Podcasts about VC

Florian Heinemann und Philipp Werner, Partner bei Project A Studio, sprechen über die Herausforderungen des Generationenwechsels in Venture Capital Firmen. Sie teilen, warum klare Karrierewege entscheidend sind, wie sie die Balance zwischen Erfahrung und Nachwuchs finden und warum VC ein 15-20 Jahres Commitment braucht. Was du lernst: Wie du Karrierewege transparent gestaltest Die richtige Balance in der Alterspyramide Warum langfristiges Commitment wichtig ist Den richtigen Zeitpunkt für Übergänge finden ALLES ZU UNICORN BAKERY: https://stan.store/fabiantausch   Philipp Werner: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wernerph Florian Heinemann: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fheinemann/  Project A: https://www.project-a.com/  Join our Founder Tactics Newsletter: 2x die Woche bekommst du die Taktiken der besten Gründer der Welt direkt ins Postfach:https://www.tactics.unicornbakery.de/

About Utsav Somani:⁠Utsav is the founder of Offline — India's most exclusive community of scaled-up tech founders. Early members include co-founders of Zomato, Country Delight, Ultrahuman, Noise, CoinDCX, and many more. He is responsible for bringing AngelList to India. AngelList India became the most active seed investor in the country with 500 investments since it's launch in 2018. He runs 2 separate funds called iSeed and Galaxy that have around $100M in AUM. Utsav has personally invested in companies like BharatPe, CoinDCX, Pristyn Care, Jupiter, Park+ along with top-tier VC firms.Key Insights:

I dagens episode får vi besøg af VC-profilen Mikael Bondum fra Likeminded. Han deler sine erfaringer fra venture verdenen, og hvordan man rent faktisk værdiansætter de helt tidlige virksomheder hvor der ingen tal er og hvor alt handler om team, traction og tro på potentiale.Joakim tager som altid AI kasketten på og taler om værdiansættelse af AI virksomheder. André kan naturligvis ikke lade være med at hive forskning med – denne gang om faktorinvestering.En episode hvor du både bliver klogere, udfordret og godt underholdt. Lyt med.

Have you been having fun with the newest slate of AI tools? Have you been doing research with GPT-5? Coding your projects with Claude? Turning pictures of your friends into cartoon characters from the Fairly Odd Parents using the image editing tool Nano Banana? Are you impressed with what they can do? Well guess what? You're only impressed with them because you're basically a naive child. You're like a little child with an etch a sketch who is amazed that they can make crude images by turning the knobs, oblivious to greater possibilities. At least, that's the impression you get when listening to tech leaders, philosophers, and even governments. According to them, soon the most impressive of AI tools will look as cheap and primitive as Netflix's recommendation algorithm in 2007. Soon the world will have to reckon with the power of Artificial General Intelligence, or “AGI.” What is AGI? Definitions vary. When will it come? Perhaps months. Perhaps years. Perhaps decades. But definitely soon enough for you to worry about. What will it mean for humanity once it's here? Perhaps a techno utopia. Perhaps extinction. No one is sure. But what they are sure of is that AGI is definitely coming and it's definitely going to be a big deal. A mystical event. A turning point in history, after which nothing will ever be the same. However, some are more skeptical, like our guest today Will Douglas Heaven. Will has a PhD in Computer Science from Imperial College London and is the senior editor for AI at MIT Technology review. He recently published an article, based on his conversations with AI researchers, which provocatively calls AGI “the most consequential conspiracy theory of our time.” Jake and Travis chat with Will about the conspiracy theory-like talk from the AI industry, whether AGI is just “vibes and snake oil,” and how to distinguish between tech breakthroughs and Silicon Valley hyperbole. Will Douglas Heaven https://bsky.app/profile/willdouglasheaven.bsky.social How AGI became the consequential conspiracy theory of our time https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/10/30/1127057/agi-conspiracy-theory-artifcial-general-intelligence/ Subscribe for $5 a month to get all the premium episodes: https://www.patreon.com/qaa Editing by Corey Klotz. Theme by Nick Sena. Additional music by Pontus Berghe. Theme Vocals by THEY/LIVE (https://instagram.com/theyylivve / https://sptfy.com/QrDm). Cover Art by Pedro Correa: (https://pedrocorrea.com) https://qaapodcast.com QAA was known as the QAnon Anonymous podcast. The first three episodes of Annie Kelly's new 6-part podcast miniseries “Truly Tradly Deeply” are available to Cursed Media subscribers, with new episodes released weekly. www.cursedmedia.net/ Cursed Media subscribers also get access to every episode of every QAA miniseries we produced, including Manclan by Julian Feeld and Annie Kelly, Trickle Down by Travis View, The Spectral Voyager by Jake Rockatansky and Brad Abrahams, and Perverts by Julian Feeld and Liv Agar. Plus, Cursed Media subscribers will get access to at least three new exclusive podcast miniseries every year. www.cursedmedia.net/ REFERENCES Debates on the nature of artificial general intelligence https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado7069?utm_source=chatgpt.com Why AI Is Harder Than We Think https://arxiv.org/pdf/2104.12871 AI Capabilities May Be Overhyped on Bogus Benchmarks, Study Finds https://gizmodo.com/ai-capabilities-may-be-overhyped-on-bogus-benchmarks-study-finds-2000682577 Examining the geographic concentration of VC investment in AI https://ssti.org/blog/examining-geographic-concentration-vc-investment-ai Margaret Mitchell: artificial general intelligence is ‘just vibes and snake oil' https://www.ft.com/content/7089bff2-25fc-4a25-98bf-8828ab24f48e

在意大利街角，为什么越来越多的「正宗意大利咖啡吧」背后，是华人在经营？ 这不是偶然的商业选择。移民、老龄化、经济危机等等复杂要素促成了这一现象。而当我们仔细审视这一现象时，可能会对「国民文化」、「移民」、「身份认同」、「种族歧视」都有不一样的看法。 这集，我们与记者冯兆音、人类学者邓婷，一起讨论意式咖啡里移民现实，身份认同以及文化的流动边界。而华人在异乡所经历的「他者」的经历，或许也可以成为反观我们自身的一个镜像。 本期人物 邓婷，布兰迪斯大学研究员 冯兆音，独立媒体人，前驻美记者，现居欧洲 徐涛，声动活泼联合创始人 主要话题 [03:12] 如何正确理解咖啡在意大利国民生活中的地位？ [11:13] 华人如何在意大利开起了咖啡馆？ [16:49] 华人移民还接手了哪些国家的小食店 [26:28] 如果不懂咖啡豆，也可以开好咖啡馆吗？ [40:23] 当华人咖啡馆的员工变成了南亚移民 [54:55] 中国的国力变化，如何体现在咖啡吧的菜单上 延伸阅读 《Chinese Espresso: Contested Race and Convivial Space in Contemporary Italy》 (https://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Espresso-Contested-Convivial-Contemporary/dp/0691245789) Meet the Chinese baristas keeping Italian cafe culture alive (https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3318570/meet-chinese-baristas-keeping-italian-cafe-culture-alive) 给声东击西投稿 当下，AI 越来越多地出现在了招聘的过程中，企业在用 AI 筛简历、做面试，求职者也在用 AI 润色简历、模拟回答……AI 智斗 AI 的场景正在上演。 无论你是招人的 HR，还是正在找工作的应聘者，又或是相关 AI 技术的开发者，如果你经历过类似的场景，或者有相关的经历想要分享或吐槽，都欢迎你给我们投稿！投稿方式在节目的 shownotes 和评论区中可以找到，期待你的来信！ 你的声音可能出现在未来的节目当中，我们非常期待你的分享！ 投稿入口 (https://eg76rdcl6g.feishu.cn/share/base/form/shrcne1CGVaSeJwtBriW6yNT2dg) 你也可以直接通过邮箱直接联系节目组：kexuan@shengfm.cn 「Knock Knock 世界｜秋季敲门版」上线啦！ Untitled https://media24.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads-2024/images/8/8dd8a56f-9636-415a-8c00-f9ca6778e511/hlqVv_ii.png 新学期伊始，我们特别推出了「Knock Knock 世界｜秋季敲门版」，每期 10 分钟，和青少年一起解读一个全球新鲜事，话题涉及社会、科技、商业、文化。 - 更新时间：整个秋季学期，从 9 月 1 日开始到 1 月 30 日 - 期数：60 期 - 售价：179 元 前三期依然可以免费收听，其中包括我们在线下选题会和少年听友们一起制作的两期正式节目。点击收听：https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/6899a9e12540fdafbd245d41 已经购买了「Knock Knock 世界」的朋友们无需重复购买，秋季敲门版里的节目是全年节目的一小部分。不过，也欢迎把秋季敲门版分享给更多志同道合的新朋友，我们也为每一位帮助我们成功邀请的老听友准备了一份专属礼物！感兴趣的朋友可以点击链接收听。 加入我们 声动活泼目前开放【商业发展经理、节目监制，以及内容实习生（可远程）、早咖啡实习生、商业实习生和运营实习生】岗位，详情点击招聘入口：加入声动活泼（在招职位速览） (加入声动活泼（在招职位速览）)，点击相应链接即可查看岗位详情及投递指南。 Untitled https://media24.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads-2024/images/8/8dd8a56f-9636-415a-8c00-f9ca6778e511/xj00UEVZ.png 幕后制作 监制：可宣 后期：赛德 运营：George 设计：饭团 商务合作 声动活泼商业化小队，点击链接可直达商务会客厅（商务会客厅链接：https://sourl.cn/QDhnEc ），也可发送邮件至 business@shengfm.cn 联系我们。 关于声动活泼 「用声音碰撞世界」，声动活泼致力于为人们提供源源不断的思考养料。 我们还有这些播客：不止金钱（2024 全新发布） (https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/65a625966d045a7f5e0b5640)、跳进兔子洞第三季（2024 全新发布） (https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/666c0ad1c26e396a36c6ee2a)、声东击西 (https://etw.fm/episodes)、声动早咖啡 (https://sheng-espresso.fireside.fm/)、What's Next｜科技早知道 (https://guiguzaozhidao.fireside.fm/episodes)、反潮流俱乐部 (https://fanchaoliuclub.fireside.fm/)、泡腾 VC (https://popvc.fireside.fm/)、商业WHY酱 (https://msbussinesswhy.fireside.fm/) 欢迎在即刻 (https://okjk.co/Qd43ia)、微博等社交媒体上与我们互动，搜索 声动活泼 即可找到我们。 也欢迎你写邮件和我们联系，邮箱地址是：ting@sheng.fm 获取更多和声动活泼有关的讯息，你也可以扫码添加声小音，在节目之外和我们保持联系！ 声小音 https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/8/8dd8a56f-9636-415a-8c00-f9ca6778e511/hdvzQQ2r.png Special Guests: 冯兆音 and 邓婷.

Produced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for emerging manager VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with with Max Spero of Pangram, an AI detector tool. We talk about the challenges of AI in the classroom when it comes to plagiarism, and tips for how to use AI the right way to generate good content. Max also shares his journey from the Stanford dormitories to raising $4m from Semil Shah of Haystack Ventures and Kevin O'Connor of ScOp VC. Learn more at https://www.pangram.com/. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $21 Billion since 2016. If you are a startup, create a free account at www.foundersuite.com. If you are a VC, venture studio or investment banker, check out our new platform, www.fundingstack.com

Natalie Barbu is the founder and CEO of Rella, a SaaS platform built to streamline collaboration and workflows for social media teams and agencies. She began as a YouTube creator, grew a following of over 300,000, and then identified the fragmentation of the creator tools market — which led her to build Rella 1.0.  With some small seed funding, the first Rella version focused on content creators and made no revenue with a freemium model. With $25K in the bank and no revenue, the four cofounders thought they would shut it down. But a viral video focused on social media teams immediately created paid users and revenue for a new Rella product. "Rella 2.0" now offers all-in-one content planning, scheduling, collaboration boards, billing & analytics, an AI content strategist, and all in one workspace — for social media teams. In just 12 months, they went from having no revenue, no funding, and a hard pivot relaunch to almost $3M in ARR run-rate revenue — with only four co-founder employees. Key Takeaways Charge Early: They learned the hard way that free users don't convert — monetization early was non-negotiable. Lean Teams Win: A small, focused team aligned tightly with a mission beats trying to scale prematurely. Community Is Fuel: Natalie shared behind-the-scenes of the product with early users — built trust + word-of-mouth. Pivot Smart: They transitioned from creator workflow tools to a full SaaS platform after validating demand. This Interview Is Perfect For SaaS founders pivoting after a stalled product Founders learning how to find product-market fit  Teams deciding when to hire or stay lean  Builders designing tools for marketing and content teams Quote from Natalie Barbu, founder and CEO of Rella "It was about two years before we decided to pay ourselves. I was still making money from my social media. So that's how I supported myself. And then my co-founders had to find side things, which I know a lot of people say, you have to be a hundred percent all in and invested in it.  "But when you're not making money, you need to find a way to support yourself. So yeah, they had some side gigs that they were working on while still working full-time on Rella. "Once we started making more money with Rella 2.0, we all bumped ourselves up and got some raises since we could afford it, which has been such an accomplishment. It's money that we're actually making from our customers and our users and the income that we're generating." Links Natalie Barbu on LinkedIn Rella on LinkedIn Rella website - Use this 10% Discount Code for Rella -  practical Podcast Sponsor – Cypress Growth Capital This podcast is sponsored by Cypress Growth Capital, an alternative to equity, royalty-based growth capital provides funding in exchange for a fixed percentage of your company's future monthly revenues. Learn more at https://www.cypressgrowthcapital.com/ The Practical Founders Podcast Tune into the Practical Founders Podcast for weekly in-depth interviews with founders who have built valuable software companies without big funding. Subscribe to the Practical Founders Podcast using your favorite podcast app or view on our YouTube channel. Get the weekly Practical Founders newsletter and podcast updates at practicalfounders.com. Practical Founders CEO Peer Groups Be part of a committed and confidential group of practical founders creating valuable software companies without big VC funding.  A Practical Founders Peer Group is a committed and confidential group of founders/CEOs who want to help you succeed on your terms. Each Practical Founders Peer Group is personally curated and moderated by Greg Head.

Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management CEO Ross Gerber talks with TITV Host Akash Pasricha about Elon Musk's $1 trillion pay package and the "Elon hope" factor in Tesla's stock price. We also talk with Affirm CFO Rob O'Hare about Affirm's surge in Gross Merchandise Volume and its focus on direct-to-consumer products, and Terra AI's John Mern and Anthony Corso about Terra AI's mission to use AI to solve metal and mineral shortages for the tech industry. Lastly, we get into the heightened competition for Series A funding and the trend of VC partners leaving to start their own funds with The Information's Natasha Mascarenhas.Articles discussed on this episode:https://www.theinformation.com/articles/introducing-informations-50-promising-startups-2025https://www.theinformation.com/articles/elon-musks-victoryhttps://www.theinformation.com/articles/ai-stokes-battles-series-altimeter-raise-new-growth-fundTITV airs on YouTube, X and LinkedIn at 10AM PT / 1PM ET. Or check us out wherever you get your podcasts.Subscribe to: - The Information on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theinformation4080/?sub_confirmation=1- The Information: https://www.theinformation.com/subscribe_hSign up for the AI Agenda newsletter: https://www.theinformation.com/features/ai-agenda

Instead of building seawalls or dikes, Terranova has developed a new way to raise cities to protect them from sea-level rise. In addition, Chris Sacca's venture firm Lowercarbon Capital is raising a second fund to back nuclear fusion energy hopefuls, the VC said at the SOSV Climate Tech Summit on Thursday, as reported by Bloomberg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Marie Outtier welcomes investor–operator June Angelides for a candid conversation on the journey from Lagos to London, from SVB to founding Mums in Tech, and ultimately to investing at Samos VC. June shares how motherhood, identity, and learning to code shaped her founder empathy and “servant leadership” style—being truly on-call for portfolio teams while building conviction in uncertain markets.The episode gets tactical: demystifying angel checks via syndicates, asking for information rights, and getting back to basics on revenue. June spotlights recent health-tech bets (e.g., continuous hormone monitoring, postpartum care), her African syndicate Lavarie across Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, and practical advice for founders—including tapping the UK's EIS/SEIS. In a rapid-fire close, she names AI as the pitch-room buzzword and Carol Dweck's Mindset as a lasting influence—underscoring her mission to open doors for overlooked builders.[00:00:00] Intro by Marie; who June is (Lagos → London, Mums in Tech, Samos VC, investor lens).[00:01:00] Origin story: family background, moving to London at 17.[00:01:48] UCL economics; first role at Thomson Reuters and the newsroom energy.[00:03:05] Joining Silicon Valley Bank; vision to sit at the heart of the UK innovation ecosystem.[00:04:12] Maternity leave → learning to code; deciding to build something.[00:05:10] Launching Mums in Tech; SVB sponsorship; on-site childcare for a pilot.[00:06:12] 8-week curriculum; 100 sign-ups; bridging founder–engineer communication and tools.[00:07:39] From shy to intentional leadership; creating space for others' ideas.[00:08:54] 12 cohorts / 250 women; funding & representation gaps push her toward VC.[00:10:00] Samos VC thesis: sector-agnostic, patient capital; seven years in; starting to angel invest.[00:11:28] Syndicates 101 (Odin/AngelList, SPVs); small checks, one cap-table line, big signal.[00:13:40] Risk mindset; how early angels add momentum and help with institutional references.[00:21:38] Women's health bets: Level Zero Health (hormones) and Hester Health (postpartum); AI tailwinds.[00:23:34] Geography & check sizes: UK/EU/US; up to $1.5M; occasional flex into quantum.[00:24:05] Lavarie African syndicate; Nigeria/Kenya/Ghana/South Africa; examples (Rayness, Chaodec).[00:31:16] Rapid fire & wrap: AI buzzword; revenue > hype; book—Mindset; reframing failure and closing.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Register for Founder University Japan's kickoff! https://luma.com/cm0x90mkToday's show:*On TWiST, Jason welcomes an all-star VC panel — Deedy Das of Menlo Partners and Jay Eum of GFT Ventures — for a deep dive into the shocking scale of early-stage AI raises, a transitional moment for investors, the growing importance of the “prosumer” market, ChatGPT's insane smile curves, and much much more.IN THIS EPISODEWhat the panelists make of Roelof Botha's exit from Sequoia… and is he really going anywhere…Why Jason says VC is no longer the best way to get rich…Why so many private companies are growing SO HUGE before going public…And much more!Timestamps:(00:03:37) Jason is fresh from surviving Riyadh traffic but he's here and introducing our all star panel(00:04:03) Why Jason compares Riyadh to Silicon Valley in the 1960s(00:05:21) Friend of the Pod Roelof Botha is stepping down at Sequoia… our insiders try to guess what might have happened…(10:00) Crusoe - Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit crusoe.ai/startup to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.(00:13:11) Deedy moved up at Menlo without being a venture native… he shares the secrets behind his rise.(00:19:09) Was Roelof wrong about “return-free risk”? Does more capital always = more great companies?(20:00) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!(00:26:54) With so many private companies growing SO HUGE… when is the right time to go public? Considering the case of Glean and Stripe…(30:00) AWS Marketplace - If you're ready to really accelerate your sales cycle, AWS Marketplace is your next stop. Head to https://aws.com/startups to learn more.(00:30:07) Why Jason says venture capital is no longer the best way to get rich(00:32:34) Why AI apps are so appealing to enterprises after years of paying for SaaS(00:36:32) The growing importance of “prosumers”(00:37:31) Why Deedy says a smile curve is the most beautiful depiction of “Product Market Fit”(00:44:36) Why it's still tough to raise pre-seed money, even during an AI “boom”!(00:46:08) Why Jason says the hardest job in the tech ecosystem is being an investor(00:55:52) “Time is one of the primary drivers of venture capital return.” - Jay Eun(00:57:42) Deedy on the shocking amounts being raised by early-stage AI companies(01:00:21) Just how much DO VCs work compared to founders? The panel compares notes.(01:02:53) Are some investors not doing diligence? Deedy on the speed of some AI deals.(01:16:51) The panel picks their fav portfolio company of the moment (or one of their faves)Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:Crusoe - Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit crusoe.ai/startup to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visitAWS Marketplace - If you're ready to really accelerate your sales cycle, AWS Marketplace is your next stop. Head to https://aws.com/startups to learn more.Check out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

In this refreshingly candid episode, Tracy Holland sits down with Amanda Goetz, powerhouse personal brand strategist, two-time founder, author, and mother of three. Amanda pulls back the curtain on her journey from a high-powered corporate career to building her own companies, and the hard-earned lessons that came from navigating divorce, motherhood, and venture capital. Amanda's story is one of resilience, intentional choices, and the unapologetic pursuit of a life designed on her own terms. She shares how she grew her newsletter to 150,000 subscribers, why she embraces "intentional imbalance" instead of chasing work-life harmony, and the power of building a personal brand for freedom, optionality, and influence.   Episode Highlights Why "balance" is a myth, and how to embrace intentional imbalance. How divorce became the catalyst for building a personal brand and financial independence. The lessons she learned raising VC funding and why sustainable growth often beats "grow at all costs." How to transition between roles: founder, mom, partner, with presence and grace. The dangers of comparing yourself to advice-givers who are not living your reality. Key Takeaway "If I go first, other people go second." — Amanda Goetz Sharing your story openly creates connection and community. Amanda proves that vulnerability, combined with strategic personal branding, can create opportunities, power, and freedom both in business and in life. Connect with Amanda Instagram: @theamandagoetz Connect with Us: Subscribe to our newsletter: Potential to Powerhouse Follow us on Instagram: @PotentialToPowerhouse Connect with Tracy: @tracy_m_holland Loved this conversation? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share what resonated most. Send this episode to a friend who is juggling multiple roles and needs permission to design life on her terms.  

Zack Kanter is the founder and CEO of Stedi, an API-first healthcare clearinghouse. After bootstrapping a wildly profitable auto-parts business, he sold it to tackle "the most complicated problem" he'd ever encountered: business-to-business transaction exchange. He spent years building EDI infrastructure, threw away the entire codebase eight times, and found extraordinary traction in healthcare. Stedi recently raised a $70M Series B co-led by Stripe and Addition. In this conversation, Brett and Zack discuss why venture capital means "going pro," why execution is never actually a moat, and how "eating glass" became Stedi's competitive advantage. In today's episode, we discuss: How 16-year-old Zack turned $2,500 into a wholesale empire Why bootstrapping means being "constrained by capital" and how VC removes that ceiling Why Zack rebuilt their EDI product eight times before launch The snake swallowing a deer: what extreme product-market fit really looks like What software companies can learn from discount retail and Toyota Why Stedi's new hires are told "everything's your fault now" And much more Where to find Zack: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zkanter Twitter/X: https://x.com/zackkanter Where to find Brett: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-berson-9986094/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/brettberson Where to find First Round Capital: Website: https://firstround.com/ First Round Review: https://review.firstround.com/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/firstround YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstRoundCapital This podcast on all platforms: https://review.firstround.com/podcast References: Aetna: https://www.aetna.com/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/ AWS: https://aws.amazon.com/ Blue Cross Blue Shield: https://www.bcbs.com/ Change Healthcare: https://www.changehealthcare.com/ Cigna: https://www.cigna.com/ Clay: https://www.clay.com/ Costco: https://www.costco.com/ Ford Motor Company: https://www.ford.com/ GM: https://www.gm.com/ HIPAA overview (HHS): https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/index.html Jeff Bezos: https://x.com/JeffBezos Kanban / TPS (Toyota): https://global.toyota/en/company/vision-and-philosophy/production-system Microsoft Teams: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-teams NetSuite: https://www.netsuite.com/ O'Reilly Auto Parts: https://www.oreillyauto.com/ Peter Thiel: https://x.com/peterthiel Porter's five forces: https://www.isc.hbs.edu/strategy/pages/the-five-forces.aspx "Reality has a surprising amount of detail": https://johnsalvatier.org/blog/2017/reality-has-a-surprising-amount-of-detail Slack: https://slack.com/ Stedi: https://www.stedi.com/ Summit Racing: https://www.summitracing.com/ Target: https://www.target.com/ Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ Zapier: https://zapier.com/ Timestamps: (01:24) Zack's first business (08:54) Why the first customer is tricky (10:12) The downside of bootstrapping (11:42) Why venture capital is like “going pro” (14:20) The confusion between ownership vs. control (16:08) Building a company you don't want to leave (20:46) Do things better than other people (24:49) Stedi's early years (31:43) Physical vs. digital product-market fit (34:41) How Stedi scaled decision-making (40:08) Stedi's journey to product-market fit (45:22) Finding founder-approach fit (50:42) “All software is a cascade of miracles” (52:52) The surprising lessons from discount retail (57:50) How the Toyota production system influences software (1:01:31) What it means to be a high-agency person (1:03:09) The core trait Zack looks for when hiring (1:02:57) Maintaining conviction in unconventional practice (1:14:19) When should you start to hire managers? (1:17:42) “Reality has a surprising amount of detail”

In another special solo episode, Peter Walker dives deep into Carta's Q2 Fund Performance Report to unpack the data on what's really happening inside venture capital today.Peter walks through the critical benchmarks every GP and LP needs to know, from median and top-decile Net IRR, TVPI, and DPI across different vintages and fund sizes. He explains why the 2021 vintage is struggling, why small funds have higher performance dispersion, and how liquidity pressure is (or isn't) impacting GP behavior.He also introduces the single biggest theme defining venture in 2025: Concentration. Peter breaks down how this theme is affecting AI funding, geography, lead investor ownership, and even bridge rounds. Plus, he answers pre-submitted questions on follow-on strategy, liquidation preferences, and how to stand out to LPs in a crowded market.Q2 2025 VC Fund Performance Report:https://carta.com/data/vc-fund-performance-q2-2025/Subscribe to Carta's weekly Data Minute newsletter: https://carta.com/subscribe/data-newsletter-sign-up/Explore interactive startup and VC data, with Carta's Data Desk: https://carta.com/data-desk/02:03 – Chart 1: The VC fund universe (Fund sizes) 02:47 – Chart 2: Dry powder by fund size03:12 – Chart 3: Dry powder by vintage year04:14 – Chart 4: The hollowing middle of venture05:08 – Chart 5: LP count by fund size06:09 – Why are there fewer LPs in recent vintages?07:07 – Chart 6: The rise of the anchor LP07:51 – Digging into fund performance08:11 – What LPs really want to see (Net performance)09:03 – Chart 7: Net IRR by vintage year10:21 – Chart 8: IRR J-Curve (Why 2021 is struggling)11:59 – Chart 9 & 10: Top Quartile & Top Decile IRR13:05 – Chart 11: Do smaller funds outperform larger funds?14:55 – Chart 12: TVPI benchmarks (Median vs. Top Decile)15:34 – Chart 13-15: TVPI over time (Median, Top Quartile, Top Decile)16:50 – Why 3x net is a Top 10% goal, not Top Quartile17:15 – Chart 17: DPI (Money back to investors)18:26 – Chart 18: The psychology of liquidity (DPI > $1)20:01 – The broad venture context: Fundraising improves20:48 – Chart 20: The persistence of bridge rounds21:48 – Chart 21: Down rounds are decreasing23:04 – Are fund marks based on SAFEs? (No)23:55 – Chart 22: Time between rounds24:49 – Chart 23 & 24: Seed-to-A & A-to-B graduation rates27:39 – The 2025 Theme: Concentration28:05 – Concentration 1: The AI Boom29:31 – Concentration 2: More cash, fewer startups31:33 – Concentration 3: Lead investors are taking more32:52 – Concentration 4: "Preemptive" bridge rounds34:47 – Concentration 5: Geography (The Bay Area)37:46 – Start: Pre-submitted Q&A38:57 – Q1: Do mega-funds add value at seed?40:42 – Q2: How much should small funds reserve for follow-ons?42:47 – Q3: How common is investor-friendly structure? (Liquidation prefs)44:32 – On signaling risk45:35 – On LP pushback on fees & carry46:50 – On the state of exits (M&A vs. IPO)49:01 – On extended fund lifetimes (10 vs. 15 years)50:08 – On "no fee, carry only" funds53:10 – Key takeaways for fundraising GPs: Distinctiveness is keyThis presentation contains general information only and eShares, Inc. dba Carta, Inc. (“Carta”) is not, by means of this publication, rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or other professional advice or services, and is for informational purposes only.  This presentation is not a substitute for such professional advice or services nor should it be used as a basis for any decision or action that may affect your business or interests. © 2025 eShares, 

From their early work with Bumble to building Favorite Daughter, Erin and Sara Foster turned “failure” into a business that now includes a clothing line, VC fund, podcast, and a hit Netflix series, “Nobody Wants This.” In this episode of This Is Working, they open up about what it takes to build brands, balance sisterhood with business, and turn uncertainty into direction. Subscribe to the This is Working newsletter for more great insights: linkedin.com/thisisworking

You've probably heard the phrase "raise capital to scale your business" more times than you can count. But when it comes to venture capital, most Black founders quickly realize that the rules, access, and exposure are not the same. The reality is that getting VC funding is not about how hard you work, it is about how strategically you prepare and how well you understand the game you are walking into. In this episode, we are breaking down what that really looks like with James Norman, Managing Partner at Black Operator Ventures and a 3x founder who has seen both sides of the table. James has built and led companies for nearly three decades and now invests in extraordinary Black founders who are building tech and tech-enabled businesses that change industries. During this conversation, James gives a real-world breakdown of what venture capital actually is, how to know if it is right for you, and what to have in place before you ever pitch an investor. He also shares what it means to be a Black founder in rooms that were not built for us, how to maintain your power dynamic during fundraising, and why the most successful founders focus less on chasing checks and more on building excellence. DURING THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: The real meaning of venture capital and how it differs from loans, grants, and bootstrapping How to determine if your business model and growth potential fit the VC path What VC readiness truly looks like before you start pitching Why your mindset and power dynamic matter just as much as your pitch deck The realities of being a solo founder, how to build the right support team, and what investors actually look for How to navigate life after funding, from scaling your team to keeping control of your vision Don't miss out on the resources mentioned in this episode by checking out the show notes at blacktobusiness.com/277   Thank you so much for listening! Please support us by simply rating and reviewing our podcast!   Connect with us on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/blacktobusiness/    Don't miss an update! Sign up for our weekly newsletter: https://blacktobusiness.com/mailinglist

In aerospace, we talk a lot about "the future of flight." But most of that conversation has been driven by fantasy. Fully electric aircraft that can't fly far enough, and technologies that look good in a render but can't sustain the physics or economics of real aviation. That's why what Electra Aero is building feels like the first practical revolution in modern air mobility. It's not about escaping airports altogether; it's about rethinking what access to the air actually means. A platform that combines the short-range flexibility of a helicopter with the efficiency, speed, and safety of a fixed-wing aircraft. A system that can land in 150 feet, carry nine passengers, and fly 1,000 miles...all at a cost per seat mile that rivals a Cessna Caravan. In other words, not a science experiment, but an aircraft for both the Pentagon and Palm Springs. When you look at the infrastructure, the capital, and the technology now converging, from turbo generators to hybrid propulsion, it's clear the "inflection point" for advanced air mobility is already here. The question isn't if we'll see it, but when the iceberg breaks the surface and everyone suddenly realizes how much has already been built underneath. What makes this design different enough for the Department of Defense to back it, and powerful enough to fly missions no existing aircraft can? In this episode, the CEO of Electra Aero, Mark Allen, joins me to dive into what it takes to turn an experimental prototype into a scalable aircraft production company. We also discuss how hybrid-electric flight could redefine how people and goods move between cities in the next decade. Things You'll Learn In This Episode Why "payload-to-range" is the real metric that will define the winners in advanced air mobility How Electra's hybrid-electric system radically cuts maintenance and lifecycle costs Why vertical takeoff isn't the future, ultra-short takeoff and landing is How runway independence could transform both defense logistics and civilian travel What it takes to fund deep-tech aviation in a VC world built for SaaS Why the next big shift in aerospace will feel like a "ketchup bottle" moment: slow, then all at once How leadership and team "swing" drive complex innovation when the mission is bigger than any one person Guest Bio:  Marc Allen is the CEO of Electra Aero. At Electra, Marc is leading the charge in developing hybrid-electric Ultra Short aircraft to define the next level of seamless air travel connectivity. Through direct aviation, Electra is bringing air travel closer to where people live, work, and play - without airports, emissions, or noise. Marc joined Electra after a distinguished career at The Boeing Company, where he held several key leadership roles, including Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Vice President for Strategy and Corporate Development. He led the $5 billion customer finance business before spending nearly a decade on Boeing's Executive Council, where he served as President of Boeing International and oversaw critical enterprise-wide functions. As head of all venture businesses, he led Wisk Aero's restructuring and full acquisition, focusing on the future of autonomous flight and serving as Chairman. Other roles at Boeing included President of the Embraer Partnership, President of Boeing China, and General Counsel of Boeing International. To learn more, go to http://electra.aero/ or connect with Marc on LinkedIn. Host Bio: Craig Picken is an Executive Recruiter, writer, speaker and ICF Trained Executive Coach. He is focused on recruiting senior-level leadership, sales, and operations executives in the aviation and aerospace industry. His clients include premier OEMs, aircraft operators, leasing/financial organizations, and Maintenance/Repair/Overhaul (MRO) providers and since 2008, he has personally concluded more than 400 executive-level searches in a variety of disciplines. Craig is the ONLY industry executive recruiter who has professionally flown airplanes, sold airplanes, and successfully run a P&L in the aviation industry. His professional career started with a passion for airplanes. After eight years' experience as a decorated Naval Flight Officer - with more than 100 combat missions, 2,000 hours of flight time, and 325 aircraft carrier landings - Craig sought challenges in business aviation, where he spent more than 7 years in sales with both Gulfstream Aircraft and Bombardier Business Aircraft. Craig is also a sought-after industry speaker who has presented at Corporate Jet Investor, International Aviation Women's Association, and SOCAL Aviation Association. Check out this episode on our website, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm, so our show reaches more people. Thank you!

In this episode, Chetna explains how new automation strategies are evolving not only productivity, but the role of the CIO. Chetna emphasizes the importance of data quality and security when scaling a fast-growing company, as well as transparency and partnership in vendor relationships. About the Guest: Chetna is an award winning CIO, board member, and VC advisor with over 25 years of experience working in the Fortune 100 and serving as a 3X CIO for hyper-growth SaaS businesses. Chetna currently serves as CIO of Webflow, a hyper-growth Website Experience Platform SaaS company. Previously, she served as CDIO at Amplitude and ZoomInfo.Chetna is an advisor to prominent VC firms including Sequoia Capital, Accel, Ridge Ventures, and Mayfield and serves on the Customer Advisory Board (CAB) at Veza and, Productiv and was formerly at Snowflake and Google Cloud Platform CAB. She served on the Tech Committee with Carlyle and Thoma Bravo, and on the Advisory Board of Ninja Focus and Women & AI.She was a finalist and nominee for the Bay Area ORBIE, CIO award, a finalist for “2019 Markie's Cultivator Award for Best Lead Management Program,” a recipient of the Delta Dental Women in Business Stevie Award of Excellence in Healthcare Transformation, and a Boeing Spirit of Excellence Award recipient. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, hiking, and skiing and has a passion for exploring different cultures.Timestamps:01:41 - About Chetna04:53 - Automation as a starting point07:16 - Employee productivity and the CIO11:25 - Discovering new AI tools13:44 - Evolving revenue systems22:47 - How will the CIO role evolve?28:37 - Lightning roundGuest Highlight:“ AI has really taken productivity at a whole different level now. It has really helped us drive the pace in productivity we couldn't have fathomed before the event of the content generation. It's not just content generation anymore. It's way beyond that. The velocity at which we are innovating on the product is huge.”Get Connected:Chetna Mahajan on LinkedInYousuf Kahn on LinkedInIan Faison on LinkedInHungry for more tech talk? Check out past episodes at ciopod.com: Ep 62 - Running IT Like a Growth EngineEp 61 - What Manufacturing Can Teach You About Scaling Enterprise AIEp 60 - Why the Smartest CIOs Are Becoming Business StrategistsLearn more about Caspian Studios: caspianstudios.comOur Sponsor:This episode was brought to you by Blitzy, the Enterprise Autonomous Software Development Platform with Infinite Code Context.Blitzy uses thousands of specialized AI agents that think for hours to understand enterprise scale codebases with millions of lines of code. Enterprise Engineering leaders start every development sprint with the Blitzy platform, bringing in their development requirements. The Blitzy platform provides a plan, then generates and pre-compiles code for each task. Blitzy delivers 80%+ of the development work autonomously, while providing a guide for the final 20% of human development work required to complete the sprint.Public companies are achieving a 5x engineering velocity increase when incorporating Blitzy as their Pre-IDE development tool, pairing it with their coding co-pilot of choice to bring an AI-Native SDLC into their org.Visit Blitzy.com and press book demo to learn how Blitzy transforms your SDLC from AI Assisted to AI Native. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's finally here! Today we are releasing Acquired's first “concert film” — the full video recording of our Radio City live show from this summer with Jamie Dimon, Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times CEO Meredith Kopit Levien, Barry Diller, and cameos from around the Acquired Cinematic Universe including Christina Cacioppo, Ben Clymer, and Howard Schultz.To watch the full production on any device, please head over to Spotify where you'll find it available for free in the Acquired feed right alongside all our other episode.Sponsors:Live Show Presented By: J.P. MorganShopifyServiceNowMore Acquired:Get email updates and vote on future episodes!Join the SlackSubscribe to ACQ2Check out the latest swag in the ACQ Merch Store!‍Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.

本期节目，我们邀请到了 Jarsy 的创始人秦汉。他的职业生涯几乎是硅谷黄金十年的缩影：2010 年加入只有 500 名工程师的 Facebook，见证了扎克伯格亲自写代码的时代；随后，他跳槽到仅有百名工程师的 Uber，感受了 Travis Kalanick 如何用愿景和超强执行力改变真实世界；之后又作为创始工程师，帮助澳大利亚金融科技公司 Afterpay 在美国从零到一，并最终被高价收购。 2023 年，他创立了 Jarsy (https://sourl.co/ygsdZE)，致力于用区块链技术降低一级市场投资的门槛。节目中，他与我们分享了自己从 0 到 1 的创业心路，如何看待区块链的应用场景，以及他如何看待 AI Native 的创业机会与工作方式。无论你是身处大厂的职场人，还是正在路上的创业者，希望这期节目能够为你带来关于个人成长、公司文化和把握技术浪潮的一些启发。 如果有感兴趣的小伙伴想要注册 Jarsy 账号，欢迎点击链接 (https://sourl.co/mWmb8V) Untitled https://media24.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads-2024/images/8/8dd8a56f-9636-415a-8c00-f9ca6778e511/jrxU9B6u.JPEG 本期人物 秦汉，Jarsy (https://sourl.co/ygsdZE)创始人兼 CEO 硅谷徐老师，AI 高管、连续创业者、斯坦福客座讲师，小红书和微信视频号：硅谷徐老师 ｜公众号：硅谷云｜ YouTube： Byte into Future 主要话题 [02:00] 回到 2010 年的 Facebook：硅谷的「996」，工程师文化和写代码的小扎 [06:52] Facebook 「工程师驱动」文化与「A/B 测试哲学」 避免工程师自嗨 [10:50] Facebook 的超强执行力：「快」和「MVP」 (最小可行性产品) 理念如何深入人心。 [16:20] 为何离开Facebook，选择加入风险更高、更早期的 Uber？ [23:22] 为什么 Uber 的员工创业成功率更高？因为它教会大家如何用技术影响真实世界。 [26:08] 从 Uber 到 Afterpay：从澳大利亚到美国市场，年轻人与「先买后付」模式的金融创新 [31:15] 三家顶级公司的共同点：所有伟大的产品都始于为「年轻人」解决问题。 [40:40] Jarsy 做什么：让普通年轻人也有机会投资 SpaceX 和 OpenAI 这样的未上市公司。 [42:04] 为什么一定要用区块链？它带来的「透明性」比「去中心化」更重要。 [51:33] 区块链的真正潜力在于「On-chain to Off-chain」，与真实世界金融服务的结合。 [01:00:06] 什么是 AI Native 的公司？AI 如何让 2-3 人的工程团队实现 10 人的效率。 [01:05:42] 给 职场人的建议：积极拥抱 AI，把自己当成 CEO 来经营你的职业生涯。 幕后制作 监制：Yaxian 后期：迪卡 运营：George 设计：饭团 商业合作 声动活泼商业化小队，点击链接直达声动商务会客厅（https://sourl.cn/9h28kj ），也可发送邮件至 business@shengfm.cn 联系我们。 加入声动活泼 声动活泼目前开放商务合作实习生、社群运营实习生和 BD 经理等职位，详情点击招聘入口详情点击招聘入口 (https://eg76rdcl6g.feishu.cn/docx/XO6bd12aGoI4j0xmAMoc4vS7nBh?from=from_copylink) 关于声动活泼 「用声音碰撞世界」，声动活泼致力于为人们提供源源不断的思考养料。 我们还有这些播客：声动早咖啡 (https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/60de7c003dd577b40d5a40f3)、声东击西 (https://etw.fm/episodes)、吃喝玩乐了不起 (https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/644b94c494d78eb3f7ae8640)、反潮流俱乐部 (https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/5e284c37418a84a0462634a4)、泡腾 VC (https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/5f445cdb9504bbdb77f092e9)、商业WHY酱 (https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/61315abc73105e8f15080b8a)、跳进兔子洞 (https://therabbithole.fireside.fm/) 、不止金钱 (https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/65a625966d045a7f5e0b5640) 欢迎在即刻 (https://okjk.co/Qd43ia)、微博等社交媒体上与我们互动，搜索 声动活泼 即可找到我们。 期待你给我们写邮件，邮箱地址是：ting@sheng.fm 声小音 https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/4931937e-0184-4c61-a658-6b03c254754d/gK0pledC.png 欢迎扫码添加声小音，在节目之外和我们保持联系。 Special Guest: 秦汉.

From time to time, we'll re-air a previous episode of the show that our newer audience may have missed. During this episode, Santosh is joined by Chris Kuntz, Vice President of Strategic Operations at Augmentir. Chris introduces Augmentir's AI-powered connected worker platform, which helps companies onboard workers faster, digitize workflows, and improve safety, quality, and productivity. The conversation also explores the importance of augmenting human workers with technology, the need to rethink hiring and training strategies, and the role of AI in enhancing manufacturing operations. Chris and Santosh also discuss the critical intersection of technology and workforce development in addressing industry challenges. Don't miss this episode! Highlights from their conversation include:Chris's Background and Journey to Augmentir (0:41)Overview of Augmentir (1:05)Identifying Customer Needs (4:15)Starting Points for Digitization (5:49)Measuring ROI (8:29)Case Study: Colgate-Palmolive (10:48)State of U.S. Manufacturing (12:32)Skills and Training Investment (14:28)Addressing Systemic Problems (15:57)Nearshoring Trends (17:52)AI's Role in Manufacturing (19:31)Challenges in Mid-Market Manufacturing (22:50)Chips Act and Semiconductor Manufacturing (24:11)Final Thoughts and Takeaways (25:19)Dynamo is a VC firm led by supply chain and mobility specialists that focus on seed-stage, enterprise startups.Find out more at: https://www.dynamo.vc/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on Swimming with Allocators, Vivek Jindal, CIO at Caprock, shares his journey from risk manager to leading allocator, offering valuable insights into building all-weather, customized portfolios for ultra-high-net-worth families. The conversation covers the evolution of venture investing, the art and science of risk management, the growing role of secondary markets, manager selection, and the importance of diversification and due diligence. Listeners will gain key takeaways on how to compound capital over decades, adapt to market changes, and identify fund managers' unique superpowers for long-term success. Also, don't miss our insider segment as Shane Goudey highlights Sidley's expansive, practical expertise in representing venture firms and emerging companies, emphasizing the firm's holistic, relationship-driven approach and ability to offer clients sophisticated legal and strategic support across the entire investment and startup ecosystem.Highlights from this week's conversation include:Welcoming Vivek Jindal to the Show (0:22)Lessons from Starting on the Risk Side and the Global Financial Crisis (1:44)Approaching Risk in Venture & Asset Allocation (5:30)Evolution of Portfolio Construction and Blurring Asset Class Lines (10:01)Strategies for Identifying Manager “Superpowers” (10:38)Caprock's Venture Investing Approach and Its Evolution (13:42)Sectors Out of Favor and Long-term Perspective (16:36)Selecting and Accessing Fund Managers (18:36)Word of Mouth, Networking, and New Venture Managers (19:06)Discussion with Sponsor Sidley's Shane Goudey (21:52)Ideal Client Profiles for Caprock (27:06)Why Alternatives—and Why Venture? (29:21)Opportunities in the Secondary Market (31:45)Trends to Watch in Venture and Growth Equity (35:22)What Makes a Good Fund Manager and Reference Checking (38:36)Final Thoughts and Takeaways (41:52)Caprock is a leading multifamily office providing independent, fiduciary advice to ultra-high-net-worth families and institutions. With a multi-asset class approach spanning traditional and alternative investments, Caprock creates fully customized portfolios designed to preserve, compound, and align wealth across generations. Learn more at www.caprock.com.Sidley Austin LLP is a premier global law firm with a dedicated Venture Funds practice, advising top venture capital firms, institutional investors, and private equity sponsors on fund formation, investment structuring, and regulatory compliance. With deep expertise across private markets, Sidley provides strategic legal counsel to help funds scale effectively. Learn more at sidley.com.Swimming with Allocators is a podcast that dives into the intriguing world of Venture Capital from an LP (Limited Partner) perspective. Hosts Alexa Binns and Earnest Sweat are seasoned professionals who have donned various hats in the VC ecosystem. Each episode, we explore where the future opportunities lie in the VC landscape with insights from top LPs on their investment strategies and industry experts shedding light on emerging trends and technologies. The information provided on this podcast does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this podcast are for general informational purposes only. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tobias Lewis is Head of BD at TOP, the largest VC in Telegram, whose portfolio includes Wallet, the crypto platform built into the app's settings menu. Fluent in Russian and English, he has a background in corporate due diligence and previously worked at the TON Foundation.

Tobias is Head of BD at TOP, the largest VC in Telegram, whose portfolio includes Wallet, the crypto platform built into the app's settings menu. Fluent in Russian and English, he has a background in corporate due diligence and previously worked at the TON Foundation.

Itamar Novick, founder and General Partner at Recursive Ventures, explains how a repeat-founder's playbook shapes better early-stage investing. Itamar draws on 25 years of startup experience (including executive roles at Gigya and Life360) to describe the firm's disciplined pre-seed focus, how he evaluates founders and markets, and why AI applications built on first-party data will create the next wave of meaningful enterprise value. He shares concrete advice on what founders should share with VCs before/during the first meeting, how Recursive filters opportunities, what makes an investable TAM, and the common reasons he passes after initial interest.In this episode, you'll learn:[03:18] The journey from founder to VC and back again[07:42] How Recursive defines “pre-seed” and why focus matters[12:51] What Itamar looks forward to in the first call with a founder[18:34] Data defensibility and AI applications: where value is created[25:07] The math and reasons behind saying no[31:40] What founders misunderstand about TAM sizing[36:58] Staying emotionally resilient as a founderThe nonprofit Itamar supports: Anti-Defamation League (ADL)About Itamar NovickItamar Novick is the founder and General Partner at Recursive Ventures, a pre-seed focused venture firm investing in AI-driven applications and data-advantaged software products. Before becoming an investor, Itamar spent over two decades as a founder and operator, including leadership roles at Gigya (acquired by SAP) and Life360. His approach to venture blends hands-on operator judgment with disciplined portfolio construction and deep founder support.About Recursive VenturesRecursive Ventures is a founder-GP led fund specializing in pre-seed and seed companies building AI-powered applications with strong data defensibility. The firm operates with a focused portfolio model, quick decision cycles, and direct founder support — avoiding the AUM-driven growth strategies common in larger firms. Recursive backs founders who combine technical depth, market insight, and authentic obsession. Portfolio companies include Life360, Ring, Tile, DataJoy, Armory, Placer.ai, Deel, May Mobility, Akash Network, Tomato AI, Anjuna Security, Harmony.ai among others.Subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode.

As a former hedge fund investor, Eva Yazhari is comfortable making the contrarian bet. While other VC investors are swinging for grand slams with AI startups, Yazhari's Beyond Capital Ventures is knocking down singles and doubles around the west Indian Ocean, one of the world's fastest-growing regions. “The gap is where the alpha lives,” Yazhari told ImpactAlpha on the latest Agents of Impact podcast.

In this conversation, I catch up with longtime friend and operator, Stephanie Quay—a five-time acquisition veteran who recently launched Five Experts, a platform matching early-stage companies with proven operators to drive value creation in the first five years. We trace her zig-zag path from film school and TV.com (hi, CNET days!) to growth-stage leadership across PE- and VC-backed companies, and the playbooks she now packages for founders, investors, and fractional experts.Stephanie opens the hood on the 5×5×5 framework—from the first 90 days through year five—and how to pull the right levers (margin, operations, capital efficiency, customer success, revenue) without losing your culture or your North Star. We also get into what makes someone an expert (outcomes + the ability to teach), why “warm demander” leadership works, and how to protect your focus by controlling what you can (sprinters, we see you).What you'll learnHow to diagnose growth inflection points in the first five years—and what to do in each phaseThe 5 value levers that move EBITDA (with real examples from PE-backed turnarounds)Why breaking apart sales vs. customer success can unlock outsized growthThe difference between experience and expertise (hint: repeatable outcomes + coaching)How to set a clear mission/ICP so teams row in the same direction“Warm demander” management: high standards + high supportMindset for founders: doubt is normal—return to your mission fastWho this is for:Founders, operators, and investors navigating resource-constrained growth; women in leadership building high-performing teams; and anyone curious about turning career zigzags into a superpower.Connect with Stephanie:LinkedInFive ExpertsEmail: growth@fiveexperts.comFavorite lines“An expert has proven the outcome—and can teach the path back.”“Culture and mission aren't posters; they're the daily operating system.”“Control the controllables. Ignore the rest.”

What makes a great venture capitalist — luck, timing, or the ability to see what others miss?Brij Bhushan (Prime Venture Partners) and Pratik Poddar (Nexus Venture Partners) talk about the long game of venture capital; the waiting, the lessons hidden in mistakes, and the emotional ride of backing founders through years of uncertainty.With Pratik, we dive into some of the biggest names in the Nexus portfolio: his first meeting with Rapido's founder before he even joined Nexus, the Meesho pitch that became a big miss, and his first call with Zepto's founders. Nexus was one of Zepto's earliest investors and has backed the company in every round since. Pratik speaks with great clarity about conviction, timing, and what truly defines great investing.Brij reflects on his decade of building Magicpin, what it means to “build the same company three times,” and how that journey reshaped the way he now works with founders. Having lived through the chaos of scaling, near-failure, and reinvention, he brings the founder's perspective back into venture capital.Together, Brij and Pratik capture the essence of the VC game — how the industry is evolving, why consensus rarely creates outliers, how real decisions are made inside funds, and why the best founders often seem “too early” rather than too late. We talk about everything that shapes a VC's everyday life, and above all why Brij and Pratik believe it's still the best job in the world.0:00 – Trailer01:59 – Biggest learnings from 10 years as a VC05:00 – Rapido as a counterintuitive bet06:49 – Meesho was a big miss10:20 – Why Venture capital is the best job?12:35 – Every meeting could be life-changing14:54 – Knowing you are NOT in an Operating role16:55 – How often are VCs wrong about market size?18:58 – Where to invest in Consumer companies?25:33 – How consumer VCs bet on behavior change27:12 – Is e-commerce truly built for young users?28:10 – How do Investors deal with Bias?30:04 – Are VCs only remembered for success stories?37:45 – Why good deals rarely come from Consensus?39:24 – The first call with Zepto's founders41:10 – How often do you meet truly exceptional founders?43:45 – Should VCs react to market shifts?46:42 – How long VC's take to make an investment decision?50:53 – How founders should approach fundraising54:27 – Can India produce 50 decacorns in the next few years?55:51 – Best way to play VC game is to have right fund size56:42 – Not Knowing is a pre-requisite for a VC1:00:41 – Exceptional founders have this superpower1:02:02 – Where Indian founders have a real edge1:05:14 – Building AI in India: local maxima or global maxima?1:09:00 – When will Indian Co's acquire Indian startups for $Billions?1:11:55 – Why Zomato & Swiggy aren't true Consumer Co's?-------------India's talent has built the world's tech—now it's time to lead it.This mission goes beyond startups. It's about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.What is Neon Fund?We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that's done it before.Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we're doing it all at Neon.-------------Check us out on:Website: https://neon.fund/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShowwConnect with Siddhartha on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7Send us a text

Welcome back to the EUVC Podcast, where we gather Europe's venture family to share the stories, insights, and lessons that drive our ecosystem forward.Today we zoom in on the inner game with Seb Agertoft, former product leader turned executive coach and Partner at Evolution, a collective of ~80 coaching and leadership-development partners across the US and Europe. Seb works primarily with VC-backed founders, co-founding teams, and leadership teams. Joining me is Mike Reiner (432 Legacy), who's helping us bring more conversations like this to light. We dig into what real coaching is (and isn't), how product experience helps without turning coaching into advice, why founders need the right kind of stubbornness, and how slowing down actually improves performance.

Send us a textWhile divorce seems to be a settled topic in society at large, many in the Church want to know what the Bible says.  In this episode, the VC looks at the teachings of Jesus around marriage and divorce.

In this episode, we sit down with Michelle Urben, Managing & General Partner of the Synergos Fund, an innovative firm that is challenging the traditional VC model. They've launched a "continuum fund," a new structure designed to support transformative companies through their entire lifecycle, from seed to commercialization.We dive deep into why they "don't invest for an exit," their mission to build "very durable companies that we want to own forever," and how they are tackling some of the world's biggest problems, from the global energy demand to recycling spent nuclear fuel.⭐ Sponsored by Podcast10x - Podcasting agency for VCs - https://podcast10x.comSynergos Fund - https://www.synergosholdings.com/general-7Michelle Urben on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-boquiren-urben-0538852

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome Adrian Fenty to the show. Adrian is the founding managing partner of MaC Venture Capital, an early-stage venture-capital ("VC") firm investing in visionary founders. Before breaking into VC, Adrian was the mayor of Washington, D.C. from 2007 to 2011. Adrian kicks off the show by discussing how he transitioned from politics to VC, starting with investing in education-technology companies and working at established firm Andreessen Horowitz. As he explains, VC is still the Wild West of investing, so he searches to find "technical" founders with big ideas. Adrian also covers which sorts of companies MaC is invested in right now and how he helps them grow. (0:00) Next, Adrian talks about AI investing in the VC space – what conversations are happening and how companies are keeping up in this new and rapidly evolving ecosystem. He says that the U.S. is "building the future through technology," and it's drawing talent from all over the world. Adrian then discusses why he doesn't encourage early exits, the pattern of larger companies "acqui-hiring" AI engineers and founders from smaller companies, and how he finds promising startups to invest in. (17:26) Finally, Adrian talks politics. Once D.C.'s youngest mayor, he shares his thoughts on city governments and politicians not doing enough for their people, especially in terms of trying to reduce crime. His solution for this problem involves putting someone ambitious and qualified in charge of the efforts. Adrian says that, similar to management at successful companies, city officials need to tackle problems head on and not let them fester. He then finishes with a discussion about Americans "letting politicians off too easy," gives his opinion on the upcoming New York City mayoral election, and argues that the government needs to be held to higher standards. (35:20)

In this episode of Make It Happen Mondays, John Barrows sits down with Guy Rubin, CEO of Ebsta, the revenue intelligence platform that guarantees increased quota attainment—and was recently acquired.Guy shares the origin story of building Ebsta as a bootstrapped venture, the lessons learned through scaling without VC pressure, and how staying aligned with his values made the acquisition feel like a natural next step. But the real power of this episode lies in the data.We dive into insights from Ebsta's 2025 Sales Qualification Report, which shows jaw-dropping stats—like how just 17% of reps are responsible for over 80% of revenue. It's Pareto Principle in real-time, and it forces us to ask: What happens to the other 80% in an AI-first world?John and Guy dig into how the best reps qualify, the resurgence of full-cycle sales, and why the future belongs to reps who can ditch the features and start leading business conversations.This one's a wake-up call and a roadmap for anyone in B2B sales looking to stay ahead in a fast-changing game.Are you interested in leveling up your sales skills and staying relevant in today's AI-driven landscape? Visit www.jbarrows.com and let's Make It Happen together!Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1 Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletterConnect with Guy Rubin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubinguy/ Check out Guy's Website: https://www.ebsta.com/

Can AI be a co-founder? Do you need a technical co-founder, any more? How about a business co-founder? What can AI do for you as co-founder? Will this become the “brave new world” of start-ups, small and medium businesses? For this and much more discussion, a no BS perspective on AI as a potential co-founder.Our co-hosts:Bertrand Schmitt, Entrepreneur in Residence at Red River West, co-founder of App Annie / Data.ai, business angel, advisor to startups and VC funds, @bschmittNuno Goncalves Pedro, Investor, Managing Partner, Founder at Chamaeleon, @ngpedroOur show: Tech DECIPHERED brings you the Entrepreneur and Investor views on Big Tech, VC and Start-up news, opinion pieces and research. We decipher their meaning, and add inside knowledge and context. Being nerds, we also discuss the latest gadgets and pop culture news Subscribe To Our Podcast Bertrand SchmittIntro  Welcome to episode 70 of Tech DECIPHERED. Today, we'll talk about AI as a co-founder. Can AI be your co-founder? Do you need a technical co-founder anymore? Or do you need a business co-founder anymore? What can AI do for you as a co-founder? Will this become the brave new world of startup and small businesses? Nuno, what's your take on this topic? Have you started seeing that for early stage startups, the AI co-founder? Nuno Gonçalves PedroYeah. We start seeing this notion of people now—"Oh, I could be a single founder." I mean, single founders have existed for a long time. We'll come back to a little bit the taxonomies of founding teams. But definitely, is now a little bit of a trend where people are like, "Well, I don't need a co-founder. I'm just going to go do my own thing." Normally, the case is made more for, "Oh, I don't need a technical co-founder. I can vibe code and put some stuff together and go through things."  As we go through the episode today, I think we'll go into the details on why technical co-founders might still matter and why there are certain areas of technical founding that might not matter as much where AI can really be your co-pilot, so to speak.  The Classic Case for Co-Founders  But maybe let's start with what is the case for co-founders? Why do you need to have a co-founder? Why can't you just do it yourself? Historically, there's been really sort of an angle where there's sort of these two entities in the founding team. Right? The business founder and the technical founder.  The business founder is the person that runs business related activities. If you're doing, for example, enterprise software, SaaS, et cetera, your business co-founder is responsible for go-to-market like hiring sales—in particular, at the beginning actually being the person who does sales, establishing partnerships, creating and managing elements that are more related to admin with the help maybe of third parties around finance, et cetera. The business founder is more the person who's focused on the business aspects of the company, which would be go-to-market, which includes sales, channel partnerships, marketing, et cetera. Might include, as I said, the admin side, et cetera.  Then the technical co-founder is more focused on elements that are connected to the technology stack, development of the code base. If it's just software, development of software, could be more on the product side as well, someone who's more of a product manager, et cetera. That's why you need those two entities. Because you need these two entities, so to speak, these two people. Because you need someone who has more knowledge of how to develop a code base, how to get it off the ground, how to develop the MVP, the minimum viable product early on.  On the other side, you need someone who figures out: how do we get this thing to market, how do we actually deploy it, how do we monetise it, how do we create partnerships if they apply. That's why we've had this classic case for founding teams. Now just to be very clear,

Learn from two climate tech VC investors sharing startup lessons in energy, buildings, mobility, and industry.

(0:00) Intro(1:25) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel(2:12) Start of interview(3:01) Karen's origin story(3:44) Early Career and Transition to Technology(5:40) The Dot-Com Era and her time at Brobeck and later at Orrick.(8:50) Her transition to Prosper Marketplace (Chris Larsen's company) (9:40) Her time at Box, Inc. and Apple *Reference to E179 with Jack Lazar(13:14) Her journey to Venture Capital.(14:16) Joining B Capital (in 2019) and the firm's investment focus(16:16) The nature of B Capital's partnership with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) (19:32) Governance in Early Stage Companies(20:42) Her role as a board partner of her firm. *Reference to VCBA program(23:22) Building Trust in Governance "It starts on day one. And that trust is just, is literally earned through every conversation, every interaction, and certainly every board meeting."(25:41) Founder-Friendly Terms and Market Changes(28:43) The Importance of Governance During Crisis(31:52) CEO Succession and Leadership Transition(37:45) Advisory Boards vs. Fiduciary Boards(40:06) On board observers(44:08) Board Committees and Their Evolution(48:10) The Debate: Stay Private or Go Public(51:37) Books that have greatly influenced her life:Annie Duke's Thinking in Bets (2018)Ray Dalio's Principles (2017)Shoe Dog by Phil Night (2016)(52:00) Her mentors: David Geyer (Brobeck), Aaron Levie (Box), Howard Morgan (B Capital)(52:48) Quotes that she thinks of often or lives her life by: "never cut what you can untie". And the other is "never confuse motion with progress."(53:03) An unusual habit or an absurd thing that she loves. (53:25) The people she most admires(55:50) Diversity on Boards in Venture CapitalKaren Page is a General Partner and Board Partner at B Capital. As a Board Partner, she collaborates with portfolio company leadership, B Capital's investment team and the firm's network of advisors to provide best-in-class strategic guidance You can follow Evan on social media at:X: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

"What got you here won't get you there."James Johnson and Freddie Birley tackle the question: How do you scale yourself as a leader without losing what made you effective in the first place?In this Post Bag episode, James and Freddie explore the tension between staying authentic and evolving as your company grows. They unpack why some founders thrive in the scaling phase while others feel completely drained, how to design your role around what energises you (not what you "should" do), and why comparing yourself to founder archetypes like Elon Musk or Steve Jobs is a trap.The conversation also dives into Taylor Swift as a case study in reinvention (yes, really), the danger of judging your messy internal world against everyone else's polished external one, and why brutal self-awareness is your superpower.Together they unpack:Why the survival phase skills become detrimental during scalingHow to stay "in" the business without being stuck "in" the businessThe founder archetype trapWhy burnout happens when you're not attuned to what energises youHow to design your role around your strengths instead of "what a CEO should do"

提起动画，你的脑海里会想起哪些名字？哪些画面？或者哪些声音呢？可能对大多数人来说，走过了年少时光，随着生活和工作越来越忙，动画就开始渐渐退出我们的生活，只有热门动画作品推出的时候去看一看。其实，除了我们熟悉的那些商业动画作品之外，越来越多的独立动画作品正在用全新的方式，讲述我们当下的故事。更让人振奋的是，我们在这些年轻的动画创作者中，看到了越来越多非常优秀的女性动画创作者。她们的动画作品总是会以非常独特的视角，一下子击中我们的内心。这些优秀又可爱的女孩们都在创造些什么，她们为什么创作，又想要通过动画这种艺术形式，创造出怎样一片新世界。本期节目我们邀请了一位非常优秀的动画创作者——刘轶男，和她一起聊聊今天的动画创作者都在创造些什么，女性动画创作者们又在开创怎样的新天地！本期嘉宾：刘轶男，独立动画作者 / 策展人 / 播客「铁回路」主播，2021 年费那奇动画周主视觉动画作者；先后就读于北京电影学院动画学院、东京艺术大学动画专业，现生活和创作于北京。作品曾入围 2020 年费那奇动画周。关于2025年费那奇动画周和日程安排，欢迎来玩儿！本期节目你将听到：[03:03] 一个用动画来表达自己的人，不只有做动画片这一种「工具」[05:57] 吉卜力动画成为我们一代人的重要动画启蒙，而且常看常新[07:29] 那一天脑海出现了一个强烈的声音告诉我，要去做动画！[09:46] 重新学习一门新的语言会帮你打开另一扇门，创作的灵感就在生活的细节里[16:03] 当我要以「野餐」为主题创作动画，我真的和朋友一起策划了一场野餐[20:31] 想象力飞扬的动画真的离我们的生活很远吗？不！它其实就扎根在我们的生活里。[25:12] 动画其实比电影更早出现，甚至古老的岩画、壁画都是当时人们的一种「动画」[30:16] 动画创作者也可以玩出更多花样！比如做一个名叫「潜意识原型显现器」的装置，帮你看见你自己！[37:21] 在动画领域，女性创作者们似乎也更偏爱表达对「自我」「关系」这些议题的探索？[39:43] 今年费那奇动画周入围作品中非常触动人心的女性创作者们，以及她们厉害的作品[40:24] 《Murmure》 王子瑜 余金泓：女孩的成长和「性意识」的觉醒[41:32] 《听话，听话》河崎晶：当一个日本女孩拒绝被规训[43:11] 《我的朋友陈看看》张野姣 李蕲高：我们的童年回忆里隐藏着什么[44:31] 《你能听到吗？》阿纳斯塔西娅·瑙缅科：「桌面电影」，母女关系，俄乌战争[47:16]《苏莱马尼餐厅》维妮·安·博斯：印度女性，移民，身份认同[50:44] 女性创作者探讨的话题过于类似了吗？[53:23] 只要还有人对这些议题感到「大惊小怪」，我们就需要持续地表达！[58:50] 轶男推荐作品：《杯子里的小牛》朱彦潼>刘轶男动画短片作品《左右盲》>2021年费那奇动画周主视觉>>刘轶男装置作品「潜意识原型显现器」以下是我们重点推荐的本届费那奇动画周女性创作动画作品：>《Murmure》 王子瑜 余金泓>《听话，听话》河崎晶>《我的朋友陈看看》张野姣 李蕲高>《你能听到吗？》阿纳斯塔西娅·瑙缅科>《苏莱马尼餐厅》维妮·安·博斯【节目主播/制作】主播/制作：VC微博：@VividCrystal https://weibo.com/u/1241505120小红书：@午夜飞行VC https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/572a84ee50c4b435fe74744e【节目互动】微博：@午夜飞行Official https://weibo.com/u/7298580324公众号：午夜飞行【商务合作】商务合作联系邮箱：hello@marcastmedia.com或添加微信：hellomarcast【欢迎加入听友群】入群方式 A：微信添加小助手 Amber (ID: hellomarcast)，拉你入群入群方式 B：关注公众号「午夜飞行」 ，回复「听友群」三个字，即可获取入群通道【本集音乐】Music credit:1. パーティー - 渡邊崇2. 風の谷のナウシカ (カラオケ) - 安田成美3. Metropolis - 本多俊之4. ドラえもんのうた - 大杉久美子5. サクラのかき氷 - 金子隆博6. となりのトトロ - 井上あずみ7. 君が好きだと叫びたい - BAAD8. 斜陽 - GIN9. There'll Never Be Good-Bye - Minako Obata【封面图片】图片由费那奇动画周官方提供【节目出品】本播客由 Marcast Media 制作出品，也欢迎你订阅收听 Marcast 旗下的其他播客节目。你可以通过以下方式找到我们：- 小红书：@Marcast https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5e53be6400000000010003bb- 公众号：Marcast- 微博：@Marcast https://weibo.com/u/2743283854- 进听友群请添加微信：hellomarcast- 欢迎加入 2500+ 朋友一起订阅 Beads Newsletter 每周一封精选英文播客内容分享，为你提取、总结那些 90% 的人听不到的、隐藏在声音里的一手信息、知识、经验、工具、趣味和审美，和你一起拓展认知和视野，每周一上午发送，订阅地址：https://beads.beehiiv.com© 2025 Marcast Media

Venture capital isn't dead — it's evolving. Carta's Head of Insights, Peter Walker, joins Jon Bradshaw and Peter Harris to unpack what the data really says about the 2025 market. From the AI-fueled bifurcation to shrinking equity packages and a wave of secondaries, this episode breaks down how founders, VCs, and LPs are adapting in real time.Peter shares Carta's inside view on:The comeback of deal flow and valuationsWhy down rounds are easing but hiring hasn't reboundedHow founder dilution and equity norms have shiftedThe rise of liquidity via secondaries and fund-to-fund capitalWhat signals matter most heading into 2026If you care about where venture is heading next — this is the episode.Follow the PodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/venturecapitalfm/Twitter: https://twitter.com/vcpodcastfmLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venturecapitalfm/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7BQimY8NJ6cr617lqtRr7N?si=ftylo2qHQiCgmT9dfloD_g&nd=1&dlsi=7b868f1b72094351Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/venture-capital/id1575351789Website: https://www.venturecapital.fm/Follow Jon BradshawLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrbradshaw/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjonbradshaw/Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrjonbradshawFollow Peter HarrisLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterharris1Twitter: https://twitter.com/thevcstudentInstagram: https://instagram.com/shodanpeteYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@peterharris2812

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome Adrian Fenty to the show. Adrian is the founding managing partner of MaC Venture Capital, an early-stage venture-capital ("VC") firm investing in visionary founders. Before breaking into VC, Adrian was the mayor of Washington, D.C. from 2007 to 2011. Adrian kicks off the show by discussing how he transitioned from politics to VC, starting with investing in education-technology companies and working at established firm Andreessen Horowitz. As he explains, VC is still the Wild West of investing, so he searches to find "technical" founders with big ideas. Adrian also covers which sorts of companies MaC is invested in right now and how he helps them grow. (0:00) Next, Adrian talks about AI investing in the VC space – what conversations are happening and how companies are keeping up in this new and rapidly evolving ecosystem. He says that the U.S. is "building the future through technology," and it's drawing talent from all over the world. Adrian then discusses why he doesn't encourage early exits, the pattern of larger companies "acqui-hiring" AI engineers and founders from smaller companies, and how he finds promising startups to invest in. (17:26) Finally, Adrian talks politics. Once D.C.'s youngest mayor, he shares his thoughts on city governments and politicians not doing enough for their people, especially in terms of trying to reduce crime. His solution for this problem involves putting someone ambitious and qualified in charge of the efforts. Adrian says that, similar to management at successful companies, city officials need to tackle problems head on and not let them fester. He then finishes with a discussion about Americans "letting politicians off too easy," gives his opinion on the upcoming New York City mayoral election, and argues that the government needs to be held to higher standards. (35:20)

“You really have to be unwaveringly obsessed..." Harry Stebbings' career began at the age of 13, when he watched The Social Network — David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin's brooding portrayal of the earliest days of Facebook. But whereas many of us watched that film and thought: “I'd quite like to be a tech founder”, Harry watched it and thought: “Gosh. I want to be a venture capitalist.” A few years later, and with £200 pounds in the bank and not a single contact in the VC world, Harry started his podcast, The Twenty Minute VC. Now, more than 10 years and 1400 episodes later, Harry has pivoted his juggernaut-like podcast into his very own VC fund — one that has backed 13 unicorns to-date. Here, in a beautifully candid interview, Harry tells the podcast about the AI start-up sphere; why he chooses to work nine-to-nine, six days a week; how his often lonely childhood formed his entrepreneurial mindset; the dangers of social media usage; and the things that make him optimistic about the future.

In this eye-opening episode, Animoca Brands co-founder & chairman Yat Siu joins host Constantin Kogan to unpack his extraordinary journey - from a 15-year-old Austrian kid coding MIDI software on Atari and getting paid via mailed checks, to building one of the first ISPs in Hong Kong, dominating early mobile gaming (200M+ downloads!), and getting deplatformed overnight by Apple in 2012.Yat Siu reveals:

Join Sophie for a captivating conversation with Simon Lancaster, the pioneering mind behind Omni Ventures and a former innovator at Apple and Google. Simon's journey from shaping hardware giants like the MacBook and iPad to nurturing the next wave of manufacturing technology through his niche VC fund is nothing short of inspiring. Simon Lancaster is the Founding General Partner of Omni Ventures, a first-check Manufacturing Tech VC backing AI-powered software and IoT that modernize engineering, automation, and industrial supply chains. An Apple and Google alum with 45+ patents, he helped shape MacBook, Magic Mouse, and iPad hardware before scaling Arris Composites to a $260M valuation. At Omni, he now partners with technical founders at pre-seed with operator-grade rigor (no hype), and is authoring "Unlocking Alpha: Rise of the Niche VC." In this episode, you'll hear about: Simon Lancaster's journey from Apple and Google to founding Omni Ventures and focusing on manufacturing tech investments Insights on the evolution of venture capital, including the significance of business development and branding Discussion on strategic partnerships, corporate venture capital, and fostering successful startup ecosystems The role of provisional patents and the impact of robotics and automation on global manufacturing Recent advancements in immigration laws supporting startup founders' visa applications Follow and Review: We'd love for you to follow us if you haven't yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Supporting Resources: Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonlancaster/ Website - www.omnivl.com https://a.co/d/1 7Foegc Underwriting the Unknown Alcorn Immigration Law: Subscribe to the monthly Alcorn newsletter Sophie Alcorn Podcast: Episode 16: E-2 Visa for Founders and Employees Episode 19: Australian Visas Including E-3 Episode 20: TN Visas and Status for Canadian and Mexican Citizens Immigration Options for Talent, Investors, and Founders Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook

Astasia Myers, General Partner at Felicis, breaks down how venture capital is betting on AI and why over 80% of their recent investments are in this space. But this isn't just another “AI is the future” conversation. We dig into the real ROI happening right now in healthcare voice agents, why MIT says 95% of GenAI projects fail to reach production, and what needs to happen for that number to flip. If you're building, investing, or just trying to understand where enterprise AI is actually working (not just hyped), this episode cuts through the noise.What You'll LearnThe labor replacement opportunity: Why outcome-based AI solutions are targeting the $35 trillion labor market instead of just software budgets and how that changes everything for startups and investors.Voice AI's healthcare breakthrough: How voice agents are finally solving the operational bottlenecks in patient scheduling and communication, driving 24/7 availability with better NPS than human operators.Why 95% of GenAI projects still fail: The technical and infrastructure gaps that prevent most AI initiatives from making it to production and what's needed to fix that in 2026.The new technical risk era: After years of focusing purely on market risk, VCs are back to evaluating deep technical challenges in agentic systems, browser automation, and continuous learning loops.The exceptionalism filter: How early-stage investors are separating signal from noise when everyone can spin up an AI startup and why founder insights and lived experience matter more than ever.Timestamped Highlights00:31 – What Felicis invests in and the types of AI companies dominating their portfolio right now02:58 – Why healthcare tech is finally ready for its AI moment after years of long sales cycles and unclear ROI08:15 – How outcome-based pricing is changing the VC evaluation playbook and unlocking 10x larger TAMs13:26 – The mythical one-person billion-dollar company: Is it real, and how would investors even spot it?17:18 – Voice AI as the gateway for enterprise adoption and why this modality is different from Siri and Alexa20:08 – Democratizing AI: What ChatGPT did for consumers and what needs to happen for enterprise buildersOne Thing Worth Remembering“These technologies can price towards the labor replacement markets, which is about 10x the size of the software market itself. The ROI right now is so tangible that it is a time to invest.”Subscribe and Stay in the LoopIf this episode gave you a new angle on where AI is actually delivering value, share it with a founder or investor who needs to hear it. Subscribe so you don't miss the next conversation, and drop a comment if there's a topic or guest you want us to tackle next.

In this episode, the founder of Practical Founders, Greg Head, shares the most powerful insights from over 165 podcast interviews and working with 40+ bootstrapped SaaS founders in his peer groups. Greg breaks down the common but less obvious traits he sees in practical founders who are quietly building valuable software companies without big VC funding. Greg shares how frugality and managed risk-taking coexist to create compounding steady growth, creating massive long-term value fpr practical founders. And independence and doing it your way are not just luxuries but real superpowers that fuel growth. These patterns have emerged across hundreds of founders he's worked with, representing over $10 billion in founder equity value created. For SaaS founders skeptical of VC templates and PE playbooks Greg shares what all practical founders do to grow from $1M to $10M ARR without betting it all. Are you wired like a Practical Founder? Key Takeaways Frugal yet bold – Practical founders are unusually frugal in life but make well-timed bold bets inside their companies. Managed risk – They avoid betting the whole company, instead making small bets that can compound into larger wins. Compounding focus – Long-term, steady 20–30% growth creates exponential outcomes in SaaS over 10–15 years. Independence premium – Protecting their ability to do it their way is treated as a strategic advantage. Optionality matters – Practical founders value flexibility to sell, go long, or change direction without outside control. This Interview Is Perfect For Founders building SaaS without VC funding CEOs who value control and sustainable growth Entrepreneurs exploring long-term leverage vs. quick wins Anyone who wants to understand the practical founder mindset Quote from Greg Head, founder of Practical Founders "The simple math of a $1 million ARR recurring revenue business that grows at 30% a year, will become very valuable if it keeps growing. ? Not crazy growth, a reasonable pace. This is the fundamental principle of recurring revenue businesses, that it's a compounding machine.  "If you grow at 30% for nine years, you'll have a $10 million business. And if you do that for another nine years, you will have a $100 million business. That's probably worth a billion dollars by that time. That sounds simple and not everybody gets there, of course, but practical founders think in this way. Steady, healthy compounding.  "We know that in the long run, the 10 years, the 20 years, compounding makes the difference. It's a healthier approach. We actually like this approach, generally speaking. We understand the math and yes, we're doing it. Most people don't really sign up for this kind of thing." Links Greg Head on LinkedIn Practical Founders on LinkedIn Practical Founders website Podcast Sponsor – Designli This podcast is sponsored by Designli, a digital product studio that helps entrepreneurs and startups turn their software ideas into reality. From strategy and design to full-scale development, Designli guides you through every step of building custom web and mobile apps. Learn more at designli.co/practical. The Practical Founders Podcast Tune into the Practical Founders Podcast for weekly in-depth interviews with founders who have built valuable software companies without big funding. Subscribe to the Practical Founders Podcast using your favorite podcast app or view on our YouTube channel. Get the weekly Practical Founders newsletter and podcast updates at practicalfounders.com. Practical Founders CEO Peer Groups Be part of a committed and confidential group of practical founders creating valuable software companies without big VC funding.  A Practical Founders Peer Group is a committed and confidential group of founders/CEOs who want to help you succeed on your terms. Each Practical Founders Peer Group is personally curated and moderated by Greg Head.

Michael Assraf is building Flamingo, an open-source and AI-powered operating system for managed service providers. After exiting Vicarious in May 2024, he spent seven months on market research before writing a single line of code—conducting 15+ MSP interviews, mapping their complete tool stack economics, and testing distribution channels with a free community product. The research revealed a structural margin crisis: MSPs operate on 10-15% margins with 30% of revenue flowing to vendor payouts and 25-30% to technician labor. Meanwhile, private equity consolidation drives customer pricing down while legacy vendors raise prices. Michael closed a $2.2 million pre-seed in February 2025, built OpenMSP as a lead-gen vehicle that generated 1,000+ waitlist signups, and launched Open Frame with 70% of capital still in the bank. In this launch-day conversation, he breaks down why the $380 billion MSP market remains massively underinvested, how Facebook ads outperformed LinkedIn 5:1, and why he's giving away the core product while charging for hosted deployment. Topics Discussed: The seven-month research phase: 15+ MSP interviews, mapping 19 tool categories with pricing data, evaluating open source project maturity through commit frequency and VC backing MSP margin compression mechanics: 30% vendor payouts, 25-30% labor costs, 10-15% net margins being crushed by PE-driven consolidation and vendor price increases Building OpenMSP as distribution validation: four months before alpha, generated 1,000 waitlist signups and 200 Slack members while testing paid acquisition channels Why Facebook delivered 40%+ of leads at $6-8 CPL while outbound completely failed with IT-busy MSPs aged 25-50 in central US markets Launching with 70% of $2.2M pre-seed still in bank by solving for distribution and product-market fit before scaling headcount Open Frame's architecture: unified control plane over open source tools (RMM, SSO, zero trust) with dual AI agents—one for end users, one for technicians Offering both self-hosted (free, GitHub) and commercial SaaS (per-seat pricing starting January 2026) to build trust in an underserved market The MSP category opportunity: $380B market, 12% annual growth, 30-40K US MSPs, minimal VC-backed innovation against 20-year-old incumbents GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Build lead-gen infrastructure before you have a product to sell: Four months before launching Open Frame, Michael shipped OpenMSP—a free tool that analyzes MSP tech stacks and suggests open source replacements. It wasn't a waitlist landing page; it delivered standalone value while capturing intent data. This generated 1,000 qualified signups and 200 Slack community members while simultaneously validating paid acquisition channels. By launch, he knew Facebook cost $6-8 per lead while outbound failed completely. Most founders build product first, then scramble for distribution. Michael inverted the sequence. Fire fast on sales hires in early stage, or don't hire them at all: Michael fired three VP Sales at Vicarious before learning the lesson: "The moment to bring salespeople is not when you are able to sell your product, is when someone else is able to sell your product." The critical test isn't whether the founder can close deals—founders sell vision and relationship. The test is whether a marketing person, SDR, or non-sales hire can generate revenue. Only then do salespeople accelerate an already-working motion. Hiring VP Sales at $50K ARR because the board wants "someone to own revenue" burns 12+ months and $200K+ learning this. Spend 6-12 months researching before building in unfamiliar markets: Michael conducted 15+ MSP interviews, mapped all 19 tool categories they use with pricing, evaluated open source alternatives by analyzing GitHub commit frequency and pull requests, identified which projects had VC backing for long-term viability, and tested multiple marketing channels before alpha deployment. This allowed him to launch with product-market fit indicators already validated and 70% of his $2.2M still in the bank. The alternative—build fast, iterate with customers—works when you deeply understand the market. When you don't, research is cheaper than pivots. Target categories where lack of innovation creates adoption momentum: MSPs represent 30-40K companies in the US alone, part of a $380B global market growing 12% annually. Yet VCs historically avoided the space assuming low ACV and high churn. The dominant platforms—ConnectWise, Datto, Asea—have existed 20+ years with minimal AI adoption or architectural modernization. Michael specifically chose MSPs because "in cyber security you would never get traction that we're getting right now unless you're spending millions of dollars." In crowded categories, distribution cost kills you. In starved categories, any credible innovation gets attention. Architect your product so adoption mechanically improves customer unit economics: Open Frame attacks both sides of MSP margin compression simultaneously. The open source tool suite eliminates the 30% of revenue paid to commercial vendors. The dual AI agent system (end-user self-service + technician orchestration) reduces the 25-30% spent on labor. Michael didn't find a problem and then figure out monetization—he reverse-engineered a solution where product adoption directly expands customer margins. When your product makes customers structurally more profitable, adoption isn't a marketing problem. // Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. www.GlobalTalent.co   //   Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role. Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM

去年秋天，特朗普在总统竞选阶段允诺下不少经济政策。现在回顾，这些允诺兑现得如何了？ 把各国都得罪了一遍的关税果真让制造业回流了吗？为什么说「大而美法案」是特朗普固定自己政治遗产的手段？而当美国政府越发重视产业政策，甚至开始以股东的身份介入产业、左右企业决策时，这种被美国媒体称为是「国家资本主义」的转向，又意味着什么？ 这一期，我们和老朋友周玖洲一起，复盘特朗普竞选成功一周年的经济实验：兑现的承诺、意料之外的后果，以及受此影响可能正在被重塑的美国经济秩序。 本期人物 周玖洲 Aaron，资深投资人 &「不止金钱」、「涉市未深」主播 徐涛，声动活泼联合创始人 主要话题 [11:40] 关税提高了，美国本土的制造业回流了吗？ [19:49] 「大而美法案」：谁的钱变多了，谁的钱变少了，赤字解决了吗？ [33:26] 华尔街日报为什么说这是「美国特色的国家资本主义」？ [54:29] 美国的就业数据居然是不准确的？ 延伸阅读 玖洲的播客：涉市未深 (https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/64f179eaa7acfd652eb2ae80) 不止金钱 (https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/65a625966d045a7f5e0b5640) PCE 指数（personal consumption expenditure price index） (https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%80%8B%E4%BA%BA%E6%B6%88%E8%B2%BB%E6%94%AF%E5%87%BA%E7%89%A9%E5%83%B9%E6%8C%87%E6%95%B8) 以美国经济分析局国民收入与生产统计中国民生产总值（GDP）之最大构成项目 —— 个人消费支出（personal consumption expenditure，PCE）计算得出 All in Podcast (https://www.youtube.com/@allin) 往期节目 #356 看似遥远的债务危机和赤字，对普通人意味着什么 (https://etw.fm/2174) 给声东击西投稿 当下，AI 越来越多地出现在了招聘的过程中，企业在用 AI 筛简历、做面试，求职者也在用 AI 润色简历、模拟回答……AI 智斗 AI 的场景正在上演。 无论你是招人的 HR，还是正在找工作的应聘者，又或是相关 AI 技术的开发者，如果你经历过类似的场景，或者有相关的经历想要分享或吐槽，都欢迎你给我们投稿！投稿方式在节目的 shownotes 和评论区中可以找到，期待你的来信！ 你的声音可能出现在未来的节目当中，我们非常期待你的分享！ 投稿入口 (https://eg76rdcl6g.feishu.cn/share/base/form/shrcne1CGVaSeJwtBriW6yNT2dg) 你也可以直接通过邮箱直接联系节目组：kexuan@shengfm.cn 「Knock Knock 世界｜秋季敲门版」上线啦！ Untitled https://media24.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads-2024/images/8/8dd8a56f-9636-415a-8c00-f9ca6778e511/hlqVv_ii.png 新学期伊始，我们特别推出了「Knock Knock 世界｜秋季敲门版」，每期 10 分钟，和青少年一起解读一个全球新鲜事，话题涉及社会、科技、商业、文化。 - 更新时间：整个秋季学期，从 9 月 1 日开始到 1 月 30 日 - 期数：60 期 - 售价：179 元 前三期依然可以免费收听，其中包括我们在线下选题会和少年听友们一起制作的两期正式节目。点击收听：https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/6899a9e12540fdafbd245d41 已经购买了「Knock Knock 世界」的朋友们无需重复购买，秋季敲门版里的节目是全年节目的一小部分。不过，也欢迎把秋季敲门版分享给更多志同道合的新朋友，我们也为每一位帮助我们成功邀请的老听友准备了一份专属礼物！感兴趣的朋友可以点击链接收听。 加入我们 声动活泼目前开放【商业发展经理、节目监制，以及内容实习生（可远程）、早咖啡实习生、商业实习生和运营实习生】岗位，详情点击招聘入口：加入声动活泼（在招职位速览） (https://eg76rdcl6g.feishu.cn/docx/XO6bd12aGoI4j0xmAMoc4vS7nBh)，点击相应链接即可查看岗位详情及投递指南。 Untitled https://media24.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads-2024/images/8/8dd8a56f-9636-415a-8c00-f9ca6778e511/1TCNqViU.jpg 幕后制作 监制：可宣 内容实习生：飞扬 后期：赛德 运营：George 设计：饭团 商务合作 声动活泼商业化小队，点击链接可直达商务会客厅（商务会客厅链接：https://sourl.cn/QDhnEc ），也可发送邮件至 business@shengfm.cn 联系我们。 关于声动活泼 「用声音碰撞世界」，声动活泼致力于为人们提供源源不断的思考养料。 我们还有这些播客：不止金钱（2024 全新发布） (https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/65a625966d045a7f5e0b5640)、跳进兔子洞第三季（2024 全新发布） (https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/666c0ad1c26e396a36c6ee2a)、声东击西 (https://etw.fm/episodes)、声动早咖啡 (https://sheng-espresso.fireside.fm/)、What's Next｜科技早知道 (https://guiguzaozhidao.fireside.fm/episodes)、反潮流俱乐部 (https://fanchaoliuclub.fireside.fm/)、泡腾 VC (https://popvc.fireside.fm/)、商业WHY酱 (https://msbussinesswhy.fireside.fm/) 欢迎在即刻 (https://okjk.co/Qd43ia)、微博等社交媒体上与我们互动，搜索 声动活泼 即可找到我们。 也欢迎你写邮件和我们联系，邮箱地址是：ting@sheng.fm 获取更多和声动活泼有关的讯息，你也可以扫码添加声小音，在节目之外和我们保持联系！ 声小音 https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/8/8dd8a56f-9636-415a-8c00-f9ca6778e511/hdvzQQ2r.png Special Guest: 周玖洲 Aaron.

>Join Jocko Underground< From boat insertions under monsoon rains to surprise assaults on hidden VC camps, this episode takes you deep into the Mekong Delta with SEAL veterans Tom Boylan and Hal McNulty. They reveal the challenges of intelligence, leadership, and survival—plus the hard lessons carried into life, family, and business long after the war.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jocko-podcast/exclusive-content

本期节目是 「全球商业早知道」专栏，Diane 和 Aaron 将带大家一起了解全球范围内的创业故事、市场趋势和资本风向。 2024年，消费级机器人赛道忽冷忽热。一边是资本追捧下的高估值独角兽，另一边是二级市场的股价腰斩。风口与泡沫之间，真正的机会在哪里？消费级机器人真的能跑出来吗？ 本期节目，我们邀请到一位背景独特的跨界创业者——魂伴科技创始人真地。他从影视、IP和玩具行业出发，切入 AI 机器人领域，致力于为 IP 角色注入「灵魂」，让它们成为能与人交互的伙伴。从 「IP+AI」的独特视角，真地与我们聊了聊消费级机器人的核心挑战与商业闭环；为什么说当前阶段，IP 设定巧妙地解决了大模型的「幻觉」痛点；在硬件、算法和供应链的重重难关下，创业公司如何找到自己的生存空间。 本期人物 真地，上海魂伴科技有限公司 CEO 丁教 Diane，「声动活泼」联合创始人、「科技早知道」主播 周玖洲 Aaron， 十年中金、华夏基金等顶级投资机构工作经验，「不止金钱」 (https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/65a625966d045a7f5e0b5640)主播 主要话题 [01:20] 「魂伴科技」的创业故事：从影视、IP 再跨界到消费机器人 [08:13] 为什么「AI+IP」是最佳组合？AI 就是机器人 IP 的「人格放大器」 [11:37] 日本流行的弱机器人是「聪明的笨蛋」，刻意设计的笨拙感反而更受欢迎 [14:23] 第一梯队的 IP 不适合初创公司：第一个 IP 合作是如何打磨的？ [17:34] 陪伴型产品面临的大问题：思考慢，延迟长 [21:40] 如何保持 IP 角色的一致性？编剧团队与剧情矩阵是关键 [25:17] 「西部世界」里的机器人还很遥远，娱乐型机器人更易商业化 [30:34] 中国 vs 美国：供应链是中国最大的优势 [32:51] 国内太卷，出海是必然的选择 能量恢复实验 借着狂喜播客节的机会，我们发起了一场「能量恢复实验」，邀请每位听友加入。我们将分享彼此的倦怠时刻与恢复方法，从更大的世界寻找线索，让好奇与能量重新流动。 你可以参加线下活动，在现场跟我们一起恢复；也可以线上分享你的能量瞬间和恢复方法。周六活动结束后，我们将把所有线上线下收集到的所有方法分享出来，并随机抽取参与的听友送出 100 份「能量大礼包」。现在就加入能量恢复实验吧： - 线上贡献方法：请在本周六前点击这里投递 (https://sourl.co/DES3jx) - 线下参与活动：点击这里报名狂喜播客节 (https://sourl.co/g5h9TZ) - 时间：11 月 1 日本周六下午 1:15 - 地点：上海CMG融媒影城 - 分享人：徐涛、Diane、Babs、beibei 幕后制作 监制：Yaxian 后期：迪卡 运营：George 设计：饭团 商业合作 声动活泼商业化小队，点击链接直达声动商务会客厅（https://sourl.cn/9h28kj ），也可发送邮件至 business@shengfm.cn 联系我们。 加入声动活泼 声动活泼目前开放商务合作实习生、社群运营实习生和 BD 经理等职位，详情点击招聘入口详情点击招聘入口 (https://eg76rdcl6g.feishu.cn/docx/XO6bd12aGoI4j0xmAMoc4vS7nBh?from=from_copylink) 关于声动活泼 「用声音碰撞世界」，声动活泼致力于为人们提供源源不断的思考养料。 我们还有这些播客：声动早咖啡 (https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/60de7c003dd577b40d5a40f3)、声东击西 (https://etw.fm/episodes)、吃喝玩乐了不起 (https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/644b94c494d78eb3f7ae8640)、反潮流俱乐部 (https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/5e284c37418a84a0462634a4)、泡腾 VC (https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/5f445cdb9504bbdb77f092e9)、商业WHY酱 (https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/61315abc73105e8f15080b8a)、跳进兔子洞 (https://therabbithole.fireside.fm/) 、不止金钱 (https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/65a625966d045a7f5e0b5640) 欢迎在即刻 (https://okjk.co/Qd43ia)、微博等社交媒体上与我们互动，搜索 声动活泼 即可找到我们。 期待你给我们写邮件，邮箱地址是：ting@sheng.fm 声小音 https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/4931937e-0184-4c61-a658-6b03c254754d/gK0pledC.png 欢迎扫码添加声小音，在节目之外和我们保持联系。 Special Guests: Aaron and 真地.

Trader Joe's breaks every rule of modern retail. They don't do e-commerce. They don't do delivery. No sales, coupons, or loyalty programs. They only stock 4,000 SKUs versus 50,000+ at normal supermarkets. Their parking lots are famously terrible and they're constantly out of your favorite items. Shoppers brave long lines and cramped aisles while overly-friendly employees in Hawaiian shirts try to chat them up. Everything about the Trader Joe's experience seems designed to drive modern consumers away. And yet they generate $2,000+ per square foot in sales — double their nearest competitor in Whole Foods and nearly 4x the industry average — and Americans are obsessed with them. How on earth did a company that so steadfastly refuses to participate in the 21st century build the most beloved grocery chain in America?Today we tell the full story: how “Trader” Joe Coulombe started out cloning 7-Elevens in 1960s Los Angeles, pivoted to slinging hard liquor, discovered the enormous market opportunities for California wine and health food before anyone else, and ultimately built perhaps the most counter-positioned business we've ever studied on Acquired by doing almost everything differently than the supermarket-CPG industrial complex. Tune in for a wild voyage on the high seas of grocery retail!Sponsors:Many thanks to our fantastic Fall ‘25 Season partners:J.P. Morgan PaymentsSentryWorkOSShopifyLinks:Sign up for email updates and vote on future episodes!Worldly Partners' Multi-Decade Trader Joe's StudyBecoming Trader JoeThe Secret Life of GroceriesBuild a Brand Like Trader Joe'sAll episode sourcesCarve Outs:AirPods Pro 3Mario Kart 8More Acquired:Get email updates and vote on future episodes!Join the SlackSubscribe to ACQ2Check out the latest swag in the ACQ Merch Store!‍Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.