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

David Tisch of Box Group joins Nick to discuss Why Optimizing for Ownership is a Trap, The Future of Seed Investing, and The Opportunity in Consumer Social. In this episode we cover:

  • Dealing with decisions that feel like tweener.
  • Over-rotating on short-term fake signals.
  • What is their portfolio construction philosophy?
  • Regretting not investing in the right companies.
  • Where do you think prices will go in 2020?
  • Differences between social media and venture capital.
  • The opportunity to capture the hearts and minds of consumers.

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: Tisch_FInal_Full.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

Rex Woodbury of Index joins Nate to discuss The Opportunity in Gen Z, Deciphering Signal From the Noise in Generative AI, and The Future of Work. In this episode we cover:

Entrepreneurship vs. Work ethic.
The power of questioning social constructs.
Other trends to be excited about in tech.
Connecting to people on the internet is similar to advertising.
Comparing cloud vs. Generative AI
Habits tactics and techniques for writing.

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.

To learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our Website and LinkedIn and be sure to follow us on Twitter.

Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Subscribe to our podcast and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Are you a founder looking for your next investor? Visit our free tool VC-Rank and we'll send a list of potential investors right to your inbox!

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

Deena Shakir of Lux Capital joins Nick to discuss The Lux Capital Playbook, Deeptech and The Application Layer, and What the Future Holds for Digital Health. In this episode we cover:

  • Investments in the fertility space.
  • How do you think about the future of healthcare?
  • Investing in healthcare companies.
  • Innovation in healthcare.

Guest Links:

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.

To learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our Website and LinkedIn and be sure to follow us on Twitter.

Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Subscribe to our podcast and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Are you a founder looking for your next investor? Visit our free tool VC-Rank and we'll send a list of potential investors right to your inbox

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

Jim Andelman of Bonfire Ventures joins Nick to discuss 85% Graduation from Seed to Series A, SaaS Metric Mastery, The Right Time to Stop Founder-Led Sales, and Advice for Emerging Managers. In this episode we cover:

  • The entry point for a seed investor.
  • The importance of being overweight on the first round.
  • How do you respond to a correction in valuation?
  • Knowing when to relax constraints in venture.
  • How much does it cost to build a sales team?
  • The right time to transition from founder-led sales to sales leader.
  • Evaluating the margin profile of a business.

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.

To learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our Website and LinkedIn and be sure to follow us on Twitter.

Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Subscribe to our podcast and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Are you a founder looking for your next investor? Visit our free tool VC-Rank and we'll send a list of potential investors right to your inbox!

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

Catharine Dockery of Vice Ventures joins Nick to discuss Betting on "Bad" Industries, the opportunity in Alcohol, Nicotine, SexTech and other vices, and Why Early Stage Investors Should Avoid Consumer Investing. In this episode we cover:

  • Raising money for venture capital.
  • Investment opportunities in psychedelics.
  • What are the signals to look for in a consumer company?

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.

To learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our Website and LinkedIn and be sure to follow us on Twitter.

Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Subscribe to our podcast and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Are you a founder looking for your next investor? Visit our free tool VC-Rank and we'll send a list of potential investors right to your inbox!

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

Alex Pruden of Aleo joins Nate to discuss From Special Forces to Leading Aleo, The Bull Case for Crypto and Web 3, and The Future of the Internet. In this episode we cover:

  • Leading a tech startup.
  • How to cultivate a stronger sense of leadership.
  • What is Aleo and what does it do?
  • What are the initial use cases for Ai?
  • The power of proof of humanity.
  • The scalability of zero-knowledge proofs.

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.

To learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our Website and LinkedIn and be sure to follow us on Twitter.

Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Subscribe to our podcast and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Are you a founder looking for your next investor? Visit our free tool VC-Rank and we'll send a list of potential investors right to your inbox!

Direct download: TFR_ALEX_PRUDEN_FULL.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- 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

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

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

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.


Henrik Werdelin of BARK joins Nate to discuss What Consumer Founders Often Get Wrong, How to Build a Culture that Breeds Creativity, and Scaling Bark to IPO. In this episode we cover:

  • The Founding of Bark
  • Tips for Consumer Founders
  • Breeding a Creative Culture
  • The Path to IPO

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


Jenny Lefcourt, General Partner at Freestyle Capital joins Nick to discuss Founder to Forbes Midas List, Behind the Scenes of an Intro Call, Why B2B2C is Best and Avoiding the Leaky Funnel Trap. In this episode we cover:

  • Making the Switch from Angel to VC
  • Tips For Founders Pitching Jenny and Freestyle
  • How to Reach Conviction without Consensus
  • Burn and Learn Investing
  • B2B2C and Avoiding the Leaky Funnel
  • And More!

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_Jenny_Lefcourt_4.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 5:00am EDT

Jai Das of Sapphire Ventures joins Nick to discuss The FTX Fallout, What's Next for Crypto and Web 3.0, and Lessons From Backing 13 IPOs. In this episode we cover:

  • Playing Defense and Offense in a Downturn
  • Predictions for Crypto and Web 3.0
  • Indicators of a Future IPO
  • And more!

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.


Ravi Viswanathan of NVC joins Nick to discuss Orchestrating a $1B+ Secondaries Purchase from NEA, tradeoffs of Burn, Growth, and Valuation, and Winning Against Multistage Firms. In this episode we cover:

  • The Birth of New View Capital
  • Multistage Firms and web 3
  • Damage Control for 2023
  • How to know if a company is the next rocket ship
  • Super Apps Ethics
  • And More!

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_Ravi_Viswanathan.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 5:00am EDT

Eric Liaw of IVP joins Nick to discuss Valuation Inflation, the IPO Pause and What that Means for M&A, If Twitter is in Better Hands, and How to Construct a Successful Board. In this episode we cover:

  • Parsing Out the IPO Process
  • Thoughts on Twitter's Acquisition
  • Market Predictions
  • And more!

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.


Brad Feld of Foundry Group and Techstars joins Nate to discuss Stories, Advice, and Leveraging 35 Years of Startup Board Experience. In this episode we cover:

  • How to Build and Leverage a Board from the Beginning
  • Advice for Board Members
  • Avoiding the Most-Common Mistakes
  • And more!

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.


Chris Sugden of Edison Partners joins Nate to discuss The 20 Year Evolution of Venture Capital, Growing a Firm with Zero Investments in Silicon Valley, and the Multi-Stage Fund Reckoning. In this episode we cover:

  • Investing Outside Silicon Valley and Silicon Alley
  • Comparing Boom and Bust Cycles
  • How to Decide Between Growth Equity and Venture Capital
  • And more!

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.


Allan Jean-Baptiste and Marco DeMeireles of Ansa Capital join Nate to discuss Lessons for Raising an Inaugural Fund, How to Construct a Thesis, and The Shortcomings of the Traditional VC Model. In this episode we cover:

  • Tips for Emerging Managers
  • Building Conviction with LPs and Founders from Scratch
  • Growing Momentum in Fundraising Cycles
  • And more!

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.


Ali Hamed of CoVenture and Crossbeam Venture Partners joins Nick to discuss The VC Networking Playbook, Credit and Pricing Risk in New Asset Classes, and How VC Market Hype Should Impact Stage Focus and Net Buy/Sell Positions. In this episode we cover:

  • Building an LP Network from Scratch
  • Platform Economies and Their Future
  • A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Investing
  • And more!

Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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.


Doug Pepper of ICONIQ Growth joins Nate to discuss The Current State of Venture, SaaS Growth Versus Efficiency, and Predictions for a Market Correction. In this episode we cover:

  • Growing ICONIQ Growth
  • Advice in a Post-Pandemic Economy
  • Following the Rule of 60 for Success
  • And more!

Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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.


Aaron Holiday of 645 Ventures joins Nate to discuss The Second Wave of SaaS, Using Software to Scale a Venture Firm, and Predictions for the Future of Venture Capital. In this episode we cover:

  • Creating an OS for VC
  • Statistical Predictors of Success in Founders
  • Early-Stage Investing: Art or Science?
  • And more!

Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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.


Brad Burnham of Union Square Ventures joins Nick to discuss Founding Union Square Ventures, Driving Persistent, Top Decile Returns, How Top Founders Have Changed, and the Outlook for Web 3.0 and Data Control. In this episode we cover:

  • Founder Focus Shifting from Management to Leadership
  • How Venture has Changed Over the Decades
  • Why Web3 is Here to Stay
  • And more!

Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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.


Guru Chahal of Lightspeed Venture Partners joins Nate to discuss How to Maximize Investor Value for Founders, the Future of Cloud Infrastructure, and the Bull Case for Cybersecurity. In this episode we cover:

  • How Cloud Infrastructure Impacted Innovation
  • Breaking the Constraints of Success
  • Why You Should Execute Quickly as a Founder but Slowly as an Investor
  • And more!

Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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.


Brian O'Malley of Forerunner Ventures joins Nick to discuss Future Strategies for Digital Customer Acquisition, Why to Stay Small While You Scale, and S&M Strategies at Different Customer ACV Tiers. In this episode we cover:

  • Common Marketplace Mistakes and Overblown Trends
  • Capitalizing on Consumer Interest in Local and Sustainable Products
  • Marketplace Liquidity and Cohort Analysis
  • And more!

Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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.


Samara Mejia Hernandez of Chingona Ventures joins Nick to discuss Lessons from the Largest Latina Solo GP, Being Impactful Without Being an Impact Fund, and How to Use Sales Tactics for Success in VC. In this episode we cover:

  • How Authenticity Benefits the Bottom Dollar
  • Tips on Raising a Fund While Facing Adversity
  • Maintaining Mental Health in VC
  • And more!

Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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.


Mark Ghermezian of m]x[v Capital joins Nate to discuss Lessons from Scaling Braze to IPO, the Importance of the Underdog Mindset, and the Future of SaaS. In this episode we cover:

  • How the iPhone Led to the Inception of Braze
  • The Impact of Remote Work on Innovation
  • Becoming a Unicorn by Building for Tomorrow
  • Advice for Founders from a Unicorn Founder turned VC

Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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.


Mark Achler & Mert Iseri of MATH Venture Partners join Nick to discuss Dispelling Folktales for Founders, the FAIR Framework, Twitter's Terms Battle, and How MATH Ventures is Exiting Right. In this episode we cover:

  • The FAIR Framework and How it Benefits Founders
  • Playing the Long Game to Leave a Legacy
  • Why We Don’t Talk About Exits.. Until Now

Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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.


Ali Moiz of Stonks joins Nate to discuss An Inside Look Into Stonks, the Democratization of Dealflow, and the Future of Startup Investing. In this episode we cover:

  • Increasing Access to the VC Ecosystem
  • How Venture's Structure Supports Success
  • Insights on How Investors Can Win
  • Lessons from Being the Largest Demo Day Host on Earth

Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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.


Anna Mason of Revolution's Rise of the Rest Seed Fund joins Nick to discuss Opportunities in Market Downturns, Lessons from Lehman, Inherent Optimism in Venture, and Why Rise of the Rest Isn't Slowing Its Roll. In this episode we cover:

  • Advice for Women Entering Wall Street
  • Parallels from Previous Downturns and the Paradigm Shifts They Bring
  • The Symbiosis Between Startups and Local Economies
  • Why Rise of the Rest Continues to Meet Founders Where They Are

Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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.


Annie Kadavy of Redpoint Ventures joins Nick to discuss Investing in $B+ Marketplaces, Beating the Cold Start Problem, Warby Parker's Key to Scaling, and the Backstory Behind Redpoint's Social Media Surge. In this episode we cover:

  • Musings on New Marketplace Models
  • Increasing Diversity in Venture
  • The Importance of Building a Brand
  • Rethinking Success

Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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.


Neha Khera of 2048 Ventures joins Nate to discuss Competing with a16z & Sequoia at Pre-Seed, the Evolution of Accelerators, and Deciphering Signal From Noise in Web 3. In this episode we cover:

  • The Case for Underdog Founders and What Creates One
  • Business Models that Lend Themselves to Becoming Platforms
  • Pros and Cons of Accelerator vs Institutional Models of Investing
  • Thoughts on the Current State of Cyber and Web 3 and Their Future

Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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.


Tripp Jones of Uncork Capital joins Nate to discuss Billion $ Lessons from a Dozen Unicorns, Why Consumer VC is not Dead, How to Size a Marketplace, and What the LP Pullback means for VC Funds. In this episode we cover:

  • What Sets Apart a Unicorn Founding Team
  • The Problem Uber Poses in Labor Marketplaces and Entrepreneurship
  • Why Raising Funds May Be Difficult in the Coming Year
  • How Slowing Down Can Increase Efficiency

Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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.


Howard Morgan of B Capital Group joins Nick to discuss Founding Renaissance Technologies & First Round Capital, The Origins of Idealab, Reasons Not to Grow your Fund, and How Sourcing from YC Has Changed. In this episode we cover:

  • Starting the First Quantitative Hedge Fund
  • Idealab’s First Check
  • The Story Behind the Founding of First Round Capital
  • What's Ahead in The VC Funding Markets

Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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.

To learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our Website and LinkedIn and be sure to follow us on Twitter.

Are you a founder looking for your next investor? Visit our free tool VC-Rank and we’ll send a list of potential investors right to your inbox!


Julie Wroblewski of Magnify Ventures joins Nick to discuss The $640B Care Economy, The Invisible Work Dilemma, and Differentiation Tips for Emerging Managers. In this episode we cover:

  • The Magnitude of the Care Economy and Why The Time is Now
  • How Technology is Influencing How We Care for Each Other
  • The Invisible Work Powering Innovation
  • The Benefits of Being a Thematic Fund and Tips on Differentiating and Scaling One
  • What Sets Unicorn Founders Apart and More!

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.

To learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our Website and LinkedIn and be sure to follow us on Twitter.

Are you a founder looking for your next investor? Visit our free tool VC-Rank and we’ll send a list of potential investors right to your inbox!


Nate Pierotti of New Stack Ventures joins Nick to discuss The Mendoza Line in VC, Why Most Investors Fail More than they Succeed, What Founder Greatness Looks Like, and Lessons from Pitching to 500 LPs & Closing $42.6M. In this episode we cover:

  • What The Mendoza Line is & It's Implications for Venture Capital
  • How New Stack Finds & Selects Great Founders
  • Lessons from Pitching over 500 Limited Partners and Raising $42.6 Million

Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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.

To learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our Website and LinkedIn and be sure to follow us on Twitter.

Are you a founder looking for your next investor? Visit our free tool VC-Rank and we’ll send a list of potential investors right to your inbox!


Tae Hea Nahm of Storm Ventures joins Nick to discuss Go-to-Market Fit, Tidal Waves, Category Leadership & Split-Personalities. In this episode, we cover:

  • What was your path to Venture Capital like and why’d you make that career change?
  • You’ve been very successful with exits- is there a framework you apply to identify these?
  • Can you explain further about your tidal investing strategy and how it has changed? 
  • With your expansive experience in Venture, do you believe are changes necessary in the silicon valley mentality?
  • How active of a role do you play with your portfolio founders?
  • You said you love to take the subway and observe what people are doing- what are some things you are spotting now and what are you spotting across the world.
  • Why’d you write “Survival to Thrival”?
  • Through your recent observations, what is the next big thing you are testing in Korea?
  • You talk a lot about split personalities, when did you realize this was a necessary quality and how long did it take you to develop this yourself? How has this also changed over your tenure as a CEO?
  • You’ve stated that founders have to stay both pragmatic and ambitious. In tech it’s often a problem when you build out infrastructure or sales before everything is ready. On the flip side sharing too many problems or issues with your team and investors will make them wary. Have you had any of these occurrences with finding a balance and what would you advise the audience as solutions.
  • How have you developed a positive attitude despite the dichotomy of feelings day in and day out? How would you advise other founders and CEO’s to deal with this?
  • How do you actually identify true passion in founders and what are the criteria you use for this?
  • How have you aligned Storm Ventures proclaimed company culture with the unofficial culture? What is your advice to other CEO’s trying to find a fit?
  • In your book you talk about the 3 go to market elements. How long did it take you to realize these 3 things?
  • You talk about identifying problems versus disastrous in the book. Can you tell us just the first step you founders should take if a problem is disastrous?

Guest Links:

 
 
 

To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/
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Direct download: FR170.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 8:29pm EDT

Brian Ascher of Venrock joins Nick to discuss Product is Paramount. In this episode, we cover:

  •  What is your story at Venrock and how have both you and your firm evolved over the past two decades.
  • Talk a little about Venrock and your focus there.
  • You were a product manager at Intuit, prior to Venrock.. what do you think is the VCs role in shaping product strategy?
  • What are your thoughts on SaaS investing and this increasing focus on the "Intelligent Enterprise"
  • You wrote an article a few years ago called “Goldilocks and the 3 SaaS Go To- Markets Models”... what are the three flavors of SaaS go-to-market and have they changed since you wrote the article?
  • Business Model: Price/seat vs. metered service vs. price for value
  • We're about to close on our first fintech investment for fund I-- can you talk a bit about fintech and why it's so hot?
  • Some have said that digital currencies and/or the blockchain itself will be as disruptive as the internet-- agree or disagree?
  • Something we've neglected a bit on the program is long-term governance. What are your thoughts on Managing a Board of Directors and what situations have you seen play out-- for better or worse?
  • What is the percentage of healthy, well-functioning boards vs unhealthy boards?
  • How are chairman roles assigned/elected-- are they often explicit and how useful is it to have an official Chairman?

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

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Direct download: FR169.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 8:00am EDT

Carter Cast of Pritzker Group joins Nick to discuss Leadership from Origin to Scale. In this episode, we cover:

  • You’ve been a manager and leader in early stage companies – from startups like Blue Nile (from $0 to $50 million in a couple years) to Walmart.com (from $0 – 5 billion in 7 years). I'm sure each was different but tell us about the experience of scaling such high growth companies?
  • What were some of the key lessons or surprises from those experiences?
  • You went from Operator to VC... Why'd you write the book?
  • You present these catchy archetypes in the book... Captain Fantastic; the Solo Flier; Version 1.0; the One-Trick Pony; the Whirling Dervish. Can you give us a brief overview of each and then maybe we can talk about which, in particular, afflict entrepreneurs?
  • Clearly you've thought deeply about the personal side of entrepreneurship and the psychology of founders. When you're looking at new deals, what sort of traits are you looking for in the founders? You and I have discussed your “Launching and Leading Startups” class at Kellogg-- what do you focus on in the class and why?
  • I tend to see different skill sets and strengths of those running an early stage business vs. those running an IPO-ready company and we recently had David Cohen on the show who said that often the person to start a company is not the right person to scale it or take it public. Do you agree or disagree and how do you think about the changing leadership requirements through scale?

 

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Direct download: FR168_Cast.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 4:00pm EDT

David Cohen of Techstars joins Nick to discuss Techstars: What Worked, What Didn't, What's Next. In this episode, we cover:

  • "What was the original vision for Techstars, when you started?
  • How has that vision changed and evolved to where it is now?
  • Techstars Ventures-- any concern that it sends a bad signal for those cohort companies that the fund does not invest in?
    What does winning look like for Techstars? How do you measure success?
  • Do you measure common VC fund metrics like TVPI, DPI, IRR, etc?
  • Do you compare yourself against the other top accelerators? If so, where do you excel?
  • Started Techstars Anywhere in 2017, first full class in '18...
  • How does one run a remote accelerator w/ the same quality of an in person one?
  • I'm going to put you on the spot here-- some founders do not have a positive experience going through Techstars or other accelerators for that matter. What type of founder is the program a great fit for and what is it a poor fit for?
  • I've noticed a focus both from you and Techstars on Mental health and wellness-- what are your thoughts on this area as an opportunity for startup innovation?
  • How about the Cannabis industry. You’re based in Boulder-- what are your thoughts on the sector and opportunity for founders?
  • Do More Faster is one of the must-have books for every founder. Super pragmatic, actionable insights. What lesson or piece of advice doesn't appear in the book that, now in 2018, you'd add as a critical item for founder's to appreciate as they go through their journey
  • Techstars’s FounderCon Europe 2018 was less than 2 weeks ago-- What would you say is the biggest difference you’ve found when working with European startups vs ones in the US?
  • What do you think Techstars looks like in five years?
  • How do you balance time spent between companies that are succeeding vs. those that are failing?
  • If you were to do it all over again, what would you change?
  • What have you learned most about yourself through your experience at Techstars?"

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

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Direct download: FR166.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

Evangelos Simoudis of Synapse Partners joins Nick to discuss AV, Mobility, and the Disruption of Big Auto. In this episode, we cover:

 

Backstory / Path to becoming an investor
What is the investment focus/philosophy of your firm?
What are the key drivers of automotive disruption?
Can you talk about the role of big data and machine intelligence in AV?
Can you give us an overview of the framework you use for investing in mobility and talk about the new investment areas in the category
What business models have and will emerge as we adopt autonomous vehicles for on-demand mobility services?
What needs to happen for these business models to be implemented and what sort of timeline are we looking at?
Talk about some of the notable companies funded in the space and potential exits in the short-, medium-, and long-term?
What do you think will happen to the large, incumbent automakers?
Where do you find interesting big data and AI startups working on mobility-related problems outside Silicon Valley, Israel, and China?
How do you identify areas to invest, create value for your portcos, and help drive exits?
Advice for founders working on AV and mobility tech?

 

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

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Direct download: FR165.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 6:30pm EDT

Yoav Leitersdorf of YL Ventures joins Nick to discuss The Cat and Mouse Game of Cyber Security -- Israel, CISOs, and GDPR. In this episode, we cover:

  • How the emergence of new technologies have changed cybersecurity
  • The framework to think about cybersecurity from a VC perspective
  • Where innovation in cybersecurity stems from and how VCs impact this innovation.
  • Industries that have the most volume of devices and the most threatened by breaches
  • The purchase drivers for CSOs/CISOs today and how they determine ROI
  • The impact of GDPR on the cyber industry
  • Asset-centric vs threat-centric approaches toward information security
  • The cybersecurity Cat and Mouse analogy
  • The biggest misconception of cybersecurity

 

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

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Direct download: 164_164._The_Cat_and_Mouse_Game_of_C.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 8:00am EDT

Joe Medved of Lerer Hippeau joins Nick to discuss The 'Softbank Effect', Financial Discipline and the Interworkings of a Top Seed Investment Firm. In this episode, we cover:

 

  • The focus at Lerer Hippeau
  • The adoption and integration of the Binary Capital Portfolio
  • Why they dropped ventures from the name
  • Joe's take on the "Softbank Effect" and the challenges and opportunities created by it.
  • how founders should think about raise amount and valuations
  • The effect of late-stage capital on early stage investors
  • The capital strategy mistakes that lead to startup death
  • Joe's take on early-stage investors taking early exits when they are offered liquidity.
  • The strategy for their sixth, $150 million fund
  • How Joe's team approaches sourcing, vetting, diligence
  • LH's focus on outbound vs. inbound
  • Joe mentions a key analysis item that is often overlooked by many investors
  • Lerer Hippeau's portfolio management process: How often they interact and what activities they engage in.
  • The impact of raise amount on outcomes

 

To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/
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Direct download: 163_163._The_Softbank_Effect_Fina.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 4:00pm EDT

UILabs recently hosted a panel of IoT experts to discuss the future roadmap for IoT.  I moderated the discussion and the panel included: Ben Forgan, CEO of Hologram Brenna Berman, Executive Director of City Digital, UI Labs Jenny Fielding, Managing Director, Techstars IoT Jim Gagnard, CEO of SmartSignal (acquired by... GE). 

 

To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/
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Direct download: FR140_UILabs_Panel.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 10:55am EDT

Jason Calacanis is back for part 2 of the interview to discuss his book and secrets to successful angel investing. We address questions including: His thoughts on the original Sequoia scout program and the many similar programs today How he does such high volume of investments when he insists on spending...

 

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Direct download: FR139_Calacanis_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 6:02pm EDT

Jason Calacanis joins Nick to discuss his new book and his secrets to successful angel investing. We address questions including:

- Why Jason wrote the book
- What drives him to continue angel investing after all his success
- His thoughts on angels that make large investments during their first year of angel...

 

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Direct download: FR138_Calacanis_p1.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 12:42pm EDT

Welcome back to TFR for another Cram Session. In these special releases, we have aggregated the takeaways and tips from previous episodes. In this installment, we will be recapping the following episodes:

79. Hardware Investing, Part 1 (Avidan Ross)

80. Hardware Investing, Part 2 (Avidan Ross)

81. Getting Smart on...

 

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Direct download: FR137_Cram_Ross_Hudson_Buttrick-Moran.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 10:14am EDT

Today we cover Part 2 of Dispelling Conventional Wisdom in VC with Eric Paley of Founder Collective. In this segment we address: I wanted to get your quick take on follow-on investing. There was a recent twitter convo w/ you, Parker Tompson, Semil Shah & Nick Ducoff on follow-on funding…...

 

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Direct download: FR136_Paley_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 10:32am EDT

Eric Paley of Founder Collective joins Nick to dispell some conventional wisdom in VC. We address questions including:

- What’s the focus at Founder Collective?
- What are the downsides of heavily funded companies?
- Overview and Methodology for your study of 71 IPOs: ‘Overdosing on VC: Lessons from 71 IPOs’ Conventional VC...

 

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Direct download: FR135_Paley_p1.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 12:05pm EDT

Trey Hart of Northern Trust is back to cover Part 2 of the GP-LP relationship. In this segment we address:

- Key mistakes that GPs make

- The key characteristics that successful GP’s share

- The importance of an ownership focus

- What winning really looks like for GPs, in terms of metrics (ie....

 

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Direct download: FR134_Hart_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 11:52am EDT

Trey Hart, SVP of 50 South Capital at Northern Trust, joins Nick for a deep dive on the relationship between LPs and GPs. In Part 1, we will address questions including: Trey’s path to becoming an LP His thoughts on being a GP The types of GPs and categories they...

 

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Direct download: FR133_Hart_p1.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 10:44am EDT

TastyTrade was kind enough to invite Nick on their program, Bootstrapping in America.  In this episode the interview audio will be available on the podcast and the video is here on the blog.  Hosts Kristi, Ross, and Tony Batista interview Nick about the Podcast, the investment group and what types...

 

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Direct download: FR132_Bootstrapping.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 1:25pm EDT

Today we cover Part 2 of hardware products that have succeeded where others failed with Ben Einstein of Bolt. In this segment we address: You’ve discussed Pebble’s inability to ‘cross the chasm’ and access the early & late majority, while Fitbit was able to. What were the key reasons why...

 

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Direct download: FR131_Einstein_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 4:24pm EDT

Ben Einstein of Bolt joins Nick to cover Hardware products that have succeeded where others failed, Part 1. We will address questions including: To start off, can you talk about your thesis and approach toward investing in hardware? What are your thoughts on hardware startups designing for one use case...

 

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for all of our other episodes.

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Direct download: FR130_Einstein_p1.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 1:47pm EDT

Welcome back to TFR for another Cram Session. In these special releases, we have aggregated the takeaways and tips from previous episodes. In this installment, we will be recapping the following episodes:

73. Virtual Reality Investing, Part 1 (Adam Draper)

74. Virtual Reality Investing, Part 2 (Adam Draper)

75. No...

 

To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/
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Direct download: FR125_Ep_73-78.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 2:04pm EDT

Today we cover Part 2 of Sector & Niche Focused Funds with Jordan Nof of Tusk Ventures. In this segment we address: Given the current regulatory environment, are there specific verticals that you find particularly compelling? Do you expect more micro VCs, niche and sector focused funds to launch in...

 

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Direct download: FR128_Nof_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 1:08pm EDT

Jordan Nof, head of investments at Tusk Ventures, joins Nick to cover Sector & Niche Focused Funds, Part 1. We will address questions including: Today we are talking about Sector/Niche Focused Funds. First off, at a high level, what categories and in what ways have you seen funds specialize? What are...

 

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Direct download: FR125_Nof_p1.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 12:42pm EDT

Welcome back to TFR for another Cram Session. In these special releases, we have aggregated the takeaways and tips from previous episodes. In this installment, we will be recapping the following episodes:

67. The Bloomberg for Private Companies, Part 1 (Anand Sanwal)

68. The Bloomberg for Private Companies, Part 2...

 

To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/
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Direct download: FR124_Cram_67-72.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 9:17am EDT

Today we cover Part 2 of Space Tech Investing with David Cowan of Bessemer Venture Partners. In this segment we address: Why is SpaceX moving the industry forward in the wrong direction? I recently read a Fortune article titled ‘VCs Invested More in Space Startups Last Year Than in the...

 

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Direct download: FR125_Cowan_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 9:48am EDT

David Cowan of Bessemer Venture Partners joins Nick to cover Space Tech Investing, Part 1. We will address questions including: First off, David what was the thought process that led you to invest in this area? You’ve written in the past about the roadmap approach toward investing.  Was it this...

 

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Direct download: FR124_Cowan_p1.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 10:31am EDT

Welcome back to TFR for another Cram Session. In these special releases, we have aggregated the takeaways and tips from previous episodes. In this installment, we will be recapping the following episodes:

61. Diversity in Venture Capital, Part 1 (Christine Tsai)

62. Diversity in Venture Capital, Part 2 (Christine Tsai)...

 

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Direct download: FR123_Cram_61-66.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 9:23am EDT

Today we cover Part 2 of Customer-centric Startup Investing Down Under with Niki Scevak of Blackbird Ventures. In this segment we address: What’s your take on water and the water crisis in Australia?  How do you see innovation happening around water in the country? Would a company like Instacart be...
Direct download: FR122_Scevak_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 11:28am EDT

Niki Scevak of Blackbird Ventures joins Nick to discuss Customer-centric Startup Investing Down Under, Part 1. We will address questions including: To start off… in your estimation, what are the key factors that make a startup investable? What are your thoughts on a company like Box? At the seed stage...

 

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Direct download: FR121_Scevak_p1.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 9:35am EDT

Welcome back to TFR for another Cram Session. In these special releases, we have aggregated the takeaways and tips from previous episodes. In this installment, we will be recapping the following episodes:

55. The Hands-on Investor | High-Engagement Investing, Part 1 (John Greathouse)

56. The Hands-on Investor | High-Engagement Investing,...

 

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Direct download: FR120_Cram_55-60.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 9:31am EDT

Today we cover Part 2 of Economic Theory in Venture Capital with Mark Suster of Upfront Ventures. In this segment we address:

What are your impressions of what Bryce Roberts is doing at Indie VC?

How have your thoughts on investment psychology and economics been influenced by The Black Swan?

 

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Direct download: FR119_Suster_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 11:06am EDT

Mark Suster of Upfront Ventures joins Nick to cover Economic Theory in Venture Capital, Part 1. We will address questions including: You’ve written about a major lesson from Clayton Christensen’s book, the Innovator’s Dilemma, which was one of ‘deflationary economics.’ Can describe what this means and why it should be...

 

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Direct download: FR118_Suster_p1.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 6:09pm EDT

Galen Mason & Brian Axelrad of Service Provider Capital join Nick to cover Part 2 of their unique approach to using service providers to source high volume dealflow, LPs and to employ an index investment fund strategy. We will address questions including: Their concerns about adverse selection and not receiving...

 

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Direct download: FR117_Mason_Axelrad_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 12:19pm EDT

Galen Mason & Brian Axelrad of Service Provider Capital join Nick to cover Part 1 of their unique approach to using service providers to source high volume dealflow, LPs and to employ an index investment fund strategy. We will address questions including: How did your experience as attorneys reveal an...

 

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for all of our other episodes.

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Direct download: FR116_Mason_Axelrad_p1.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 4:52pm EDT

Welcome back to TFR for another Cram Session. In these special releases, we have aggregated the takeaways and tips from previous episodes. In this installment, we will be recapping the following episodes: 50. The 3-year Wait is Over | SEC Vote on JOBS Act Title III (David S. Rose) 51....

 

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Direct download: FR115_Cram_50-54.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 10:23am EDT

Today we cover Part 2 of The Next Great Startup Ecosystem with Chris Olsen of Drive Capital. In this segment we address: Chris’ thoughts on engineering talent retention in the midwest vs. the valley If the region presents unique challenges due to how spread out it is geographically His take...

 

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Direct download: FR114_Olsen_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 8:44am EDT

Chris Olsen of Drive Capital joins Nick to talk about the next great venture ecosystem: The Midwest.  We review the following: How Chris first discovered the opportunity in the midwest and the reaction of fellow Sequoia partners when he presented his findings The research effort the launched that helped build the...

 

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Direct download: FR113_Olsen_p1.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 11:56am EDT

Welcome back to TFR for another Cram Session. In these special releases, we have aggregated the takeaways and tips from previous episodes. In this installment, we will be recapping the following episodes:

46. The Must-Have Characteristics of SaaS Startups (Tomasz Tunguz)

47. Entrepreneur-Investor Fit (Peter Wilkins)

48. The Value of...

 

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Direct download: FR112_Cram_46-49.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 11:47am EDT

Today we cover Part 2 of Developer Platform Investing with Ethan Kurzweil of Bessemer Venture Partners. In this segment we address: His 8 commandments of building big developer-focused businesses How he uses these commandments while evaluating a startup for investment How he sees the future of developer platforms and what...

 

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Direct download: FR111_Kurzweil_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 8:48pm EDT

Ethan Kurzweil of Bessemer Venture Partners joins Nick to cover Developer Platform Investing, Part 1. We will address questions including: What it means for a startup to have a developer platform focus Why Ethan has chosen to focus in this area The history of the developer platforms, over the past...

 

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for all of our other episodes.

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Direct download: FR110_Kurzweil_p1.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 12:41pm EDT

Welcome back to TFR for another Cram Session. In these special releases, we have aggregated the takeaways and tips from previous episodes. In this installment, we will be recapping the following episodes:

41. The Exit (John Huston)

42. Raising a VC Fund (Jonathan Struhl)

43. Why Angels Don’t Do Drugs...

 

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Direct download: FR109_Cram_41-44.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 12:19pm EDT

Today we cover Part 2 of Reinventing Venture Capital with Bryce Roberts of Indie VC. In this segment we address: What are your filters, what level of traction are you looking for and what else do you like to see in prospective applicants? Many VCs target 100x+ exits for success…...

 

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Direct download: FR108_Roberts_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 11:24am EDT

Bryce Roberts of Indie VC & OATV joins Nick to cover Reinventing Venture Capital, Part 1. We will address questions including: Can you walk us through your background and how you became involved in startup investing? As a pioneer in early-stage investing 10 years ago, what was the original investment...

 

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Direct download: FR107_Roberts_p1.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 11:07am EDT

Today we cover Part 2 of Underserved Startup Ecosystems with Stuart Larkins & Ezra Galston of Chicago Ventures. In this segment we address: Their opinion on why the majority of HNW accredited investors have never invested in venture. How Chicago ventures has been so successful yielding follow-on funding for their...

 

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Direct download: FR106_Larkins_Galston_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 11:52am EDT

Stuart Larkins & Ezra Galston of Chicago Ventures join Nick to cover Underserved Startup Ecosystems, Part 1. We will address questions including: What do you think are the key ingredients for a startup ecosystem? In what ways do you feel that some ecosystems are underserved? Can you talk about some...

 

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Direct download: FR105_Underserved_Ecosystems_Lark_Galst.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 9:30am EDT

Welcome back to TFR for another Cram Session. In these special releases, we have aggregated the takeaways and tips from previous episodes. In this installment, we will be recapping the following episodes:

37. The Algorithm for Raise Amount & Valuation (Leo Polovets)

38. Cross-Border Investing (Michael Goldberg)

39. Cleantech Investing...

 

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for all of our other episodes.

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Direct download: FR104_Cram_Session_37-40.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 12:03pm EDT

Today we cover Part 2 of The Limited Partner with Lindel Eakman of . In this segment we address: Do you think that LP investment strategy is driving the strategy of individual fund managers? Why or why not? What are the biggest challenges for limited partners? How do LP’s differentiate...

 

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Direct download: FR103_Eakman_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 2:38pm EDT

Lindel Eakman of Foundry Group Next joins Nick to cover The Limited Partner, Part 1.  We will address questions including: Can you walk us through your background and your path to becoming an LP? Can you talk about your experience at Foundry Group and what you’re doing w/ FG Next?...

 

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Direct download: FR102_Eakman_p1.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 11:44am EDT

In this episode we flip the script and the host of Tech in Chicago, Colin Keeley, interviews Nick Moran with questions from the listeners including: How did you meet your investment partner, Jeff Heitzman? What’s your investment thesis and how do you evaluate startups for investment? What’s an ideal case...

 

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Direct download: FR101_Moran_Keeley_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 4:36pm EDT

For this milestone #100 episode, the host of Tech in Chicago, Colin Keeley, interviews Nick Moran with questions from the listeners including: Nick, there are a number of brands that you own: The Full Ratchet, Venture Weekly, New Stack Ventures, and Moran Capital Partners. Why all the brands and what...

 

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Direct download: FR100_Moran_Keeley_p1.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 8:54pm EDT

Today we cover Part 2 of Public Policy for Angel Investors with David Verrill of Hub Angels Investment Group. In this segment we address: Recently I was a little uncomfortable when I noticed an investor that was live streaming a demo day via Periscope, where startups were discussing fundraise details....

 

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Direct download: FR099_Verrill_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 5:39pm EDT

David Verrill of the Hub Angels Investment Group joins Nick to cover Public Policy for Angel Investors, Part 1. We will address questions including: Can you talk about your experience at Hub Angels and how the group and investments are structured? Can you tell us the story of how you...

 

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Direct download: FR098_Verrill_p1.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 11:03am EDT

Today we cover Part 2 of Student-Focused VC Funds with Peter Boyce II of General Catalyst & Rough Draft Ventures. In this segment we address: One of the biggest issues I’ve encountered at university is that schools and their students have been siloed. How have you considered bridging the gap...

 

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Direct download: FR097_Boyce_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 12:45pm EDT

Peter Boyce II of General Catalyst & Rough Draft Ventures joins Nick to cover Student-Focused Venture Funds, Part 1. We will address questions including: Today we’re talking about University and Student-focused funds… First off, can you give an overview of the hypothesis here and why you choose to launch a...

 

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Direct download: FR096_Boyce_p1.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 10:19am EDT

In this episode, Nick answers questions from the listeners including: First off, a question from Dave at a family office in the midwest…  Dave asks: “Nick, I recently reviewed a great startup but am not going to pursue because of the terms. Our lawyer requires a that a convertible note...

 

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Direct download: FR095_QA_1.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 7:00am EDT

Today we cover Part 2 of “What’s Wrong with Venture?” with Dave McClure of 500 Startups. In this segment we address: Are there any problematic issues that you’ve observed w/ founders? Any thoughts on who might be one of the most misunderstood people in the venture ecosystem? How do you...

 

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Direct download: FR094_McClure_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 1:30pm EDT

Welcome back to TFR.  We’ve got a good one today as we welcome one of the most respected and polarizing figures in venture, Dave McClure, to the program.  Dave, of course, is a founding partner at 500 startups and, with Christine Tsai, they have built an organization that may be...

 

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Direct download: FR093_McClure_p1.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 11:41am EDT

Welcome back to TFR for another Cram Session. In these special releases, we have aggregated the takeaways and tips from previous episodes. In this installment, we will be recapping the following episodes:

Ep32: Capital Outside of the Valley (Morris Wheeler, Mike Belsito)

Ep33: Syndicate Investing (Gil Penchina)

Ep35: Developing Startup...

 

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for all of our other episodes.

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Direct download: FR092_CRAM_Ep32-36.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 12:30pm EDT

Today we cover Part 2 of SpaceX & Elon Musk’s Mission to Mars with Tim Urban of Wait but Why. In this segment we address: When does Elon project that the first crew of people will land on Mars? The surface of Mars is not livable. How does Elon plan...

 

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Direct download: FR091_Urban_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 7:22am EDT

Tim Urban of Wait but Why joins Nick to cover SpaceX & Elon Musk’s Mission to Mars, Part 1. We will address questions including: Tim, can you start us off by telling us your story and how that led to the launch of Wait but Why? You’ve written about Space...

 

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for all of our other episodes.

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Direct download: FR090_Urban.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 2:33pm EDT

Today we cover Part 2 of Hardware Investing with Avidan Ross of Root Ventures. In this segment we address: Examples of Trojan Horse hardware businesses that Avidan has invested in Many view hardware as very capital intensive, more difficult to commercialize and thus, too risky in an already very risky...

 

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Direct download: FR080_Ross_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 12:09pm EDT

Avidan Ross of Root Ventures joins Nick to cover Hardware Investing, Part 1. We will address questions including: His thoughts on why hardware and physical good brands dominate the rankings of people’s favorite brands Why extremes and fat tails are developing today between increasingly digital, connected experiences vs. highly analog, custom,...

 

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Direct download: FR079_Ross_p1.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 12:09pm EDT

Today we cover Part 2 of Artificial Intelligence Investing with Nathan Benaich of Playfair Capital. In this segment we address: Can you provide an overview of the funding landscape for AI in recent years and the major things that have changed? What are the primary sectors wherein AI-based startups are...

 

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Direct download: FR078_Benaich_AI_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 12:09pm EDT

Today we cover Part 2 of No Fun Allowed with Jonathon Triest & Brett DeMarrais of Ludlow Ventures. In this segment we address: Peter thiel has famously asked the question: “What’ something you believe to be true, that no one else does?” I’m going to flip it around here an...

 

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Direct download: FR076_Triest_DeMarrais_part_2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 11:56am EDT

Today we cover Part 2 of Virtual Reality Investing with Adam Draper of Boost VC. In this segment we address: VR, in various phases of maturity, has been around for a long time. Why do you think the next few years is the right time for VR to take off...

 

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Direct download: FR074_Draper_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 11:55am EDT

Today we cover Part 2 of Blockchain Investing with William Mougayar of Virtual Capital Ventures . In this segment we address: What are your thoughts on what the future looks like in a much more decentralized environment? What industries in particular are most at risk of being disrupted b/c of...

 

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for all of our other episodes.

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Direct download: FR072_Mougayar_p2.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 11:55am EDT

William Mougayar of Virtual Capital Ventures joins Nick to cover Blockchain Investing, Part 1. We will address questions including: Can you start off by telling us about your background and how you became involved in both startup investing and studying the blockchain? We hear investors talk about Bitcoin, crypotcurrencies and,...

 

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Direct download: FR071_Mougayar.mp3
Category:Podcast Episodes -- posted at: 11:50am EDT