Podcasts about Venture capital

Only 3% of venture capital funding goes to women-owned businesses. But here's the thing—it's not because your idea isn't good enough. It's because of foundational mistakes you're making before you even apply. Business strategist Ms. Cat (Catherine Mitchell) joins Sarah to break down exactly what keeps women entrepreneurs from accessing the billions in funding that's actually available. From choosing the wrong business name to using your personal Gmail account, these structural errors are disqualifying you before funders even look at your pitch. Ms. Cat walks through the NAICS code trap, why your LLC address matters more than you think, and the exact moment you should start looking for funding. Plus, she gets real about the burning desire you need to make the leap from side hustle to main hustle—and why entrepreneurship isn't for everyone. This conversation is part of Sarah's mission to put more money in the hands of more women.   WHAT YOU'LL LEARN The 5 foundational mistakes that disqualify businesses from funding—including why certain business names are considered "high risk" and how your NAICS code can knock you out of the game When to actually start looking for venture capital funding (and the capital gap test to know if you're ready) Why using your home address on your LLC is a red flag to investors—and what funders are really looking for when they Google your business The 3-4x rule for knowing when your side hustle is ready to become your main hustle Why funding challenges have nothing to do with your product or service—it's all about foundation and structure How women disqualify themselves before they even ask for funding (and how proper structure gives you the confidence to apply) The burning desire you need beyond just a good idea to survive entrepreneurship   READY TO BUILD A BUSINESS FOUNDATION THAT POSITIONS YOU FOR GROWTH? Ready to build a business foundation that positions you for growth and funding? Book a free 15-minute chat with Sarah to discover how you can work together. Book Your Free Call → https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=13047670&appointmentType=34706781 CONNECT WITH MS. CAT Podcast: Both Sides of the Check (available wherever you get your podcasts) Website: https://connectwithmiscat.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connectwithmscat/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/connectwithmscat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@connectwithmscat   ABOUT MS. CAT (CATHERINE MITCHELL) Ms. Cat is a business strategist, entrepreneur, and co-host of the rising podcast Both Sides of the Check. She is the founder of Concept2Company, a program designed to help entrepreneurs structure their businesses for funding, make their first $10K in 30 days, and land consistent clients without leaning on friends and family. With years of experience guiding business owners through scaling, funding, and systems-building, Ms. Cat has built a reputation for simplifying complex strategies into step-by-step blueprints that actually get results. Her unique approach combines tough-love accountability with practical, actionable tools that help entrepreneurs go from idea to income. In addition to consulting, Ms. Cat owns her own tax software company, equipping professionals with training and mentorship under her ERO Expansion Hub mentorship program.   ABOUT SARAH WALTON Sarah Walton is a business coach, podcast host, and mentor who helps women entrepreneurs build businesses they love. She's the creator of the Abundance Academy, Effortless Sales, and the Game On Girlfriend® podcast. Sarah's mission is to put more money in the hands of more women while teaching authentic, heart-centered business strategies.   FREE GIFT FROM SARAH Get Sarah's Freedom Calculator and discover how much your business needs to make so you can finally be free.  → Download: https://sarahwalton.com/freedom   LEARN FROM SARAH Explore Sarah's online courses and free resources to start building your business with confidence.  Online Courses: sarahwalton.com/online-courses     Free Resources: sarahwalton.com/free-resources CONNECT WITH SARAH Website: https://sarahwalton.com/podcast  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSarahWalton Instagram: https://instagram.com/thesarahwalton   RELATED GAME ON GIRLFRIEND® EPISODES YOU'LL LOVE Episode 312: Awakening, Abundance & Ancient Wisdom — Rewriting Your Money Story with Halle Eavelyn - https://sarahwalton.com/women-money-mindset-halle-eavelyn/ Episode 313: But What About the Money? Why Your Nervous System Determines Your Income - https://sarahwalton.com/money-mindset-nervous-system-income/ Episode 310: How One Courageous Conversation Led to Impacting 11.6 Million Lives with Carrie Rich - https://sarahwalton.com/financial-planning-women-entrepreneurs-carrie-rich/   LOVE THE SHOW? LEAVE US A REVIEW! Thank you so much for listening. I'm honored that you're here and would be grateful if you could leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, and clicking "Write a review." Your reviews help other women entrepreneurs find the show and get the support they need to build businesses they love. Thank you for being part of the Game On Girlfriend® community! (If you're not sure how to leave a review, you can watch this quick tutorial.)  

This week, we chat with Terri Burns! Terri is the founder of Type Capital, an early-stage venture firm focused on being the first check for ambitious founders at pre-seed and seed. Most recently, she was a partner at GV, where she made history as the firm's youngest partner and its first-ever Black female partner, with a focus on digital consumer and emerging technology.During her time at GV, Terri led and supported investments that went on to raise follow-on capital from top-tier firms and achieve meaningful exits, including the social app HAGS, which was acquired by Snapchat. She's also an active angel investor and cofounder of an angel collective that has backed companies like Clubhouse.Terri's impact extends well beyond investing. She's a Forbes 30 Under 30 awardee for Venture Capital, a three-time co-chair of Fortune Magazine's Brainstorm Tech Conference, and a frequent speaker at institutions like Stanford GSB and Harvard Business School. Her work has been featured in publications including Vogue, Fortune, and TechCrunch.Before venture, Terri began her career as an associate product manager at Twitter, studied computer science at NYU, and today serves on NYU's Board of Trustees.✨ This episode is presented by Brex.Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspodThis episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena.RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazersGusto: gusto.com/trailblazersQuo: Quo.com/trailblazersAthena: athenago.me/Erica-WengerFollow Us!Terri Burns: @tcburning @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTokErica Wenger: @erica_wenger

What is the single most powerful indicator that a founder will succeed? According to Ben Savage, it isn't just a great product or a massive market—it's the "Compete Test". When a seasoned investor looks at a founder and realizes, “That's not somebody I want to compete with,” they know they've found a winner.In this episode of Demo Day, we sit down with Ben Savage, Partner at Clocktower Technology Ventures, to demystify the internal frameworks used by top VCs to evaluate talent and risk. With over 13 years at Clocktower, Ben shares his deep expertise in the "Foundational Economy"—investing in FinTech, energy, and industrials.Key TakeawaysThe "Unbeatable" Founder: Why the best indicator of success is being a person that others are afraid to go up against in the market.The 4-Part Investment Framework: How Clocktower evaluates every deal based on Founder Quality, Narrative Quality, Fit, and Value.Investor vs. Operator: Why "making the donuts" is fundamentally different from coaching from the sidelines, and why you must choose a spike.The "I" vs. "We" Red Flag: How small shifts in vocabulary reveal a founder's true ability to build a world-class team and culture.Navigating the AI Disruption: Why founders today must either lead with an AI-centric strategy or risk being disrupted at an accelerating pace.The Power of Simplicity: Why the best investment decisions often come from cutting through complexity to the "dumb" or obvious version of a story.Ben also opens up about the "lonely journey" of entrepreneurship and why radical vulnerability is a superpower for building long-term partnerships.

This episode of The Circuit dives into the current "gold rush" of semiconductor earnings, navigating the tension between unprecedented demand and the hard physical constraints of the supply chain. Hosts Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg explore why the current Wafer Fab Equipment (WFE) cycle is structurally different from the past, the internal "compute wars" happening within hyperscalers like Microsoft and Meta, and the surprising volatility in the storage and analog markets.Whether it's the "AI hotel" backlog or the high-stakes memory negotiations at Apple, this discussion provides a deep look at the plumbing behind the AI revolution.

How can early-stage investors deliver repeatable, outsized returns—without chasing hype? In this episode of Techoventure, Mark Fernandes, Managing Director at Sierra Ventures, shares the disciplined model behind one of the industry's most consistent early-stage venture firms. Sierra's strategy is designed for repeatable 3–5x returns by focusing on founder-market fit, tight portfolio construction, and tech-savvy sectors like AI, cloud, and cybersecurity. Key insights include: The four-part rubric Sierra uses to vet early-stage founders Why fund size discipline is critical to long-term VC performance How Sierra balances seed and Series A checks with portfolio theory The power of “AI enablers” in healthcare, legal, and vertical SaaS The 20-year evolution of Sierra's CXO Board and its enterprise value

Owen Barrett is the CEO and Co-Founder of Shine, a cleantech company helping multifamily property owners maximize NOI through onsite solar. With over 20 years of experience in sustainability and clean energy, Owen previously managed $60M in projects and launched a successful energy venture for schools before founding Shine to solve the split incentive problem in solar. Shine's turnkey solution targets tenant electricity—95% of a building's usage—enabling owners to generate new income while cutting tenant costs. With 36,500+ panels installed and a recent $5M seed round, Owen is leading Shine's national expansion to transform how real estate decarbonizes.(01:31) - Owen's Journey from Finance to Clean Energy(04:27) - Multifamily Solar Challenges & Solution(09:43) - Solar NOI for Multifamily(15:16) - Installation and Maintenance(17:51) - Feature: CREtech New York 2026 (19:10) - Overcoming Industry Misconceptions(20:46) - Convincing Asset Managers(23:15) - Shine's New Solar Analysis Tool(25:31) - Targeting New and Existing Buildings(26:32) - Fundraising and Growth Strategies (27:59) - Building a Remote Team(29:43) - Collaboration Superpower: Paul Sween (Dominium Board Chairman)

If you're a freelancer or a remote worker from the global south, you likely have a harder time getting paid and participating in the global economy. Maybe a global payments company doesn't operate in your country. Maybe they banned your account or froze your funds. Remote workers and freelancers from emerging markets often have to jump through hoops to get paid, incurring additional costs along the way.Meanwhile, more people than ever are working online, and more of these workers are coming from the developing world. Yet the global payments system is often failing the very people who rely on it the most. Are stablecoins the solution?This episode of Money Trails is presented by Stellar Development Foundation.Watch the full episode on YouTube.00:00 - The global payments system is broken01:34 - Freelancing and remote work payment issues03:38 - Why does this happen? De-risking04:29 - 1.2 billion people are reaching working age in emerging markets05:15 - Stablecoins to the rescue?07:09 - There is a tax on the global south09:03 - Next episode, we head to Lagos, NigeriaOur Links -

  Welcome to the Conscious Millionaire Show - How to Become an Ultra-Performer. Now 3X week M / W / F with host JV Crum III.   Are you an Entrepreneur, Founder, or CEO? Committed to break into the Top 1% of Performance with current revenues $250K to $50M? Sign up for your Breakout...here's what's included in your complimentary session: (1) Define your #1 Ultra-Outcome - your break out goal (2) Find out your #1 block keeping you from it - and how to remove it  (3) Get 1-3 actionable steps to immediately use to scale bigger, faster     Schedule Your Breakthough Session Now     Join Host JV Crum III, with 2 exits and over 75M revenues in his companies, he is the Ultra-Performer Coach for 6- to 8-figure owners ready to join the top 1%.   Season 12 of the award-winning Conscious Millionaire Show. World's #1 conscious business and performance podcast for foundeers and entrepreneurs who want to become Ultra-Performers.    Access Conscious Millionaire Show     Millions of Listeners. 190 countries. Inc Magazine "Top 13 Business Podcasts" with over 3,000 episodes. Listen 3X a week.

  Welcome to the Conscious Millionaire Show - How to Become an Ultra-Performer. Now 3X week M / W / F with host JV Crum III.   Are you an Entrepreneur, Founder, or CEO? Committed to break into the Top 1% of Performance with current revenues $250K to $50M? Sign up for your Breakout...here's what's included in your complimentary session: (1) Define your #1 Ultra-Outcome - your break out goal (2) Find out your #1 block keeping you from it - and how to remove it  (3) Get 1-3 actionable steps to immediately use to scale bigger, faster     Schedule Your Breakthough Session Now     Join Host JV Crum III, with 2 exits and over 75M revenues in his companies, he is the Ultra-Performer Coach for 6- to 8-figure owners ready to join the top 1%.   Season 12 of the award-winning Conscious Millionaire Show. World's #1 conscious business and performance podcast for foundeers and entrepreneurs who want to become Ultra-Performers.    Access Conscious Millionaire Show     Millions of Listeners. 190 countries. Inc Magazine "Top 13 Business Podcasts" with over 3,000 episodes. Listen 3X a week.

The NFL is nearly synonymous with America today. Practically nothing is more quintessentially and universally American than tuning in every Sunday (and Monday, and Thursday… and sometimes Saturdays and holidays too) to watch the world's most beautiful ballet of violence. It generates the most revenue of any sports league globally and sets new records for team valuations each year. But it wasn't always this way.The history of the NFL mirrors America's own development: scrappy small-town teams rode the successive growth waves of the automobile, TV, the Internet and social media to grow larger than the even the founders' wildest dreams. Whether you watch football or not, the NFL is one incredible business story, and one that we've taken more lessons from over the years for Acquired itself than perhaps any other episode we've made.Note: This is a remastered release of our original January 2023 episode, updated to today's Acquired production standards. It also features a full hour+ followup section at the end covering the seismic shifts in the NFL's business since the original episode's release. Much has happened in those three years: Taylor Swift entered the league (via merger

Jonathan Crystal, Managing Partner at Crystal Venture Partners, talks about investing in early-stage AI-driven insurtech companies. After leading his family's insurance brokerage to a successful exit, Jonathan launched his $33M fund when he realized AI was the catalyst insurance had been waiting for. He explains why entrepreneurship means "dooming yourself to years of terror," and why the best investments happen when founders identify problems before revenue models. With investments in companies like Bright Harbor, which helps families navigate disaster recovery, Jonathan explains how domain expertise enables conviction at day one—when there's no product, just a founder with an audacious vision.In this episode, you'll learn:[02:14] From Texas to Princeton to building an insurance dynasty in New York[04:04] Why insurance rewards creativity and curious minds[07:24] The brutal truth: 99% of a VC's job is saying no[10:31] Exiting the family business and finding the "why now" moment for venture[12:10] The ChatGPT revelation that launched Crystal Venture Partners[14:13] Investment thesis: $1-3M checks at day one for transformational companies[19:11] Why building a venture company means years of terror—and that's the test[21:59] Bright Harbor case study: From revenue model questions to product-market fit during LA fires[25:30] Most common reason for no: "We're not your best source of capital"[29:40] Finding investment opportunities in unusual areasThe nonprofit organization Jonathan is passionate about: 12/64About Jonathan CrystalJonathan Crystal is the Managing Partner of Crystal Venture Partners, a $33 million early-stage venture fund focused on AI-driven transformation in the insurance industry. Before entering venture capital, Jonathan spent 20 years as an operator in the insurance brokerage business, ultimately serving as CFO of Crystal and Company, a top-25 national insurance brokerage firm founded by his family. He led the firm to a successful exit to Alliant Insurance Services in 2018. Jonathan brings deep domain expertise and company-building experience to his investments. He backs seasoned, often serial entrepreneurs building transformational companies, writing $1-3 million checks as early as day one. His portfolio includes companies like Bright Harbor, Sixfold AI, NevadoAI, Comulate, and Corvus Insurance.About Crystal Venture PartnersCrystal Venture Partners is a $33 million early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2022 to capitalize on the AI transformation of the insurance industry. The firm writes $1-3 million first checks, often as the first institutional investor or alongside other first institutional investments. Crystal Venture Partners invests in 4-6 companies annually from a pipeline of 300+ opportunities, maintaining a highly selective approach with domain expertise enabling conviction at the earliest stages—sometimes backing founders on day one before product development. The firm's portfolio of 10 companies has shown strong momentum, with over half securing follow-on financing in multiple rounds within a year of initial investment. Led by Jonathan Crystal, who brings two decades of insurance industry operating experience, the firm specializes in identifying transformational opportunities where AI can create and capture significant value in risk management and insurance markets.Subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode.

In this episode of Lead On Purpose, I sit down with Robbie Paul from Icehouse Ventures to demystify venture capital and what it really takes to back world class founders. We unpack risk and reward, bootstrapping versus raising capital, the traits behind standout leadership, and why trust and honesty are non negotiable in a long game industry.What we cover:What venture capital actually is, and why it has a different risk and return profile to KiwiSaver and index fundsBootstrapping versus taking capital, and how external funding can level up ambition, clarity, and accountabilityBehind the scenes stories from Kiwi success plays like Crimson and Power by Proxy, and what makes a founder worth backingThe reality of failure in venture, why safe bets rarely create outsized outcomes, and what successful founders do differentlyHow to pitch and build relationships the right way, plus why honesty beats hype when trust is the real currencyIf you want a clearer understanding of how great companies are built, why people matter more than ideas, and what long term leadership really looks like, this conversation will stretch your thinking.You can learn more about IceHouse Ventures here - https://www.icehouseventures.co.nz/investorsConnect with Robbie on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertjpaul/?originalSubdomain=nzIf you're interested in having me deliver a keynote or workshop for your team contact Caroline at caroline@jjlaughlin.comWebsite: https://www.jjlaughlin.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6GETJbxpgulYcYc6QAKLHA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamesLaughlinOfficial Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jameslaughlinofficial/ Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/life-on-purpose-with-james-laughlin/id1547874035 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3WBElxcvhCHtJWBac3nOlF?si=hotcGzHVRACeAx4GvybVOQ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameslaughlincoaching/James Laughlin is a High Performance Leadership Coach, Former 7-Time World Champion, Host of the Lead On Purpose Podcast and an Executive Coach to high performers and leaders. James is based in Christchurch, New Zealand.Send me a personal text messageJoin me at the 2026 Goal-setting Workshop here - jjlaughlin.com/2026goals - If you're interested in booking me for a keynote or workshop, contact Caroline at caroline@jjlaughlin.comSupport the show

Venture capital is often discussed through funding totals and headline deals.But the real signal sits underneath the numbers.In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Arjun is joined by Philip Bahoshy, Founder and CEO of MAGNiTT, to break down what the latest venture data actually says about emerging markets and where capital is really moving.Drawing from MAGNiTT's newest annual report, Philip unpacks the divergence across emerging markets, the growing dominance of the GCC in venture funding, and why Saudi Arabia and the UAE are increasingly shaping the region's venture outcomes. The conversation goes beyond raw numbers to explore liquidity, exits, fund cycles, and what maturity really looks like for venture ecosystems.The episode dives deep into FinTech's continued dominance, the realities behind mega rounds, why exits remain the biggest unlock for founders and investors, and how AI, private credit, and digital assets are reshaping capital allocation. 

Public funding for peace efforts took a massive hit with the gutting of USAID last year, and other donor countries have ramped down aid as well, in a world that feels increasingly less safe for many. That's why our ears perked up when we heard about Brian Abrams, an American venture capitalist who is investing in technology to find solutions to violent conflict. In the new field of ‘peace tech,' companies are using AI to predict the likelihood of major events – like military invasions or popular uprisings, and modeling how to prevent violence before it starts. With their ability to process massive data sets from intelligence, journalism and other sources, these tools can also quickly gain insights on what's driving conflicts on a population level. Important tools for governments and mediators, they also appeal to corporations working around the world – customers who Abrams hopes will bring in revenue to sustain the peace tech sector. And as you'll hear, he's very optimistic. Brian Abrams founded B Ventures Group, a venture capital firm for peace tech, in 2023. Prior to that he was president of Ibex Investors and a managing partner at Row Capital. Connect with Brian Abrams on LinkedIn. Learn more about the peace tech companies discussed in this episode: Anadyr HorizonFrom Business Insider: Inside the Billion-Dollar War over Peace TechTranscend AICulturePulseodr.com ABOUT THE SHOW The Making Peace Visible podcast is hosted by Jamil Simon and produced by Andrea Muraskin. Our associate producer is Faith McClure. Learn more at makingpeacevisible.orgSupport our work Connect on social:Instagram @makingpeacevisibleLinkedIn @makingpeacevisibleBluesky @makingpeacevisible.bsky.social We want to learn more about our listeners. Take this 3-minute survey to help us improve the show!

In this episode of The Venture Capital Podcast (VC.fm), we sit down with Paul Allen, founder of Ancestry.com, to explore how public-domain data, viral growth, and platform risk shaped one of the most iconic internet businesses—and how AI is about to transform government, media, and civic life.Paul breaks down the original insight behind Ancestry's billion-dollar IPO, why genealogy was always a massive market hiding in plain sight, and the hard lessons he learned building on top of platforms like Facebook. We then go deep into his latest ventures, including CitizenPortal.ai and Elected.ai, which aim to use AI to bring transparency, efficiency, and accountability to government at every level.This is a wide-ranging conversation on AI, startups, platforms, public data, and the future of governance—with sharp insights for founders, investors, and operators navigating the next technological wave.In this episode, we cover:How Ancestry used public-domain data to build a multi-billion-dollar companyThe hidden size of the genealogy market (and how Paul validated it early)Scaling fast on platforms—and what happens when the platform pulls the plugViral growth loops before paid ads, Facebook, or Google distributionCitizenPortal.ai: turning public meetings into objective local news using AIElected.ai: dashboards for 500,000 elected officials to improve governanceUsing AI and automation to reduce government waste and improve servicesThe future of AI, privacy, and why society may split into two pathsWhy AI could uplift humanity—or deepen control, depending on design choicesIf you care about AI, startups, venture capital, govtech, public data, or building durable companies, this episode is for you.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

USDC closed the gap between software and law in modern finance.On Grit, Jeremy Allaire discusses how fully reserved, dollar backed digital currency became part of the financial system after more than a decade of work.He also shares why for him grit is about sustaining belief through deep uncertainty, even when Circle faced the threat of bankruptcy in 2019.Guest: Jeremy Allaire, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO at Circle​Connect with Jeremy AllaireX: https://x.com/jerallaireLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyallaire/Connect with JoubinX: https://x.com/JoubinmirLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joubin-mirzadegan-66186854/Email: grit@kleinerperkins.comFollow on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/kpgritFollow on X:https://x.com/KPGrit​Learn more about Kleiner Perkins:https://www.kleinerperkins.com/ 

Jacob sits down with agricultural economist Dr. David Kohl to unpack what a brutal downturn in farm profitability reveals about globalization, capital concentration, labor shortages, and long-term economic resilience. The two touch on tariffs, debt, and the limits of export-led growth, and then the conversation widens to examine how technology, demographics, and financial fragility are reshaping both rural America and the national economy. --Timestamps:(00:00) - Introduction (00:56) - Discussion on US Ag Economy(02:17) - Challenges and Opportunities in Agriculture(07:09) - Land Values and Institutional Investments(12:24) - Generational Transition in Farming(18:02) - Export Markets vs. Domestic Focus(23:03) - Future Trends and Strategic Insights(25:55) - Venture Capital in Agriculture(28:09) - Economic Outlook for 2026(29:21) - The K-Shaped Economy Explained(31:39) - Impact of AI and Job Cuts(34:55) - Global Economic Concerns(41:05) - Technological Advancements in Farming(49:39) - Financial Literacy and Life Skills(51:32) - Closing Remarks and Future Outlook--Referenced in the Show:Dave Kohl: https://www.farmprogress.com/author/david-kohl--Jacob Shapiro Site: jacobshapiro.comJacob Shapiro LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jacob-l-s-a9337416Jacob Twitter: x.com/JacobShapJacob Shapiro Substack: jashap.substack.com/subscribe --The Jacob Shapiro Show is produced and edited by Audiographies LLC. More information at audiographies.com--Jacob Shapiro is a speaker, consultant, author, and researcher covering global politics and affairs, economics, markets, technology, history, and culture. He speaks to audiences of all sizes around the world, helps global multinationals make strategic decisions about political risks and opportunities, and works directly with investors to grow and protect their assets in today's volatile global environment. His insights help audiences across industries like finance, agriculture, and energy make sense of the world.--

Send us a text"RAISE CAPITAL LIKE A LEGEND: https://go.fundraisecapital.co/apply"Stop picking founders the old school way—it's the fastest path to investment failure in 2026. In this episode of Making Billions, Ryan Miller sits down with Joe Alalou, General Partner at Daring Ventures, to reveal the new blueprint for Pre-Seed and Venture Capital success. Joe shares the "Daring Ventures" filter for identifying generational founders, in an era where AI has turned technical skills into a commodity, the "alpha" has shifted to human traits that machines can't replicate: grit, tenacity, and an undeniable right to win. This isn't just a manifesto on investing; it's a tactical guide to navigating the 2026 investment climate, mastering deal flow, and scaling a fund when information is incomplete.Subscribe on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTOe79EXLDsROQ0z3YLnu1QQConnect with Ryan Miller:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rcmiller1/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingbillionspodcast/X: https://x.com/_MakingBillionsWebsite: https://making-billions.com/[THE HOST]: Ryan Miller is a recovering CFO turned angel investor in technology and energy.[THE GUEST]: Joe Alalou is Co-founder and General Partner at Daring VSupport the showDISCLAIMER: The information in every podcast episode “episode” is provided for general informational purposes only and may not reflect the current law in your jurisdiction. By listening or viewing our episodes, you understand that no information contained in the episodes should be construed as legal or financial advice from the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal, financial, or tax counsel on any subject matter. No listener of the episodes should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any information included in, or accessible through, the episodes without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a lawyer, finance, tax, or other licensed person in the recipient's state, country, or other appropriate licensing jurisdiction. No part of the show, its guests, host, content, or otherwise should be considered a solicitation for investment in any way. All views expressed in any way by guests are their own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the show or its host(s). The host and/or its guests may own some of the assets discussed in this or other episodes, including compensation for advertisements, sponsorships, and/or endorsements. This show is for entertainment purposes only and should not be used as financial, tax, legal, or any advice whatsoever.

VCs aren't just judging your deck and market size, they're judging you as a human being. In this episode, Jesse Draper breaks down exactly why investors walk away from “impressive” founders and strong companies when the founder fails the character test.Jesse Draper is the General Partner at Halogen Ventures, a fund backing primarily female founders and “future of family” startups, with over 80 portfolio companies and multiple unicorns including Babylist, The Flex Co, and theSkimm. After seeing countless pitches, she's developed a clear pattern: the number one reason she passes is not the idea, but the behavior of the founder.In this conversation, Jesse shares the unfiltered truth about what makes VCs reject impressive founders—even when the startup looks great on paper. She explains why she refuses to partner with “brilliant assholes” and why she needs to believe she can work with you for 10 years before writing a check.You'll learn:The specific founder behaviors that make investors say no: arrogance, lack of transparency, poor communication, and ghosting your cap table.Why responsiveness and openness consistently show up in top‑performing founders, regardless of past exits or pedigree.How Jesse evaluates “good human” traits in pitch meetings and pitch days, and why your attitude toward process is a massive signal.What to do after a no from a VC, and how the best founders turn rejections into future yeses.Jesse also talks about pattern recognition in venture capital, why she's so focused on future of family and women-led startups, and how founder behavior shows up years after the first pitch in board rooms, updates, and tough moments. Whether you're raising your first round or scaling a unicorn, this episode will help you understand how investors really think about you as a founder.

In this episode, Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg discuss Intel's recent earnings report, highlighting the company's strong Q4 performance but disappointing guidance due to wafer capacity constraints. They explore the challenges Intel faces in scaling its foundry operations, the market's reaction to the earnings call, and the strategic decisions being made by Intel's leadership. The conversation also delves into the complexities of advanced packaging and yield issues, as well as the future opportunities for Intel in the semiconductor industry and the importance of customer relations.

The founder behind Orlando's first unicorn, Stax, and now, Worth AI, join sus on a new episode of Skin in the Game. Suneera Madhani shares her scrappy story of turning a dream into a billion-dollar fintech business with her brother, exiting their first company together, and how they landed on the idea for their latest venture, an AI-based onboarding & underwriting workflow automation platform, where she currently serves as Chief Evangelist Officer.Suneera also shares about founding CEO School, a podcast and platform giving women the "Have-It-All" formula to scale like real CEOs, and offers some secrets as to why second-time founders move faster. They discuss how AI can enable leaner teams with outsize output and zero in on why Suneera remains deeply passionate about building in Florida.

Nine out of ten startups fail, yet Europe keeps funding them the same way.Governments replace judgment with bureaucracy, capital replaces experience, and failure is misunderstood instead of learned from.This conversation exposes why venture capital is a profession, not a policy tool — and why getting this wrong quietly kills innovation.In this episode, Jim Pulcrano, Adjunct Professor at IMD and longtime venture investor, explains why most venture capital systems fail before capital is even deployed.Drawing on four decades across Silicon Valley, Europe, and academia, Jim dismantles the myth that VC success comes from spreadsheets, credentials, or government programs. Instead, he shows why pattern recognition, lived experience, and exposure to failure are the real differentiators.As Jim puts it:(01:13:27) “Silicon Valley is the world's capital of failure — and also the capital of learning.”That mindset difference explains why Europe struggles to scale founders, why governments unintentionally create zombie companies, and why operators consistently outperform theorists when backing the next generation of companies.This is not a motivational episode. It's a structural diagnosis of how innovation ecosystems actually work — and where Europe still gets in its own way.

One of the most bracing presentations at DLD this year was given by Crunchbase's data queen Gene Teare. Breaking down America's VC dominance, Teare's speech might have been entitled "64% and Counting." As Teare told Keith and me in a special Teare family edition of our regular That Was The Week show, the VC gap between Europe and America is only getting wider. From 2014 to 2023, US share of global venture dipped below 50%. But in 2025, it roared back — with nearly two-thirds of all global VC flowing to America. The foundation model funding disparity tells the story: OpenAI raised $40 billion last year, Anthropic $17.5 billion. The top French AI company? $2 billion. Oh mon Dieu.Keen On America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen sits down with Timothy Chen, the sole General Partner at Essence VC. Tim shares his remarkable journey from being a “nerdy, geeky kid” who hacked open-source projects to becoming one of the most respected early-stage infrastructure investors, backing breakout companies like Tabular (acquired by Databricks for $2.2 billion). A former engineer at Microsoft and VMware, co-founder of Hyperpilot (acquired by Cloudera), and now a solo GP who quietly raised over $41 million for his latest fund, Tim offers a unique, no-BS perspective on spotting technical founders, navigating the idea maze, and rethinking sales and traction in the world of AI and infrastructure.We dive deep into his unconventional path into VC, rejected by traditional Sand Hill Road firms, only to build a powerhouse reputation through sheer technical credibility and founder empathy. Tim reveals the patterns behind disruptive infra companies, why most VCs can't help with product-market fit, and how he leverages his engineering background to win competitive deals.Whether you're a founder building the next foundational layer or an investor trying to understand the infra and AI boom, this conversation is packed with hard-won insights.The Open Source Resume (00:03:44)* How contributing to Apache projects (Drill, Cloud Foundry) built his career when a CS degree couldn't.* The moment he realized open source was a path to industry influence, not just a hobby.* Why the open source model is more “vertical than horizontal”, allowing deep contribution without corporate red tape.From Engineer to Founder: The Hyperpilot Journey (00:13:24)* Leaving Docker to start Hyperpilot and raising seed funding from NEA and Bessemer.* The harsh reality of founder responsibility: “It's not about the effort hard, it's about all the other things that has to go right.”* Learning from being “way too early to market” and the acquisition by Cloudera.The Unlikely Path into Venture Capital (00:26:07)* Rejected by top-tier VC firms for a job, then prompted to start his own fund via AngelList.* Starting with a $1M “Tim Chen Angel Fund” focused solely on infrastructure.* How Bain Capital's small anchor investment gave him the initial credibility.Building a Brand Through Focus & Reputation (00:30:42)* Why focusing exclusively on infrastructure was his “best blessing” creating a standout identity in a sparse field.* The reputation flywheel: Founders praising his help led to introductions from top-tier GPs and LPs.* StepStone reaching out for a commitment before he even had fund documents ready.The Essence VC Investment Philosophy (00:44:34)* Pattern Recognition: What he learned from witnessing the early days of Confluent, Databricks, and Docker.* Seeking Disruptors, Not Incrementalists: Backing founders who have a “non-common belief” that leads to a 10x better product (e.g., Modal Labs, Cursor, Warp).* Rethinking Sales & Traction: Why revenue-first playbooks don't apply in early-stage infra; comfort comes from technical co-building and roadmap planning.* The “Superpower”: Using his engineering background to pressure-test technical assumptions and timelines with founders.The Future of Infra & AI (00:52:09)* Infrastructure as an “enabler” for new application paradigms (real-time video, multimodal apps).* The coming democratization of building complex systems (the “next Netflix” built by smaller teams).* The shift from generalist backend engineers to specialists, enabled by new stacks and AI.Solo GP Life & Staying Relevant (00:54:55)* Why being a solo GP doesn't mean being a lone wolf; 20-30% of his time is spent syncing with other investors to learn.* The importance of continuous learning and adaptation in a fast-moving tech landscape.* His toolkit: Using portfolio company Clerky (a CRM) to manage workflow.About Timothy ChenFounder and Sole General Partner, Essence VCTimothy Chen is the Sole General Partner at Essence VC, a fund focused on early-stage infrastructure, AI, and open-source innovation. A three-time founder with an exit, his journey from Microsoft engineer to sought-after investor is a masterclass in building credibility through technical depth and founder-centric support. He has backed companies like Tabular, Iteratively, and Warp, and his insights are shaped by hundreds of conversations at the bleeding edge of infrastructure.Connect with Timothy Chen on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timchenVisit the Essence VC Website: https://www.essencevc.fund/Connect with Matt Cohen on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/matt-cohen1Visit the Ripple Ventures website: https://www.rippleventures.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

Navigating government grants and funding opportunities can feel like deciphering ancient runes, but for project leaders working in innovation and R&D, cracking that code could be a game-changer. In this episode, Galen chats with Rachel Huang, founder of ClaimKit, about how public and private funding mechanisms can be more accessible—and faster—for startups and innovation projects. Drawing on her background as a chemical engineer, tech commercialization expert, and former professional tennis player, Rachel shares how she's helping companies secure capital through automated, human-assisted grant applications.They explore the often-underutilized world of R&D tax credits, debunk the myth that only big corporations benefit, and spotlight why smaller, scrappier teams might be better positioned to innovate quickly—if they can unlock funding. From navigating complex eligibility rules to reframing grant-writing as a strategic lever rather than an afterthought, this episode is a practical look at how to fund innovation in a fast-moving, competitive world.Resources from this episode:Join the Digital Project Manager CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Rachel on LinkedInCheck out ClaimKit

The current venture market is defined by a dangerous decoupling of capital from reality. While the industry chases $10B seed valuations and trillion-dollar infrastructure bets, Brian Smith and S3 Ventures are executing a "Discipline Arbitrage." They argue that the real returns in AI will not come from the massive CapEx spenders, but from the application layer that solves boring, regulated, enterprise problems. This episode audits the structural risks of the current AI wave and explains why staying as a small fund may be the ultimate competitive advantage. Agenda01:30 Cisco Moment & 28 Bellagios06:31 Applications First, Agents Next19:06 2021 Bubble vs 2025 Reality32:55 Defining Patient Capital44:09 Strategic Advantage of Small Funds53:03 Return to AtomsGuest LinksBrian Smith, S3 Ventures (Website, X, LinkedIn)  -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

(0:00) Intro(1:45) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel(2:31) Start of interview(3:04) Jeff's origin story. Began career in investment banking at First Boston before transitioning to a 25-year run as CFO across media companies (King World, Nielsen) and tech (DoubleClick, Oracle).(7:16) Transitioning to Bessemer Venture Partners.(8:40) Focusing on his board career and audit committee member. ValueClick, Priceline (Booking Holdings).(11:06) Growth in Public vs. Private Markets(12:49) The State of European Entrepreneurial Ecosystem(13:41) The Role of BVP CFO Council(15:31) Understanding California and Silicon Valley's Unique Culture(18:44) AI's impact on the CFO role(20:54) Dynamics Between CEOs and CFOs(23:12) CFOs in Startups vs. Public Companies "We've observed that about 5% of the headcount of any co' at any size is in the finance dpt.")(25:25) CFOs as Board Members(27:35) Board decisions on CEO hiring and firing. "The CEO's role is to articulate an effective strategy, to hire a great team, and then to execute that strategy well using that great team." "If over five years the CEO has never changed their mind based on board input, you have the wrong board."(30:36) On effective Board Composition(32:41) Navigating Shareholder Activism, including his experience at Twilio(37:35) The Debate: Stay Private or Go Public. "There are three ownership structures: public companies, PE-owned companies (where PE controls CEO), and founder-controlled private companies" "I think you're going to see quite a few companies stay private forever or for decades."(39:30) Preparing for the Future of Venture Capital (41:13) Optimizing Board Meeting Content. "Effective boards: 2/3 of time on未made decisions. Ineffective boards: show and tell." "Best-run companies: CEO encourages board members to meet with executives outside board meetings."(45:50) Books that have greatly influenced his life:The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Shroeder (2008)My Early Life by Winston Churchill (1930) How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish (1980)(47:07) His mentors (50:50) Quotes that he thinks of often or lives his life by "You want to live your life to have a seamless web of deserved trust" by Charlie Munger(53:15) An unusual habit or an absurd thing that he loves. Reading adventure stories from G.H. Henty(54:01) The living person he most admires: Warren BuffettJeff Epstein is an operating partner of Bessemer Venture Partners where he leads BVP's CFO Council. He is a former CFO of Oracle and currently serves on the boards of Autodesk, AvePoint, Okta, and Twilio (previously at Kaiser Permanente and Booking Holdings). 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

Jess Gaulton, CEO and founder of FamilyWell, has created a space where women can find care for their mental health during their reproductive journey, including for post-partum depression. In this episode of Breaking Health, hosted by Payal Agrawal Divakaran, Gaulton discusses why her company is also focused on menopause, how they're making their resources accessible and affordable, and why OB-GYN's are so willing to send patients to FamilyWell. Plus, Gaulton shares what inspired her to go from practicing medicine to entrepreneurship, her venture capital experiences, and the best and worst parts of being a founder. LINKS:    HealthEdge.406 Ventures FamilyWell Health 

Startup success is often explained through geography, capital, or timing.But the real story is about people, resilience, and long-term commitment.In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Arjun is joined by Allen Taylor, Managing Partner at Endeavor Catalyst, to unpack how world-class companies are being built far beyond Silicon Valley.Allen shares how Endeavor identifies and backs the top 1% of founders across emerging and underserved markets, why venture outcomes are shaped over decades not fund cycles, and how resilience and ambition matter more than location. From Latin America and Eastern Europe to the Middle East and frontier markets like Nigeria and Pakistan, the conversation explores what it really takes to build billion-dollar companies from anywhere.The episode also dives into how venture capital is evolving, why the traditional 10-year fund model no longer reflects reality, how AI is changing both startups and investing, and what creates durable entrepreneurial ecosystems over time.

Simon Schmincke, General Partner bei Creandum, spricht über die radikalen Veränderungen im Venture Capital der letzten Jahre. Er erklärt, warum Wachstum und Wettbewerb auf einem neuen Level angekommen sind, wie sich Gründerprofile und Teamstrukturen verändern und was das für Startups, Investoren und den europäischen Tech-Standort bedeutet. Außerdem gibt er Einblicke in die aktuelle IPO-Landschaft, den Secondary-Markt und die Herausforderungen, die mit immer größeren Fonds und globalem Wettbewerb einhergehen. Was du lernst: - Wie sich die VC- und Startup-Welt in Rekordzeit verändert - Warum Geschwindigkeit, technisches Know-how und globale Perspektive entscheidend sind - Wie du als Gründer heute Product-Market-Fit und Defensibility wirklich aufbaust - Welche Rolle IPOs, Secondaries und Fondsgröße für den Erfolg spielen - Warum jetzt die spannendste Zeit für Tech und Innovation ist ALLES ZU UNICORN BAKERY: https://stan.store/fabiantausch Mehr zu Simon: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonschmincke/ CREANDUM: https://www.creandum.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/ Kapitel: (00:00:00) Einstieg & Status Quo im VC (00:03:09) Ständiger Wandel & Lernkurve im VC (00:06:38) Neue Gründerprofile & Teamstrukturen (00:12:50) Go-to-Market & Sales-Strategien (00:16:05) Sourcing, Auswahl & Investment-Entscheidungen (00:19:46) Wettbewerbsfähigkeit & Marktpositionierung (00:21:58) Product-Market-Fit heute (00:29:38) Defensibility & Burggraben (00:32:36) Teamgrößen, Effizienz & neue Organisationsmodelle (00:37:14) Flight to Quality & Fonds-Konzentration (00:47:37) IPOs, Secondaries & Exits (00:55:17) Europa vs. USA & Kapitalmärkte (00:56:44) Portfolio-Highlights & Fund-Returner

In this episode of The Circuit, Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg discuss the launch of Ben's new publication, "The Diligent Stack." The duo then performs a deep dive into TSMC's recent earnings, analyzing the risks of semiconductor cyclicality, the massive CapEx requirements for the future, and the specific bottlenecks in advanced packaging (CoWoS). Later, they shift focus to OpenAI's partnership with Cerebras and the introduction of ads to fund massive compute needs. Finally, they break down the latest data on GPU pricing, highlighting the significant premiums hyperscalers charge compared to NeoClouds and the difficulty of tracking pricing for Nvidia's new Grace Blackwell chips.

Loïc Houssier (CTO, Superhuman) joins VC.fm to unpack the Grammarly acquisition of Superhuman and what it signals about the future of AI-native productivity tools.We talk AI in the workflow vs standalone AI tools (ChatGPT/Gemini), voice-first computing, vibe coding vs production engineering, AI's impact on hiring, and why UX taste and product design may be the real moat in an era where everyone has access to the same LLMs.Keywords: Grammarly acquires Superhuman, Superhuman email, Loïc Houssier, AI productivity, AI-native software, email AI, workflow AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, LLMs, vibe coding, Cursor, UX design moat, product-led growth, startup defensibility, AI hiring.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#Superhuman #Grammarly #AI #Productivity #Startups #VentureCapital #Email #LLM #OpenAI #Anthropic #VibeCoding #UXDesign #ProductManagement #Engineering

AGENDA: 05:02 Anthropic's $10 Billion Fundraise 07:54 Has Claude Code Beaten Cursor Already 15:54 OpenAI Could Still Go to Zero 26:33 Andreessen Horowitz's $15 Billion Fundraise 45:16 The Middle is Dead: Boutique vs. Large Platforms in Venture 50:01 The Future of Venture Capital 01:08:06 The Impact of Wealth Taxes on the Industry      

Today's episode was recorded live at Ohio VC Fest, where I hosted a panel on AI, joined by an incredible group of investors, including:Peggy Roberts, Managing Partner at The Riverside Company;Candice Matthews Brackeen, Founding Partner at Lightship Capital;Hardik Desai, Managing Partner at JumpStart Ventures;Jamie Weston, Managing Director at Spring Mountain Capital.Together, we walk through where real value is being created with AI, how founders can best leverage it in their business and in raising capital, and explore the vast opportunities and downstream implications of AI looking forward!00:00:00 Introduction to AI Investment Perspectives00:04:27 Understanding the AI Hype Cycle00:06:44 AI in Startups vs. Established Companies00:09:21 Defensibility and Team Dynamics in AI Investments00:12:25 AI's Impact on Business Operations00:15:15 Fundraising Strategies in the AI Landscape00:18:12 Evaluating AI Companies: Metrics and Expectations00:21:08 The Role of Education and Training in AI Adoption00:23:45 Future Predictions for AI in Various Industries00:26:27 Staying abreast AI's Evolution00:43:34 Closing Thoughts on AI-----LINKS:https://ohiovcfest.com/https://www.riversidecompany.com/https://www.lightship.capital/https://jumpstart.vc/https://www.springmountaincapital.com/https://jumpstartinc.org/https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggyrhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/candicebrackeen/https://www.linkedin.com/in/hardikadesai/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-weston-75136a2/-----SPONSOR:Roundstone InsuranceRoundstone Insurance is proud to sponsor Lay of The Land. Founder and CEO, Michael Schroeder, has committed full-year support for the podcast, recognizing its alignment with the company's passion for entrepreneurship, innovation, and community leadership.Headquartered in Rocky River, Ohio, Roundstone was founded in 2005 with a vision to deliver better healthcare outcomes at a more affordable cost. To bring that vision to life, the company pioneered the group medical captive model — a self-funded health insurance solution that provides small and mid-sized businesses with greater control and significant savings.Over the past two decades, Roundstone has grown rapidly, creating nearly 200 jobs in Northeast Ohio. The company works closely with employers and benefits advisors to navigate the complexities of commercial health insurance and build custom plans that prioritize employee well-being over shareholder returns. By focusing on aligned incentives and better health outcomes, Roundstone is helping businesses save thousands in Per Employee Per Year healthcare costs.Roundstone Insurance — Built for entrepreneurs. Backed by innovation. Committed to Cleveland.-----Stay up to date by signing up for Lay of The Land's weekly newsletter — sign up here.Connect with Jeffrey Stern on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreypstern/Follow Lay of The Land on X @podlayofthelandhttps://www.jeffreys.page/

Alexis Robert est investisseur chez Kima Ventures depuis plus de 10 ans.L'un des fonds de Venture Capital les plus actifs au monde, financé par Xavier Niel.Ancien entrepreneur, Alexis a connu les moments où tout tient à un fil.Une période marquante qui explique en grande partie sa manière de voir l'investissement aujourd'hui.En effet, il dénonce un déséquilibre inhérent à la relation entre investisseurs et entrepreneurs.Parce qu'entre les deux rôles, il y a un écart fondamental.Les VC évoluent dans un cadre confortable, avec un salaire et le pouvoir de décider.Les entrepreneurs, eux, avancent sans filet, sous pression permanente, sans certitude, souvent seuls face aux conséquences.Un rapport de force structurel, qui peut rapidement faire perdre le sens des réalités.Alexis observe aussi un écosystème parfois trop homogène, trop moutonnier, qui a tendance à financer les profils qui rassurent plutôt que ceux qui dérangent.Lui s'intéresse aux trajectoires non linéaires, aux parcours atypiques, à ceux qui ne rentrent pas dans les cases mais qui ont cette flamme difficile à expliquer.Une énergie, une intensité, quelque chose qui se joue parfois en quelques secondes, parfois dès un simple bonjour.Avec Jean de La Rochebrochard, il fonctionne beaucoup à l'instinct, assumant l'erreur comme une composante normale du métier.Pour Alexis, le risque n'est pas un accident de parcours, il fait partie de l'histoire.Après avoir vu passer des centaines de dossiers, il le dit simplement : entreprendre demande une forme de folie.Investir, pour lui, ce n'est pas une histoire d'ego ni uniquement de rendement.C'est une manière d'aider d'autres à devenir ce qu'il aurait aimé avoir à ses côtés quand il a commencé.Ce regard, à contre-courant de la pression sociale et des jugements rapides, redonne une place plus juste à l'échec.Bonne écoute !===========================

Agrifood and AgTech investing in Latin America is still widely misunderstood. That gap between perception and reality is creating real opportunity for patient, specialized investors who understand agriculture as a long-term operating business, not a short-cycle investment theme.Volatility here is often mistaken for weakness. But as this conversation makes clear, agribusiness has kept growing through recessions, pandemics, and political transitions. In many cases, it's been one of the most resilient parts of the economy.I'm joined by Francisco Jardim, General Partner at SP Ventures. He's spent nearly two decades building one of the region's earliest agrifood venture capital platforms, investing across agriculture innovation, climate resilience, and food security in Brazil and across Latin America.We talk about:Why tropical agriculture operates differently from temperate agriculture in US and European systemsHow climate and AgTech investors often misprice Latin AmericaWhy Brazilian agribusiness continued growing through macro shocksHow to scale sustainable agriculture without sacrificing productivity or food securityTune in to hear why Latin American agrifood and climate tech may be one of the most compelling risk-return opportunities of this generation.Featured guest: Francisco "Chico" Jardim, General Partner at SP Ventures, one of the earliest venture firms built inside Brazilian agricultureListen Next: Conversation with Daniel Izzo, CEO of Vox Capital, Brazil's first impact investing firmDiscover More from SRI360°:Explore all episodes of the SRI360° Podcast Sign up for the free weekly email update

Maor Greenberg is the co-founder and CEO of Spacial, the AI-powered engineering partner delivering coordinated, permit-ready structural, MEP, and energy plans for residential construction. With over 19 years of experience as a builder and founder, Maor previously scaled Greenberg Construction, Greenberg Design Gallery, and VRchitects, earning Inc. 5000 honors and multiple design awards. At Spacial, he combines deep field experience with cutting-edge AI to reduce permitting friction and accelerate housing delivery. His work has been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, and CTech, and he actively invests in forward-thinking AEC and AI startups.(01:33) - Maor's Journey to the US (02:54) - Challenges in Architectural & Engineering Processes(04:05) - The Pain Points Leading to Spatial AI (05:31) - Permitting Bottlenecks in Construction (06:05) - Design & Construction Integration Issues (08:24) - AI's Role in Streamlining Processes (09:29) - Success Stories & Milestones(15:07) - Shoutout: AmTrustRE's $217M Office Acquisition of 260 Madison(15:54) - Feature: Blueprint - The Future of Real Estate - Register for 2026 (17:02) - Standardized Pricing & Adoption (18:55) - Speed vs. Quality in Engineering (24:53) - Modular Housing (28:25) - Future Vision for Spatial AI (29:09) - Collaboration Superpower: Elon Musk

In this episode, Eli Cahan ('19 cohort) speaks with Rex Woodbury ('19 cohort) who imagines a world where technology and startups are a force for good.Rex reflects on his decision to leave the world of investment to attend business school and on how he began sharing his ideas on social media. He discusses how writing on Substack helped him pivot from private equity to venture capital, where he now supports early-stage founders as they develop their ideas. Rex believes technology can have a positive impact on society, and he describes how this work has given him a sense of meaning and purpose. He explains how Knight-Hennessy expanded his understanding of impact, situating impact entrepreneurship within broader structural issues. The episode concludes with Rex sharing his favorite memories from his time at Stanford and offering thoughtful advice to prospective students.Highlights from the episode(3:21) Deciding to leave TPG and come back to school(7:54) A typical day in an investing career(12:10) Daybreak Ventures and how he got there(18:30) On sharing his ideas with the world(27:58) How does social media influencing fit in?(29:53) Knight-Hennessy Scholars changing his understanding of impact(35:33) Favorite Knight-Hennessy Scholars memories(39:45) Advice for prospective applicants

Amias Gerety, Partner at QED Investors, brings an unconventional perspective to venture capital shaped by his eight years at the US Treasury Department during the financial crisis. A mechanical thinker, Amias applies an essentialist approach to understanding how businesses work. He explains why QED looks for companies that triple every six months at Series A, how inverted AI creates new opportunities in financial services, and why the best advice for founders remains timeless: build something people want and charge more than it costs to make. With insights on the AI bubble, the application layer renaissance, and why saying no 99 times out of 100 is the real job of a VC, Amias offers a masterclass in disciplined, thesis-driven investing.In this episode, you'll learn:[01:24] Amias's unique path from politics and Treasury to venture capital[05:13] The lever theory: how government and VC create systemic change[07:12] Why mechanical thinking and first principles matter in VC[14:48] QED's investment sweet spot: Series A and series B with undeniable momentum[19:25] What product-market fit really means and how to recognize it[22:14] Inverted AI: Why the world needs financial services for the AI economy[26:43] The AI bubble paradox: overvalued companies, transformative technology[32:57] Why early-stage founders should ignore the macro and focus on customers[34:31] The brutal math of ventureThe nonprofit organization Amias is passionate about: EastersealsAbout Amias GeretyAmias Gerety is a Partner at QED Investors, where he focuses on FinTech and InsurTech investments. Before joining QED in 2017, Amias spent eight years at the US Treasury Department from the first day of the Obama administration through its final day. During his tenure, he helped write the Dodd-Frank Act and built the Financial Stability Oversight Council, the organization responsible for monitoring systemic risk in the US financial system. His government experience during the financial crisis gives him a unique perspective on market dynamics and regulatory frameworks. A mechanical thinker who approaches investments with an essentialist mindset, Amias has invested in companies like Kin Insurance, Prosper, and Tint. He previously worked as a management consultant and with Save the Children in East Africa.About QED InvestorsQED Investors is one of the most successful venture capital firms focused on FinTech investments globally. As a multi-stage, global firm with a $650 million early-stage fund and $300 million growth fund, QED specializes in Series A and B investments in companies demonstrating exceptional momentum and product-market fit. The firm requires portfolio companies to show dramatic growth—expecting tripling in six months for Series A and tripling in a year for Series B investments. QED's partners bring deep domain expertise from building and scaling financial services companies, with a particular focus on companies that are reshaping financial services through technology. The firm is known for its rigorous, thesis-driven approach to investing and its high conviction in backing founders who have found authentic product-market fit in large, expanding markets.Subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode.

Entrepreneurship is a game of extremes, the highest highs, the lowest lows, and everything in between. But what if the biggest unlock to success isn't another strategy, funnel, or funding round… but the way you connect with people?In this Season 16 episode of BizNinja Entrepreneur Radio, Tyler Jorgenson sits down with serial entrepreneur, investor, and master connector Garrett Dunham to unpack why proximity, generosity, and intentional networking can create exponential opportunities, often when you least expect them.Garrett Dunham has built startups, hosted hackathons, worked in venture capital, advised founders, and now leads Hey, Lois, a platform designed to help people make meaningful, human-centered connections at scale.In this conversation, Garrett shares his unconventional entrepreneurial journe, from a childhood dream of inventing a remote-controlled vacuum to hanging out with Richard Branson on Necker Island, all powered by one core philosophy: radical abundance.Tyler and Garrett explore why most people misunderstand networking, why chasing quantity without depth leads nowhere, and how focusing on helping others can unlock massive, compounding returns. They also dive into how AI can support—not replace—human relationships, and why generosity isn't just good ethics, it's good business.What You'll Learn in This EpisodeWhy entrepreneurship mirrors the emotional extremes of life itselfHow proximity and environment shape opportunityThe difference between shallow networking and meaningful connectionWhy helping 100 people—even if only one helps back—still winsThe “power law of people” and how exponential returns really workHow to nurture relationships without burning time or energyWhy AI should amplify human connection, not replace itWhat “radical abundance” means—and how to live itHow Garrett is building a career path around generosity and connection

This episode is a special feed drop from The Twenty Minute VC, featuring a conversation between Harry Stebbings and a16z General Partner Alex Rampell.Alex shares how he thinks about investing at scale, including why ownership and incentives matter, how venture changes as funds get larger, and what it really takes to win the best deals. He walks through his core founder framework of backing people who can materialize talent, capital, and customers, and explains why the strongest companies often have “hostages,” not just customers.The discussion also covers pricing risk, secondaries, moral hazard in private markets, and how AI is reshaping software, labor, and company formation. Together, Harry and Alex unpack what it takes to build durable, category-defining companies in an era where technology is moving faster than ever. Resources:Find Alex on X: https://x.com/arampellFind Harry on X: https://x.com/HarryStebbingsListen to more from 20VC: https://www.thetwentyminutevc.com If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends!Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zListen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYXListen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures. Stay Updated:Find a16z on XFind a16z on LinkedInListen to the a16z Show on SpotifyListen to the a16z Show on Apple PodcastsFollow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Alex Rampell is a General Partner at Andressen Horowitz, where he leads their $1.7BN apps fund. Just last week, a16z announced they had raised $15BN for their latest funds, over 20% of all capital raised by venture firms. At a16z, Alex has led deals into Plaid, Mercury and OpenDoor to name a few.  AGENDA: 04:55 How to Do 5x on a $15BN Fund Pool?  09:21 What Two Groups of Funds Will Win the Next Decade in VC? 14:39 What Three Things Are the Best Founders Able to Do?  19:22 The Best Companies Have Hostages, Not Customers 31:37 The Two Types of Deals You Want To Do In VC 38:52 The Importance of Founder/Capital Fit 40:34 Multiple Successive Rounds Are Dangerous… Here is Why? 42:13 Challenges of High Valuations 45:27 The Importance of Ownership in Deals 52:47 Is Triple, Triple, Double, Double Dead 58:33 Advice on Selling Companies 01:11:55 What is the Future of Venture Capital    

Glean has grown into a $7.2B company by giving employees AI assistants and agents that extend their capabilities.CEO Arvind Jain is back on Grit alongside Joubin Mirzadegan. Here's what stood out:“My mindset by default is that if you build something last year, that it's got to be obsolete. There has to be a new way to do that thing better today. If not, then it's just lack of imagination.”“I have no doubts that AI capabilities are just going to increase more and more over the next few years. But even more important is this concept of how much are we even leveraging what AI can do today? I would say that we've not even used 1% of current capabilities of these models”“If you're trying to be everything to everyone, then you just cannot compete with somebody who's focused on a smaller problem and going deep into that.”You can also listen to Arvind's earlier episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIH0Qp6d6bg&list=PLRiWZFltuYPF8A6UGm74K2q29UwU-Kk9k&index=96Guest: Arvind Jain, founder and CEO, Glean​Connect with Arvind JainX: https://x.com/jainarvindLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jain-arvind/Connect with JoubinX: https://x.com/JoubinmirLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joubin-mirzadegan-66186854/Email: grit@kleinerperkins.comFollow on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/kpgritFollow on X:https://x.com/KPGrit​Learn more about Kleiner Perkins:https://www.kleinerperkins.com/

The AI boom isn't a level playing field—and most startups are running a race they're set up to lose. In this episode, Dr. Manu Kumar explains why the real winners of this AI wave are the incumbents who already control distribution and customers, not the scrappy upstarts.Dr. Manu Kumar is the founder of K9 Ventures and an early investor in companies like Lyft, Twilio, Lucidchart, Carta, Auth0, and Everlaw, with over 15 years backing more than 50 early-stage startups. Drawing from his experience as a founder, PhD in Human-Computer Interaction, and solo GP, Manu breaks down why this AI cycle is structurally different from past tech shifts—and what that means for founders, operators, and VCs.In this conversation, Manu argues that the biggest moat in AI today isn't the model, the data, or the tech—it's distribution. Companies like Google and Microsoft already have massive customer bases and control the channels where AI products are discovered and adopted, which tilts the game heavily in their favor. He explains how this changes the calculus for AI startups, what kinds of products still have a shot, and why some founders should stop pretending they're competing on a fair field.You'll also hear Manu's philosophy on founder success: why he optimizes for grit, “insane perseverance in the face of complete resistance,” and technical founders who can actually build the product themselves. He shares how he evaluates early-stage teams at the two-person-and-an-idea stage, why gut instinct still matters when there's no data, and how to think about market size when the category doesn't really exist yet.If you're building in AI, investing in AI, or just trying to understand where this wave is really headed, this episode gives a brutally honest look at who has the power—and what founders can still do about it.

Whether in markets, organizations, or the universe itself, today's guest is a master at navigating complex systems where existing models have stopped working, and new ones must emerge.Geoffrey Moore is a consultant in the high-tech sector and a prolific author, with titles including Crossing the Chasm, Inside the Tornado: Strategies for Developing, Leveraging, and Surviving Hypergrowth Markets, and, most recently, The Infinite Staircase: What the Universe Tells Us About Life, Ethics, and Mortality. Geoffrey and Greg discuss his transition from Renaissance English scholar to high-tech strategist, why narrative is critical in business, the challenges of disrupting industries, and what “The Infinite Staircase” reveals about life's meaning and human purpose. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*Episode Quotes:The importance of sales and the failure of business schools09:32: It's absolutely a travesty that business schools don't teach sales. It's, it's crazy. And there are a bunch of people that have made that argument before. But the reason why academics didn't like sales is it felt too much like Glengarry Glen Ross: sleazy, you know, closers, "coffee is for closers," and all the kind of stuff the academics hate. But the point about it is that, particularly in contemporary B2B sales, that's not what a salesperson does anymore. You have to help the customer find the use cases and the ROI that validates why they're gonna buy this thing, which means you have to be intellectually curious about their business and not just yammer about your own business. And so it is, it's actually a really interesting profession if you approach it, you know, in a kind of more in-service-to-the-customer approach, as opposed to, "I'm going to make my commissions and go to the club," although that's also a big motive among salespeople.Venture capital is literary criticism06:10: Venture is a form of literary criticism prior to investment. And then, as you invest, you start to figure out, now how can I verify? How can I validate? And eventually, the analytics and the numbers become very important. But not at the beginning. At the beginning, it is really about the story.Venture Capital vs. Corporate metrics38:11: Venture capitalists do not fund performance. They fund power, but everything in a venture model is about becoming more powerful, not becoming more performant. When we exit, then they'll become performant, but not now, and that idea is still very hard to land in a large corporation.The correct sequence for success33:51: The correct sequence has to be customers first, employees second, investors third. Any other sequence doesn't work, not for sustainable success.Show Links:Recommended Resources:Regis McKennaAlfred D. Chandler Jr.Edmund SpenserGreat chain of beingClayton ChristensenSatya NadellaNorthrop FryePhilip SidneyGuest Profile:Professional WebsiteProfessional Profile on LinkedInProfile on XGuest Work:The Infinite Staircase: What the Universe Tells Us About Life, Ethics, and MortalityCrossing the ChasmInside the Tornado: Strategies for Developing, Leveraging, and Surviving Hypergrowth MarketsDealing with Darwin: How Great Companies Innovate at Every Phase of Their EvolutionLiving on the Fault Line, Revised Edition: Managing for Shareholder Value in Any EconomyThe Gorilla Game: An Investor's Guide to Picking Winners in High TechnologyZone to Win: Organizing to Compete in an Age of Disruption Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg discuss the highlights from CES 2023, focusing on the significant advancements in robotics, AI infrastructure, and the competitive landscape among major tech companies like NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel. They explore the themes of modularity in data centers, the evolving role of CPUs, and the challenges posed by memory supply constraints. The conversation also touches on the future of autonomous vehicles and the integration of AI in everyday technology, emphasizing the rapid pace of innovation in the tech industry.

Following the announcement of a16z's new fund, Andreessen Horowitz cofounder and general partner Ben Horowitz joined TBPN to discuss how Andreessen Horowitz has evolved its firm structure as technology becomes embedded across every sector of the economy. Ben reflects on which lessons from The Hard Thing About Hard Things still apply to founders, why entrepreneurship remains difficult at any scale, and how long-term partnerships shape decision-making inside the firm. He explains the move toward specialized, independent investment teams, how a16z evaluates new markets, and why AI represents a generational technology shift that changes how companies are built and how investors operate. The conversation also lessons from prior technology cycles and bubbles, the role of public policy in sustaining innovation ecosystems, and how founders can navigate modern media attention and public discourse while building durable, long-term companies. Resources:Follow Ben Horowitz on X: https://twitter.com/bhorowitzFollow John Coogan on X: https://twitter.com/johncoogan Follow Jordi Hays on X: https://twitter.com/jordihays Stay Updated:If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends!Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16z](https://x.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zListen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYXListen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg](https://x.com/eriktorenbergPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures.  Stay Updated:Find a16z on XFind a16z on LinkedInListen to the a16z Show on SpotifyListen to the a16z Show on Apple PodcastsFollow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Venture capital is changing—fast. Erica shares her journey from outsider to fund founder, reveals the new rules for startup success, and explains why building your personal brand is now essential. If you want to stand out, raise money, and win in today's VC world, this episode is for you. Erica's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-wenger-ms-811b80132/ Park Rangers Capital: https://www.parkrangerscap.com/ Subscribe to my newsletter: https://thegrowthlist.substack.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of NatureBacked, we sit down with Jessica Burley from Planet A Ventures, a European VC fund with €160 million in dedicated capital, pursuing a science-first approach to impact investing. Planet A is rewriting the playbook by giving its in-house science team veto power on investment decisions, ensuring every portfolio company addresses the world's critical planetary boundaries—not just carbon. Join us as we explore: The rigorous lifecycle assessments that separate true impact from greenwashing. Why cost parity is the key to mass adoption of green tech. The unique challenges and massive potential of investing in hardware startups. Tune in to discover how Planet A is proving that commercial success and environmental regeneration can - and must - go hand in hand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices