The Full Ratchet: Vc | Venture Capital | Angel Investors | Startup Investing | Fundraising | Crowdfunding | Pitch | Private E

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Ramy Adeeb Somesh Dash Jeremy Neilson Minnie Ingersoll Each investor discusses sectors, drivers and/or trends that may have significant impact in the future and are potentially positioned for outsized-returns. 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.

Niki Pezeshki of Felicis Ventures joins Nick to discuss Finding Markets with Long-Term Tailwinds; Macro Impacts on Venture; and Robust vs. Fragile Data. In this episode, we cover: Background and path to venture. Thesis at Felicis and your focus there? How has the pandemic affected your approach to investment? You’ve mentioned that you look for market tailwinds, especially tailwinds that will be lasting. Right now, we’re seeing a number of shifts that will have lasting effects -- which are you watching most closely? Why do you think the public markets have, largely, stayed high during a very large health and economic crisis? Can you give us an overview on your three-part investing framework for making investment decisions? Where do you look for these large shifts, creating opportunity -- aside from Mary Meeker's report? How do you make sure you are current on-trend instead of getting anchored on data that's old or fragile? What are you looking for in the business model that indicates to you that it is not onl

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: M.G. Siegler Grace Isford John Vrionis Ash Rust Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out. 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.

Henrique Dubugras of Brex joins Nick to discuss the Blazing Fast Path to $B+; Binary Outcomes; The Fintech Revolution; and A New Approach to Employee Comp. In this episode, we cover: Background -- path that led to Brex? Origin story for Brex Tag-line / One sentence overview What's so different about Brex? Why is more than just a credit card? How has the pandemic affected the business thus far? What do you offer that no one else does? Who do you consider to be competition? What is the moat here - why can't another well funded startup replicate your offering? A criticism I've heard is that, when businesses need credit most, when bank balance/working capital is low, is when Brex cuts off access to credit. What's your response? How would you describe your leadership philosophy? Are you recruiting/hiring? Is the approach different while 100% remote? What's the compensation structure at Brex? One of the fastest companies to multi-billion+ valuation -- more pressure w/ all that capital? With the raise and expectati

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Ryan Gembala Scott Dorsey Elizabeth Yin Jeff Fluhr 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.

Gigi Levy-Weiss of NFX joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss What's Next in Gaming; The True Essence of Product-Market-Fit; & Investing with an Emphasis on Retention and Engagement. In this episode, we cover: Background and path to venture. The thesis and your focus at NFX? Did you invest in Houseparty when it was Meerkat? You've written about your thoughts on PMF...  How do you assess whether a company has real product market fit? What advice would you have for those still trying to find it? With this focus on product and retention...  What's your response to investors that say distribution is more important than product? Why do you think VC interest has been declining in the gaming space? What has been the history/evolution in the gaming sector? What's next for gaming -- Is there a step beyond the platform? Are there any niches or segments within gaming or esports where you see the most potential? 3 Data points: Let's say a gaming startup comes to you... they have 50k DAUs, K

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Scott Kupor Melody Koh Tom Tunguz Jim Douglass

Jaclyn Hester of Foundry Group joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss GP and LP Alignment, Challenges for Emerging Fund Managers, and How the Explosion in Seed Fund Volume Plays Out. In this episode, we cover: Tell us about your background and path to VC. For those who don't know, talk about the approach at Foundry with both the LP and GP model. Foundry traditionally had no apprenticeship model and no junior investors... were you the first? Pandemic... Are you making investments currently and what are you hearing from other LPs? What's your advice for GPs re. building relationships and momentum w/ LPs during these uncertain times? What's the biggest mistake emerging managers make when fundraising? What do new fund managers underestimate when starting a venture firm? Does it matter how specific a thesis is? Do you need to see a unique, focused and compelling edge or are you just as receptive to a generalist w/ a strong network and track record? What question tends to trip up GPs? What

Nick Rishwain and Hannah Konitshek of The LegalTechLive Podcast interview Nick to discuss Advice for Founders -- Reaching out to VCs, Pitching over Zoom, and Closing Capital Amidst a Pandemic. In this episode we cover: How have valuations been impacted from the pandemic? How long will lower valuations persist? Are VCs actively doing deals right now? What's the most common mistake that founders make when approaching you for funding? How much information would you prefer a founder share with you upfront (deck, financials, incorporation, docs, etc.)? How often have you met a founder early, been added to their monthly update list and then come back to make an investment? Should founders become more clinical when selecting investors? How do you convince founders on New Stack as an investor? There is one area that New Stack is really hands-on -- what is it? What are some things a founder can do to get funded while  he's only got a well thought out idea and business plan? Many founders don't know if their business

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Alex Osterwalder Beezer Clarkson Michael Cardamone Leo Polovets Each investor illustrates a critical lesson learned about startup investing and how it's changed their approach. 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.

Shawn Carolan of Menlo Ventures joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss the Four Fundamentals of Investing; the Future of Micro Mobility; and Hunting Consumer Unicorns. In this episode, we cover: Tell us about your background and path to venture. What's the thesis at Menlo Ventures? Can you explain the "Four Fundamentals" framework for investing and give us a brief description of each? What are you looking for in terms of unit economics? You like to invest in technologies that change everyday life for the better.  Do you have a sense for the needed technologies and then find founders in those areas, or do you identify compelling entrepreneurs that then guide you to emerging technologies that will shape the future? Have you been in the situation where you identified the right consumer trend and technology required to deliver but you picked the wrong startup? Is there a priority of importance amongst the four? Which do you think investors most often get wrong?  Let's talk about consumer

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Patrick Gallagher Sarah Tavel Byron Deeter Jim Kim Each investor discusses sectors, drivers and/or trends that may have significant impact in the future and are potentially positioned for outsized-returns. 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.

Tamara Steffens of M12 joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss Why Corporate VC Gets a Bad Wrap; Microsoft's Fresh Approach to CVC; and Key Insights to Acquire Mass Users. In this episode, we cover: Background and path to venture. Overview of the thesis at M12. Investments since COVID? Changes in strategy, markets of interest. CVC has the reputation of being very slow, not leading deals, imposing restrictive terms, and thinking only about broader success of their parent company— what's different about M12? What's your approach to sourcing? You are known as a user acquisition expert in the valley... having generated millions of app downloads for Path, Color and Acompli. One of your main suggestions is to "Dismantle the silos" ... what do you mean by that? You've cited the top three things you need to make your app part of the zeitgeist -- can you walk us through each and why they're critical? Talk about the 'Leaky Bucket' of new user acquisition and how to avoid it? What's a good level

Brian Hollins of BLCK VC joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss Breaking into VC; Excelling at Goldman Sachs; and the Origin of BLCK VC. In this episode, we cover: Background and path to venture? What was the most surprising thing about venture that you only realized after working in it for awhile? So you've got this great job in venture...  Why'd you decide to go back to HBS? Tell us about the origin story of BLCK VC? What are some of the specific activities and programs that BLCK VC is running? On June 4th, BLCK VC held an event, “We Won’t Wait”, for people in venture to take action. What were the primary goals and outcomes of the event? I want to talk a bit about your experience at Goldman... did you have an opportunity to invest in black and/or underrepresented founders? What, if anything, did Goldman do to support black investors and founders? It's so hard breaking into this industry and orders-of-magnitude harder when you're black --  how have diversity issues and racial profili

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Minnie Ingersoll Adeyemi Ajao Richard Kerby David Horowitz Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out. 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.

Kane Hsieh of Root Ventures joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss Investment Decision in < 3 weeks; the Challenges and Opportunities with 3D Printing; and the Future for Industrial Automation. In this episode, we cover: Backstory/Path to Venture Tell us about the the thesis at Root and your focus areas. Any unique outcomes or behaviors you are observing as a result of the pandemic? What's your investment position on 3D printing... bullish or bearish? I used to work in the industrial automation area... developed two different products there and saw limitless opportunities but also many challenges.  From your standpoint, what have been the biggest challenges to progress in industrial automation? What excites you most about industrial automation going forward? How will jobs in the industrial space, or any space for that matter, change with the immersion of automation and robotics? Is this a net job eliminator? Startups w/ hardware as a part of their solution (whether off the shelf or de

James Currier of NFX joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss Network Effects; 9 Days Until a Funding Decision; Software as the Foundation for the Modern VC firm; and the Future of Social Media. In this episode, we cover: Background and path to venture Thesis: Overview of the thesis and your specific focus at the firm Pandemic: Unique outcomes or behaviors you are observing as a result of the pandemic? Overview of Software: You're a huge inspiration to me...  I love that you're bringing innovation to venture -- building software and tools that help founders and allow them to access more investors. For those in the audience that don't know, can you give a brief over of the major software and tolls that you've built. FAST Program: You launched the FAST Seed Financing Program ($1M, $1.5M or $2M for 15% of their company) which ran April 16-May 22.... were you allowed startups to apply for funding and you committed to responding in 9 days. Why'd you launch the program? What did you learn tha

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Leah Solivan Oren Klaff Jason Whitney Darren Bechtel 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.

Ramy Adeeb of 1984 Ventures joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss Why Facebook Should be Broken Up; SV Hype vs Returns; Amara's Law; and VC's Track Record Predicting Trends. In this episode, we cover: Backstory/Path to Venture Tell us more about what was it like working with Vinod. Is there anything he taught you in specific that was most influential? And how about Pierre? How has the crisis impacted the way you invest as well as your thesis? Have you seen an adjustment, a correction or a slow down amongst the Series B, C and growth stage investors? Any predictions on how long this period will last?  What are some tips for founders when pitching to VC's over zoom?  Quick highlights of your thesis (stage, sectors, geos, check sizes, etc.) You've said that one should "Avoid the hype - whatever is en vogue you should run away from" why should the hot trends be avoided? What's Amara's Law and how does that inform your thesis? Any stats or data on VCs ability to predict the future? Let's

David Rabie of Tovala joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss Finding PMF, Raising Series B, & Navigating a Startup Amidst the Pandemic. In this episode, we cover: I was just checking and we had you on the show back in March of 2016... that was over 4 years ago, pre-launch, during your Kickstarter campaign.  So crazy how much time has passed.  Can you refresh us on the origin story of Tovala... We've invested in the pre-seed, seed, Series A and now Series B round... and we're fortunate to have a front row seat while  you and the team built an amazing company but bring the audience up-to-speed on the last few years... what have been the key milestones/inflection points? Your revenue was strong, hovering near mid seven figures ARR, until Q3 2019 when it took off at a growth rate like I've never seen... accelerating past $10M ARR and continue a rapid growth rate, even during the crisis.  What changed that caused the ramp? How do you define PMF and when did you know you reached it? Wha