The Founder Initiative

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.

FOUNDER PROFILE:

Rick Bente, Founder of Indomo

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-bente/

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX. VC PROFILE: Jeremy Burton, Founder of Platform Venture Studio https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremymburton

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX. 

FOUNDER PROFILE: Tom Firth, Founder of Cotera https://www.linkedin.com/in/tdfirth/

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.

FOUNDER PROFILE:

Krish Subramanian, Founder - Chargebee - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krishs/

Guy Marion, CMO - Chargebee- https://www.linkedin.com/in/guymarion 

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.

FOUNDER PROFILE:

Rebecca Hu, Founder of Glacier Robotics

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccabhu

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX. VC PROFILE: Dave Lambert, Founder of Right Side Capital Management https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidlambert55/

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX. VC PROFILE: Alexei Agratchev, Founder of RetailNext https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexeiagratchev/

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.

FOUNDER PROFILE:

Nalin Senthamil, Founder of Storylane

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nalinpradeep

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.

FOUNDER PROFILE:

Oliver Keh, Founder of Gleam

https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-keh

COMPANY: https://joingleam.com/

Gleam automatically extracts data from any source, intelligently validates it against protocol, eliminates queries before they occur, and instantly populates your EDC—accelerating database lock a...

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.

FOUNDER PROFILE:

Andrew Yates, Founder of Dropbox, Promoted.ai

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-yates-0217a985

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.

VC PROFILE:

Nate DaPore, Founder of Roo Capital

https://www.linkedin.com/in/natedapore/

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX. 

FOUNDER PROFILE: Conor Brennan-Burke, Founder of Hyperspell (YC F25) https://www.linkedin.com/in/conorbrennanburke

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.

VC PROFILE:

Seema Amble, Partner at Andreessen Horowitz

https://www.linkedin.com/in/seema-amble-b404126/

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.

FOUNDER PROFILE:

Claire Tomkins, Founder of Future Family

https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-tomkins-b122422/

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX. VC PROFILE: Ram Venkatesh, Founder of Sema4.ai https://www.linkedin.com/in/ram-venkatesh-34166/

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups --> 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip

Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.

FOUNDER PROFILE:

Arvind Parthasarathi

https://www.linkedin.com/in/arvindparthasarathi/

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups --> 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip

Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.

VC PROFILE:

Micahel loffe, Founder of Arist

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelaioffe/

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups --> 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip

Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.

VC PROFILE:

Promod Haque

https://www.linkedin.com/in/promodhaque/

Get 1-year free of Auth0 (authentication and authorization platform)--> https://auth0.com/startups/vip

Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.

FOUNDER:

Joseph Krause

https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephfkrause/

EPISODE DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE What does a real pitch in Silicon Valley look like? This might be as close as you can get without being here yourself! VC PROFILE Mercedes Bent, ex Lightspeed Ventures, Partner https://www.linkedin.com/in/mercedesbent/ FOUNDER PROFILE: Sandra Bustos, Founder of Meshly.ai https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandrabustos/ 🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://airtable.com/appBXetKIMsy5r3bE/pagQlrExmVx38bk6W/form

In this episode, Robert, co-founder of Wordware, shares the story of turning a sauna brainstorm into one of the largest seed rounds in YC history. He walks us through the early pivots, the highs and lows of YC interviews, and how a viral Twitter Roast fueled their momentum. This is a raw look at conviction, timing, and how founders can compound small wins into historic outcomes. FOUNDER PROFILE: Robert Chandler https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertjhchandler/ 🎙️ 7 Most Interesting Moments The “sauna spark” in Warsaw that inspired the core idea for Wordware. How getting denied by YC initially led to killing their fir...

FOUNDER PROFILE: Ben Kim, Nitrode's Co-Founder https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-yoonsung-kim/ 🎙️ 7 Most Interesting Moments Michael Seibel’s brutally honest feedback in interviews—pushing them to scrap lines and “cut the crap.” Pivoting right before their YC interview and getting challenged on whether their new idea could ever reach a billion-dollar outcome. The week-long sprint to build a demo after Michael said, “I’ll see you Sunday.” YC’s insight that gaming and QA are their worst-performing sectors, and why the team was pushed to pivot. Paul Graham comparing their idea to the “YouTube of gaming.” The bold vision: building an AI-powered game engine...

🔑 7 Most Interesting Moments David shares how his first YC application was rejected despite 10% week-over-week growth. The surprising reason they later got accepted: adding two technical co-founders even while growth was flat. Insights into what YC actually values (team, determination, big market) vs. what most founders think matters. A pivotal YC interview moment where David “flipped a switch” at minute 7 and convinced the partners. The origin story of 60: live website builds over Zoom that turned “bad leads” into high-value customers. The founding story of Endorsed: an AI recruiting agent designed to cut hiring times dramatically. FOUNDER PROFILE: David Head https://www.linkedin.co...

What's it like to pitch an actual VC in Silicon Valley? We recorded a real one to show you :) This was not scripted and it was the first time the pitched this VC! Vignesh Ravikumar Partner at Sierra Ventures https://www.linkedin.com/in/vravikumar1/ Ajay Gulati Founder of Kitecyber https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajaygulaticloud/ 🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://airtable.com/appBXetKIMsy5r3bE/pagQlrExmVx38bk6W/form

How to build a unicorn in under 2-years? Not exactly a step-by-step playbook, but you will learn something from a founder who actually did it! You will also hear a VC's perspective from Kevin Weber, Managing Director at Amex Ventures! Boom. Jesse Zhang Founder & CEO of Decagon https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejessezhang/ Kevin Weber Managing Director at Amex Ventures https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-weber-b77b8028/ 🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://airtable.com/appBXetKIMsy5r3bE/pagQlrExmVx38bk6W/form

Will, Founder of Phonely, shares his raw journey into Y Combinator—including sleeping in his car before a 3AM interview. He reveals how founders should interpret investor rejections, the real path to product-market fit, and top lessons a long the way. A must-listen for anyone navigating the early-stage PMF journey or getting funded! Will Bodewes https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-bodewes/ 🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://airtable.com/appBXetKIMsy5r3bE/pagQlrExmVx38bk6W/form

EPISODE DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE What really matters when applying to YC? How to get your first $1 top learnings from fundraising FOUNDER PROFILE: Brooke Hopkins https://www.linkedin.com/in/bnhop/ 🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://airtable.com/appBXetKIMsy5r3bE/pagQlrExmVx38bk6W/form

How do you close $100M from VCs like a16z & Sequoia? Nic shared what he did and his most shocking learnings. FOUNDER PROFILE: Nic Kopp https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-kopp/ 🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://airtable.com/appBXetKIMsy5r3bE/pagQlrExmVx38bk6W/form

SUMMARY In this episode, Gil shares the raw journey of building Metadata — from validating the idea through consulting, to nearly running out of cash, to eventually raising a $35M+ Series B. He explains how doubling prices unlocked product-market fit, why retention beats new logos, and how adopting AI transformed the company. This is a candid look at the highs, lows, and lessons every founder needs to hear. FOUNDER: Gil Allouche https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilallouche/ 🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://bit.ly/44z2vj8 ...

Teddy, founder of Fizz, shares how a side project at Stanford exploded into one of the fastest-growing Gen Z social platforms. From rejecting VC money at first to eventually raising $40M, Teddy explains how focusing on students’ needs fueled growth. This episode dives into product-market fit, the power of community launches, and building without chasing money. Founder profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/teddy-solomon-85a183188/ 🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://bit.ly/44z2vj8 HIGHITES Raising $40M for a Gen Z social app Stanfor...

What's do VCs ask during a pitch conversation? Here's a real pitch in San Francisco with a $25B AUM VC. This is unscripted and it's the first time they met. NEA Partner: Andrew Schoen https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewaschoen/ YC Founder: Berni Hausleitner https://www.linkedin.com/in/hausleitnerb/

Gaurav Mishra, Founder of Proshort, shares how a single conversation led to his first big customer win and set the foundation for a multi-million-dollar raise. In this candid conversation, he breaks down the biggest growth unlocks, the vision that inspired investors, and the hype cycle pitfalls that every founder faces. If you're on the journey to PMF, this is the episode for you.

Julie Lein, Managing Partner at Urban Innovation Fund, shares what it takes to get funded in today's market. From mastering your pitch to leveraging AI and regulatory tailwinds, Julie breaks down how to stand out to investors. We also dive into her cold email formula, first meeting strategy, and what makes a founder unforgettable. Top Moments 05:31 Why it's never too early to pitch and how progress between meetings wins investors. 11:42 Julie explains Urban Innovation Fund's AI-native and AI-accelerated investment approach. 16:58 Regulatory tailwinds: the underrated driver of billion-dollar opportunities. 24:17 Why evangelism and storytelling are now non-negotiable for founders. 33:09 Julie’s cold em...

Gravity - Discover prospects with time-based signals https://bit.ly/40ALy6G Check out Dub --> https://www.dubapp.com/ Check out Steven Wang, Co-Founder of Dub https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenzwang/ 🤔 VCs not responding to you? Adam will review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://airtable.com/appBXetKIMsy5r3bE/pagQlrExmVx38bk6W/form Reach out on Linkedin if you have any questions: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamfodonnell/ TIMELINE 00:05:00 - Raised a seed round on a vision during a hot market (Robinhood/Coinbase IPO) 00:13:19 - Immense conviction in the tea...

Check out Alex Gurevich, Managing Director of Javelin Ventures https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexg79/ https://www.javelinvp.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com 🤔 VCs not responding to you? Adam will review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://airtable.com/appBXetKIMsy5r3bE/pagQlrExmVx38bk6W/form Reach out on Linkedin if you have any questions: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamfodonnell/ DESCRIPTION Alex, Managing Director at Javelin Venture Partners, shares hard-won lessons from backing billion-dollar companies like MasterClass. In this episode, he breaks down what makes a truly defensible AI product and how...

Gravity - Discover prospects with time-based signals https://bit.ly/40ALy6G Learn about JoinBlok.co and their recent raise: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tcharman_im-excited-to-announce-were-coming-out-activity-7348767950427832321-RhBh?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAKE4P0B3kRfnC9MVuMcDibUIwodKep97GA Check out Tom Charman, Co-Founder of Blok https://www.linkedin.com/in/tcharman/ 🤔 VCs not responding to you? Adam will review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://airtable.com/appBXetKIMsy5r3bE/pagQlrExmVx38bk6W/form Reach out on Linkedin if you have any questions: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ada...

Shaq, Partner at Lux Capital, talked to a top robotics founder about his business. What follows is a deep dive into platform strategy, defensibility, and value capture in general-purpose robotics. If you’re building a startup, this is a must-watch for understanding how top-tier VCs think. VC Shaquille Vayda, Partner at Lux Capital https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaquillevayda/ https://www.luxcapital.com/ FOUNDER Hoa Mai Founder, Feather Robotics https://www.linkedin.com/in/whoishoa/ HELP WITH YOUR PITCH? 🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https...

🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://bit.ly/44z2vj8 FOUNDER Dan Bladen, CEO, Kadence - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danbladen/ Kadence - https://kadence.co/ DESCRIPTION After building hardware, Dan Bladen's (https://www.linkedin.com/in/danbladen/) startup faced a COVID‑driven collapse—and he made a bold pivot from wireless chargers to hybrid‑work SaaS, ultimately winning 600 customers. This episode breaks down the faith‑driven decisions, gut‑based validation, and lean product‑market approach that led to landing companies like Intel and Porsche. Grea...

🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://bit.ly/44z2vj8 OVERVIEW Sarthak Goel, Founder of Invoid, shares how he turned 3 YC rejections into an eventual acceptance — and how traction, clarity, and calm confidence played a role. This episode is packed with actionable insights for any founder navigating product-market fit and pitching under pressure. TIMESTAMP 03:30 - Crafting a clearer problem statement 08:00 - Why being relaxed in the YC interview worked 14:34 - From 0 to exponential growth — the inflection point

🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://airtable.com/appBXetKIMsy5r3bE/pagQlrExmVx38bk6W/form =================== GUEST INFO Joseph Johnson https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-johnson-/ LedgerUp https://www.ledgerup.ai/ TIMESTAMPS 00:02:45 – Pitching the “AI bookkeeper” concept 00:04:10 – Using Reddit for brutally honest feedback 00:05:05 – YC’s top lesson: “Just launch” 00:06:00 – Sharing a real YC application template 00:06:30 – Key metrics and personas LedgerUp focused on 00:07:15 – Failing a YC interview early on — and what changed 00:09:00 – “No pedigree” but deep domain knowledge 00:10:20 – Joseph’s background as a controller and pain-point insight 00:12:15 – Fake it with a Loom...

🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://airtable.com/appBXetKIMsy5r3bE/pagQlrExmVx38bk6W/form =================== GUEST INFO Matthew Watts https://www.linkedin.com/in/wattswolf/ Lendflow https://www.lendflow.com/ TIMESTAMPS 03:00 – Why “CTO” isn’t a real title early on → A candid take on what technical leadership really means pre–product-market fit. 04:00 – The real YC mantra: Make things people want → Not just a slogan—how they actually applied it and found user pull. 06:00 – How they chose the right market → A framework for evaluating whether a problem is worth solving...

Check out SmartLing: https://www.smartling.com & their CEO Bryan Murphy https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanmurphy2/ Side note to Founders --> 🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://airtable.com/appBXetKIMsy5r3bE/pagQlrExmVx38bk6W/form 😌 1 (of many) Top Insights From The Episode: 🔑 “Tie your product-market fit journey to measurable outcomes.” - A vague vision isn’t enough. Your product roadmap must link directly to clear, trackable KPIs that matter to your customer. 🔑 1. “Obsess over the customer’s job to be done.” Don’t build what’s interesting t...

VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://airtable.com/appBXetKIMsy5r3bE/pagQlrExmVx38bk6W/form GUEST: Mark Terbeek https://www.linkedin.com/in/markterbeek/ TOPICS DISCUSSED 1. Founder-Market Fit Is Everything Mark emphasized the importance of a founder’s unique insight and experience into the problem they’re solving. The most compelling cold emails show why this founder is one of one — uniquely suited for this mission. 2. Timing + Thematic Fit = Fast VC Response Greycroft often researches themes (like AI or automation) before founders reach out. When a s...

Ajay Prakash, Co-Founder & CEO of Rinse shares his story getting raising $70M and how they launched to hit product-market fit! 03:06 – Ajay explains how he wasted three months pitching Series A firms for a seed round. 05:03 – Don’t try to predict who will write a check — talk to everyone qualified, but do it in a tight time frame to keep momentum and focus. 06:03 – Their first capital came from a rolling friends & family round — with no set close — raising ~$500–600K before institutional funding. 07:04 – Ajay’s co-founder saw declining traffic at his parents’ dry cleaning store — they tested an idea within two weeks and got paying customers...

What if you could get into Y Combinator without a full product? In this episode, Varsha Ramesh Walsh, Founder of Offstream (useoffstream.com), shares exactly how she did just that — with a little traction, screenshots, and relentless customer focus. She breaks down the precise steps she took to validate her idea, iterate fast, and win early customers, even before building a functional platform. Whether you're applying to YC or searching for product-market fit, this conversation is packed with tactical advice — from how to pitch without a product to embedding customer feedback into your culture. Perfect for early-stage founders navigating the mess...

🎧 Episode Summary In this episode, Gotham Rao—serial founder and now Co-Founder of Neubird (https://neubird.ai/)—shares how he built and sold companies to Pure Storage, Dell, and Citrix before co-founding Neubird. With $40M+ in VC backing, Neubird is reimagining how enterprises troubleshoot production issues using a telemetry access layer powered by AI. We dive deep into Gotham’s founder mindset, the role of gut instinct, why design partners matter more than early traction, and how LLMs can surgically pinpoint relevant data in noisy enterprise systems. This episode is packed with insights for both early-stage founders and seasoned builders. 💡 Top 5 Takeaw...

Peter shares how they confirmed PMF, got funded (after nearly shutting down) and eventually nailed their beachhead. (00:07:52) Decision to start (00:13:05) VC Rejection (00:16:50) Surviving Financial Struggles in Startup Journey (00:30:14) All in moment - focus shift (00:34:16) Break through (00:41:40) Resilience

🎙️ Top 5 Unique Learnings from This Podcast 1️⃣ The “What If It All Goes Right” Test Founders must paint a bold vision for their startup. The VC’s key question: 👉 What happens if everything goes right? Don’t just pitch a product. Sell the future where your solution changes the world. 2️⃣ Pre-Selling = Proof, Not Just Hype Pre-selling (getting LOIs, early orders, deposits) is a game-changer, especially for hardware. It shows there’s real demand—and real cash—before you even build. Pre-selling can unlock VC confidence, overcome market biases, and de-risk the business. 3️⃣ VCs Care About Sales Hustle as Much as Product In today’s world, building a great...

🔑 Unique Learnings Fundraising reflects operational discipline—how you fundraise is a preview of how you’ll run your company. Vulnerability is only powerful when it’s paired with credibility. Cold outreach is almost useless without signal. Warm intros from LPs or founders are disproportionately effective. Running a tight, time-boxed process is a hidden superpower. Investment memos are underutilized but highly effective—especially when articulating risks and vision in written form. TIME STAMP (00:00:00) Crafting a Strategic Fundraising Framework Approach (00:09:09) Strategic Tool for Investor Engagement and Transparency (00:13:28) Utilizing Social Proof for Investor Trust (00:18:06) "Capturing VC Attention Through Strategic Initiatives" (00:22:22) Structured Time Constraints for Success...

Want to raise from VCs? Watch this before reaching out. It will give you an edge to close your round. REAL VC PITCH --> - Kevin Hartz, Founder of Eventbrite, now VC A*, and Peter Fitzpatrick, founder of Fawn LEARNINGS 1. How to pitch a VC 2. What are they thinking about you but not saying A* - https://www.a-star.co/ Fawn - https://www.fawnfriends.com/

Listen to a real VC pitch in Silicon Valley and then go behind the scenes to hear what the VC actually thought... Sid Trivedi is a Partner at Foundation Capital https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddhanttrivedi/, a $6B VC fund in Silicon Valley! Josiah Spartz is the Founder of Cofactory.ai https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsjcs/, an agentic customer acquisition platform! FORMAT 1. PERFECT PITCH - Sid - shares what the perfect pitch would look like for a company in this sector 2. PITCH DISCUSSION - Joey & Sid have a pitch discussion! 3. VC CLOSED DOOR REVIEW - Sid shares more details...

LEARN --> how they got started & how to impress them in a pitch 1. How does Forum Ventures define its focus? #accelerator #startup 2. Which investment strategies resonate with you at Forum Ventures? #accelerator #growthstrategy 3. In your experience, why is Founder-Market Fit crucial for startup success? #startup #venturecapital 4. What founder considerations have personally impacted you according to Michael Cardamone? #B2B #SaaS

GEN AI summary! #LetsGo

Larsen Jensen, a former Olympic swimmer turned investment guru, has an impressive background that spans from the swimming pool to the Navy SEAL teams, and finally to the world of venture capital. His perspective on investment focus on dual-use technologies, which are applicable in both commercial and government sectors, is shaped by his unique experiences and his belief in their transformative potential. Jensen, who now heads Harpoon Ventures, sees these technologies as having significant geopolitical implications in today's world. He invests in next-generation technologies like AI, cybersecurity, and deep tech, with the vision...

(00:07:07) Challenges in understanding and managing SaaS applications

(00:15:24) Building Meaningful Connections for Startup Success

(00:18:13) Data-driven MVP development process

(00:23:27) The Power of Community Support in Startups

1. Quitting job, paying the bills and creating MVP 2. Landing first customers 3. Closing a Seed round in 2-months

(00:03:44) "The hardest thing for any founder to do is actually do it...it's really easy to convince yourself that it's stupid and that it's wrong and that your idea makes no sense and that you can do it somewhere else. And almost none of the metrics, if you were to draw a column of pros and cons, you're probably never going to have more pros and cons to start a business. And that, I think, is the biggest challenge, is you have to go against everything you're taught, everything you know, and take this massive risk that may not pay...

LEARN 1. Do I need to send my deck to a VC before a meeting? 2. What questions can I answer, "I don't know" to during a pitch 3. How can I get connected with the right investors? Check out Emil Capital here --> https://emilcapital.com/about-us/ Check out Marcel Bens here --> https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcel-a-bens-91825b/

Please check out CommandBar --> https://www.commandbar.com/ and James Evans --> https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-evans-7086b3126/

GPT-Powered Summary

Igor Ryabenkiy, a successful investor who has backed eight unicorns, recently shared his approach to venture capital investment in startups on the Top VC podcast. In this episode, Igor emphasizes the importance of founders having a clear understanding of their goals, plans, and target market. He also highlights key factors such as scalability, market size, industry landscape, business model, and customer approach that impact his investment decisions.

One of the key traits Igor looks for in founders is their ability to clearly articulate their vision and strategy. He believes that when founders can...

Closing a $1M+ round without customers or a product The key was in their analysis of the opportunity.

(00:01:31) Crafting a Compelling Story for Lumber

(00:07:08) Drive and Determination in Founders

(00:10:19) Founder's Assessment: Market Size, Competition, and Capabilities

(00:14:46) The Significance of Grit in Fundraising

(00:23:03) Understanding Customer Insights for Successful Fundraising

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Entrepreneurial Grit, Customer Focus, and Fundraising in Construction Tech Startups

In a recent episode of the Top VC podcast titled "Pitching Lumber In," entrepreneur Shreesha Ramdas shares his insights and experiences in the world of construction tech startups. Ramdas, who has successfully sold two companies in the past, is now...

Zamir Shukho is a seasoned founder and venture capitalist with a wealth of experience in the startup ecosystem, having established 42 accelerators and worked with over 1500 companies... HIGHLIGHTS (00:00:28) Investing in Strong Teams and Tangible Progress (00:02:54) Uncovering Customer Problems and Emotions Effectively (00:05:40) Seed stage Venture Fund specializing in B2B SaaS startups (00:08:18) Navigating Conflict and Geopolitical Challenges as a Founder/VC

Check out Rex and Cambrian! Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CambrianHQ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexsalisbury/ (00:00:22) Speed of Execution (00:01:22) Fintech Investing (00:03:40) Building a Community (00:05:20) Time Commitment in Venture Capital (00:14:00) Benefits of running a solo GP firm (00:19:30) Size of Opportunity in Fintech 00:00:22 - Speed of Execution Speed of execution is a crucial factor in building a successful startup, as highlighted by Rex Salisbury, the founder and GP at Cambrian. He believes that founders who can quickly navigate the idea maze and improve their ideas are the ones to watch. Rex looks for founders who actively seek feedback and iterate...

Mike Peregudov shared his experience of overcoming fundraising challenges and offered valuable insights on the importance of a structured process, tailored pitches, and incorporating the company's vision and mission. We'll delve into Mike's journey, practical advice, and data-driven insights to help founders navigate the fundraising landscape.(00:06:35) But this current seed round extension we raised mostly from early stage funds and angel investors and they are not that mission and vision is not that important for them. QUOTE (00:12:49) Our monthly updates, we build them like beautiful PDFs and a lot of news inside, quite honest, being honest there being sharing a...

In this podcast episode, Matt Martin, founder of Clockwise, shares his journey of securing over $75 million in funding and the tactics he used to break through the attention barrier of investors. Adam O'Donnell joins the conversation to discuss the importance of focusing on the inputs they can control and to introduce through email, reach out to VCs on LinkedIn and Mastodon. Whether you're just starting the process or need to refresh your strategy, this podcast provides helpful information and insight into the world of VC funding.

#entrepreneurship #funding #blackfounders #VC #doubt #belief #raisefunds #podcast #TheEntrepreneursJournal #motivation

[00:00:00] Early-stage investing and integrity prioritization

[00:03:07] Founder-Focused Accelerator Program Expansion

[00:06:17] Integrity in Founders and Venture Capital

[00:09:25] Investing in Founders with Integrity

[00:12:27] The Value of Due Diligence in Early-Stage Investing

[00:15:28] Building a Supportive Podcast Community

Finding Investment Success with Clear Ventures' Rajeev Madhavan

Clear Ventures' founder and general partner, Rajeev Madhavan, knows what it takes to succeed in early stage investment. During a recent episode of TheTop.VC podcast with host Adam O'Donnell, Madhavan shared his insights on what he looks for when considering an investment opportunity.

Madhavan emphasized the importance of having a strong background in technology. However, pedigree and expertise are only part of the equation. The next key factor is trust. Startups require resilience and the ability to handle the uphill battles that come with building a...

Join Adam O'Donnell on TheTop.VC podcast as he talks to Dave Fink, founder of Postie, about his experience in raising a reasonable seed round, building disruptive technology, and finding a revenue model to offset costs. Dave shares his insights on how to approach VCs during the fundraising process and emphasizes the importance of having thick skin and a belief in the product. He also discusses the need to focus on the value a business provides and not get bogged down by the noise and risks that come with fundraising. Tune in to learn how Postie is helping founders who...

Doppler's CEO, Brian Vallelunga shares how they got Sequoia to invest in their seed round! He shares his experience with Sequoia and emphasizes the importance of understanding that fundraising is a game that requires a strong story, with no pitch deck required. He also discusses Doppler's mission to help developers manage API keys and how every company is becoming a software company, making secrets management essential. With engaging narratives and real-life anecdotes, this episode is a must-listen for any startup founder looking to build enduring businesses and succeed in the software-driven world.

Introducing TheTop.VC podcast, where host Adam O'Donnell has an exciting chat with Itamar Novick, founder of Recursive Ventures. They discuss how Itamar invests in early-stage startups that revolutionize industries like financial services, insurance, and real estate by leveraging data and machine learning. He also talks extensively about his investment experiences with promising companies like Tomato AI, Clarity AI, and Claire AI. The discussion covers Itamar's successful approach in evaluating startups, go-to-market strategies, and the critical issue of fake content, along with market discovery for deep fake solutions. Listening to this episode will give valuable insights into the world...

Article 1: The Importance of Dialogue and Communication in Presentations

In this episode of TheTop.VC podcast, Adam O'Donnell interviews Nuno G. Pedro, the managing partner at Chameleon, an early-stage VC firm in San Francisco. Nuno speaks about the art of communication and presentation, and how important it is to incite dialogue with an audience.

Many founders often focus too much on presenting slides to their audience, forgetting to create opportunities for engagement and feedback. This is a common mistake, according to Nuno, as the objective of slides is to initiate dialogue an...

Founder Market Fit - Familiarity with the ecosystem - What is your experience? - Early stage investing is those two things (Vision + Team ) - Investors will do DD on your past. They will talk to people that worked for your in the past

Young founder, no product, or real working experience...

First 2-years were just trying to get capital

What broke through?

 - qualifying investors

 - going in person

 - working on the problem in a personal capacity for 5 years, as a teenager 

1. The founders have a thesis  

2. The product is the way to get there

3. Are they keeping their ear to the ground?

4. Are they continuously iterating?

5. Are they applying what they're learning?

Asking yourself, "if I knew what I know now, would I still pursue this business?" If the answer is no, you've saved yourself a lot of time! If it's yes, proceed with full force!

[Seed Investor in Paypal & Co-Founder of Eventbrite] Kevin Hartz, GP at A* Capital; what does he look for in a founding team?

Biggest learnings -->

  - Show investors that you have grit & intellect - how? It should be obvious from your background.

Tesla for Motorcycles? - Oben's Founder, Madhumita Agrawal; funding a hardware startup in a recession

- Keep fundraising until the money is in the bank!

- Referrals, referrals, referrals

- Fundraising is for founders 

What's it like to win Techcrunch Disrupt? Minerva Lithium's founder shares what they did, how she felt, and what their building!

How to nail your first meeting with a VC-->

1. Solve for getting a second meeting

2. Nail your story/narrative

3. Don't explain every part of your business!

Ashley Aydin is a Principal at VamosVentures. They invest in early-stage tech-enabled companies led by Latinx and diverse founders!

Who will get funded now?

The most impactful strategy you used to close your round?

 - Wrote a white paper...there are a lot of companies out there. They wrote a white paper about the future of work

 - Wrote it on Notion, put it behind a wall, 15-20 min read...filtered out those that are interested...

Angular Ventures's, David Peterson: 3 things VCs look for what YOU might not have in your deck?

Nail these 4 things if you want a chance of raising in this environment

 - Who was your warm intro? How well do they know the space?

  - Founder conviction is super important. What brought you to this point? How did you come across this problem? Why dedicate the next 10 years to solving it?

   - Real advisor relationship in your slide deck?

   - Can you withstand industry expert scrutiny?

   - How organized is your data room? Send it fast and make it detailed. 

How do you show a VC that your company could return their fund?

--> Strategic Sequencing...

[$12M Seed Greylock invested] Rishabh Jain, Co-Founder of Fermat Commerce; raising in a downturn

- thesis alignment is more important during a downturn

- what is your mega trend? 

You have something in your business that is scary to a VC...make sure you share it the right way

What's it like to raise a round right now? Learn what Hersh did to close a $12M Series A. Companyon Ventures, Atlassian Ventures, and CreativeCo join returning investors to fuel accelerated go-to-market investment

- sharing your GTM tests and strategies in your deck - getting creative with your GTM and how to share that with investors

- How to respond to --> "Why is Microsoft not going to do this?" - How to do VC updates, and common red flags during due diligence - Investment breakdown

Nail your story - you have heard this before, BUT it is the most important thing you can do Go deep with the problem in a verbal pitch Work with VCs that know your space

- Don't raise, unless you have to - Get ready for 2x as many follow up questions - Get ready for 2x as many representatives from the VC on the call - IRL still matters

Timing matters Investing is best...when you have time to watch them operate False sense of urgency Customer calls Don’t downplay

Eric Youngstrom shares how they closed $42M. He dives into how he thinks about valuations and where he spent his time during the raise. #SimilarToEnterpriseSales  

Learn how Gated raised millions by prioritizing branding, manifestos, and investor newsletters.

Here exactly what he did!

LEARN - How a VC evaluate a company that they actually invested in - The top thing to consider in your pitch

Learn: 1. Top three trends Rajeev is investing in now 2. How to improve your pitch 3. What VCs are saying about you after the pitch

Andrew raised $5M from YC and others without a deck... Biggest learning --> He shares how they structured their YC application

See a deck that Alon used to close $5M from top VCs in a difficult macro environment.