The Startup Solution
Episodes
It’s All About You/It’s Not All About You
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Heidi discusses how founders tend to swing between two extremes — thinking it’s not all about them (when actually, it is), or ...
Inside the Black Box of VC Behavior
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
While the internal dynamics of a VC firm may feel like a black box, you can often infer what’s going on based on how your VC is acting – if you k...
Understanding Your Investor’s Zone of Indifference
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Founders need to understand investor priorities before they require investor action. The investor’s ‘zone of indifference’ describes an issue t...
The Art of the Cold Email
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mastering cold emails is a superpower—one that can unlock dream investors, top-tier hires, and world-class mentors. The most successful founders cr...
The Case of the Elusive Earnout
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re considering an earnout, you should know exactly what is involved to set expectations – and to give yourself the highest chance of it am...
How to be a Great Mentee
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Successful entrepreneurs seek out mentors to positively impact their careers. But how do they find a mentor, initiate contact, and build a relationsh...
The Case of the Venture Debt Dilemma
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
All entrepreneurs should understand what venture debt is so they can make an informed decision to take it or not. Heidi poses a series of questions a...
The Best Entrepreneurs are Great at Business
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many entrepreneurs start companies to solve a big problem or apply innovative technology, or both. But when they fail, it’s typically the result...
Six Word Operating Manual for Entrepreneurs
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When the world is uncertain, it is especially challenging for an entrepreneur to steer their company forward. Heidi’s six-word operating manual h...
The Case of the Shareholder Shenanigans
07 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Shareholder voting rights are an essential element of the many crucial decisions made in a company. For example, they may come into play during a fun...
The Case for a Relationship-Driven Life
30 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Over 20 years ago, Heidi Roizen became the subject of a Harvard Business School case that is still one of the most popular cases taught at business s...
How to Think About Dilution
16 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Season 3 Episode 8 of The Startup Solution, Heidi covered "How to Think About Venture Capital" and explained the VC business model. She now wants ...
How to Think About Venture Capital
02 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
To determine if you should pursue VC dollars to fund your company, you first need to understand how the venture capital model works. Heidi covers the ...
The Case of the Compromised Capital
19 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A person with a big online presence is calling out Athena for the seed investment she received from a big corporation that appears to be in oppositio...
The Case of the Verbal Term Sheet
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rudy, a founder in fund-raising mode, received a verbal term sheet. A what? Heidi informs Rudy that there is no such thing as a verbal term sheet and...
The Case of the Radical Recap
19 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Simone is a founder in a challenging situation. The only financing she can raise comes with a catch – she needs to do a recap. Heidi reviews how Si...
The Case of the Dubious Debt
05 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What do you do when you want to exercise your startup’s stock options but need to borrow money to do so? Do you take an interest-free loan from you...
The Case of the 409a Freak-out
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many founders, like Alyssa, worry that a 409a valuation is considered a true market-based assessment of a company’s overall worth or potential. I...
The Case for the Independent Director
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
An independent director can play a crucial role in mitigating conflicts of interest among board members while also providing valuable input. Heidi exp...
The Case of the Infallible Founder
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Chester, an early-stage entrepreneur, wants to put terms in place so he can never be fired by his board. Like many founders, he saw what went down wi...
The Case of the Fraudulent Founder
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Some ambitious entrepreneurs embellish the truth to achieve their goals. Is this seemingly innocent practice appropriate, or is it a gateway to engagi...
The Case of the Ace Advisor
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Miles wants to hire an advisor, a well-respected University of California professor but needs help defining the role, setting expectations, and forma...
The Case of the Nepo Nightmare
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The CTO needs to fire someone who is awful at their job but is the big brother of the CEO. Heidi recounts firsthand experience of navigating a comple...
The Case of the Secondary Showdown
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Secondary stock sales can be tricky. Heidi shares a financial drama where the founder is upset that her VC is selling, and the VC is upset that the f...
The Case of the C-Suite Shuffle
10 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Leon no longer wants to be the CEO of the company he founded. He makes his decision after completing an exercise Heidi suggested to him in Episode 5 ...
The Case of the Frustrated Founder
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Leon is a founder who wants his company to succeed but hates his job as CEO and is unsure if he’s the right person to lead the team. In this first ...
The Case of the Email Evidence
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Luka is sued! As part of the lawsuit, he must hand over all his email messages and texts as evidence. Heidi reviews what “digital communication hyg...
The Case of the Carveout Conundrum
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Anya needs to sell her company, but to do so, she needs to keep her team. She decides to financially motivate them with a carve-out agreement that wi...
The Case of the Mythical M&A
01 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Julian is running low on cash and starts to prep for an M&A way too late. Heidi shares what’s involved in an M&A process and the importance of build...
The Case of the Social Media Meltdown
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Eddie reposts an inappropriate meme on social media and ends up with angry employees, disillusioned investors, and a tarnished reputation. In this epi...
The Case of the Company That Wasn’t
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For the final episode of the first season of The Startup Solution, Heidi tackles what is, perhaps, the single most difficult thing an entrepreneur ...
The Case of the Boardzilla Board Member
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Felicia’s boardroom has become a battlefield due to the disruptive and even destructive behavior of one of her board members — but he is also one ...
The Case of the Exposed Compensation File
13 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Carl, a startup CEO, accidentally left a list of every employee's pay and equity in the printer. Soon enough, it was circulating on the company Slack....
The Case of the Deadweight Co-Founder
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the process of closing her startup’s first round of outside capital, CEO Claire hit a snag. One of her co-founders had already left the company, ...
The Case of the Millionaire Mirage
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nate has a first-world problem: As VP of Engineering at a startup, he thought he'd become a millionaire when the company had its big exit — but he w...
The Case of the Soggy Software
23 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Heidi changes gears from recounting other entrepreneurs' challenges to share a story of her own from when she was the CEO of a software startup. Lea...
The Case of the Strategic Sucker Punch
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Trent hits a crisis when his strategic investor lets their term sheet expire, and his $50 million round falls apart. Strategic investors are a huge pa...
The Case of the In-law Investors
09 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
JJ, a Threshold Venture Fellow at Stanford, has in-laws who want to pull money from their retirement fund to participate in a “friends and family”...
The Case of the Downer Round
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Founders often think of valuation as the grade at the top of the paper, which is why few things take an emotional toll like the prospect of a down rou...
The Case of the Boardroom Blow-up
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Priya informed her board that the company missed its quarterly sales target, she was met with a barrage of attacks. The real error wasn’t the b...
The Startup Solution Trailer
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Startup Solution is a new podcast from Threshold Ventures. The series tackles the make-or-break challenges that startups face, offering clear advi...