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

Roy Bahat of Bloomberg Beta joins Nick to discuss VCs Ride the Bus, Comeback Cities & Unorthodox Investing. In this episode, we cover: Backstory / Path to Bloomberg Beta Bloomberg Beta has taken a self-described "unorthodox approach"-- Tell us about your approach and why it's unique. I was exploring your page on Github and noticed that you've open sourced the entire operating manual-- why'd you do so and do you think other VCs should do the same? What's worked and what hasn't? You've talked about how you struggled figuring out what you wanted to do for a living. Have you figured it out? So, last year a number of SF-based VCs got on a bus and traveled the Midwest in what they called the Comeback Cities tour. Tell us about the experience and why you and others came to the Midwest to look for opportunities? How did the tour lead to a venture fund? Why do you think it's important to work w/ angels in the Midwest? What surprised you on the trip? Can you talk a bit about machine intelligence and how it's impac

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Sarah Anderson Tim O'Reilly Vic Pascucci   Each investor describes the most unusual situation or pitch that they've encountered as an investor.   To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.

Bradley Tusk of Tusk Ventures joins Nick to discuss Corruption, Extortion and the Fight Against Entrenched Interests-- How a VC Saves Startups from Death by Politics. In this episode, we cover: Why and how did you get into VC? You have a nice model where you generate revenue through Tusk Strategies, which allows you to hire great talent and invest forward in startups. How has the model changed over time and how is the organization structured today? How were you able to get allocations and generate dealflow when you were new to VC? You spent some time in Illinois w/ an infamous Governor of our's... and you're very candid in the book about the issues and illegal acts that Rod Blagoyevich instructed you to do. Give us some of the highlights and lowlights from the experience. You highlight the importance of narrative many times throughout the book. Can you touch on the key points w/ regard to picking and framing your narrative for tech startups? You've said that when large industry incumbents are disrupted, "the

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: David Cohen Ben Einstein Jordan Nof 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.

Jim Tananbaum of Foresite Capital joins Nick to discuss Growth Investing in Biotech, Genomics and Pharma. In this episode, we cover: -His 25 years in the industry working as both an entrepreneur and investor.. often at the same time -Jim's investment focus at Foresight -The major changes in biotech over the past two decades -The key elements he looks for in a business -The main drivers causing more opportunity in the sector -The key challenges to investing in biotech, pharma and genomics -The role of data science in their process -How the experience of building and IPO'ing companies has helped Jim as an investor -How they target specific areas to invest in -Jim's take on predatory pharmaceutical pricing -And finally how some of these solutions might become more affordable for more people that need them

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Brian Ascher Joe Medved Ash Fontana Each investor discusses sectors, drivers and/or trends that may have significant impact in the future and are potentially positioned for outsized-returns.

Wayne Kimmel of SeventySix Capital joins Nick to discuss Sports Tech and the Future of eSports. In this episode, we cover: Talk about the investment focus and approach of your firm When did Ryan Howard start working w/ you and how did he become a part of the leadership team? Talk a bit about sports tech has evolved over the past decade. All these players or former players are getting involved on the investment-side... some pretty savvy, some more green... good thing or bad thing? What lens or framework does your firm use to segment the sportstech landscape? I've heard SportsTech categorized into Athlete performance tech, broadcast audience enjoyment tech, and In-person experience tech. Do you consider startups in these categories and where have you seen the most opportunities? eSports (ie. video games as a sport)... has exploded in popularity. Talk a bit about what you're seeing in esports and how you're approaching it from an investment standpoint. I know a number of sportstech investors that avoid the yout

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Rebecca Kaden James Hardiman Evangelos Simoudis   Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out.

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: You’ve been very successful with exits- is there a framework you apply to identify these? With your expansive experience in Venture, do you believe are changes necessary in the silicon valley mentality? 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. Through your recent observations, what is the next big thing you are testing in Korea? 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 do you actuall

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Madhavan Ramanujam Guy Turner Yoav Leitersdorf Each investor describes the most unusual situation or pitch that they've encountered as an investor.   To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Bilal Zuberi Zach Coelius Elizabeth Galbut 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.

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 th

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following investors are featured: Paul Martino Jason Calacanis Chris Farmer 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.

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 an

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Sarah Anderson Ash Fontana Chris Duovos 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.

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: 113. The Next Great Startup Ecosystem is… Part 1 (Chris Olsen) 114. The Next Great Startup Ecosystem is… Part 2 (Chris Olsen) 116. Index Investing, Mastering Dealflow & Seeing Everything at Series A, Part 1 (Galen Mason & Brian Axelrad) 117. Index Investing, Mastering Dealflow & Seeing Everything at Series A, Part 2 (Galen Mason & Brian Axelrad) 118. Economic Theory in Venture Capital, Part 1 (Mark Suster) 119. Economic Theory in Venture Capital, Part 2 (Mark Suster)   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.

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Brendan Wallace Semil Shah Joe Medved 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.

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 Menta

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Chris Farmer Rebecca Kaden Ben Narasin Each investor describes the most unusual situation or pitch that they've encountered as an investor.   To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.

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 Ch