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

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured:

  • Aydin Senkut
  • John Fein
  • Cheryl Cheng

Each investor discusses a portfolio company that did not survive and why it was that they failed.

To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes.

Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.

Direct download: Investor_Stories_115__Post_Mortems_Senkut_Fein_Cheng.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

Steve Glickman of Develop Advisors joins Nick to discuss Opportunity Zones --- A Fit for VC?. In this episode, we cover:

  • Quick overview of your background prior to Develop Advisors?
  • Walk us through the origin story of EIG?
  • You are also the founder & CEO of Develop Advisors - tell us more about the work you do with fund managers.
  • Let's talk about OZ's -- and we'll start with the basics -- Give us an overview of the $6T OZ program.
  • Incentives aside from tax benefits?
  • Which asset classes are best suited to invest in OZs?
  • How is an Opportunity Zone defined? What credentials make a community an OZ?
  • As governors change -- are these OZs going to change with different administrations?
  • Is the expectation that entrepreneurs will actually relocate to these areas for the HQ of their business? It seems like that is a bit of a stretch.
  • Are there statistics on the number and amount of private capital funds that have been raised with a mandate to invest in OZs?
  • In your estimation, what are some risks factors and/or potential unintended consequences that we should be mindful of?
  • Part of my hesitation around this topic and why I've waited to cover it until I could get you specifically on the program, is because with any new gov't incentive program or over-hyped area in general (like we saw with crypto last year), it attracts a lot of "opportunists" or even "charlatans" looking to capitalize on something that's new and not well understood. How do we avoid and discourage "bad actors" from taking advantage of either LPs or Entrepreneurs?
  • One of the services that Develop Advisor's provides is the OZI or Opportunity Zone Index. What is this attempting to measure?
  • What do you say to the pundits that claim the majority of the benefits will accrue to the financial services investors and not to the distressed communities?

To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes.


Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.

Direct download: 188._Opportunity_Zones_---_A_Fit_for_VC__Steve_Glickman.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured:

  • Adeyemi Ajao
  • Cyan Banister
  • Jeff Clavier

Each investor describes the most unusual situation or pitch that they've encountered as an investor.

To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes.

Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.

Direct download: Investor_Stories_114__Strange__Unusual_Ajao_Banister_Clavier.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:00am EDT

Jim Kim of Builders VC joins Nick to discuss Transformative Tech for Old World Industry. In this episode, we cover:

  • Quick Backstory/ Path to founding tech?
  • Big news a few years ago that Formation 8 decided not to raise a fund 3. What happened with Formation 8 - why the decision not to raise fund 3?
  • Tell us about the thesis at Builders.
  • Why do you think these old world industries haven't been re-invented?
  • I've worked in some old world industries myself... that move quite slowly. I'm curious if you think the timeline is a bit longer for tech companies to scale in these industries, if, for nothing else than the decision makers are much more methodical? 
  • What are some of the key technology characteristics you're looking for in the companies you back?
  • Aside from technology, what are the other key ingredients your hunting for?
  • Vertical integration... building your own brand and own the customer relationship vs. serving many others as a component provider?
  • What percentage of your new investments are serial founders vs. first-time and how does your approach differ with each?
  • You've stated that "Synthetic biology will be the most important enabling technology of our lifetimes." Why?
  • Talk about some exciting innovations in the science and data space and what industries will they be most beneficial to?
  • How do you measure success with the companies in your portfolio and how do you help them get to that place?

 

To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes.


Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.

Direct download: 187._Transformative_Tech_for_Old_World_Industry_Jim_Kim.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:30pm EDT

1