Investing in Startups
Episodes
B2B in the Age of AI and Services as Software with Ariel Winton-Jones
29 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ariel Winton-Jones is the founder of The Align Fund, where she invests in B2B software companies at the earliest signs of product-market fit. We...
Future Titans, Authenticity, and Systems Thinking with Daniel Dart
15 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Dart is the Founder and General Partner of Rock Yard Ventures. He is also the founder of the Future Titans summit, an amazing event he re...
Momentum, Moats, and the New Rules of Pre-Seed with Gaurav Jain
01 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Gaurav Jain is the Cofounder and Managing Partner of Afore Capital. Afore is one of the OGs of institutional pre-seed investing and runs the lar...
Live Episode! A Future Titans Collab and Solo GP Life with Zal Bilimoria
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We're excited to share this interview with Zal Bilimoria, founding partner at Refactor Capital, recorded live at the recent Future Titans emergi...
Episode 50! Venture Strategy, Real Work, & The Myth of Overnight Success with Seth Levine
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Seth Levine is a Partner at Foundry Group, a longtime early-stage firm investing in both startups and emerging fund managers. We talked about th...
E49: AI Agents, Unlocking Human Potential, and Not Giving Up with Hyperspell
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Connor Brennan-Burke and Manu Ebert are the co-founders of Hyperspell. Hyperspell provides a memory and context layer to AI agents is one of our...
E48: Backing Emerging Managers Before They're Brand Names with Courtney McCrea
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Courtney McCrea is the Cofounder and Managing Partner of Recast Capital. Courtney and I dove into the intricacies of investing in emerging manag...
E47: Gritty Founders, Weird Markets, and Vertical AI with Dan Teran
14 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Teran is a Cofounder and Managing Partner of Gutter Capital. Gutter is an early-stage firm based out of New York focused on founders tacklin...
E46: Breaking Rules and Letting Winners Run with David Gardner of The Motley Fool
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest this week is David Gardner, Cofounder of The Motley Fool. David is one of the best stock pickers of his generation. While for many inv...
E45: Access, Picking VCs, and Tough Love with Superclusters' David Zhou
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
David Zhou is an investor in emerging managers, an angel investor, a blogger, and the host of the Superclusters podcast. We talked about how LPs...
E44: Roundtable! Network Effects, Hustle, Raising Money, and More with Colin Gardiner and Sonia Nagar
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're trying something new with our first roundtable! Our guests are Sonia Nagar from SNAK Venture Partners and Colin Gardiner from Yonder Ventu...
E43: Trust, Paying Up, & Homebrew Forever with Hunter Walk
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest this week is Hunter Walk, Co-Founder of Homebrew and Screendoor. Hunter has a deep background in product, including from his time at G...
E42: From Public Markets to VC, AI, & Winning — Joe Magyer
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Joe Magyer is the host of Investing in Startups, but his real job is running his early-stage boutique, Seaplane Ventures. In this episode, Joe i...
E41: Pre/Seed, Control Points, and Frenemies with Jackie DiMonte of Grid Capital
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jackie DiMonte is the Cofounder and General Partner of Grid Capital. We talked about power laws, investing with conviction, how to help founders...
E40: The Art & Science of Portfolio Construction Plus Valuation Realism with Morgan Flager
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Morgan Flager is the Managing Partner of Silverton Partners. Silverton is an early-stage firm that has had more than 30 companies IPO or get acq...
E39: Networks, Flywheels, and Why Fintech is Thriving with Rex Salisbury
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rex Salisbury is the Founder and General Partner of fintech-focused Cambrian Ventures. We talked about how Rex built a big community and followi...
E38: Lessons from Investing in 400 Startups with Charles Hudson of Precursor Ventures
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Charles Hudson is the Managing Partner and Founder of Precursor Ventures. Precursor is a generalist pre-seed firm based in San Francisco that in...
E37: Bigger Isn't Better and Give First with Techstars' David Cohen
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
David Cohen is the CEO and Cofounder of Techstars. Techstars is one of the OGs of startup accelerators, investing in almost 5,000 startups since...
E36: Network Effects, AI Agents, & the Myth of "Product Is Enough" with NFX's Gigi Levy-Weiss
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gigi Levy-Weiss is a serial founder and a Founding Partner at NFX. NFX is an early-stage firm that has established itself as one of leading expe...
E35: The Pitch, Democratizing Startup Funding, and Non-Consensus Investing with Josh Muccio
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Josh Muccio is the Founder of The Pitch and The Pitch Fund. The Pitch is a show that features startup founders pitching a panel of VCs and getti...
E34: Conviction, Cheating, AI, and (Not) Predicting with Shawn Merani
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Shawn Merani is the Founder and Managing Partner of Parade Ventures. Parade is a seed stage venture firm with an affinity for enterprise softwar...
E33: Y Combinator, Open Source, and Lifting Founders Up with Jason Freedman
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jason Freedman is a serial founder and General Partner at Orange Collective. Orange Collective is a Y Combinator-focused venture fund that aims ...
E32: Money Unplugged with Joe Magyer
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Host Joe Magyer is on the other side of the microphone in this episode as we share a recent interview he did with Chris Hill on Money Unplugged....
E31: Unlocking the Secrets of Startup Secondaries with Jamie Melzer
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest this week is Jamie Melzer, Managing Partner at Altra Venture Partners. Altra invests in late-stage and pre-IPO venture-backed startups...
E30: AI, Anti-Patterns, and the Dangers of Elephant Hunting with Itamar Novick
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest this week is Itamar Novick, Founder of Recursive Ventures. Itamar is a solo capitalist with a focus on pre-seed startups built around data a...
E29: Insights From the World's Most Active Seed Investor with Antler's Tyler Norwood
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest this week is Tyler Norwood, Managing Partner for Antler in the US. Antler is the world’s most active seed investor backing founders at the...
E28: Han Shen on Unsexy Startups, Consumer Trends, and Investing Slightly Early
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest this week is Han Shen, Founding Partner of iFly.vc. iFly is an early-stage firm with a non-consensus, high-conviction approach to investing....
E27: Should Investors Befriend Founders and Solo GP Life with Ethan Austin
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ethan Austin is the Founder and General Partner of Outside VC. Outside is a Boulder-based firm with a focus on pre-seed startups, outsider founders, a...
E26: The Art of Picking, Geopolitics, and Why Ideas Still Matter with Mark Peter Davis
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mark Peter Davis is the Managing Partner of Interplay Ventures. Interplay is a venture capital firm, but also an incubator and family office. Mark him...
E25: Tough Questions, Hustle, and Investing in Hilariously Early Startups with Elizabeth Yin
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Elizabeth Yin is a General Partner at Hustle Fund. Hustle Fund invests in “hilariously early” startups in the US and beyond. We talked about Eliza...
AI, Hot Deals, & Ownership: Joe Magyer Reflects on 50 Episodes
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're celebrating our recent 50th episode with a special conversation between host Joe Magyer and guest host Chris Hill of Money Unplugged. Chri...
E24: Venture Alpha, Seed Investing, and Climate Volatility with Rick Zullo
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rick Zullo is the Founder and Managing Partner of Equal Ventures. Equal is a New York-based early stage venture capital firm that takes a concentrated...
E23: Betting Big on B2B Marketplaces with Sonia Nagar
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sonia Nagar is the Founder and Managing Partner of SNAK Venture Partners. SNAK is a Chicago-based firm that invests in Seed stage marketplace startups...
E22: Small Funds, Big Impact: Graham Pingree on Early-Stage Trends, Portfolio Design, and the Pre-Seed Advantage
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Graham Pingree is a Partner at Cendana Capital, a fund of funds firm that invests in small venture funds investing at pre-seed and seed. We talked abo...
E21: Venture Everywhere, Pre-Seed, and Why Venture Doesn't Scale with Jenny Fielding
03 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jenny Fielding is a Cofounder and General Partner of Everywhere Ventures. Jenny is a pre-seed investor with a fascinating background. She’s a founde...
E20: 17 Contrarian Takes About Startups and Venture Capital
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're celebrating our 20th episode with a super cut of 17 contrarian takes on venture capital and startups. Our guests talked about AI, SF, false sign...
E19: Essential Industries, Angels, AI, and Proprietary Deal Flow with Amber Illig
06 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Amber Illig is the Founding General Partner of The Council, an early stage venture firm focused on essential industries like supply chain and healthca...
E18: Sizzle, Substance, and Scaling with Winter Mead of Coolwater Capital
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Winter Mead is the Founder and CEO of Coolwater Capital. Coolwater is an accelerator for emerging venture capital fund managers aimed at helping them ...
E17: Spotting Winners, Platform Risk, and Why Weird is Good with Zach Coelius
09 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Zach Coelius is the Managing Partner of Coelius Capital. Zach is a 4-time entrepreneur and now solo GP who invests in early stage technology com...
E16: Syndicates, Angel Investing, and Founder-First Investing with Alex Pattis
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Pattis is the General Partner of Riverside Ventures. Riverside is an early stage firm that operates both a traditional venture fund but also a sy...
E15: The Future of Marketplaces and Network Effects with Colin Gardiner
11 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Colin Gardiner is the Founder and General Partner of Yonder Ventures. Colin is a marketplace geek with a fascinating career that began at the Federal ...
E14: What's Hot in Venture with Peter Walker
28 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Peter Walker is the Head of Insights at Carta. Peter is a self-professed data geek who publishes some of the most interesting insights and research on...
E13: Crypto, the Fed, and Venture Competition with Eric Golden
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Eric Golden is the Founder of Canopy Capital and host of the Making Markets podcast. Eric was a portfolio manager and intrapreneur at Fidelity prior t...
E12: Startup Accelerators, SaaS, and Helping Founders Run Faster with Mike Cardamone
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Cardamone is the founder and managing partner of Forum Ventures. Forum is a New York-based firm with a structure that layers together an accelera...
E11: The Rapid Rise of AI, Global Startups, and How to Treat Founders with Niki Scevak
16 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Niki Scevak is the Co-Founder of Blackbird Ventures and a multi-time startup founder. Blackbird is the largest venture capital firm in Australia and h...
E10: Investing Early and Making Your Own Luck with Mac Conwell
02 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mac Conwell is the Founder of RareBreed Ventures, a Baltimore-based firm that invests in pre-seed and seed startups with dope founders. We had a great...
E9: Founder vs. Investor, AI, and Venture Portfolio Construction with Jerry Neumann
19 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jerry Neumann is a wildly successful early stage investor and one of the best writers and thinkers about the craft. The founder of Neu Venture Capital...
E8: A Primer on Angel Investing with Rick Timmins
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rick Timmins delivers a primer on angel investing. Rick is a veteran angel investor and financier with a fascinating career. He served in senior roles...
E7: Fintech and Israeli Venture with Adi Levanon
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Adi Levanon is the Founder of Selah Ventures. Selah is a Tel-Aviv-based firm that is a first-check investor into fintech startups that are building in...
E6: SaaS and Seed Investing with Rajiv Bala
08 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rajiv Bala is the Co-Founder of Clutch VC. Clutch is an Austin-based firm that makes Seed investments in B2B software. We talked about the importance ...
E5: Nick Moran on Investing in Outsider Founders
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nick Moran is the Founder and General Partner of New Stack Ventures. Nick is also the host of The Full Ratchet, the first VC podcast that started back...
E4: Avlok Kohli on the State of Play in Venture
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Avlok Kohli is the CEO of AngelList. Avlok is a serial entrepreneur who came on to lead AngelList in 2019. The platform has grown massively since then...
E3: Morgan Housel on What Never Changes in Investing
27 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest this week is Morgan Housel. Morgan is a partner at Collaborative Fund and the best-selling author of The Psychology of Money and his new boo...
E2: Chris Douvos on Backing Emerging Managers
13 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest this week is Chris Douvos, the Founder and Managing Director of Ahoy Capital. We explore why Chris is focused on emerging managers, what led...
E1: Martin Tobias on Pre-Seed Investing
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest this week is Martin Tobias, the Founder of Incisive Ventures. Incisive is a Seattle-based firm that invests in pre-seed software startups in...