The Full Ratchet (TFR): Venture Capital and Startup Investing Demystified

Investor Stories 469: What Visionary Leaders at Pixxel, eToro, and Founders Fund Do Differently (Mohapatra, Banks, Orlovski)

02 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Hemant Mohapatra of Lightspeed India Lara Banks of Makena Capi...

505. The Ins and Outs of EquipmentShare's $6B IPO, The Construction Job Site in 10 Years, Where AI Thrives and Struggles to Solve Complex Problems, and Roll Ups in the VC Space (Willy Schlacks)

30 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Willy Schlacks of EquipmentShare joins Nick to discuss The Ins and Outs of EquipmentShare's $6B IPO, The Construction Job Site in 10 Years, Where AI ...

Investor Stories 468: Selling Too Early, LP Pressure, and Investor Tension — Lessons from Investors at Foundry Group, Centana Growth, and Andreessen Horowitz (Levine, Byunn, Ulevitch)

26 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Seth Levine of Foundry Eric Byunn of Centana Growth David Ule...

Investor Stories 467: Investors from Techstars, Redpoint, and Andreessen Horowitz on Strategy, Writing, and Building an Edge in Venture (Cohen, Effron, Simpson)

23 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: David Cohen of Techstars Jacob Effron of Redpoint Arianna Sim...

Investor Stories 466: Jim Tananbaum, Eric Byunn, and Ben Orthlieb on the Questions LPs Should Be Asking (Tananbaum, Orthlieb, Byunn)

19 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Jim Tananbaum of Foresite Capital Ben Orthlieb of Blue Moon E...

504. American Dynamism: The Future of U.S. Industrials, Backing Companies with Major Production Components, Manufacturing Sovereignty, and Why Space Dominance is Critical (David Ulevitch)

16 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

David Ulevitch of Andreessen Horowitz joins Nick to discuss American Dynamism: The Future of U.S. Industrials, Backing Companies with Major Productio...

Investor Stories 465: Pricing Too Late, Selling Too Early, Investing Too Fast — Hard Lessons from Top VCs (Ramanujam, Cohen, Orlovski)

12 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Madhavan Ramanujam of 49 Palms Ventures David Cohen of Techst...

Investor Stories 464: Anti Portfolio Confessions: Missing Twilio, Zoom, DocuSign, MongoDB, and Solana (Austin, Simpson, Chaddha)

09 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Ethan Austin of Outside VC Arianna Simpson of Andreessen Horow...

Investor Stories 463: Selling Transformation Not Software, Managing Through Activists and Mergers, and Scaling Culture with Intent (Agarwal, Tananbaum, Cohen)

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Medha Agarwal of Defy Jim Tananbaum of Foresite Capital Davi...

503. The Future of Fintech, If VC Growth Has Become a New Asset Class, and the Case For and Against Vertical Integration in the AI Age (Eric Byunn)

02 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Eric Byunn of Centana Growth joins Nick to discuss The Future of Fintech, If VC Growth Has Become a New Asset Class, and the Case For and Against Ver...

Investor Stories 462: Study the Masters, Develop Your Own Eye, and Stop Outsourcing Conviction (Wang, Mohapatra, Banks)

26 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Casber Wang of Sapphire Ventures Hemant Mohapatra of Lightspee...

Investor Stories 461: Feast and Famine in Crypto, When to Take the Off Ramp, and Evaluating Founder Temperament (Simpson, Chaddha, Orthlieb)

23 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Arianna Simpson of Andreessen Horowitz Navin Chaddha of Mayfie...

Investor Stories 460: The Math Behind Venture Returns, When Sizing Matters More Than Selection, and Growth Over Discounts (Wallach, Okike, Banks)

19 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: D.A. Wallach of Time BioVentures Nnamdi Okike of 645 Ventures ...

502. A New Era For Venture: Dynamic Capitalism, Finding Alpha in the AI Cycle, Are Bubbles a Feature or a Bug, and Why the Future for America is Still Bright (Seth Levine)

16 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Seth Levine of Foundry joins Nick to discuss A New Era For Venture: Dynamic Capitalism, Finding Alpha in the AI Cycle, Are Bubbles a Feature or a Bug...

Investor Stories 459: Inside the Best LP Questions: Getting Better Over Time, Building Networks, and Driving Outcomes (Effron, Austin, Simpson)

12 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Jacob Effron of Redpoint Ethan Austin of Outside VC Arianna S...

Investor Stories 458: Anti Portfolio Lessons: Netflix by Mail, Palantir at the Wrong Price, and the Cost of Price Sensitivity (Madera, Bussgang, Orlovski)

09 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Paul Madera of Meritech Capital Jeff Bussgang of Flybridge Cap...

Investor Stories 457: Lessons for Early Career VCs: Fiduciary Mindset, Power Law Discipline, and Personal Edge (Dash, Okike, Hudson)

05 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Somesh Dash of IVP Nnamdi Okike of 645 Ventures Charles Hudso...

501. Spotting the Next Big Thing, Why This Cycle Is Different, Acceptable vs Unacceptable Risk, and Why Duration Is a Feature Not a Bug (Jon Callaghan)

02 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Jon Callaghan of True Ventures joins Nick to discuss Spotting the Next Big Thing, Why This Cycle Is Different, Acceptable vs Unacceptable Risk, and W...

Investor Stories 456: Inside Visionary Leadership: Platform Leverage, Founder Adaptability, and Market Timing (Rizik, Wang, Wallach)

29 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Chris Rizik of Renaissance Venture Capital Casber Wang of Sapp...

Investor Stories 455: Lessons Learned: Building Investment Criteria, Missing HubSpot, and Staying True to Your Model (Madera, Agarwal, Bussgang)

26 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Paul Madera of Meritech Capital Medha Agarwal of Defy Jeff Bu...

Investor Stories 454: When There Are No Good Choices: Navigating Ethical Dilemmas, Founder Splits, and Existential Company Threats (Cohen, Effron, Austin)

22 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: David Cohen of Techstars Jacob Effron of Redpoint Ethan Austi...

500. AI Native VC, Achieving 50%+ Graduation from Seed to Series A, Why Access Is the Key to Success, and Why Network Driven Firms Can No Longer Compete (Ben Orthlieb)

19 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Orthlieb of Blue Moon joins Nick to discuss AI Native VC, Achieving 50%+ Graduation from Seed to Series A, Why Access Is the Key to Success, and ...

Investor Stories 453: Founder Led Capital Flywheels, Thoughtful Reserve Strategies, and Long Term Fund Design (York, Hsieh, Ramanujam)

15 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Kyle York of York IE Vince Hsieh of Cypress Growth Capital Ma...

Investor Stories 452: Raising the Bar on Founders, What 100x Looks Like in Practice, and Why People Matter More Than Ever (Bussgang, Okike, Hudson)

12 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Jeff Bussgang of  Flybridge Capital Nnamdi Okike of 645 Ventu...

Investor Stories 451: Why I Passed: Moving Too Slowly, Misreading Return Drivers, and Passing on Lyft (Banks, Tananbaum, Cohen)

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Lara Banks of Makena Capital Management Jim Tananbaum of Fores...

499. A 17 Time Midas Lister on Greatness, the $6T AI Teammate Market, Why AI Sovereignty Is Critical, and Who Wins the Battle Between Incumbents and Startups (Navin Chaddha)

05 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Navin Chaddha of Mayfield joins Nick to discuss A 17 Time Midas Lister on Greatness, the $6T AI Teammate Market, Why AI Sovereignty Is Critical, and ...

Investor Stories 450. How to Succeed Early in VC: Slow Down, Commit to Relationships, and Become an Active Listener (Niehenke, York, Hilaly)

01 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Alexander Niehenke of Scale Venture Partners Kyle York of York...

Replay - The Biggest Misconceptions About AI Agents, Why Defensibility Doesn't Matter at Seed, and Whether the AI Center of Gravity Is Shifting to China (Aaref Hilaly)

29 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this special replay episode Aaref Hilaly of Bain Capital Ventures joins Nick to discuss The Biggest Misconceptions About AI Agents, Why Defensibili...

Investor Stories 449: Exceptional Founders Up Close: Listening Over Posturing, Integrity Over Ease, and Deliberate Execution from Day One (Hsieh, Delk, Maples Jr.)

25 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Vince Hsieh of Cypress Growth Capital Ryan Delk of Primer Mik...

Investor Stories 448: Hard Lessons in Investing: Mistiming Trends, Relying on Partnership Debate, and Avoiding Good Money After Bad (Hilaly, Dash, Rizik)

22 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Aaref Hilaly of Bain Capital Ventures Somesh Dash of IVP Chri...

Investor Stories 447: Choosing the Right VC: Understanding Value Add, Assessing Alignment, and Identifying the Best Board Partner (Jiang, Walsh, Saxena)

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Kevin Jiang of Mangusta Capital Shamin Walsh of BAM Ventures ...

498. The Crypto x AI Convergence, the Truth About Stablecoins, Tokens vs Equity, and Whether NFTs Will Make a Comeback (Arianna Simpson)

15 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Arianna Simpson of Andreessen Horowitz joins Nick to discuss The Crypto x AI Convergence, the Truth About Stablecoins, Tokens vs Equity, and Whether ...

Investor Stories 446: What Experience Teaches Investors: When to Trust Conviction, How to Read Founders, and Why Coachability Matters (Rizik, Wang, Agarwal)

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Chris Rizik of Renaissance Venture Capital Casber Wang of Sapp...

Investor Stories 445: Navigating High Stakes Conflicts: Partnership Tension, Capital Inflection Points, and the Risks of Underfunding (Terbell and Clark, Banks, Tananbaum)

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Jon Terbell and Ted Clark of FourBridge Partners Lara Banks of...

Investor Stories 444. The Biggest Misses in VC: Passing on Airbnb, Overlooking Skype, and Arriving Hours After Postman Closed (Maples, Okike, Mohapatra)

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Mike Maples Jr. of Floodgate Nnamdi Okike of 645 Ventures Hem...

497. Investing in Outsiders, Why Extreme Personalities Win, Weighing Timing versus Trends, and Rethinking Liquidity and Option Exercise Windows (Ethan Austin)

01 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ethan Austin of Outside VC joins Nick to discuss Investing in Outsiders, Why Extreme Personalities Win, Weighing Timing versus Trends, and Rethinking...

Investor Stories 443. Why Great Investors Move Slowly, Go Deep, and Surround Themselves with the Right People (Hsieh, Madera, Bussgang)

27 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Vince Hsieh of Cypress Growth Capital Paul Madera of Meritech ...

Investor Stories 442. The Habits of Exceptional Founders, From Recruiting Great Teams to Understanding Customers (Walsh, Niehenke, Hilaly)

24 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Shamin Walsh of BAM Ventures Alexander Niehenke of Scale Ventu...

Investor Stories 441. How Great Leaders Build Alignment, Set the Bar High, and Learn When to Let Go (Schroepfer, Saxena, Delk)

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Mike Schroepfer of Gigascale Capital Shashank Saxena of Sierra...

496. How Model Progress Shifts the Goalposts, Why The Death of Software Is Overstated, and How to Diligence Hypergrowth Without Getting Burned (Jacob Effron)

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jacob Effron of Redpoint joins Nick to discuss How Model Progress Shifts the Goalposts, Why The Death of Software Is Overstated, and How to Diligence...

Investor Stories 440. The Questions That Expose True Alignment, How Founders Test Investors, and Why the Hard Ones Matter Most (Wang, Banks, Cohen)

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Casber Wang of Sapphire Ventures Lara Banks of Makena Capital ...

Investor Stories 439. From Angel Bets to Scalable Platforms, The Power of Listening, and Doing the Work Yourself (York, Dash, Madera)

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Kyle York of York IE Somesh Dash of IVP Paul Madera of Merite...

Investor Stories 438. The Deals That Got Away: LinkedIn, Snowflake, and Zeitview (Jiang, Schuler, Rizik)

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Kevin Jiang of Mangusta Capital Barry Schuler of DFJ Growth Ve...

495. From CTO to $500M AUM: Entry Point Discipline, Why People Matter at Every Stage, and the AI-Driven Future of Banking (Victor Orlovski)

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Victor Orlovski of R136 Ventures joins Nick to discuss From CTO to $500M AUM: Entry Point Discipline, Why People Matter at Every Stage, and the AI-Dr...

Investor Stories 437. Why Founders Must Hold Their Ground, Why Investors Must Break Their Rules, and How Both Survive the Chaos (Binatti, Schroepfer, Ruscio)

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Daniela Binatti of Pismo Mike Schroepfer of Gigascale Capital...

Investor Stories 436. Visionary Founders, From Steve Jobs to Brian Armstrong, and the Leaders Blending Life Sciences and Technology (Schuler, Saxena, Bussgang)

27 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Barry Schuler of DFJ Growth Ventures Shashank Saxena of Sierra...

Investor Stories 435. Why Complacency Kills Momentum, The Cost of Over-Diligence, and Accepting the Limits of Control (Walsh, Wang, Hudson)

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Shamin Walsh of BAM Ventures Casber Wang of Sapphire Ventures ...

494. The Techstars Refresh, Why Bigger Isn't Better, Investing in the Seed-Strapping Era, and Why Quantum May Dwarf Every Tech Shift (David Cohen)

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

David Cohen of Techstars joins Nick to discuss The Techstars Refresh, Why Bigger Isn't Better, Investing in the Seed-Strapping Era, and Why Quantum M...

Investor Stories 434. How LPs Judge Performance, Managing Founder Conflict, and The Blind Spots Investors Must Confront (Schuler, Niehenke, Agarwal)

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Barry Schuler of DFJ Growth Ventures Alexander Niehenke of Sca...

Investor Stories 433. The Art of Sensing Greatness, From Analytical to Intuitive Investing, and the Case for Industry Outsiders (Hsieh, Hilaly, Maples)

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

n this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Vince Hsieh of Cypress Growth Capital Aaref Hilaly of Bain Capi...

Investor Stories 432. The Pain of Passing: Missed Bets on Uber, DoorDash, and Great Founders Who Proved Them Wrong (Shapiro, York, Dash)

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Craig Shapiro of Collaborative Fund Kyle York of York IE Some...

493. From Data Science to Drug Design: How AI Shifts Discovery, Target Validation, and Portfolio Construction (Jim Tananbaum)

06 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jim Tananbaum of Foresite Capital joins Nick to discuss From Data Science to Drug Design: How AI Shifts Discovery, Target Validation, and Portfolio C...

Investor Stories 431. Level Heads Build Enduring Companies, The Power of Persistence, and Why Conviction is Everything (Saxena, Delk, Rizik)

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Shashank Saxena of Sierra Ventures Ryan Delk of Primer Chris ...

Investor Stories 430. Focus and Execution at Nubank, How Storytelling Wins Customers, and How Creative Partnerships Unlock Growth (Binatti, Madera, Okike)

29 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Daniela Binatti of Pismo Paul Madera of Meritech Capital Nnam...

Investor Stories 429. Focus and Discipline in Growth, The Dangers of Rules of Thumb, and Fighting Cynicism in Venture (Stevens, Patel, Shapiro)

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Kevin Stevens of Energize Capital Manish Patel of Nava Venture...

492. Prioritizing Monetization: Beautifully Simple Pricing, AI Models for Profitable Growth, and Guardrails for Freemium and Expansion Tiers (Madhavan Ramanujam)

22 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Madhavan Ramanujam of 49 Palms Ventures joins Nick to discuss Prioritizing Monetization: Beautifully Simple Pricing, AI Models for Profitable Growth,...

Investor Stories 428. Trust and Integrity with LPs, What Churn Reveals About Founders, and Building True Differentiation (Ralston, Abel, Shen)

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Rusty Ralston of Swell VC Godard Abel of G2 Han Shen of iFly....

Investor Stories 427. Balancing Growth with Profitability, Why the Customer's Pain Matters Most, and Lessons from Film Financing to Supply Chain (Jiang, Ruscio, Niehenke)

15 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Kevin Jiang of Mangusta Capital Joseph Ruscio of Heavybit Ale...

Investor Stories 426. Investor Regrets and Hard Calls: From Tax Credit Dependence to Saying No to Zoom (Hsieh, Delk, Hilaly)

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Vince Hsieh Ryan Delk Aaref Hilaly Each investor highlights...

491. How AI Reshapes LP Allocation Strategy, The Convergence of Venture and Buyout, and Permanent Shifts to Liquidity (Lara Banks)

08 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Lara Banks of Makena Capital Management joins Nick to discuss How AI Reshapes LP Allocation Strategy, The Convergence of Venture and Buyout, and Perm...

Investor Stories 425. Don't Rush the Process: Building Insights, Networks, and Patience Early in Your VC Career (Shen, Shapiro, Jiang)

04 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Han Shen Craig Shapiro Kevin Jiang We asked guests for th...

Investor Stories 424. The Unique Traits of Visionary Founders Backed by Gigascale, Heavybit & York IE (Schroepfer, Ruscio, York)

01 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Mike Schroepfer Joseph Ruscio Kyle York We asked guests t...

Investor Stories 423. From Checklists to Leadership: Lessons from iFLY, DFJ Growth & Pismo Leaders (Shen, Schuler, Binatti)

28 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Han Shen Barry Schuler Daniela Binatti We asked guests to...

490. Why Foundry Isn't Raising a New Fund, Lessons from Hibernation, and the Benefits and Drawbacks of a Give First Philosophy (Brad Feld)

25 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Brad Feld of Foundry and Techstars joins Nick to discuss Why Foundry Isn't Raising a New Fund, Lessons from Hibernation, and the Benefits and Drawbac...

Investor Stories 422: Best LP Question (Stevens, Patel, Shapiro)

21 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Kevin Stevens Manish Patel Craig Shapiro We asked guests ...

Investor Stories 421: Rewriting the Playbook (Walsh, Schroepfer, Saxena)

18 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Shamin Walsh Mike Schroepfer Shashank Saxena We asked gue...

Investor Stories 420: Why I Passed (Abel, Ruscio, Niehenke)

14 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Godard Abel Joseph Ruscio Alexander Niehenke Each investo...

489. Investing in the Gen AI Extraction Layer, Value Accrual in New Tech Waves, and India's Digital Currency & Identity Economy (Hemant Mohapatra)

11 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hemant Mohapatra of Lightspeed India joins Nick to discuss Investing in the Gen AI Extraction Layer, Value Accrual in New Tech Waves, and India's Dig...

Investor Stories 419: Key Advice (Patel, Schuler, Walsh)

07 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Manish Patel Barry Schuler Shamin Walsh We asked guests f...

Investor Stories 418: Visionary Founders (Shen, Shapiro, Jiang)

04 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Han Shen Craig Shapiro Kevin Jiang We asked guests to dis...

Investor Stories 417: Best LP Question (Delk, Hilaly, Dash)

31 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Ryan Delk Aaref Hilaly Somesh Dash We asked guests to sha...

488. Lessons from 600+ Investments, Founder Profiles that Win, Reserve Strategies that Drive Returns, and the Hidden Potential in Consumer Standouts (Charles Hudson)

28 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Charles Hudson of Precursor Ventures joins Nick to discuss Lessons from 600+ Investments, Founder Profiles that Win, Reserve Strategies that Drive Re...

Investor Stories 416: Lessons Learned (Niehenke, York, Hsieh)

24 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Alexander Niehenke Kyle York Vince Hsieh We asked guests ...

Investor Stories 415: Why I Passed (Walsh, Binatti, Schroepfer)

21 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Shamin Walsh Daniela Binatti Mike Schroepfer Each investo...

Investor Stories 414: Key Advice (Seides, Patil, Stevens)

17 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Ted Seides Jay Patil Kevin Stevens We asked guests for th...

487. A 20-Year Journey from the Garage to Nine-Figure ARR, Reinventing with Every Platform Shift, Avoiding the Innovator's Dilemma, and Future-Proofing for Generative AI (Dave Link)

14 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dave Link of ScienceLogic joins Nick to discuss A 20-Year Journey from the Garage to Nine-Figure ARR,  Reinventing with Every Platform Shift, Avoidi...

Investor Stories 413: Visionary Founders (Schilling, Abel, Patel)

10 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Mathias Schilling Godard Abel Manish Patel We asked guest...

Investor Stories 412: Best LP Question (Garcia, Tusk, Seides)

07 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: David Garcia Bradley Tusk Ted Seides We asked guests to s...

Investor Stories 411: Lessons Learned (Patil, Schilling, Abel)

03 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Jay Patil Mathias Schilling Godard Abel We asked guests t...

486. From Power Law to Proprietary Insight: Unlocking Early-Stage Alpha, Data-Driven VC, and Building a Next-Gen Firm (Nnamdi Okike)

30 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nnamdi Okike of 645 Ventures joins Nick to discuss From Power Law to Proprietary Insight: Unlocking Early-Stage Alpha, Data-Driven VC, and Building ...

Investor Stories 410: Why I Passed (Stevens, Patel, Shen)

26 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Kevin Stevens Manish Patel Han Shen Each investor highlig...

Investor Stories 409: Key Advice (Terbell and Clark, Schilling, Abel)

23 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Jon Terbell and Ted Clark Mathias Schilling Godard Abel W...

Investor Stories 408: Visionary Founders (Seides, Ralston, Stevens)

19 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Ted Seides Rusty Ralston Kevin Stevens We asked guests to...

485. From Touring with Lady Gaga, Blink‑182, and Pharrell Williams to investing in Spotify, SpaceX, and Ripple… How an Artist Went from Tastemaker to Transformative Healthcare VC (D.A. Wallach)

16 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

D.A. Wallach of Time BioVentures joins Nick to discuss From Touring with Lady Gaga, Blink‑182, and Pharrell Williams to investing in Spotify, Space...

Investor Stories 407: Best LP Question (Chau, Terbell and Clark, Schilling)

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Laura Chau Jon Terbell and Ted Clark Mathias Schilling We...

Investor Stories 406: Lessons Learned (Garcia, Tusk, Seides)

09 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: David Garcia Bradley Tusk Ted Seides We asked guests to t...

Investor Stories 405: Why I Passed (Terbell and Clark, Patil, Schilling)

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Jon Terbell and Ted Clark Jay Patil Mathias Schilling Eac...

484. Calculating the Market Size for AI, Building an "Experimentation Machine," the Bull Case for Non-Technical Founders, and the Key to PMF in the AI Age (Jeff Bussgang)

02 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff Bussgang of Flybridge Capital joins Nick to discuss Calculating the Market Size for AI, Building an "Experimentation Machine," the Bull Case for...

Investor Stories 404: Disruptive Forces (Abel, Patel, Shen)

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Godard Abel Manish Patel Han Shen We asked guests to disc...

Investor Stories 403: Key Advice (Chau, Whitmire, Garcia)

26 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Laura Chau Mike Whitmire David Garcia We asked guests for...

Investor Stories 402: Visionary Founders (Yunger, Tusk, Terbell and Clark)

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Oren Yunger Bradley Tusk Jon Terbell and Ted Clark We ask...

483. AI Revenue-Model Transformation, Building an AI Moat, and The Arrival of Agents (Medha Agarwal)

19 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Medha Agarwal of Defy joins Nick to discuss AI Revenue-Model Transformation, Building an AI Moat, and The Arrival of Agents. In this episode we cover...

Investor Stories 401: Best LP Question (Chase, Boduch, Whitmire)

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Jill Chase Eric Boduch Mike Whitmire We asked guests to s...

482. How AI Reshapes Distribution Models, What Startups Get Wrong About Product-Led Growth, and the Real Use Case for Agents (Casber Wang)

12 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Casber Wang of Sapphire Ventures joins Nick to discuss How AI Reshapes Distribution Models, What Startups Get Wrong About Product-Led Growth, and the...

Investor Stories 400: Lessons Learned (Yunger, Chau, Terbell and Clark)

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Oren Yunger Laura Chau Jon Terbell and Ted Clark We asked...

481. Co-Founding Meritech, Betting Early on Facebook and Salesforce, Avoiding Shiny Objects, and Thinking Like a Public Market Investor (Paul Madera)

05 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Madera of Meritech Capital joins Nick to discuss Co-Founding Meritech, Betting Early on Facebook and Salesforce, Avoiding Shiny Objects, and Thi...

Investor Stories 399: Why I Passed (Whitmire, Garcia, Tusk)

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Mike Whitmire David Garcia Bradley Tusk Each investor hig...

480. The OG Seed Investor, Mike Maples Jr., on Spotting Inflection Points, Living in the Future, and Why the Best Form of Competition Is No Competition (Mike Maples)

28 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Maples of Floodgate joins Nick to discuss The OG Seed Investor, Mike Maples Jr., on Spotting Inflection Points, Living in the Future, and Why th...

Investor Stories 398: Disruptive Forces (Ralston and Patil, Schilling, Stevens)

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Rusty Ralston and Jay Patil Mathias Schilling Kevin Stevens ...

479. Inside the LP Playbook with Venture Vanguard, Chris Rizik: What Metrics Actually Matter, How to Fix Venture's Liquidity Crisis, and Why Co-Invests Are a Trap (Chris Rizik)

21 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Chris Rizik of Renaissance Venture Capital joins Nick to discuss Inside the LP Playbook with Venture Vanguard, Chris Rizik: What Metrics Actually Mat...