its second set of funds amounting to approximately $225M, Better Tomorrow Ventures is dedicated to investing in innovative ideas that can revolutionize the fintech industry. Sheel's exclusive focus on fintech investment dates back to 2015, following a couple of successful FinTech exits. Sheel has also co-founded the podcast "The Pitch," which was acquired by Gimlet Media / Spotify and attracts around 100k weekly listeners. Additionally, Sheel has co-founded Thistle, a food company that serves tens of thousands of customers every week.
Sheel Mohnot is Co-Founder and General Partner at Better Tomorrow Ventures, an early-stage fintech VC currently investing out of its $225m second fund. Sheel is a former founder, having built a tech-first card processor way back in 2010 which was quickly acquired by Groupon. Since 2014, Sheel has been angel investing and, as of 2016, investing full-time. Sheel is an incredible Twitter follow and constant source of information, insight and entertainment. In this conversation, we discuss how fintech VC has changed over the last few years, the state of the early-stage market today, what separates elite seed funds from others, building social capital as an investor, the investment areas Sheel is currently focused on and more. Thank you very much for joining us today. Please welcome, Sheel Mohnot.
Venture Unlocked: The playbook for venture capital managers.
Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape.We are officially 100 episodes in! For our 100th episode, we are joined by the founders of Better Tomorrow Ventures, also known as BTV, Jake Gibson and Sheel Mohnot. BTV is based in San Francisco and was founded in 2019. BTV focuses on early investing in FinTech companies, and has $300M+ in AUM. Jake and Sheel initially met at 500 startups, where Sheel worked. They are both seasoned fintech founders and angel investors: Sheel built and sold two fintech companies before starting the 500 Fintech accelerator, and Jake co-founded NerdWallet (now publicly traded).About Jake Gibson:Jake Gibson is a founding partner of Better Tomorrow Ventures. He has been involved in FinTech for over a decade — he started his journey as one of the co-founders of NerdWallet before becoming an angel investor. Today, he is a Founding Partner at Better Tomorrow Ventures (BTV). Prior to NerdWallet, Jake studied math and quantitative finance at MIT and traded interest rate derivatives at JPMorgan.About Sheel Mohnot:Sheel Mohnot is a founding partner of Better Tomorrow Ventures. Before BTV, Sheel was a Partner at 500 Startups, running the 500 FinTech Fund and the FinTech track within the San Francisco Accelerator program. His recent startup experience includes 2 successful FinTech exits – a payments company and a high-stakes auction company. He also created and hosted a podcast called The Pitch.He formerly worked as a financial services consultant at BCG and did Microfinance work at the non-profit Kiva. Sheel holds an MBA from the University of Michigan and a BS from Carnegie Mellon. In this episode we discuss:(02:24) BTV's origin story (06:27) Handling their first raise at the beginning of the pandemic(11:28) How their fund construction remained the same despite market conditions(17:27) Surprises during their first fundraise(19:29) How Sheel and Jake view fund construction and ownership targets(24:18) The shift in the market from rewarding Beta to rewarding Alpha(27:55) How founders are reacting to market conditions(29:28) What they are seeing in the Series A markets today(32:19) How VC's dry powder will actually get deployed(34:53) Making sense of the market segments in 2023(37:53) Why FinTech is still in the early-stages even though it has been heavily invested in(42:15) Non-obvious things that it takes to run a successful firm(45:17) Things they would have done differently at the start of their firmI'd love to know what you took away from this conversation with Jake and Sheel. Follow me @SamirKaji and give me your insights and questions with the hashtag #ventureunlocked. If you'd like to be considered as a guest or have someone you'd like to hear from (GP or LP), drop me a direct message on Twitter.Podcast Production support provided by Agent Bee Agency This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ventureunlocked.substack.com
Sheel Mohnot is an oracle of Fintech. In this episode, we are joined by our first venture capitalist guest - Sheel Mohnot - for a discussion on VC investing 101, early stage investing, current events like FTX, and the future of Fintech.
Twenty Minute VC Podcast Notes Intro Sheel Mohnot (@pitdesi) is a Co-Founder and General Partner at Better Tomorrow Ventures, a $225M venture fund for pre-seed and seed-stage fintech companies around the globeEven if you're not a multi-million dollar angel investor like Sheel, his lessons are applicable to the everyday person trying to invest in good companiesHost: Harry Stebbings (@HarryStebbings)Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org Sheel Mohnot is a Co-Founder and General Partner @ Better Tomorrow Ventures, a $225M fund that leads rounds in pre-seed and seed-stage fintech companies globally. Sheel and Jake (his co-founder) invested for many years together before founding BTV and wrote checks into Mercury, Flexport, Ramp, and Hippo Insurance to name a few. As for Sheel, before BTV he ran 500 Fintech for close to 7 years, and before that was a founder, founding two companies, both of which were acquired. If that was not enough, Sheel is also a master at measuring the width of swimming pools and making cameo appearances in music videos with Justin Bieber. In Todays Episode with Sheel Mohnot We Discuss: 1.) Entry into Venture: How Sheel made his way into the world of venture having founded 2 fintech companies? Why did no LPs give Sheel money in the early 500 Fintech days? What were some of his biggest lessons from investing in 100s of companies with 500 Fintech? How did BTV with Jake come together most recently? What are the biggest differences to Sheel of being a fund manager vs being an investor? 2.) The Power Law: How does Sheel define "the power law" in venture capital? What multiple of return would be power law status? Given the size of outcome available with these power law returns, how does Sheel approach portfolio construction? Would it not be best to invest in 100s of companies? Who does Sheel believe has done the indexing approach best? Why? 3.) Venture Capital has Never Been Less Collaborative: Why does Sheel disagree with Harry that venture capital has never been less collaborative? Why now, for the first time, are large multi-stage funds taking single-digit ownership? Does Sheel agree with Harry it is moronic to have "guaranteed pro-rata"? How does Sheel approach re-investment decision-making? When does he pay up vs not? 4.) The Biggest Wins and Misses: What have been Sheel's biggest wins from a cashback and a multiple perspective? How did Sheel miss the chance to invest in both Robinhood and Chime early on? What did he not see? How would he have thought differently with the benefit of hindsight? How have Sheel's biggest hits and misses impacted how he invests today? 5.) Emerging and Frontier Markets: Does Sheel share Harry's concern for the removal of capital from emerging markets? Why does Sheel believe that India, South East Asia and LATAM will be fine? Why does Sheel believe Pakistan and Africa are most in trouble? What advice does Sheel give to his emerging markets founders today? Items Mentioned in Today's Episode: Sheel's Favourite Book: Enders Game
Twenty Minute VC: Read the notes at at podcastnotes.org. Don't forget to subscribe for free to our newsletter, the top 10 ideas of the week, every Monday --------- Sheel Mohnot is a Co-Founder and General Partner @ Better Tomorrow Ventures, a $225M fund that leads rounds in pre-seed and seed-stage fintech companies globally. Sheel and Jake (his co-founder) invested for many years together before founding BTV and wrote checks into Mercury, Flexport, Ramp, and Hippo Insurance to name a few. As for Sheel, before BTV he ran 500 Fintech for close to 7 years, and before that was a founder, founding two companies, both of which were acquired. If that was not enough, Sheel is also a master at measuring the width of swimming pools and making cameo appearances in music videos with Justin Bieber. In Todays Episode with Sheel Mohnot We Discuss: 1.) Entry into Venture: How Sheel made his way into the world of venture having founded 2 fintech companies? Why did no LPs give Sheel money in the early 500 Fintech days? What were some of his biggest lessons from investing in 100s of companies with 500 Fintech? How did BTV with Jake come together most recently? What are the biggest differences to Sheel of being a fund manager vs being an investor? 2.) The Power Law: How does Sheel define "the power law" in venture capital? What multiple of return would be power law status? Given the size of outcome available with these power law returns, how does Sheel approach portfolio construction? Would it not be best to invest in 100s of companies? Who does Sheel believe has done the indexing approach best? Why? 3.) Venture Capital has Never Been Less Collaborative: Why does Sheel disagree with Harry that venture capital has never been less collaborative? Why now, for the first time, are large multi-stage funds taking single-digit ownership? Does Sheel agree with Harry it is moronic to have "guaranteed pro-rata"? How does Sheel approach re-investment decision-making? When does he pay up vs not? 4.) The Biggest Wins and Misses: What have been Sheel's biggest wins from a cashback and a multiple perspective? How did Sheel miss the chance to invest in both Robinhood and Chime early on? What did he not see? How would he have thought differently with the benefit of hindsight? How have Sheel's biggest hits and misses impacted how he invests today? 5.) Emerging and Frontier Markets: Does Sheel share Harry's concern for the removal of capital from emerging markets? Why does Sheel believe that India, South East Asia and LATAM will be fine? Why does Sheel believe Pakistan and Africa are most in trouble? What advice does Sheel give to his emerging markets founders today? Items Mentioned in Today's Episode: Sheel's Favourite Book: Enders Game
The Twenty Minute VC: Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch
Sheel Mohnot is a Co-Founder and General Partner @ Better Tomorrow Ventures, a $225M fund that leads rounds in pre-seed and seed-stage fintech companies globally. Sheel and Jake (his co-founder) invested for many years together before founding BTV and wrote checks into Mercury, Flexport, Ramp, and Hippo Insurance to name a few. As for Sheel, before BTV he ran 500 Fintech for close to 7 years, and before that was a founder, founding two companies, both of which were acquired. If that was not enough, Sheel is also a master at measuring the width of swimming pools and making cameo appearances in music videos with Justin Bieber. In Todays Episode with Sheel Mohnot We Discuss: 1.) Entry into Venture: How Sheel made his way into the world of venture having founded 2 fintech companies? Why did no LPs give Sheel money in the early 500 Fintech days? What were some of his biggest lessons from investing in 100s of companies with 500 Fintech? How did BTV with Jake come together most recently? What are the biggest differences to Sheel of being a fund manager vs being an investor? 2.) The Power Law: How does Sheel define "the power law" in venture capital? What multiple of return would be power law status? Given the size of outcome available with these power law returns, how does Sheel approach portfolio construction? Would it not be best to invest in 100s of companies? Who does Sheel believe has done the indexing approach best? Why? 3.) Venture Capital has Never Been Less Collaborative: Why does Sheel disagree with Harry that venture capital has never been less collaborative? Why now, for the first time, are large multi-stage funds taking single-digit ownership? Does Sheel agree with Harry it is moronic to have "guaranteed pro-rata"? How does Sheel approach re-investment decision-making? When does he pay up vs not? 4.) The Biggest Wins and Misses: What have been Sheel's biggest wins from a cashback and a multiple perspective? How did Sheel miss the chance to invest in both Robinhood and Chime early on? What did he not see? How would he have thought differently with the benefit of hindsight? How have Sheel's biggest hits and misses impacted how he invests today? 5.) Emerging and Frontier Markets: Does Sheel share Harry's concern for the removal of capital from emerging markets? Why does Sheel believe that India, South East Asia and LATAM will be fine? Why does Sheel believe Pakistan and Africa are most in trouble? What advice does Sheel give to his emerging markets founders today? Items Mentioned in Today's Episode: Sheel's Favourite Book: Enders Game
Why do employees choose remote work? Kipp and Kieran dive deep into Malcolm Gladwell's (wrong) take on remote work, how remote flexibility will impact your marketing, what to focus on if your business accelerated or decelerated during the pandemic, and practical tips on how to build engaging remote teams, and more! Links Mentioned: Tweet from Ryan Denehy on managers who can only scale through headcount https://twitter.com/DenehyXXL/status/1556387871992463362 Tweet from Sheel Mohnot on Naval not checking emails anymore https://twitter.com/pitdesi/status/1556087444889489408 Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain! Don't forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934 If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review https://link.chtbl.com/h9_sjBKH and share your favorite episodes with friends. We really appreciate your support. Host Links: Kipp Bodnar, https://twitter.com/kippbodnar Kieran Flanagan, https://twitter.com/searchbrat ‘Marketing Against The Grain' is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by The HubSpot Podcast Network // Produced by Darren Clarke.
A pair of headphones tangling in the spokes of a bike is one of the more unique inciting moments of an entrepreneurial venture. While his entrepreneurial spirit would lead him to Hong Kong and scouting factories in Southern China, it was Sheel Mohnot's experience working in India with Kiva that would greatly influence his career as an investor. Impacted by the individuals he met, Sheel discovered a passion for investing in resilient and tenacious people. Sheel Mohnot is a seed-stage fintech investor, co-founder and GP of Better Tomorrow Ventures, and founder and GP of 500 Fintech. Inspired to “work on hard problems'' by renowned Professor C.K. Prahalad during his MBA at University of Michigan, Sheel has created and led a number of companies and served as a personal angel investor. In this episode, Sheel discusses the key lessons he has learned in fintech investing about dilution, recognizing resilient founders, and the reality of investing in an unsuccessful company. Sheel shares stories of his early ventures and insights into his current projects, including his collaboration with Jake Gibson on Better Tomorrow Ventures. (3:14) – A father's journey (8:56) – High school and beyond (13:10) – Indicorps and Kiva (18:11) – Returning to business school (21:50) – The first entrepreneurial venture (29:36) – FeeFighters (38:54) – 500 Fintech (47:08) – Investing in the jockey (51:41) – Better Tomorrow Ventures Eric Satz—entrepreneur, serial investor, lover of hot peppers— is the founder and CEO of Alto. The idea behind Alto was born out of a problem. Eric found a clear need to give people more control over their investments (and investment opportunities) in a simple, streamlined way and created Alto to make these opportunities available to all investors, not just the ultra-wealthy or institutional investors. If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to The Altogether Show with Eric Satz in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps others find the show. Podcast episode production by Dante32
Impress investors at your next business pitch (Recorded Live on Clubhouse May 27, 2022) Sheel Mohnot, Venture Capitalist and co-founder of Better Tomorrow Ventures joined us and shared his perspective on securing the capital your business needs. We learned what's most important to investors, the metrics they look at, and his non-negotiables when making equity investments. Speakers: Colin C. Campbell, Michele Van Tilborg, Jeff Sass Guest: Sheel Mohnot Sign up to our email and never miss an update on our special events, guest speakers, and more: https://startup.club/
Sheel is a co-founder of Better Tomorrow, a seed-stage venture capital fund investing in Fintech companies globally. His own startup experience includes 2 successful Fintech exits — a payments company and a high-stakes auction company — and he's GP of the 500 Fintech fund. He formerly worked as a financial services consultant at BCG and started his Fintech career at the non-profit p2p lender, Kiva. Read more about Better Tomorrow Ventures here https://www.btv.vc/ or connect with them on Linkedin here https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-tomorrow-ventures/. You can connect directly with Sheel on Linkedin here https://www.linkedin.com/in/smohnot/ or on Twitter here https://twitter.com/pitdesi If you enjoyed this podcast, would you consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify? It takes less than 30 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince new amazing guests to come on the show, and on top of that, I love reading the reviews! Connect with me: Email: hello@andrewsenduk.com Website: https://andrewsenduk.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrew.senduk/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-senduk-1980/
Sheel Mohnot is the cofounder of Better Tomorrow Ventures, a fintech focused fund that invests globally in making financial services...better for tomorrow. He is the former head of the 500 Startups fintech fund and accelerator and has invested in companies you may recognize such as Albert, Chippercash, Unit and Flexport. Before investing and founding two companies, Sheel also launched his own podcast "The Pitch" centered on evaluating new startups à la Shark Tank. Sheel's twitter presence is a treat. As we survived natural disasters we discuss:1. 'Hacking' growth and cutting through vanity metrics as an investor2. How staying 'top of mind' helps winning deals and creating opportunities3. The struggle of investing in and maintaining price discipline in the current investment landscape4. Doing well by doing good: working on hard problems, working in emerging markets and writing about those accomplishments
This episode of Future of FinTech is on the future of Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), and will cover why BNPL works where other consumer lending ideas haven't, why millennial consumers are the driving force behind BNPL, what makes a great BNPL merchant, and untapped BNPL opportunities outside of ecommerce.Future of FinTech is hosted by Immad Akhund, founder and CEO of Mercury, and Sheel Mohnot, Partner at Better Tomorrow Ventures.Guests this week include:Lawrence Lin Murata, founder of SlopeBobby Tzekin, founder of WisetackDana Stalder, General Partner at Matrix, Director at Afterpay
This week's Future of Fintech is on the future of private equity funding, discussing why PE has become such a hot space recently, how to reduce friction in PE so that more people can become venture investors, the challenges of innovating PE, regulating the PE space, positives and negatives from the crowdfunding experience, the types of businesses that typically do well on crowdfunding platforms, and much more.Future of Fintech is hosted by Immad Akhund, Founder and CEO of Mercury, and Sheel Mohnot, Partner at Better Tomorrow Ventures.Guests this week include:Nick Tommarello, Founder & CEO of WefunderElizabeth Yin, General Partner at Hustle FundAvlok Kohli, CEO of AngelList VenturesSahil Lavingia, Founder & CEO of Gumroad
This week's Future of Fintech is on the future of insurtech, discussing MGAs vs full insurance carriers, how to drive better underwriting, where to get a cost advantage, and much more.Future of Fintech is hosted by Immad Akhund, Founder and CEO of Mercury, and Sheel Mohnot, Partner at Better Tomorrow Ventures.Guests this week include:Kyle Nakatsuji, Founder & CEO of ClearcoverSean Harper, Co-founder & CEO of Kin InsuranceStephanie Choo, General Partner at Portag3 Ventures
Sheel Mohnot is a Co-founder of Better Tomorrow Ventures - a $75 million seed-stage five-focused venture capital firm investing in exceptional founders building transformative FinTech companies globally. He helps design, build, and improve human ecosystems through technology and disrupt financial institutions to enable them to act more efficiently. Sheel has been exclusively investing in fintech companies for the past 6 years and has 2 successful FinTech companies. Sheel also co-founded the podcast "The Pitch,"- which has 100k weekly listeners, and a food company called Thistle.
This week's Future of Fintech is on the future of payment facilitators, discussing how to build a payfac, how to choose between using different payfac, opportunities in this space, and much more.Future of Fintech is hosted by Immad Akhund, Founder and CEO of Mercury, and Sheel Mohnot, Partner at Better Tomorrow Ventures.Guests this week include:Peter Berg, VP of Business Development & Strategy at Very Good SecurityCaleb Avery, Founder & CEO of TilledMatthew Janiga, General Counsel at Lithic
This week's Future of Fintech is on the future of bank integrations, discussing how to build integrations with banks, how bank integrations have evolved, opportunities in this space, and much more. Future of Fintech is hosted by Immad Akhund, Founder and CEO of Mercury and Sheel Mohnot, Partner at Better Tomorrow Ventures. Guests this week include: - Itai Damti, CEO of Unit - Bo Jiang, CEO of Lithic - Jim Brusstar, President of Treasury Prime - Shamir Karkal, CEO of Sila - Wade Arnold, CEO of Moov - Amias Gerety, Partner at QED Investors
This week's Future of Fintech is on the future of automated finances, discussing whether people prefer picking investments vs. having it automated, how the pandemic influenced this space, and upcoming opportunities. Future of Fintech is hosted by Immad Akhund, Founder and CEO of Mercury, and Sheel Mohnot, Partner at Better Tomorrow Ventures. Guests this week include: - Maia Bittner, Head of Business Operations at Chime - Chris Hutchins, Head of Financial Operations at Wealthfront - Yinon Ravid, CEO of Albert - Anish Acharya, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz
Episode nine of DrinksWithAVC features Sheel Mohnot of Better Tomorrow Ventures, who joins Vik and Bree to talk about his whirlwind year. From becoming a social media phenomenon to launching a $75 million debut fund and earning a top-three spot on Business Insider's seed investor rankings, Sheel's pandemic experience has been anything but ordinary. The trio digs deeper than his Zoom Bachelor fame and Justin Bieber video appearances, exploring his family bonds and his dedication to understanding and improving people's lives. Listen in for Sheel's insights on Miami's burgeoning startup scene, his take on plant-based lifestyles, and a segment that psychoanalyzes him using themes from his favorite book.Links:www.btv.vcwww.twitter.com/pitdesi
Immad Akhund, CEO of Mercury, and Sheel Mohnot, investor at Better Tomorrow Ventures, host an episode of Future of Fintech on the future of credit scores. Guests include: Ohad Samet, Cofounder & CEO of TrueAccord Maia Bittner, Head of Business Operations at Chime Matt Harris, Cofounder & CEO of Bloom Credit Kristy Kim, Cofounder & CEO of Tomo Credit Misha Esipov, Co-Founder & CEO of Nova Credit
This week's Future of Fintech is on the future of personal finance management, discussing COVID's impact on personal finance habits, why PFM is a fit for younger generations, the future of consumer apps as PFM tools, and more. Future of Fintech is hosted by Immad Akhund, Founder and CEO of Mercury, and Sheel Mohnot, Partner at Better Tomorrow Ventures. Guests this week include: Haroon Mokhtarzada, CEO of Truebill Yinon Ravid, CEO of Albert Aditi Shekar, CEO of Zeta Peggy Mangot, Partner at PayPal Ventures Kanyi Maqubela, Partner at Kindred Ventures
This week's Future of Fintech is on the future of gig work, discussing how big the gig worker market is, how the pandemic changed the market, why fintech for gig workers is particularly important, & opportunities in this space. Future of Fintech is hosted by Immad Akhund, founder and CEO of Mercury, and Sheel Mohnot, Partner at Better Tomorrow Ventures. Guests for this week include: Trent Bigelow, CEO of Abound, Sean Engelking, Co-founder and CEO of Starship, Kristen Anderson, Founder & CEO of Catch, Hooman Radfar, Founder & CEO of Collective
This week's Future of Fintech is on the future of proptech, including what it takes to get VCs interested in proptech businesses, changing regulations, and more. Future of Fintech is hosted by Immad Akhund, founder and CEO of Mercury, and Sheel Mohnot, Partner at Better Tomorrow Ventures. Guests for this week include: Brew Johnson, Founder & CEO of PeerStreet, Adena Hefets, Cofounder of Divvy Homes, Jon Dishotsky, CEO & Cofounder of Starcity
Welcome to the Future of Fintech, hosted by Immad Akhund and Sheel Mohnot. This week we're covering the future of retail investing. Our guests are: - Alex Rampell, a VC at Andreessen Horowitz - Leif Abraham, cofounder and Co-CEO at Public.com - Julie Young, a writer and investor, former product at Snap - David McDonough, cofounder of Commonstock - Howard Lindzon, cofounder of Stocktwits - Aditi Maliwal, a GP at Upfront Ventures
Welcome to the Future of Fintech, hosted by Immad Akhund and Sheel Mohnot. This week we're covering the future of B2B lending fintech. Our guests are: - Miguel Fernandez - Jason Garcia - Andrew D'souza - Nellie Levchin
Sheel Mohnot is a serial entrepreneur, fintech investor, and acquired podcaster — so naturally this was quite the conversation for Simi.A graduate of Carnegie Mellon and University of Michigan, Sheel was formerly a General Partner with the the FinTech Fund at 500 Startups. More recently, he co-founded Better Tomorrow Ventures, a fund leading pre-seed and seed rounds in financial technology companies around the globe. BTV raised a $75 million debut fund in 2020. But before delving into investing, Sheel was a founder — multiple times over. He first founded Innovative Auctions, a provider in auction software and consulting services. Later, he exited FeeFighters, a Stripe-like product that sold to Groupon in 2012, and also a food delivery company called Thistle. He even “exited” his popular podcast, “The Pitch,” a spin on Shark Tank where entrepreneurs pitched investors. It sold to Gimlet Media which was then acquired by Spotify. In this episode, Simi and Sheel chat about why fintech is the future, how he met one of his co-founders on a train in India, and how he landed himself in Ariana Grande's “Stuck With U” music video. Put two startuppers and podcasters in a room? This one is a must-listen.Visit our website southasiantrailblazers.com to subscribe to our newsletter. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Sheel Mohnot, co-founder and general partner at Better Tomorrow Ventures, has a gut feel about the founders. He gives an insider view using examples of fintech investments. The role of a VC is a combination of a management consultant and a psychotherapistFintech started in 2014 and is still in the early days of innovationAt the pre-seed and seed stage venture capital investments team is most important Non-profit: Curry Without Worry
Entrepreneur Laura Bilazarian has an innovative solution for helping companies find great talent. But to convince investors, she'll need to walk a razor's edge between confidence and cockiness. Today's investors are Phil Nadel, Jillian Manus, Jake Chapman, Howie Diamond and Sheel Mohnot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Co-founders Meghan Carreau and Alex Payne are pitching their food delivery service built on noble ideals of making kids healthier and reducing headaches for parents. Can the founders convince investors that their startup will actually deliver on those promises? Today's investors are Phil Nadel, Jillian Manus, Jake Chapman, Howie Diamond and Sheel Mohnot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Concussions have cast a major shadow over contact sports, from youth leagues to the pros. But entrepreneur Anthony Gonzales thinks he can fix it by putting a gadget in the mouths of athletes. Now he just has to convince investors to put their dollars behind his idea. Today's investors are Phil Nadel, Jillian Manus, Jake Chapman, Howie Diamond and Sheel Mohnot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices