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

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

Willy Schlacks

Mar Hershenson

Rick Zullo

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

The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran, General Partner of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area.

Learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our Website. Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!

Founders, are you frustrated by trying to find the ideal VC's for your stage, sector, and geography? Answer five questions with VC Rank and generate your customized list now.

Direct download: TFR_IS_289_Post_Mortems.mp3
Category:Investor Stories -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

Rick Zullo of Equal Ventures joins Nick to discuss Architecting a Thesis-Driven Philosophy, Why There's Riches in Niches, How Founder-Market Fit is Changing, and Building the Largest Community of Emerging Managers. In this episode we cover:

  • How many different specialties can a founder have?
  • How do they take concepts and opportunities?
  • The importance of having a thesis driven team
  • The process of evaluating an investment
  • How to get conviction on ideas
  • Being earnestly honest about your business model
  • The four stages of building a business
  • The importance of finding a niche and expanding it

Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up!

The hosts of The Full Ratchet are Nick Moran and Nate Pierotti of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area.

You can follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter! Founders, are you frustrated by trying to find the ideal VC's for your stage, sector, and geography? Answer five questions with VC Rank and generate your customized list now.

Direct download: TFR_RICKZULLO.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

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

  • Nadav Eylath
  • Kristi Ross
  • Mar Hershenson

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

The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran, General Partner of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area.

Learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our Website. Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!

Direct download: TRF_IS_288_Strange_And_Unusual.mp3
Category:Investor Stories -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

Laura Spiekerman of Alloy joins Nate to discuss What Does the Future of Fintech Hold? Insights on Growth, Fraud, and Community Banking. In this episode we cover:

  • Alloy's mission and the role it plays in fintech
  • The importance of community banks in fintech design and development
  • Challenges of scaling a go-to-market business in fintech 
  • Laura's insights on the future of fintech, including concerns about fraud and blockchain technology
  • The impact of fed now on fraud prevention in fintech
Direct download: TFR_375_LauraSpiekerman.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

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

  • Kristi Ross
  • Ravi Viswanathan
  • Oz Alon

Each investor illustrates a critical lesson learned about startup investing and how it's changed their approach.

The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran, General Partner of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area.

Learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our Website. Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!

Direct download: TRF_IS_287_LessonsLearned.mp3
Category:Investor Stories -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

Shardul Shah of Index Ventures joins Nick to discuss Assessing an entrepreneur’s imagination. What are the metrics and characteristics that demonstrate product market fit for Early-stage investing? (Shardul Shah). In this episode we cover:

  • Outsourcing security risk and the need to outsource risk.

  • The Importance of Imaginative Entrepreneurs

  • How do you think about the trade-offs of a services business?

  • Metrics and characteristics that demonstrate product market fit.

  • The evaluation criteria Shardul uses in evaluating companies.

Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up!

Direct download: TFR_SHARDULSHA_1.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

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

  • Jenny Lefcourt
  • Mar Hershenson
  • Ravi Viswanathan

Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out.

The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran, General Partner of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area.

Learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our Website. Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!


Kristi Ross of tastytrade joins Nick to discuss Bootstrapping to a Billion Dollar Exit, The History of Options Trading, Competing Against Robinhood, and How to Build a Brokerage Content Machine. In this episode we cover:

  • Bootstrapping to a Billion
  • Chicago Trading in the 90s
  • ThinkorSwim, TCV, and Trading to Tastytrade
  • Robinhood's Capital Intensive Strategy 
  • Using Media and Content to Build a Brokerage Powerhouse

Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up!

The hosts of The Full Ratchet are Nick Moran and Nate Pierotti of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. You can follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!

Founders, are you frustrated by trying to find the ideal VC's for your stage, sector, and geography? Answer five questions with VC Rank and generate your customized list now.


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

  • Tim Draper
  • Jenny Lefcourt
  • Chris Sugden

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

The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran, General Partner of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area.

Learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our Website. Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!

Founders, are you frustrated by trying to find the ideal VC's for your stage, sector, and geography? Answer five questions with VC Rank and generate your customized list now.

Direct download: IS__285_POSTMORTEMS.mp3
Category:Investor Stories -- posted at: 5:00am EDT

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