The Sure Shot Entrepreneur
Episodes
Some Ideas Can’t Wait. Accelerate Now.
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Danielle Strachman and Michael Gibson, Founders and General Partners at the 1517 Fund, discuss their unconventional approach to venture capital. The f...
Improve Healthcare Access for Overlooked Populations
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Jessica Karr, Founder and Managing Partner at Coyote Ventures, shares how she backs AI-driven startups focused on improving health access, outcomes, a...
AI Will Not Save You. Reinvention Will.
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Kapil Surlaker, VP of Engineering, Data and AI Infrastructure at LinkedIn, joins guest host Bhaskar Ghosh for a technical and thoughtful discussion on...
We are in a Bubble of Bubble Talk, Not in a Real Financial Bubble
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Aman Verjee, Founder and General Partner at Practical Venture Capital, shares his view of how venture capital has evolved over the past two decades an...
Are You Willing to Deal With the Pain of Building a Successful Business?
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Jonathan Crystal, Managing Partner at Crystal Venture Partners, talks about investing in early-stage AI-driven insurtech companies. After leading his ...
Ignore the Bubble, Chase Alpha
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Amias Gerety, Partner at QED Investors, brings an unconventional perspective to venture capital shaped by his eight years at the US Treasury Departmen...
Emerging Managers Succeed by Diversifying, Starting Early, and Staying Consistent
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Kim, Partner at Verdis Investment Management, shares his unique take on venture capital investment through a data-driven, diversified portfolio ...
Show Commitment to the Mission You Care About
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Stephen Wemple, Principal at Spero Ventures, shares how he backs mission-driven founders building enduring companies aligned with purpose and profit. ...
Artificial Intelligence is Becoming Service-First
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Itamar Novick, founder and General Partner at Recursive Ventures, explains how a repeat-founder’s playbook shapes better early-stage investing. Itam...
Be the Quirky Underdog Obsessed About Building the Next New Thing
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Adam Draper, Founder and Managing Director at Boost VC, shares stories of his family’s pivotal role in shaping Silicon Valley, from his grandfather’...
Make the Positive Power of Venture Capital Reach All Communities
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Maryam Haque, Founding Executive Director of Venture Forward, discusses how she is helping to open doors to venture capital for people from all backgr...
Don’t Overstretch; Raise The Right Amount of Funding
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Guleri, Managing Partner at Sierra Ventures, reflects on 25 years in venture capital and his journey from Chandigarh to Silicon Valley. He shares ...
Learn the Art of Intentional Networking
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Bhaskar Ghosh, Partner at 8VC, reflects on his journey from Calcutta to Silicon Valley, spanning influential roles at Oracle, Yahoo, LinkedIn, and Ner...
Don’t Ditch the Pitch Deck
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Zach Noorani, Partner at Foundation Capital, shares hard-earned insights from more than a decade in venture capital. He talks about why the most impor...
Your Biggest Danger Is an Inbound
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jacques Benkoski, General Partner at US Venture Partners, shares lessons from decades of experience as an operator, CEO, and VC. He challenges common ...
Transform Sick Care to Healthcare
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Amit Garg, co-founder and managing partner at Tau Ventures, shares how he backs startups at the intersection of healthcare, enterprise, and automation...
Secondaries are Essential for the Venture Capital Market
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dave McClure, founder of Practical Venture Capital and co-founder of 500 Startups, dives deep into the growing role of secondaries in venture capital....
A Better Food Future Starts with Founders Who Get It
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brian Frank, the founder and general partner at FTW Ventures, shares why he left his founder career to invest in startups solving real-world problems ...
Stop What Could Go Wrong and Build a Safer AI Future
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Geoff Ralston, founder of SAIF (Safe Artificial Intelligence Fund), and former President of Y Combinator, shares his vision for building a safer AI fu...
Don’t Just Pitch; Connect with Investors Through Vision
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nadav Eylath, founder and managing partner of at.inc, shares his philosophy of early-stage investing rooted in trust, long-term thinking, and technica...
Don’t Suffer to Succeed, A Peaceful Mind Will Take You Further
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tomoko Ishikura, Managing Partner at Kicker Ventures, shares her unique perspective on investing in the future of healthcare. She talks about building...
Ship Fast, Sell Faster, Validate Deeply
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mahesh Ram, serial entrepreneur and former Head of AI at Zoom, shares his journey from building pioneering companies in education and AI to helping la...
Master Your Technical Edge, Solve the Right Problem, and Scale Big
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Cleland, Chief Investment Officer at Techstars, shares how the world’s leading accelerator invests in early-stage startups. He breaks down wh...
Enable Children with Special Needs to Thrive (Special Podcasthon episode)
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Stephen Crook, Executive Director at Achieve Kids, explains how the organization supports students with special needs through individualized education...
Build a Local Startup, Dream Global Impact
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Allen Taylor, Managing Partner at Endeavor Catalyst, shares how Endeavor is fueling the rise of world-class startups in emerging markets—places ofte...
Show Real Traction, Not Just Projections
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Connor Ryan, Partner at Bridge Venture Fund, shares his insights on investing in overlooked markets and the importance of sustainable unit economics. ...
Build Relationships with Investors to Create Game‑Changing Companies
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
David Hornik, founding partner at Lobby Capital, shares insights from his 25-year journey in the industry. David discusses the evolution of venture ca...
Look for Early Believers, Not Just Capital Providers
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pablo Srugo, partner at Mistral Venture Partners and host of The Product Market Fit Show, shares his journey from co-founding startups like Gymtrack t...
Latam Entrepreneurs Use Venture Capital Networks to Expand Globally
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Felipe Camposano, Managing Partner at Taram Capital, shares his journey as a pioneer in Chile's venture capital ecosystem and his efforts to support s...
Build What the World Needs, Not Gratuitously
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Neil Devani, founder of Necessary Ventures, shares his journey from healthcare and healthcare policy to venture capital, focusing on mission-driven st...
Build AI Solutions for Overlooked Legacy Industries
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dave Anderson, founding general partner at Beat Ventures, discusses his approach to investing in tech startups targeting overlooked legacy industries....
Do Great Work. VCs Will Find You.
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Yiğit Ihlamur, co-founder and general partner at Vela Partners, shares his unique venture capital approach, which combines data analysis with persona...
Use Your Superpowers, Don’t Dilute Your Efforts
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jessie Guo, an investment partner at Next Legacy Partners, shares her journey from early life in the northern China town of Dingxiang to a chance meet...
Water Conservation to Venture Capital Through Arranged Marriage
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lochan Alagh, co-founder of VC Nest, shares her journey from India to Silicon Valley, her work with nonprofits, and her transition into entrepreneursh...
Grit and Passion are Important; Ideas are a Dime a Dozen
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Shreesha Ramdas, a successful serial entrepreneur and angel investor, shares his investment approach, which focuses on the individual stories of entre...
Learn How to Take Advice from the Right People at the Right Time
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rajan Maruthavanan, Cofounder and Managing Partner at Upekkha, shares deep insights into the dynamics of building B2B startups from India for global m...
Impact a Billion and Make a Billion
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Raed Masri and Rama Chakaki, general partners at Transform VC, discuss their unique approach to venture capital, focusing on impact-driven investments...
Build Businesses to Make Everyone’s Lives Better
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Aaron Webster, Managing Director at Cameron Ventures, shares his experience in the dynamic world of venture capital, with a focus on InsurTech, FinTec...
Believe in People Early, Earn Lifelong Trust
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ben Black, co-founder and managing director of Akkadian Ventures, shares insights into the venture capital secondary market. He highlights the distinc...
Patiently Teach Investors What You Know to Win Them Over
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Venktesh Shukla, Founder and General Partner at Monta Vista Capital, shares his journey from a reluctant immigrant to a successful entrepreneur and ve...
Prioritize Innovation Using Artificial Intelligence, Don't Fear AGI
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gayathri Radhakrishnan, partner at Hitachi Ventures, shares profound insights from her journey and perspectives on venture capital and technology. Gay...
Courageous Entrepreneurs Are Heroes, Not Consensus Seekers
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Kimerling, founder and managing partner at Deciens, talks about key principles that shape his current approaches to startup investments. He explai...
VC is a Truth Seeking Exercise
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vishal Tripathi, investor at Next Legacy Partners, delves into venture capital dynamics, spotlighting Next Legacy Partners' unique blend of philanthro...
Make Sustainability Cool to Appeal to the Human Side
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Atlas Berry, founder and general partner at Mission One Capital, delves into funding mission-driven founders who focus on frontier technology solution...
Founders Are Made, Not Born. You Can Learn the Craft
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Chris McKelvy, founder of K. Ventures and military veteran, recounts his journey from the military to tech companies like Oculus VR and Meta, culminat...
Family Office with Three Sisters Finds Alpha Through VCs
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Alexa Binns, a seasoned investor and marketer, takes us through her remarkable journey from non-profit roots to establishing herself as a venture capi...
Engage With Customers Sooner Than Later When You Build AI Solutions
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vijay Reddy, partner at Mayfield, talks about the latest innovations and trends shaping the artificial intelligence (AI) landscape. He shares his vent...
Keep It Simple and Embrace Uncertainty
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Philip Edmundson, founder of Corvus Insurance (recently acquired by Travelers), shares the captivating journey of Corvus, from its inception to its re...
Don’t Let the Curse of Knowledge Drag You into Details
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tommy Leep, founding partner at Jetstream, shares insights on climate tech investing and nurturing startups for a sustainable future. He delves into c...
Experienced VCs Investing in Under-crowded Markets with Concentrated Portfolios Win
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Eric Sippel of Sippel Farb Family Office delves into the intricacies of investing in emerging managers. Eric outlines his meticulous emerging manager ...
Path to Success is Never Linear
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Aakar Vachhani, Managing Partner at Fairview Capital Partners, explores the crucial role of limited partners (LPs) in the venture capital ecosystem. H...
Make Venture Capital Work for Everyone, Including LGBT Founders and Investors
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lorenzo Thione, Managing Director at Gaingels, shares his journey from Italy to the U.S. and the pivotal life event inspiring his advocacy for inclusi...
A Global Village of Luminaries Help Founders Unleash Potential
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Anne Dwane, a Partner at Village Global, shares her commitment to supporting amazing entrepreneurs working on big ideas. Leveraging her background as ...
Founders, and All Leaders, Need a Coach
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Patrick Mork, founder and CEO of LEAP, shares his career journey and underscores the pivotal role of coaching in nurturing founder success. Drawing fr...
Attract High-Quality Limited Partners Who Value Your Experience
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Justin Dyer, Chief Investment Officer at AWM Capital, shares insights into AWM's venture strategies and human-centered approach to athlete wealth mana...
Work With Your Investor to Build Strategic Partnerships
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Pretre, partner at World Innovation Lab (WiL), takes us on an extraordinary journey from his upbringing in Silicon Valley to becoming a key play...
VC is an Important Asset Class for Endowments to Generate Alpha
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Miles Dieffenbach, Director of Investments at Carnegie Mellon University Endowment, offers valuable insights, personal anecdotes, and perspectives on ...
Concentrated Investments Can Generate Top Tier Returns, While Diversified Index Aims for Average
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Aram Verdiyan, Partner at Accolade Partners, offers a comprehensive exploration of the LP landscape and the strategies that drive success in the world...
Understand Nuances of Culture to Build Useful Products
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Theresa Blissing, founder of Accelerating Insurance and the Asia InsurTech Podcast, delves into the transformative potential of emerging technologies ...
Put Moolah in the Coolah
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Douvos, founder of Ahoy Capital, discusses venture capital investing as a limited partner (LP). He explores how venture capital fits in an inves...
US-India Startup Ecosystem is Booming
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Priya Ramachandran, founder and managing partner at Foster Ventures, recounts her remarkable odyssey from the tech world in India to her venture capit...
Create New Industry Categories
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Eric Ver Ploeg, founding partner of Tunitas Ventures, talks about how his seed-stage venture firm is helping entrepreneurs raise the best possible Ser...
Software Will Solve Broken Systems in Every Aspect of Healthcare
15 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Scott Barclay, Managing Director at Insight Partners, delves into the potential of software to revolutionize healthcare's flawed systems. He explores ...
VCs Help Startups Recruit Great Candidates and Catch Liars
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Oren Zeev, Founding Partner at Zeev Ventures, shares his one-man VC experience, and lessons from investing in so many successful companies. Oren revea...
No Means Not Now; Keep Trying
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
David York, a founder and managing director of Top Tier Capital Partners, provides invaluable insights into the intricacies of fund of funds (FOF). De...
Change The Financial System
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ruth Foxe Blader, a Partner at Anthemis Group, discusses her international focus on investing in FinTech and InsurTech startups. She emphasizes the ne...
The Insurance Industry Desperately Needs Startups
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Charles Moldow, a general partner at Foundation Capital, shares his remarkable journey from being a Wall Street analyst to becoming an entrepreneur an...
AI is a Mega-Trend Like the Internet, Social and Mobile
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Munjal Shah, the co-founder and CEO of Hippocratic AI, highlights how a personal health event propelled him into the healthcare industry. He elucidate...
The Future of Insurance is Collaboration
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
David Gritz, co-founder and managing director at InsurTech New York, and Bryan Falchuk, founder and managing partner at Insurance Evolution Partners, ...
Build Products from the Ground Up
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tanvi Narain, an investor at Counterpart Ventures, shares her venture capital journey and the insights gained from her first investment. She offers ad...
Let’s Demystify the Venture Capital Asset Class
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Fernando Pontaza, co-founder and managing general partner at Invariantes Fund, recounts the inception of Invariantes, Guatemala's first early-stage ve...
Politics is Like Venture Capital. Really!
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Adrian Fenty, managing general partner at MaC Venture Capital, discusses his journey from being D.C. mayor to becoming a venture capitalist. He highli...
Build Strategies Around Who You Are
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Edelson, founder and general partner at Slipstream Investors, shares his journey as a limited partner and recounts the genesis of Slipstream. He ...
Diversified VC Portfolios Find Big Winners
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jamie Rhode, Principal at Verdis Investment Management, sheds light on the opaque world of LPs. Jamie shares insights into how data is utilized at Ver...
Don’t Lose Contact with Investors, Stay in Touch
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Manu Kumar, Founder and Chief Firestarter of K9 Ventures, talks about how he balances being an investor and a founder. He shares unique insights from ...
Grow Responsibly With Patient Investors
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
David Thacker, General Partner at Greylock, shares insights from his career journey. He previously led product development at high-growth tech compani...
Venture Capital Will Open To All Investors
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Eric Woo, co-founder and CEO at Revere VC, talks about how Revere is pioneering ‘the Morningstar for venture capital’. Eric shares examples of how...
Will You Raise Series A in 12 Months?
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Kerby, co-founder and general partner at Equal Ventures, shares the journey of Equal Ventures and thought behind Emerging Managers Circle. He ...
Deep Tech Startups Are Thriving
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Karthee Madasamy, founder and managing partner at MFV Partners, talks about how deep tech is affecting and transforming traditional industries. Karthe...
Fintech Startups Are Underdogs Who Innovate
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan Falvey, co-founder and managing partner at Restive Ventures, talks about how he founded his firm on the premise of helping to unblock the path fo...
Can You Plan for No Fundraising in the Future?
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Semil Shah, General Partner at Haystack Ventures, talks about fundraising in a changing VC environment. Semil highlights ways for founders to raise in...
Identify an Extreme Pain Point
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Ferguson, managing partner at Burnt Island Ventures, talks about water investing: trends, opportunities and challenges. Tom shares lessons from hi...
Be a Badass Founder
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Samara Hernandez, founding partner at Chingona Ventures, talks about investing in underrepresented and overlooked badass founders from different backg...
Cool Technology is Not a Hot Company
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Kim, the co-founder and managing partner at Union Labs, talks about supporting deeptech entrepreneurs with empathy. Chris shares his journey as ...
Show Strong Metrics to Stand Out
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Edward Suh, founding partner at Alpine VC, talks about focusing on metrics and data to remove biases when looking for investment opportunities. Edward...
Listen to Remarkable People
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Guy Kawasaki, chief evangelist at Canva and previously at Apple, talks about defying the odds to become a remarkable person. Guy shares his interestin...
The Difference Between Success and Failure is Right Between Your Ears
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Smerklo, co-founder and managing director at Next Coast Ventures, shares his journey and lessons learned through his experiences as an entreprene...
Break Rules, Don’t Break the Law
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jasleen Kaur, an investor at Nyca Partners, talks about how she evaluates potential investments across wealth tech, SMB technology, and ESG areas. Jas...
Tell Your Story of Why
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Taylor Clauson, the Founder and Managing Partner at Abstraction Capital, talks about how he builds conviction from the founder’s ‘why story’. Ta...
Build 12 Months of Barrier to Entry
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ariana Thacker, founding partner at Conscience VC, dispels some myths about venture capital. Ariana talks about how entrepreneurial experience influen...
Distill the Essence of Your Vision
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Scott, a founding partner at 7percent Ventures, talks about distilling the essence of your vision and your business into the deck. Andrew share...
Be Ready to Answer Hard Questions
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kfir Kachlon, the Co-founder and General Partner at 91 Ventures, shares his journey from being a lawyer to investing in deep tech startups. Kfir expla...
Financial Technology Will Create a Better Tomorrow
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jake Gibson, the Founding Partner at Better Tomorrow Ventures, gives a refreshing view of how FinTech is going to touch every part of the world. Jake ...
Choose Investors Who Care
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Maryanna Saenko, Co-founder and Partner at Future Ventures, talks about what attracts caring investors to venture capital. Maryanna shares examples of...
Stick It Out and Execute, Don’t Fail Easily
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ayush Jain, a Senior Associate at Revolution’s Rise of The Rest seed fund, shares his career journey from engineering to product management to inves...
What’s Your North Star?
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Gale Wilkinson, founder and managing partner at Vitalize Venture Capital, shares her wisdom on building startups with entrepreneurs. Gale talks about ...
Improve Society Using Risk and Insurance
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Joan Schmit, professor of risk and insurance at the Wisconsin School of Business, talks about risk management in business. As the program lead of Crea...
Successful Founders Are Naive Fast Learners
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Schwark Satyavolu, a General Partner at Trinity Ventures, shares lessons from his many years of experience as a founder, operator, technology executiv...
Learn to Look for VCs With Founder Mentality
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Winter Mead, the founder and CEO of Coolwater Capital, tells us about Coolwater, a new organization that’s changing the way venture capital investor...
Is Decentralized Finance Really Getting Decentralized?
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Andy Kangpan, a Principal at Two Sigma Ventures, shares his experience supporting founders building enterprise software, cybersecurity, and crypto sta...