The Founder Initiative

Forum Ventures Managing Partner, Jonah Midanik: #1 Startup Insight – Why Fundraising Is a Game, Valuations Are Made Up, and Seeing Past the Pitch to Find Venture-Scale Outcomes

25 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups   Jonah Midanik, Ma...

($150M raised) Sendoso Founder, Kris Rudeegraap: #1 Startup Insight – Don’t Let Early Pricing Give You False Product-Market Fit

18 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups   Kris Rudeegraap, ...

($20M raised) Quanta Founder, Helen Hastings: #1 Startup Insight – Your Scariest Customers Are Actually the Best Ones

12 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → Founders, check out their upcoming $100k buyer pitch at Fort Mason in San Francisco: h...

($110M raised) Augment Founder, Harish Abbott: #1 Startup Advice - Are You A Better Seeker of Truth Than Your Competitors?

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups   Harish Abbott, Fo...

($70M raised) Craft Founder, Ilya Levtov: Pivot Decision, Top Funding Insights, and Journey to PMF

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that he...

(YC S21) Baubap Founder, Roberto Salcedo: Gratitude As A Growth Strategy, Insights Raising $100M+

18 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups Roberto Salcedo, Fo...

($20M+ Raised) UneeQ Digital Humans Founder, Danny Tomsett: Enjoying The Journey, Two Phases of Fundraising & Making A Massive Pivot

13 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Danny Tomsett, Founder of UneeQ Digital Humanshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-tomsett/"

($2.4B AUM) Amplify Partners Founder, Sunil Dhaliwal: Difference Between Investments & Passing, Startup Investing In 10 Years

11 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups Sunil Dhaliwal, Gen...

Sequoia Led $75M Series B, Serval's Founder, Jake Stauch, Shares His Journey to PMF & Raising $127M

04 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startupsJake Stauch, Founder ...

(YC S25) Phases.ai’s Founder, James Wall: IRL, Donuts & A Rental Car To Hit PMF?

29 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups James Wall, Founder ...

($80M raised) Spellbook Founder, Scott Stevenson: 30k Waitlist Signups in 3 Months & The True Discipline of PMF

21 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups FOUNDER PROFILE:Sco...

($70M+ Raised) Merge Founder, Gil Feig: Nailing Customer Discovery Interview To Hit PMF Faster

14 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that he...

($25M raised) Indomo Founder, Rick Bente: Estimating Value Milestones, Raising $25M, and more

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that he...

(Silicon Valley Investor) Platform Venture Studio's Founder, Jeremy Burton: Why Now Is The Time To Build A Marketplace Startup

17 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that he...

(YC W22) Cotera Founder, Tom Firth: Getting Into YC & Hitting PMF

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that he...

Building A Unicorn: Chargebee's Co-Founder, Krish Subramanian & CMO, Guy Marion (formerly Brightback Founder, sold to Chargebee): hitting PMF, idea to 1st dollar & decision to exit

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that he...

Amazon Invested In Glacier; This Is Their Founder's Story, Rebecca Hu-Thrams

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that he...

(2000+ investments) Dave Lambert, Managing Director at RSCM, Shares Traits of Successful Founders

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that he...

($100M raised) RetailNext Founder, Alexei Agratchev: Earned Insights From 18-Years (funding, growth, & scaling)

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that he...

(YC S21) $10M ARR, Storylane Founder, Nalin Senthamil: PMF Unlock - Are Prospects Interrupting You?

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that he...

(YC S23) Gleam Founder, Oliver Keh: Investigative Journalist Approach To PMF

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that he...

(YC W21) Sold to Dropbox, Promoted.ai's Founder, Andrew Yates: GTM Lessons Learned & Deciding What To Build

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that he...

Roo Capital's Founder, Nate DaPore: Most VCs Are Like Seagulls, Is This The Future of Platform?

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that he...

(YC F25) Denied 6x By YC: Hyperspell's Founder, Conor Brennan-Burke: Your Startup Is Not About You

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that he...

a16z Partner Interview, Seema Amble: 3 things she looks for in early-stage startups, how to get a meeting with her, & more

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that he...

($70M+ Raised) Future Family Founder, Claire Tomkins: Surprising Key To Fundraising, Journey To PMF

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that he...

($55M Raised) Benchmark & Mayfield Invested; Sema4.ai's Founder, Ram Venkatesh: Getting Early Conviction, Hitting PMF & Raising $55M

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that h...

a16z Invested; $55M Raised, CYGNVS' Founder, Arvind Parthasarathi, why you must first define PMF & how to raise from top VC

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups -- 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vipAuth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that help...

YC Founder & Thiel Fellow; Arist's Founder, Michael loffe: selling to enterprises, PMF, & articulating $100M to VCs

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups -- 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vipAuth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that help...

$13B VC; Promod Haque, Former Managing Partner at Norwest; Learning From 35 Years of Investing

01 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups -- 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vipAuth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that help...

VCs Don't Know The Future; $55M Raised, Radical.ai's Founder, Joseph Krause Shares His Story

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Get 1-year free of Auth0 (authentication and authorization platform)-- https://auth0.com/startups/vipAuth0 is an adaptable authentication and authoriz...

[Pitch] ex Lightspeed VC & Founder of Meshly.ai: Mercedes Bent & Sandra Bustos Real VC Pitch

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

$30M Seed; Largest Seed In YC History? (YC S24) Wordware's, Founder, Robert Chandler, Journey To PMF & Getting Funded

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

(YC W25) How To Nail Your YC (or any VC) Interview; Nitrode's Founder, Ben Kim

17 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

FOUNDER PROFILE: Ben Kim, Nitrode's Co-Founder https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-yoonsung-kim/ 🎙️ 7 Most Interesting Moments Michael Seibel’s br...

Nailing PG's 10% WoW Goal, Getting Accepted to YC; David Head, Founder of Endorsed.ai

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

🔑 7 Most Interesting Moments David shares how his first YC application was rejected despite 10% week-over-week growth. The surprising reason they l...

Real Pitch of a $2B VC, Cybersecurity Founder, Ajay Gulati & Sierra Ventures's Partner Vignesh Ravikumar

10 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 pitc...

a16z Invested; $231M Raised Sub 2-years; Decagon's Founder, Jesse Zhang & Amex Ventures's Managing Director, Kevin Weber; Building & Funding Unicorns

09 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 wil...

YC S24 -Accepted After 3:00am Interview, Hitting PMF Via Onboarding Research?

02 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Will, Founder of Phonely, shares his raw journey into Y Combinator—including sleeping in his car before a 3AM interview. He reveals how founders sho...

Accepted to YC, no product, website, or co-founder: Coval's CEO, Brooke Hopkins; PMF & funding journey

26 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

EPISODE DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE What really matters when applying to YC? How to get your first $1 top learnings from fundraising FOUNDER PROFILE: Brooke ...

a16z & Sequoia Invested in Rillet; Nic's Journey to PMF & Closing $100M+ In Funding

21 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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....

[$50M+ Raised] From 4 Weeks To Shutdown To Round Closed; Metadata's Funding & Growth Story

20 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

SUMMARY In this episode, Gil shares the raw journey of building Metadata — from validating the idea through consulting, to nearly running out of cas...

Stanford Dropout Raises $42M; Teddy Solomon, Founder of Fizz

19 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

[VC Pitch] YC Founder Pitches NEA ($25B AUM) Partner in San Francisco

14 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 th...

Uber's Former Head of AI; Now Founder of Proshort; PMF Journey & Landing First Customer

13 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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-doll...

[$200M VC] How To Cold Email A VC, Importance of Founder Evangelism; Urban Innovation Fund's Julie Lein

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 A...

Harvard Dropout Builds Fastest Fintech App To Hit 1M Downloads, Raises $47M; Steven Wang, Co-Founder of dub

24 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Gravity - Discover prospects with time-based signals https://bit.ly/40ALy6G Check out Dub -- https://www.dubapp.com/ Check out Steven Wang, Co-Found...

MasterClass's Pre-Revenue Investor, Alex Gurevich, Managing Director, Javelin Ventures; Top Changes In Early Stage Investing, Investment Decisions, etc

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Check out Alex Gurevich, Managing Director of Javelin Ventures https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexg79/ https://www.javelinvp.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com ...

[Stealth Founder] $7.5M Round, Blok's Co-Founder, Tom Charman; First Customers, Closing Round, & Moving to San Francisco

21 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Gravity - Discover prospects with time-based signals https://bit.ly/40ALy6G Learn about JoinBlok.co and their recent raise: https://www.linkedin.com/...

[Real VC Pitch] $5B Lux Capital Partner, Shaq vs. ex Google/Apple Engineer, Founder Hoa

16 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Shaq, Partner at Lux Capital, talked to a top robotics founder about his business. What follows is a deep dive into platform strategy, defensibility, ...

0-600 Customers: How Dan Bladen, Hit PMF After A Massive Pivot - and Landed Intel & Porsche

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://bit.ly/4...

(YC W21) Indian Startup Denied 3x by YC, Accepted 4th; Sarthak Goel, Founder of Invoid

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://bit.ly/4...

Small Town Founder, Got Into YC Without Pedigree; Joseph Johnson, CEO, LedgerUp

09 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://airtabl...

[$25M Raised] Getting Into YC, Top Fundraising Learnings & Hitting PMF, Matthew Watts, Co-Founder, Lendflow

08 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://airtable...

From Rejection to $2.5B GMV: The Product-Market Fit Playbook

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Check out SmartLing: https://www.smartling.com & their CEO Bryan Murphy https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanmurphy2/ Side note to Founders -- 🤔 VCs ...

[$4B VC] Greycroft's Partner, Mark Terbeek, Behind the Curtain - intros, top sectors, etc

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://airtable.com/...

How Rinse Raised $70M: The Fundraising Lesson Every Founder Needs

18 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 explain...

(YC S24) How Offstream Got Into YC With Screenshots, a Deck, and Low Traction — Varsha’s Blueprint for Founders

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if you could get into Y Combinator without a full product? In this episode, Varsha Ramesh Walsh, Founder of Offstream (useoffstream.com), shares ...

[$370M Exit] Neubird's Founder, Gotham Rao; selecting your next startup idea

11 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

🎧 Episode Summary In this episode, Gotham Rao—serial founder and now Co-Founder of Neubird (https://neubird.ai/)—shares how he built and sold c...

[$70M raised] LucidLink's Founder; near shutdown to $50M ARR - PMF journey & closing your first round

04 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Peter shares how they confirmed PMF, got funded (after nearly shutting down) and eventually nailed their beachhead. (00:07:52) Decision to start (00...

[VC Pitch] Hustle Fund's GP, Eric Bahn & Feather Robotics's CEO, Hoa Mai

28 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

🎙️ 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 Funding Framework, ex 500 Global, Vijay Rajendran - unique steps used by successful founders to get funded

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

🔑 Unique Learnings Fundraising reflects operational discipline—how you fundraise is a preview of how you’ll run your company. Vulnerability is ...

[VC Pitch] Eventbrite's Founder (now VC at A*) reviews a pitch: Peter Fitzpatrick, Founder of Fawn

14 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 Eve...

[VC Pitch] Foundation Capital's ($6B AUM), Partner Sid Trivedi <> Cofactory's, Founder Josiah Spartz

23 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 Foundat...

450 early stage investments; Founder & GP; Michael Cardamone

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

[$300M AUM] Navy SEAL & Olympian to Harpoon Ventures, Founder & GP; Larsen Jensen's Story

27 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

GEN AI summary! #LetsGoLarsen Jensen, a former Olympic swimmer turned investment guru, has an impressive background that spans from the swimming pool ...

[$70M raised] Productiv's funding & product-market-fit journey

06 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

(00:07:07) Challenges in understanding and managing SaaS applications(00:15:24) Building Meaningful Connections for Startup Success(00:18:13) Data-dri...

Immigrant founder to $10M+ raised; Oana Manolache, Founder of Sequel.io

23 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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

[$13M Raised] YC Space Tech startup, how they got funded; AstroForge's Founder, Matt Gialich

09 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

(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...

What VCs expect during a pitch: Emil Capital's Managing Partner, Marcel Bens

12 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 connect...

[$23M Raised] Getting into YC (no website) & how they hit product-market fit; CommandBar's Founder, James Evans

05 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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

8 Unicorns (Deel & Miro); Altair Capital's, Igor Ryabenkiy shares what he looks for when investing

14 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

GPT-Powered SummaryIgor Ryabenkiy, a successful investor who has backed eight unicorns, recently shared his approach to venture capital investment in ...

[Exit to Salesforce] Troops's Founder, Dan Reich: How to fundraise without a product or customers

26 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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

Exits to SAP & Medallia: Shreesha Ramdas, Founder of Lumber, why founder-market-fit is overrated & how to select the right industry

26 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

(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, Competiti...

[1,500 startups reviewed] Zamir Shukho, GP at Vibranium VC; founder motivation & customer discovery pitfalls

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Zamir Shukho is a seasoned founder and venture capitalist with a wealth of experience in the startup ecosystem, having established 42 accelerators and...

Former a16z Partner, Rex Salisbury, now GP at Cambrian; Speed of execution & career highs and lows

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Check out Rex and Cambrian! Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CambrianHQ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexsalisbury/ (00:00:22) Speed of Exec...

Navigating Fundraising Challenges: Insights from Whizz's Co-founder Mike Peregudov, Post $1.5M Seed Extension

15 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Peregudov shared his experience of overcoming fundraising challenges and offered valuable insights on the importance of a structured process, tai...

[$75M* Raised] Solve for: VC engagement; Matt Martin, Founder of Clockwise

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 brea...

[$5M Raised] Power Through Funding Doubt: Black Founder Success, Devo Harris, Founder of Adventr

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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

MARL Accelerator's GP: Integrity, Due Diligence, and Early-Stage Investing

22 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

[00:00:00] Early-stage investing and integrity prioritization[00:03:07] Founder-Focused Accelerator Program Expansion[00:06:17] Integrity in Founders ...

1# Correlation to Startup Success: $340M AUM, Clear Ventures's GP, Rajeev Madhavan (2x founder)

13 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Finding Investment Success with Clear Ventures' Rajeev MadhavanClear Ventures' founder and general partner, Rajeev Madhavan, knows what it takes to su...

[$9.9M Raised] Do you have a moat? Answering VC's, funding 101: David Fink, CEO Postie

23 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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, buildin...

[$29M raised] Getting Sequoia to Invest In Your Seed; Brian, CEO of Doppler

09 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Inside the Mind of a Solo Capitalist; Itamar Novick, Managing Partner of Recursive Ventures

02 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Introducing TheTop.VC podcast, where host Adam O'Donnell has an exciting chat with Itamar Novick, founder of Recursive Ventures. They discuss how Itam...

Investor in Gusto & Robinhood; Chamaeleon's Managing Partner, Nuno G. Pedro; how VCs evaluate founders, DD process unpacked, and pitching without slides

30 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Article 1: The Importance of Dialogue and Communication in Presentations In this episode of TheTop.VC podcast, Adam O'Donnell interviews Nuno G. Pedr...

Founder Market Fit - what are investors actually looking for? VC, Emma Silverman, from TMV shares her perspective

21 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Founder Market Fit - Familiarity with the ecosystem - What is your experience? - Early stage investing is those two things (Vision + Team ) - Invest...

Sequoia & Kleiner invested pre-product; Shane Curran, Founder of Evervault shares what he did

14 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Young founder, no product, or real working experience...First 2-years were just trying to get capitalWhat broke through? - qualifying investors - go...

[$0-IPO] Braze's Founder, Mark Ghermezian; now running m]x[v Capital; how to evaluate early stage founders

07 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

1. The founders have a thesis  2. The product is the way to get there3. Are they keeping their ear to the ground?4. Are they continuously iterating?5...

4 weeks of runway to $48M total raised; how did Therma's founders, Manik Suri and Lucas Tepman do it?

28 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ye...

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

14 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

[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 --  - ...

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

13 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tesla for Motorcycles? - Oben's Founder, Madhumita Agrawal; funding a hardware startup in a recession- Keep fundraising until the money is in the bank...

TechCrunch Disrupt Winner: Minerva Lithium's Founder, Sheeba Dawood; how did they win?

07 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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

[$1.3B AUM] Crosslink Capital's Tobias Nilsson-Roos: how to nail your first meeting with a VC

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How to nail your first meeting with a VC--1. Solve for getting a second meeting2. Nail your story/narrative3. Don't explain every part of your busines...

VamosVentures's Principal, Ashley Aydin: breaking imposter syndrome during a pitch, LatinX investment trends, & Miga Health investment reasoning

24 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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

[$600+ AUM] M13's Anna Barber; why multiples ACTUALLY went down & how to shift your funding strategy

17 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Who will get funded now?Capital efficient, but don't suck too much capitalVelocityConsistency - great investor updates

[$10M Seed] Using a white paper to oversubscribe your round; Dan Bladen, Founder of Kadence

05 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ab...

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

13 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Angular Ventures's, David Peterson: 3 things VCs look for what YOU might not have in your deck?Secret insight & how did you find it?Is there a movemen...

GTMfund's Scott Barker; nail these 4 things if you want a chance of raising in this environment

08 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 convi...

[Airtable's former VP of Growth] Darius Contractor; showing VCs how you could return their fund

15 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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

08 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

[$12M Seed Greylock invested] Rishabh Jain, Co-Founder of Fermat Commerce; raising in a downturn- thesis alignment is more important during a downturn...

Mendoza Ventures, GP Senofer Mendoza; how to share the 'elephant in the room' with a VC

01 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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