Nothing Ventured: Recent Episodes
Aarish Shah - EmergeONE
In conversation with the people who make the start-up world go round. Join Aarish Shah as he talks to founders, investors, and operators across the tech and venture ecosystem exploring some of the lesser-heard stories and challenges they've faced as they try to build the future.https://nothingventured.tech/Follow Nothing Ventured on socialTwitter https://twitter.com/NVPodFacbook https://www.facebook.com/NothingVenturedPodTikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@nothingventuredpodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/nothingventuredpod/
In this episode of Nothing Venture, host Aarish Shah sits down with Alokik Advani, Managing Partner at Fidelity International Strategic Ventures. With over two decades of experience in finance, Alokik shares insights into the role of corporate ventures in the startup ecosystem, addressing common misconceptions about their involvement, including the notion of "dumb money." The conversation highlights the increasing participation of strategic investors in deals, the evolving mindset towards sustainable growth (focusing on $100 million ARR rather than billion-dollar valuations), and the importance of patience in the investment landscape. Alokik also discusses the challenges startups face with down rounds and fund structures, emphasising the need for a long-term perspective. Tune in for valuable takeaways and contrarian advice that could reshape your approach to venture capital.🕒 Time stamps - 02:19 Corporate venture capital's reputation.05:28 Strategic corporate venture capital.07:28 Corporate spinouts and strategic alignment.10:14 Corporate venture and founder dynamics.15:21 Flexibility in investment structures.18:12 Long-term investment strategies.20:23 Market state and investment returns.23:10 UK FinTech ecosystem evolution.26:44 UK tech market investment challenges.30:20 Philosophy of slowing down.
In this episode of Nothing Ventured, host Aarish Shah sits down with Joe Seager-Dupuy, an investment director at True, a London-based consumer and retail investment and innovation advisory firm. The conversation delves into the valuable lessons learned from early career challenges and the innovative spirit of Richard Branson. Joe shares insights on the differences between family offices and venture capital firms, particularly in how they approach investments in startups. They discuss the booming consumer market, highlighting that consumer spending constitutes 60% of GDP in most Western economies, and explore the future of retail, including the potential role of AI in the shopping experience. The episode also touches on the collaborative dynamics between established retailers and startups, as well as Joe's bold prediction that Ipswich will win the premiership within the next decade. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion that uncovers the intricacies of the venture capital ecosystem.⏱️ Timestamps:02:30 - The Value of Strategy Consulting in Venture Capital05:30 - The Role of Consultants in Startups08:43 - The Importance of Board Dynamics10:30 - Insights from Virgin Management15:24 - Differences Between Family Offices and Traditional VCs22:09 - Crazy Deals and Experiences at Virgin24:14 - Consumer and Retail Landscape Post-COVID25:47 - The Scale of Consumer Spending28:33 - Potential for Big Outcomes in Consumer Ventures30:22 - Consumer Experience Challenges and Opportunities35:06 - AI's Impact on Consumer Experiences39:07 - Consumer Health and the Future of Healthcare46:34 - Education as a Key Sector for Innovation47:46 - The Role of Technology in Reducing Costs in Healthcare and Education
In this episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah sits down with Piers Linney, known for his role on The Dragon's Den and The Secret Millionaire. Piers shares his journey from delivering newspapers to law, banking, and tech, discussing his 45x exit on his Dragon portfolio and thoughts on AI's impact on SMEs and nation states. They delve into DEI, ambition, and the importance of equality of opportunity. Tune in for insights from a seasoned investor and entrepreneur.Timestamps:01:03 - Early Business Ventures and Career Path
03:01 - Transition from Law to Entrepreneurship
05:06 - Lessons from Early Business Ventures
08:14 - Learning Customer Service and Sales
09:57 - Piers Linney's Family Background
11:02 - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
13:02 - Ambition and Access to Opportunity
14:10 - Insights on Dragon's Den
16:07 - Valuation and Investment Strategy on Dragon's Den
18:46 - Success Stories from Dragon's Den
19:04 - Traditional vs. Tech Angel Investing
21:00 - Types of Businesses on Dragon's Den
23:35 - Entertainment vs. Business on Dragon's Den
25:03 - Importance of EIS and SEIS in Investments
25:56 - Competition Among Dragons
26:28 - Piers Linney's Decision to Join Dragon's Den
28:09 - Post-Dragon's Den Career
29:48 - Founding Implement AI
30:36 - Importance of AI for SMEs
33:35 - Augmenting Human Labor with AI
36:39 - Future of AI in Professional Services
38:14 - Types of AI Agents and Their Applications
In this episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah interviews Cintia Mano, CEO of Core Angels, a global angel investor network. Cintia discusses her journey in investing in 27 startups and leading Core Angels to develop 11 angel funds across various countries. They explore the importance of investing across geographies and verticals, encouraging more female angels to invest in startups, and the significance of taking action in investing without waiting to feel completely prepared. Tune in to learn about building angel funds, expanding opportunities for both investors and startups, and the value of putting your money to work.Timecodes:02:06 - Formalizing Angel Funds and Best Practices03:09 - Benefits of Angel Funds for Startups and Investors04:42 - Typical Journey of an Angel Investor06:05 - Learning and Collaboration in Angel Investing07:09 - Experienced Angels and Better Investment Experiences09:10 - Pooled Capital and Influence on Cap Tables09:46 - Fund Structure and Investment Commitment11:55 - Cross-Pollination Amongst Funds13:37 - Geographic and Thematic Focuses in Investment Strategy17:01 - Current Operations and Angel Demographics17:28 - Female Participation in Angel Investing19:45 - Encouraging More Female Angels00:22:00 - Challenges Faced by Female Founders25:39 - Broader Issues of Diversity in Investing28:28 - Female Founders vs. Femtech32:35 - Exposure and Industry Understanding36:26 - Advice for Aspiring Angel Investors39:09 - Importance of Learning by Doing42:22 - Portfolio Approach in Angel Investing45:12 - Contrarian Conviction: Self-Reliance and Happiness
In this episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah interviews Fred Hoch, co-founder of TechNexus, a Chicago-based venture collaborative. They delve into topics such as building communities, driving the evolution of software as a service, corporate innovation, the role of CFOs in championing innovation, the state of venture capital, and the opportunities ventures present for large corporations. Tune in to gain insights from Fred's 30 years of experience in the tech industry and his success in orchestrating investments for major corporations.🕒 Time stamps:02:06 - Evolution of Corporate Venture Capital (CVC)
03:38 - Investing Beyond the Check
04:49 - Different Models of Corporate Venture
06:10 - Scouting for Disruptive Technologies
08:12 - Challenges with Large Bets in CVC
09:52 - Educating CFOs and Boards on Innovation
12:24 - Issues with Traditional Venture Capital Models
14:47 - Shift Towards R&D Heavy Projects
16:24 - External R&D and Corporate Flexibility
18:02 - Equity Compensation vs. Cash
19:03 - Employee Mindset and Corporate Innovation
20:27 - Realistic Expectations in Venture Capital
22:30 - Ventures as Opportunities, Not Threats
24:52 - Example: Electrification in Recreational Boating
26:41 - Role of TechNexus as an Agitator
28:19 - Broad Investment Strategy
30:08 - Small Bets and Entrepreneurial Army
31:03 - Hunting for Talent and Product Evolution
31:35 - Contrarian Convictions in Today's World
33:36 - Final Thoughts and Contact Information
On this episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish interviews Ahmman Ahmed, the founder of Music for Pets, a business providing relaxing music and TV for pets. Ahmman shares his journey of discovering what type of CEO he wanted to be, from struggling with focus in university to building a successful business reaching 50 million cats and dogs with minimal marketing expenses. The episode covers Ahmman's unique path to success, the importance of knowing your numbers in business, and why founders should be prepared to make themselves disposable. Tune in to gain insights into the venture capital world and entrepreneurial lessons from Ahmman's experience with Music for Pets.Timestamps:02:05 - Overview of Aman's Career and Ventures02:41 - Transition from Rawmix to Music for Pets03:04 - The CEO Journey: VC-Funded vs. Bootstrapped03:57 - Realizing the CEO Role Wasn't a Fit05:06 - The Challenges of Managing a Team06:12 - The Reality Check and Team Confrontation07:06 - Personal Reflection and Decision Making08:03 - Choosing Between Two Paths of Success09:17 - Prioritizing Mental and Physical Health10:00 - The Value of a Lifestyle Business10:47 - The Downside of Pitching to VCs12:09 - Simplifying Business Decisions13:06 - The Birth of Music for Pets14:33 - Designing Music for Pets and Humans16:26 - Testing and Iterating the Product17:09 - Gathering Customer Feedback17:42 - Achieving Organic Growth18:00 - Monetization Strategies20:47 - Revenue Growth and COVID-19 Impact22:24 - The Unexpected Exit Journey24:04 - Challenges with Potential Buyers25:06 - The Random Email That Led to the Sale26:10 - Understanding the Fit with Create Music Group27:02 - Building a Business in Manchester29:00 - Realizing the Business Was a Record Label30:12 - The Sale Process and Valuation32:08 - Getting Professional Help for the Sale33:03 - The Benefits of a Bootstrap Exit34:16 - Staying with Create Music Group34:57 - Advice for Founders Considering an Exit36:13 - Making Yourself Disposable as a Founder37:16 - Planning for Taxes and Clean Business Practices39:01 - Balancing Lifestyle and Business Goals39:59 - Reflecting on the Journey and Points of Failure41:01 - The Role of Luck in Success42:10 - The Satisfaction of Building Value42:59 - Recent Achievements and Recognition44:01 - Final Thoughts and Contrarian Convictions
In this episode of Nothing Ventured with Aarish Shah, Nicola Sinclair, founder of Twin Track Ventures, discusses the evolution of military technology from sharing one laptop among eight people to the current state of defense services. The conversation delves into topics such as utilizing drones with guns, printing aircraft parts for quicker repairs, leveraging interoperability, the role of science in defense, AUKUS impact on emerging technologies, and the future of military advancements. Tune in to gain insights into the intersection of technology, defense, and innovation.Timestamps:00:20 Military technological evolution over time.
03:24 Evolution of military communication.
08:00 Collaboration in defense technology.
11:37 International cooperation in defense.
14:17 Dual-use technologies and applications.
17:27 International defense partnerships.
21:53 Military technology and innovation.
23:38 Commercialization of defense technologies.
27:07 Defense innovation and technology.
30:11 Technology applications in military strategy.
33:23 Ethical concerns about eVTOL.
37:26 Military innovation and risk-taking.
40:18 Impact of ITAR exemptions.
44:50 Peak drone technology.
45:30 Peak drone excitement.
On this episode of Nothing Ventured, Jan Reichelt, founding partner of Tenex Founders, discusses the global nature of education and edtech. Jan shares insights on creating value, trusting your instincts as a founder, and seizing opportunities. He emphasizes the importance of having investors with founder backgrounds in Europe. Tune in to learn about Jan's entrepreneurial journey, work-life balance, and contrarian advice for engaging with VC partners.Timestamps:00:21 Edtech being immediately global.06:24 EdTech innovations through toys.08:17 EdTech exit strategies.10:29 Acquiring publishers for digital growth.14:33 Founder confidence and decision-making.18:11 The genesis of 10X.21:33 Founder's advantage in investing.25:42 Finding the right balance.27:44 European startup ecosystem challenges.33:32 Entrepreneurial journey advice.36:25 Entrepreneurship as a lifestyle.39:54 VC industry misconceptions42:15 VC relationship dynamics and longevity.
On this episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah interviews Edward Kliphuis, a partner at Softenover Partners, about leveraging technology to address challenges in healthcare. They discuss the transformative potential of the convergence of computation and healthcare, strategies for integrating new technologies into healthcare, and the concept of large biology models akin to large language models. Join Aarish Shah as he delves into the intersection of technology and healthcare on this insightful episode.Timestamps:00:17 Technology in Healthcare Challenges
05:00 Life sciences fund during pandemic.
08:56 Venture-scale companies in life sciences.
11:24 A captive pharmaceutical environment.
16:25 Delayed Feedback in Drug Development.
18:13 Large biology models in healthcare.
22:35 Personalized medicine and digital twins.
26:48 Healthcare systems post-war effects.
29:01 Trust and misinformation in healthcare.
31:39 Health and diet controversies.
In this episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah discusses the importance of focusing on what founders need rather than what they want with Asif Ahmed, partner at Cooper Parry. They delve into topics such as founder-advisor fit, the legal implications of R&D for founders, and the rise of solopreneurs in the startup ecosystem. Join them as they share insights on working with early-stage tech companies and high-growth businesses to help them thrive and innovate.⏱️ Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction and Guest Overview
00:45 - Cooper Parry's Approach to Founders' Needs
02:09 - Importance of Finance in Startups
03:34 - Value Over Services in Financial Advisory
04:45 - Early Stage Financial Management
06:00 - Long-term Solutions for Founders
07:04 - Holistic Approach to Startup Finance
08:02 - Founder-Advisor Fit
09:10 - Cost Optimization vs. Value in Financial Services
10:56 - R&D Relief and HMRC Changes
13:15 - Legislation vs. Dictionary Definition of R&D
15:09 - Impact of R&D Legislation Changes
17:21 - Advice on R&D Financial Planning
18:56 - Common Financial Mistakes by Early Stage Ventures
20:44 - Importance of Proper Company Setup
22:05 - Distinguishing Between Founder and Business Finances
24:25 - Revenue Recognition and Reporting Issues
27:09 - Trends in the Startup Ecosystem
28:36 - Rise of the Solopreneur
30:58 - Venture Capital's Role in the New Landscape
33:15 - Transition from Software to Hardware Investments
33:39 - Unleashing Inner Creativity in Professional Roles
35:08 - Importance of Rigorous Hiring Processes
36:34 - Conclusion and Contact Information
On this episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah interviews Lyuba Guk and David Gulka, co-founders of Blue Lake, a VC firm supporting immigrant founders in the UK. They discuss the resilience of the Ukrainian ecosystem, transitioning from SMEs to investing in migrant founders, the prevalence of migrants in founding unicorn ventures, and the importance of building a community for international founders. The conversation touches on the challenges and rewards of being a founder, emphasizing the need for VCs to focus on investing. Additionally, they highlight their free ecosystem initiative, International Office Hours 3.0, which is now open for applications and aimed at supporting international founders. For more information, visit https://www.internationalfounders.co.uk Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction to Nothing Ventured Podcast00:11 - Overview of Blue Lake VC Firm00:29 - Resilience in the Ukrainian Ecosystem01:07 - Building a Super Community for International Founders02:07 - Impact of the Russian Invasion on Ukrainian Founders05:25 - Shift to Military and Defense Tech in Ukraine07:12 - Opportunities for Investors in the Ukrainian Ecosystem10:49 - Personal Reflections on the Invasion14:42 - Evolution of Blue Lake from Accelerator to VC Firm18:08 - Challenges of Founder Education20:27 - Overeducation and the Founder Journey24:24 - The Illusion of Universal Founder Success25:36 - Transition from Accelerator to Investment Focus26:38 - Blue Lake's Syndicate Investment Model29:18 - Traits of Successful Migrant Founders32:32 - Community Support for Migrant Founders35:53 - Resilience and Grit in Migrant Founders38:28 - Fragmented Immigrant Communities41:07 - Geographic Spread of Migrant Founders44:12 - Potential of the African Startup Ecosystem47:35 - Future Expansion Plans for Blue Lake
On this episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah chats with Kiran Mehta from Mercia Ventures about the importance of doing what you love and excelling at it rather than trying to live in a parallel universe. They discuss the significance of working with smart people, navigating the chaos of venture capital, and how good founders can succeed in any market condition. Kiran emphasizes the need for founders to prioritize growth while being capital efficient and focusing on actionable steps to reach milestones. Tune in to gain insights into the world of venture capital and the strategies that lead to success.🕒 Time stamps - 01:36 - Guest Introduction: Kiran Mehta01:47 - Thoughts on Education and Career Choices03:08 - Impact of AI and Changing Job Market03:38 - Humanities Backgrounds in Tech04:55 - Personal Career Reflections05:06 - Education System and Career Paths06:12 - Evolution of Job Market and Skills06:39 - Career Decisions and Luck07:19 - Joining Mercia Ventures07:33 - Breaking into Venture Capital09:14 - Day-to-Day Life in Venture Capital10:05 - Assessing Deals and Building Relationships10:57 - Importance of Founder-Investor Fit11:28 - Transaction and Portfolio Management12:33 - Managing a Large Portfolio13:59 - Scalability Challenges in Venture Capital15:22 - Support Structures at Mercia16:57 - Building Effective Boards17:08 - Scalability and Network in Venture18:01 - Economies of Scale in Venture Capital18:47 - Proactive Problem Solving in Portfolio Management19:08 - State of Venture Capital Today19:43 - Shift from Growth at All Costs to Capital Efficiency20:56 - Balancing Growth and Profitability21:10 - Intersection of Growth and Capital Efficiency22:14 - Profitability vs. Growth Dilemma23:25 - Strategic Decision-Making for Founders24:18 - Optionality in Funding Strategies25:10 - Trends in Software and SaaS Businesses26:56 - Role of Venture in R&D Heavy Businesses27:20 - Challenges in Software Sales28:00 - Market Changes and Founder Strategies29:06 - Venture as a Goal vs. Business Fundamentals30:19 - Survivorship Bias in Venture Success Stories31:08 - Importance of Revenue-Driven Businesses32:03 - Preference Stacks and Founder Outcomes32:34 - Differences in Venture Ecosystems: US vs. UK/Europe33:13 - Factors Affecting Unicorn Rates34:00 - Founder Motivations and Market Realities34:59 - Future of Venture Capital35:15 - Desired Changes in Venture Capital35:58 - Evolution of Fundraising Processes36:40 - Importance of Articulating Vision37:01 - Focus on Societal Impact and Innovation37:20 - Alternative Fundraising Approaches38:03 - Value of Pitch Decks and Financial Models39:08 - Long-Form Memos vs. Pitch Decks39:57 - Nuances in Financial Models40:50 - Transparency in Fundraising Process
Today on Nothing Ventured, Tamta Gamezardasgvili discusses the challenges VCs face in raising capital, the dynamics of power and ego in investment, and the importance of equal opportunities. Tamta shares insights on gender differences in asking for money, her work in bringing women into the VC space, and her contrarian approach to questioning norms. Join host Aarish Shah as he delves into the stories shaping the venture capital ecosystem.🕒 Time stamps - 00:46 Gender differences in fundraising.05:13 Fundraising as a sales process.09:32 Non-financial returns in investments.12:11 Dream investors and targeting strategies.16:18 What is equality?20:33 Gender disparities in psychology careers.24:23 Gender differences in risk appetite.26:30 Gender differences in decision-making.32:34 Female founder valuations in business.36:13 The evolution of feminism.39:33 Female founder communities.42:32 Female Founder Support Community.45:25 The power of understanding others.49:53 Female investor community on LinkedIn.
On this episode of Nothing Ventured, Arish Shah discusses the misunderstood quick commerce space with Steve O'Hear, founder of O'Hear & Co. They delve into attracting paying customers for convenience, the role of journalists in the hype cycle, signals for early-stage investors, and the impact of excessive press coverage on a company's image. Tune in to gain insights into the world of venture capital and startup storytelling.⏱️Timestamps:00:31 Quick commerce space misunderstood.
06:26 Convenience in online retail.
09:36 Premium product differentiation strategies.
13:08 The importance of storytelling.
19:26 Relationship dynamics in journalism.
21:18 Machine learning in autonomous driving.
25:15 The importance of effective messaging.
32:24 PR strategy breakdown into three.
34:51 Storytelling in media relations.
39:48 The importance of storytelling.
43:33 Work from home debate.
45:41 Social mobility and remote work.
49:41 Intent and human connection.
In this episode of "Nothing Ventured," Aarish Shah discusses how Singapore has been stimulating the early stage tech ecosystem with guests Henry Goodwin and Shwetank Verma from Leo Capital. They delve into topics like the India Advantage, the global talent pool from India, startups listing on the Indian Stock Exchange, entering the Nordics market, and the importance of keeping the US market in mind for scalability. The conversation touches on the evolving perception of entrepreneurship in India and the diaspora. Tune in to gain insights into the venture capital world and the global startup landscape.🕒 Time stamps - 02:13 Singapore's early stage tech ecosystem.
05:16 Singapore's forward-thinking approach.
08:39 Indian talent powering global businesses.
13:26 Advantages of Indian communal living.
17:29 Tech ecosystem evolution.
19:44 Global Expansion Strategies.
22:40 Scaling startups in Europe.
27:20 Building a global business.
28:39 Scaling a Business Globally.
33:43 Entrepreneurship journey and family acceptance.
35:34 Generational businesses in Indian diaspora.
In this episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah interviews Mads Jensen and Dan Bowyer, general partners at Superseed. They discuss the growing interest in AI and its impact on business. They also delve into the evolution of European venture capital, highlighting the increase in funding over the years. The conversation touches on the need for a European Nasdaq and the importance of speed in sales and scaling. The episode explores the unique backgrounds of the hosts and how they came together to form a VC fund. Tune in to gain insights into the world of venture capital and the transformative power of AI in business.🕒 Time stamps - 00:18 European venture capital growth.
06:15 Fundraising challenges and environment.
07:12 Longer investment timeframes.
11:31 AI transforming businesses.
14:37 State of venture in Europe.
18:37 The Future Fund and Risk Aversion.
21:34 Optimism in European Venture Capital
25:36 Lack of awareness in founders.
30:30 Building big European companies.
31:35 Shifting focus to deep tech.
36:00 Impactful investing in venture capital.
38:16 European capital market challenges.
43:55 Tech industry challenges in Europe.
Today on Nothing Ventured, Ash Arora, the youngest partner at LocalGlobe, shares her journey into venture capital, her deep dive into Bitcoin for Citibank, and her insights into the early days of the crypto community. She discusses her extensive interview process with LocalGlobe and explains the challenges in blockchain technology, highlighting the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Tune in to learn why Ethereum is considered the "hugging face" of blockchain.
⏱️ Time stamps:
01:31 The Heisenberg uncertainty principle in blockchain.
03:59 Bitcoin research project.
09:18 Trading crypto and impact.
12:31 Trusting celebrity endorsements in crypto.
14:03 Simplicity of tokenomics modeling.
16:55 New business models emerging.
19:34 Indian origin founders and investments.
23:55 Choosing the right VC fund.
28:13 Web3 and blockchain trends.
31:26 Blockchain in cross-border transactions.
33:39 Blockchain Trilemma discussed.
38:16 Blockchain in land registry.
41:25 The impact of blockchain.
43:36 Human judgment in AI and tech.
48:13 Community building in blockchain.
49:36 Developer ecosystems in tech.
On this episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah interviews Christian Tooley, founder of iCubed Investing, discussing the transition from consulting to venture capital. They explore iCubed's focus on investing in post-product pre-revenue companies in the UK, their efforts to unlock queer capital, and their partnership with Crunchbase to highlight diverse founders. Tune in for an insightful conversation on bridging the gap between corporate and venture worlds.⏱️ Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction to iCubed Investing
05:30 - Investing with ADA Ventures
10:00 - Transition to discussing the gay job
15:00 - Angel investing criteria and decision-making process
20:00 - Discussion on the diversity of deals in scouting communities
25:00 - iCubed Investing's community and events
30:00 - Intersectional Incredibles Forum and EMEA survey
35:00 - Discussion on LGBTQ+ VC funds
38:00 - Contrarian conviction on LGBTQ+ history and culture
42:00 - Conclusion and where to find Christian online
On this episode of Nothing Ventured, host Aarish Shah sits down with George Askew and Sam Ettelaie, co-founders of Thema, a platform supporting emerging managers in launching venture capital strategies. They discuss fund structuring, regulation, and the impact of patient capital on the ecosystem. With Thema already attracting over 450 funds within weeks of launching, George and Sam shed light on the importance of backing those who aim to build management businesses. Tune in to gain insights from industry experts and explore the stories shaping the venture capital landscape.🕒 Time stamps - 00:25 - Thema's Role in Supporting Emerging Managers01:50 - The Challenges for Emerging Managers03:19 - Fund Structuring and Regulation05:03 - The Importance of Guidance for New Fund Managers06:05 - Thema's Approach to Supporting Fund Managers07:14 - The Need for Capital and Structuring Support08:17 - The Role of LPs and the Fundraising Process09:10 - The Ecosystem's Gatekeeping and Transparency10:17 - Co-Investment Opportunities and LP Interests11:42 - Supporting Underrepresented Emerging Managers12:02 - Operator Backgrounds in Venture Capital13:15 - The Genesis of Thema and Co-Founder Synergy14:47 - The Return Profile for Emerging Managers16:09 - The Importance of Fund Structuring17:22 - The Market's Current State and Advice for Allocators18:48 - The Risk Aversion in European Venture Ecosystem20:19 - The Role of LPs in Supporting Emerging Managers21:44 - The Value of Operator Experience for GPs23:17 - The Importance of Differentiation for Emerging Managers24:50 - The Patient Capital and Risk Aversion in Europe26:48 - The UK Venture Ecosystem and Lessons from the US28:08 - The Role of GP Seeding in the Emerging Manager Ecosystem30:35 - The Evolution of Family Offices in Venture32:11 - Final Advice for Emerging Managers33:30 - The UK vs. US Emerging Manager Ecosystem34:47 - The Potential of the UK Venture Ecosystem36:36 - The Excitement for Emerging Managers and Innovation38:24 - How to Connect with Thema and Closing Remarks
In this episode of Nothing Ventured, host Aarish Shah interviews Sean Williams, the founder and CEO of Autogen AI. Sean shares insights on learning from failures, the role of managers in delivering results, staying focused amidst distractions, and the significance of linguistic engineering in business. He also discusses his journey with investors and the importance of context windows in team scaling. Tune in for a deep dive into the world of generative AI and venture capital with Sean Williams.⏱️ Timestamps:
01:01 - Introducing Sean Williams of Autogen AI
01:22 - Sean's Approach to Learning and Management
02:04 - Sean's Background and Autogen AI's Mission
02:25 - Reflecting on Past Success and Lessons Learned
03:52 - Building a Business with a Clear Exit Strategy
04:13 - The Philosophy of Building a Business
05:02 - The Confidence in a Four-Year Exit Plan
06:02 - The Venture Capital Mindset vs. Strategic Growth
07:04 - The Importance of Sticking to a Business Plan
08:11 - The Shift from Corndell to Autogen AI
09:36 - The Current Venture Capital Landscape
10:07 - Autogen AI's Fundraising Journey
11:11 - Choosing the Right Venture Capital Partner
12:39 - The Role of Investors Beyond Capital
13:31 - Autogen AI's Decision to Take Venture Capital
14:18 - Autogen AI's Target Customer Base
15:29 - The Process of Raising Capital Without Fundraising
16:07 - Filtering Through VC Approaches and Selecting Blossom Capital
17:49 - The Importance of Choosing the Right Investors
18:54 - The Potential Need for Future Capital
19:57 - The UK's Perception of Tech Business Success
21:03 - Autogen AI's Approach to Scaling Internationally
22:10 - The Early Adoption of Generative AI
23:14 - The Importance of Building Something People Want
24:21 - The Future of Large Language Models and Linguistic Engineering
25:07 - Sponsor Break: Emerge One
25:30 - The Role of Humanities Graduates in AI Development
26:56 - The UK's Tech Ecosystem and Ambition
28:31 - The Importance of Customer Feedback in Product Development
29:51 - Advice for Young Founders and Challenges in Business Growth
31:00 - The Intersection of Humanities and Technology in AI
32:04 - The Concept of Linguistic Engineering
33:03 - The Practical Application of Large Language Models
34:02 - Hiring Humanities Graduates for AI Development
35:06 - The Importance of Customer-Centric Product Development
36:08 - The Future of Specialized AI Applications
37:14 - The Role of Prompt Engineers and Humanities in AI
38:43 - Final Advice for Founders and Personal Business Concerns
In this episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah sits down with Enis Hulli, a general partner at 500 Emerging Europe. They discuss Enis' journey from listening to VC podcasts to launching a fund, his shift from being risk-averse to investing, and the importance of boots on the ground for pre-seed and seed investments. They also delve into how 500 Emerging Europe differs from the global family, the challenges of equity financing in Europe, and the dynamics of startup culture in emerging Europe. Tune in for insights on venture investing and navigating the unique landscape of emerging markets.⏱️ Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction and Sponsor Message
01:11 - Guest Introduction: Enes Huli
02:21 - Enes' Transition from HVAC to Angel Investing
04:42 - Risk Aversion and Entrepreneurship
07:20 - Sales Experience and Self-Confidence
09:28 - Founder Types and Portfolio Balance
10:58 - The Path from Entrepreneur to Investor
12:06 - 500 Global and 500 Emerging Europe Model
14:23 - The Unique Approach of 500 Emerging Europe
17:02 - Portfolio Strategy and Global Competition
19:04 - The Population Paradox in Venture
20:24 - Equity Financing Deficit in Emerging Europe
22:49 - The Pathway to Closing the Equity Gap
25:51 - Early Adopters and Scaling Challenges
27:20 - Advice for Founders in Emerging Markets
30:01 - Americanizing Startup Culture
33:35 - How to Connect with Enes Huli
This episode of Nothing Ventured features a discussion with Mohamed Abou-Alam about the challenges and strategies in the tech and venture ecosystem. They explore topics like managing chronic conditions with data, building multidisciplinary teams, quantifying impact to LPs, regulatory and commercial outcomes, transitioning roles in the industry, and adapting to the competitive landscape. Tune in for valuable insights into the world of venture capital and tech innovation.🕒 Time stamps - 01:52 - The Challenges of Hard Tech in Medicine02:43 - Precision's Approach to Managing Heart Conditions03:29 - Mohammed's Non-Medical Background and Precision's Hardware04:02 - Why Precision's Solution is Innovative05:06 - Mohammed's Journey from VC to Precision07:12 - The Importance of Multidisciplinary Teams09:10 - Building a Holistic Team at Precision10:05 - The Role of Finance in Startups11:07 - Mission-Driven Businesses in Health Sector13:22 - Proactive Medicine and Personalization14:15 - Transition from Samsung to VC and Operating Roles17:08 - The Importance of Understanding Different Perspectives19:13 - Mohammed's Transition to CEO at Precision22:02 - The Decision to Take on the CEO Role23:23 - The Balance Between Operator and Finance-Driven VCs24:36 - The Complexities of Medical Device Startups25:18 - The Multi-Stakeholder Model in Health Tech27:27 - R&D and Commercialization in Regulated Businesses28:54 - Innovate UK Grant and Funding R&D Businesses31:25 - Tips for Securing Grants and Funding33:02 - The Importance of Complementarity in Competitive Landscapes35:28 - The Unique Challenges of Multi-Stakeholder Industries37:47 - The Value of Grants Beyond Funding39:10 - The Role of Validation in Fundraising40:05 - Choosing the Right Grants and Using Consultants42:03 - The Benefits of Multiple Assessors for Grants43:11 - The Validation Aspect of Grants in Fundraising44:02 - Keeping a Team Motivated and Malleable45:22 - Where to Find Precision Cardiovascular Online
In this episode of Nothing Ventured, we delve into the world of tech bio with co-founders Nik Sharma and Mo Alomari from BioCortex. They discuss reflecting biology in silico, NASA-inspired strategies, and the importance of trust in co-founder relationships. Learn how BioCortex is revolutionizing therapeutic development with insights backed by Hoxton and Sofinova. Tune in for a deep dive into the intersection of technology and biotech with these innovative minds.🕒 Time stamps - 01:01 - Introducing Guests Nick Sharma and Mo Al-Omari01:55 - Emulation vs. Simulation in Tech Bio02:16 - BioCortex: A Tech Bio Company Overview02:27 - Founders' Backgrounds and Expertise03:09 - BioCortex's Vision and Technology03:33 - Personalizing Medication Efficacy with BioCortex04:15 - Broader Applications of BioCortex Technology04:31 - Carbon Knowledge and Carbon Mirror Technologies05:03 - Emulation in Aerospace Applied to Biology05:38 - Conceptualizing Human Biology for Drug Interaction06:25 - Understanding Emulation and Simulation07:04 - The Role of Bacteria in Drug Efficacy07:34 - The Distinction Between Emulation and Simulation08:34 - NASA's Use of Emulation09:10 - The Importance of Understanding Mechanisms in Medicine09:43 - The Reality of Drug Response Rates10:21 - BioCortex's Approach to AI and Emulation11:01 - The Co-Founders' Meeting and Collaboration11:29 - The Genesis of BioCortex12:00 - Addressing Motor Neurone Disease Communication13:02 - The Evolution of Nick and Mo's Partnership13:38 - The Challenge of Modeling Bacteria14:02 - The Solution to Modeling Complex Biological Systems14:58 - The Importance of Trust in Co-Founder Relationships16:01 - The Dynamics of Co-Founder and VC Relationships16:53 - Defining Tech Bio vs. Biotech17:36 - Capital Efficiency and Growth Concerns18:11 - Maintaining Culture and Focus in a Startup19:08 - The Challenge of Diverse Disciplines in a Tech Bio Team20:00 - The Impact of Remote Work on Team Dynamics21:19 - The Importance of Security and Tools for Remote Work22:04 - The Benefits of In-Person and Remote Work Balance22:44 - The Diverse Expertise within the BioCortex Team00:23:27 - The Future of Tech Bio and Biotech Industry
In this episode of Nothing Ventured, host Aarish Shah interviews Renan Devilliers, the founder of OSS Ventures, a startup studio focused on revolutionizing operations in organizations providing physical services. Renan shares insights from his journey, including founding Chance, a successful recruitment tech business, and the challenges he faced along the way. Tune in to hear about Renan's experiences at a Tesla factory, navigating business pivots, and the critical role of operations in the future of industries.⏱️ Timestamps:02:24 - Quick Fire Round with Renan03:17 - OSS Ventures: Venture Builder Model04:06 - Renan's Favorite Portfolio Companies05:05 - Wine Preferences and Geographical Partisanship05:35 - Renan's Journey and Departure from Chance07:33 - Pivoting Business Model from Europe to Brazil09:36 - Competitive Advantages of Different Countries10:08 - OSS Ventures' Focus on Factory Operations15:24 - Realization of Change in Manufacturing Space18:03 - Sponsor Break: Emerge One18:35 - Manufacturing Operations in the 21st Century21:01 - Software's Role in Modern Manufacturing23:39 - Personalized Medicine and Economic Value24:43 - Trends in the Manufacturing and Operations Space27:07 - Resilience as a Top CEO Priority30:05 - Software Disruption in Textile Industry with Shein32:07 - AI Trends in Physical Products and Processes35:15 - Advice for Hardware Founders36:56 - Sam Altman's Ambitious Funding Goals37:44 - OSS Ventures' First Exit: Niagara Acquisition38:49 - Closing Remarks and Contact Information
In this episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah interviews Francesco Perticarari, a general partner at Silicon Roundabout Ventures. Francesco discusses the shift from unicorns to titans in the tech industry, focusing on deep tech investments. Learn how deep tech involves integrating technology into risk and reward strategies for startups.⏱️ Timestamps:01:44 Deep tech investing in Europe.
06:48 Defense tech company Green Jets.
10:11 Deep tech investments and trends.
13:22 The Future and the Cold War.
19:31 Deep tech investment trends.
19:41 Infrastructure in technology space.
27:27 Defense and strategic supply chain.
29:05 Manufacturing in tech ecosystem.
33:15 The importance of collaboration.
36:25 NATO and European defense collaboration.
42:04 Innovation in developing economies.
47:04 Building unconventional investment strategies.
49:18 The changing landscape of venture.
55:25 Deep tech investment strategies.
58:14 Deep tech investing and passion.
59:45 Attending tech events more often.
In this episode of Nothing Ventured, host Aarish Shah chats with Jack Kuveke, the author of the newsletter Jabroni Capital and a fundraising coach. They discuss Jack's experience raising a $53 million ICO, his ventures in the crypto and gaming space in Serbia, and the ups and downs of the fundraising hype cycle. Tune in to unravel the fact from fiction in Jack's intriguing journey through the world of venture capital.⏱️ Timestamps:01:01 - Welcoming Jack Kuveke01:11 - Jack's Background and Jabroni Capital01:32 - Jack's Experience in Crypto and Gaming02:04 - Quick Fire Questions with Jack03:01 - Jack's Approach to Helping Startups03:23 - Jack's Investment Interests04:10 - Jack's Arrival in the Venture Ecosystem04:58 - Jack's Early Crypto Adventures05:30 - Jack's Involvement with Gaming Cryptocurrency06:08 - Building a Crypto Community07:09 - Jack's Role in the Crypto Company08:01 - The ICO Boom and Community Growth08:48 - The $53 Million ICO09:47 - Jack's Pseudonym and Family Involvement10:08 - Jack's Decision to Drop Out and Move to Serbia11:01 - The Collapse of the Crypto Company11:18 - Sponsor Break: Emerge One11:50 - Jack's Return and New Beginnings12:55 - The Reality of Startups and Failures13:23 - Jack's Family Support and Investment14:11 - The Nuance of Jabroni Capital15:10 - Jack's Parents' Role in His Journey16:11 - The Authenticity Behind Jabroni Capital17:15 - The Future of Jabroni Capital18:12 - The Value of Fun and Authenticity19:16 - The Satirical Edge of Jabroni Capital20:16 - The Importance of Storytelling in Fundraising21:09 - The Art of the Pitch and Standing Out22:15 - The Grind of the Current Fundraising Environment23:10 - The Power of Narrative Over Numbers24:02 - The Role of Humor in Building Relationships25:09 - The Importance of Authenticity in Fundraising26:26 - Jack's Day Job and Fundraising Insights27:36 - Jack's Vision for Jabroni Capital's Expansion28:09 - The Significance of Storytelling in Venture Capital29:09 - The Current State of Fundraising and Advice for Founders30:44 - The Shift in Fundraising Dynamics31:15 - Tips for Founders to Stand Out During Fundraising32:27 - The Lasting Impact of a Good Story33:02 - The Importance of Authenticity and Personality in Pitches34:06 - The Role of Humor in Memorable Pitches35:15 - Where to Find Jack Online
In this episode of Nothing Ventured, host Aarish Shah interviews Charles Sidman, founder of ECS Capital Partners, a venture capital firm focusing on technology ventures with a positive impact. Charles shares his journey from academia to venture capital, discusses achieving an exit in six weeks, debates whether AI is becoming a cult, emphasizes the importance of diversity in systems, and delves into complexity science. Tune in for an insightful conversation on influencing the world through tech investments.🕒 Time stamps - 01:01 - Guest Introduction: Charles Sidman01:23 - Charles Sidman's Background and Transition to Venture Capital01:55 - Topics of Discussion: AI, Diversity, and Angel Investing02:06 - Quick Fire Round with Charles03:24 - Charles' Investment Focus and Portfolio Companies04:57 - Charles' Late Shift to Investing05:16 - From Academia to Venture Capital06:03 - Research vs. Investing in Ideas06:49 - The Scientific Approach to Investing07:34 - The Reality of Angel Investing08:03 - The Longevity of Startups and Exits08:38 - Positive Impact Investments and AI Skepticism09:11 - AI as a Cult and Its Impact10:03 - Anthropomorphizing AI and Its Consequences11:03 - AI in Practical Scenarios12:02 - The Turing Test and AI's Limitations12:55 - The Future of AI and AGI13:28 - AI's Four Key Issues14:01 - Self-Driving Cars and AI's Limitations15:27 - The Role of AI in Decision-Making16:03 - The Angel Investment Landscape17:01 - Complexity Science and Personalized Medicine18:00 - The Future of Medicine: 5P Approach19:05 - Personalized Education and AI20:25 - The Role of AI in Education and Medicine21:07 - Sponsor Break: Emerge One21:20 - Tech's Role in Generalization vs. Personalization22:01 - Venture Funding Trends and AI22:31 - Medical Advances During the Pandemic23:14 - Complexity Science Explained24:09 - Personalization in Medicine25:11 - The Diversity of Human Beings26:03 - Personalized Education and AI's Potential27:17 - The Need for Personalized Approaches28:01 - 5P Medicine and Personalization29:13 - Personalized Education and Technology's Role30:05 - The Mismatch Between Education and Future Needs31:05 - Personalization in Medicine and Education32:02 - Crowdfunding as an Investment Avenue33:24 - Angel Investing: Financial Returns vs. Other Rewards34:08 - The Realities of Angel Investing35:25 - Crowdfunding and Community Building36:11 - Angel Investment Landscape in the US37:17 - UK Legislation Impact on Angel Investing38:12 - Crowdfunding and Inclusivity39:17 - Crowdfunding as an Educational Tool40:12 - The Role of Crowdfunding in Early Investment41:11 - The Reality of Angel Investing Returns42:07 - Crowdfunding's Limitations43:33 - Crowdfunding for Personal Causes44:48 - The Importance of Personal Connection in Investing45:11 - The Role of Crowdfunding in Investment Education46:00 - How to Connect with Charles Sidman Online
In this episode of Nothing Ventured, host Aarish Shah sits down with Monik Pham and Reem Mobassaleh, founding partners of PACT VC. PACT VC is an early stage VC fund that focuses on backing founders who are solving key issues facing future generations. The conversation covers topics such as the importance of diversity in founding a fund, the challenges of building a fund at a young age, and the integration of commercial and impact metrics in measuring success. Tune in to learn more about their journey and strategies for success in the venture capital world.🕒 Time stamps - 01:01 - Introducing Guests Monique Pham and Reem Wyndham01:44 - Founding a VC Fund as Women02:10 - Guests' First Jobs and Early Career Paths03:18 - Backgrounds Before Founding PACT VC04:21 - Decision to Launch PACT VC05:04 - PACT VC's Investment Themes: ABCs06:11 - Geographical Focus of Investments06:38 - Recent Investments and Exciting Startups09:17 - Diversity in Venture Capital and PACT VC's Approach11:09 - Cognitive Diversity and Team Dynamics12:03 - Performance Over Gender in VC13:13 - Supporting Portfolio Companies in Hiring Diverse Talent14:23 - LPs Investing in Diverse Allocators17:08 - The Importance of Backing Quality and Diverse GPs19:14 - Encouraging LPs to Invest in Diverse Managers21:23 - The Risk of Regression in LP Investments22:17 - Sponsor Break: Emerge One22:48 - Concerns About the Future of Diverse Fund Management24:31 - The Journey of Founding PACT VC27:09 - The Role of Diversity in Building a VC Fund29:43 - The Origin Story of PACT VC31:08 - The Decision to Raise a Fund Together32:25 - Challenges Faced Since Starting PACT VC34:11 - The Importance of Team Dynamics in VC35:38 - Preparing and Validating the Fund's Thesis37:23 - The Emotional Side of Raising a Fund38:06 - The Decision to Found PACT VC39:29 - The ABC Investment Thesis and Impact Metrics41:08 - Aligning Impact Metrics with Growth Targets42:14 - The Story of Two Brown Boys43:21 - The Importance of Co-Founder Fit44:56 - The Nuances of Founding and Co-Founding46:10 - The ABC Thesis and Stakeholder Returns47:14 - Impact Metrics and Commercial Returns48:08 - Case Study: Insurtech Company Impact49:06 - Aligning Impact with Business Growth50:21 - Founder Values and Mission-Driven Businesses51:39 - Addressing Underrepresented Markets
In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of search engines and how they have evolved over the years. Join us as we discuss the impact of AI on search algorithms, the changing landscape of search engines, and the quest to reinvent search. Our guest, Massimiliano Magrini, shares his insights as a former manager for AltaVista and Google, and sheds light on the role of search engines in putting technology in the hands of consumers. We also explore the globalization of technology, the importance of interconnected ecosystems, and the serendipity that leads to innovation. Don't miss this insightful conversation on the power of search engines and their influence on the tech industry.🕒 Time stamps - 02:43 - Background and Experience of Massimiliano Magrini
04:32 - The Evolution of Search Engines and their Impact on the Tech and Venture Ecosystem
07:44 - The Role of the US as a Consolidator of Innovation and the Need for European IPOs
09:05 - Challenges of Attracting Traditional Corporations to Startups in Europe
11:38 - The Lack of Late-Stage Funding and Growth Venture-Oriented Players in Europe
13:39 - The Mismatch Between Policy and Private Capital in Europe
15:32 - The Importance of Harmonized Legislation and Best Practices for US-Europe Cooperation
18:14 - The Italian Government's Efforts to Support Innovation and Startups
20:23 - The Need for Adequate Capital Availability for Italian Startups
21:17 - The Talent Pool in Italy and the Importance of Connecting National Ecosystems
24:41 - Lessons from the Book "Fori da Greggia" and the Concept of Serendipity in Innovation
26:35 - Balancing Capital and Founder DNA in the Venture Capital Industry
29:06 - Encouraging a Culture of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Europe
32:57 - The Role of Personal Experience and Education in Fostering Entrepreneurial Mindset
In this episode of Nothing Ventured, host Aarish Shah sits down with Harry Slagel and Lucy Adams, the co-founders of Martee's. Martee's is a business focused on improving convenience food globally by applying AI to retail technology. They have built a network of smart retail units across London and are using the data collected to develop an AI demand forecasting product. Harry and Lucy share their experiences and insights into their journey as entrepreneurs in the food tech industry. Tune in to learn more about their innovative approach and the future of convenience food.🕒 Time stamps - 01:11 - Introduction to Harry Slagel and Lucy Adams, co-founders of Martee's
02:25 - Discussion on launching a business during lockdown and the challenges faced
07:33 - Harry's journey with PlateAway and the decision to exit
11:10 - Lucy's background and how she became a co-founder of Martee's
13:21 - The co-founding journey of Harry and Lucy and their complementary skills
20:35 - The initial product set of Martee's and the focus on smart fridges
22:05 - The pivot to demand forecasting and the goal of balancing availability and waste
26:41 - Future plans for Martee's and the development of their forecasting tool
28:58 - The potential for expanding the tool to different verticals
30:35 - The timeliness of Martee's solution in the current market conditions
33:26 - The benefits of working with accelerators and incubators like Founders Factory and Nesta
36:02 - The support and guidance provided by accelerators in the early stages of a business
39:41 - The importance of having experienced investors and advisors in the early stages
41:34 - The decision to respond to Harry's LinkedIn post and join Martee's
42:29 - Conclusion and where to find Harry and Lucy online
In this episode of Nothing Ventured, host Aarish Shah interviews Nader Sabbaghian, a GP at 360 Capital, a venture capital firm based in Paris and Milan. Nader shares his experience as an operator and discusses his transition from McKinsey to joining a startup. They also delve into topics such as early-stage investing, deep tech, and digital enterprises. Tune in to gain insights into the world of venture capital and the mindset of successful entrepreneurs.🕒 Time stamps -01:01 - Introduction of Nader Sabogian and his background03:00 - Nader's decision to join 360 Capital04:09 - Overview of 360 Capital and its investment focus04:49 - Discussion of three companies invested in by 360 Capital06:16 - Quick fire round with Nader09:30 - Transition to main episode10:02 - Nader's experience during the dot-com boom in Italy12:00 - Comparison of startup doctrine then and now17:48 - Pivot from marketplace to SaaS at Bravo Solution25:36 - Discussion of the challenges and benefits of SaaS34:51 - Challenges of investing in the UK and the state of the European ecosystem38:00 - Optimistic outlook for the future of startups and investment47:12 - Predictions for the next 12 to 24 months in the ecosystem52:07 - Shift in investment strategy at 360 Capital53:21 - Focus on deep tech and climate tech investments54:05 - Opportunities in generative AI and climate tech
In this episode of Nothing Ventured, host Aarish Shah speaks with Duncan Clark, co-founder and CEO of Flourish. Duncan shares his journey of building Flourish, a platform that empowers users to create engaging data stories. He discusses the acquisition of Flourish by Canva and his role as Europe lead at Canva. They also delve into topics such as taking optional capital, dealing with acquisition offers, and the importance of building things that don't scale initially. Tune in to gain insights into the world of venture capital and the power of storytelling with data.🕒 Time stamps -
In this episode of the Nothing Ventured Primer, host Aarish Shah interviews Duncan Clark, co-founder and CEO of Flourish. Duncan shares insights about his journey in the tech and venture ecosystem, as well as the mission of Flourish to empower storytelling with data. The episode also highlights the acquisition of Flourish by Canva and Duncan's current role as Europe lead at Canva. Tune in to learn more about Duncan's background and his efforts in driving Canva's growth across the continent.🕒 Time stamps - 01:08 - Guest Introduction: Duncan Clark
02:00 - Duncan's Early Career
02:35 - Transition to Environmental Publishing
03:05 - The Guardian and Data Journalism
03:15 - Founding Flourish
04:17 - The Evolution of Web Graphics
05:27 - The Birth of Flourish as a Business
05:56 - The Appeal of Data Visualization
06:24 - The Shift to Interactive Visual Journalism
07:59 - The Agency Model and Flourish's Beginnings
08:32 - Flourish's Acquisition by Canva
09:05 - Canva's Mission and Growth
10:23 - Canva as a Visual Work Suite
12:42 - Exciting Developments in Data Visualization
14:11 - The Impact of AI on Canva
15:11 - The Trend of Tool Consolidation
16:17 - Closing Remarks and Future Features
In this episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah interviews Adam Liska, co-founder and CEO of Glyphic. They discuss the power of AI co-pilots in helping sales teams increase productivity and effectiveness. Adam shares his experience as a research scientist at Spotify and DeepMind, and how it led him to start Glyphic. They also explore the potential of large language models and the universal interface of language. Tune in to learn more about scaling models and the impact of data remixing.🕒 Time stamps - 01:22 - Adam Liska's Background and Glyphic
02:04 - Topics for Today's Episode
02:14 - Aarish's Interest in AI and Tech
02:35 - Adam's Extensive Background in AI
02:57 - Evolution of AI in Recent Years
03:17 - Factors Contributing to AI's Rapid Pace
04:10 - The Role of GPUs and Data in AI Progress
04:49 - Surprising Speed of AI Model Scaling
05:01 - Machine Learning Models and Moore's Law
05:22 - Transition from Games to Language in AI
06:02 - Language as a Universal Interface
06:54 - Remixing Data and Intelligence
07:14 - Human Intelligence and Experience
07:45 - Protein Folding and Public Interest in AI
08:06 - Prompt Engineers and Language Skills
08:47 - The Future of Prompt Engineering
09:12 - Language as an Interface for AI
09:59 - AI Predictions and Human Decision-Making
10:39 - AI's Ability to Predict and Augment Decisions
11:10 - The Role of Data in AI Applications
11:37 - Data Privacy and Training AI Models
12:06 - Remixing Data and Novel Ideas
12:58 - Intelligence in AI and Remixing Experiences
13:45 - AI Predictions and CFO Insights
14:10 - AI and Human Intelligence Comparison
14:46 - Glyphic's Approach to Revenue Teams
15:43 - The Challenge of Data Integration
16:04 - Data Privacy and Model Training
16:58 - Public Data and AI Training
17:28 - The Impact of Public Data on Business Differentiation
18:09 - Using AI for Targeted Business Insights
18:30 - Mustafa Suleyman's New Turing Test
19:01 - Principles of the Modern Turing Test
19:50 - Autonomous Agents and Revenue Teams
20:45 - The Future of Autonomous Agents
21:09 - Data Challenges for AI Integration
21:53 - Data Privacy and AI Training
22:14 - The Importance of Data Quality
22:52 - Enterprise Data as the Next AI Frontier
23:13 - Building Integrations and Ingesting Data
23:39 - Data Anonymity and AI Training
24:19 - Mustafa Suleyman's Updated Turing Test
24:51 - The Modern Turing Test and AI in the Real World
25:42 - The Chinese Room Argument
26:36 - AI's Ability to Act in the Real World
27:09 - The Role of Humans in AI-Driven Tasks
27:45 - The Future of AI and Human Jobs
28:30 - Regulation and Safe Deployment of AI
29:01 - The Original Turing Test and Its Relevance
29:42 - The Chinese Room Thought Experiment
30:15 - AI Acting in the Real World
31:09 - The Modern Turing Test: AI as an Entrepreneur
31:55 - AI's Potential in E-commerce
32:53 - The Role of AI in B2B SaaS
33:35 - Human-AI Collaboration Experiments
34:17 - The Future of Autonomous AI Agents
35:09 - The Impact of AI on Society
35:41 - AI Optimism and the Future of Work
36:19 - The Importance of AI Regulation
37:17 - Gradual Deployment of AI Models
38:06 - Closing Remarks and Where to Find Adam Liska
In this episode of the Nothing Ventured Primer, I had the pleasure of speaking with Adam Liska, the co-founder and CEO of Glyphic, a company that's revolutionizing the way sales teams operate with AI-driven task automation and personalized pre-meeting briefs. Before diving into the entrepreneurial world, Adam honed his skills as a research scientist at Spotify and later at DeepMind, where he worked on projects like protein folding and large language models (LLMs).
Adam shared his journey from his early days as a paper boy to becoming a software engineer with a focus on machine learning, even before the deep learning revolution took off. His move to found Glyphic was driven by the desire to create a product that could make a real impact and the serendipitous partnership with a colleague from DeepMind who became his co-founder.
Glyphic stands out by tapping into the vast amounts of underutilized data within sales teams, structuring it to inform strategic decisions and augment day-to-day operations. Adam explained how Glyphic's AI assistant can summarize key points from sales calls, identify customer pain points, and provide actionable insights, all of which are already being used by several organizations.
We also discussed the challenges of starting up outside of a big tech company, the importance of moving at the right pace, and the dynamics of having two technical co-founders. Adam believes that if he hadn't started Glyphic, he'd still be at DeepMind, working on large language models and possibly developing a research assistant for academics.
As for the future of AI, Adam highlighted three trends: the need for better evaluation of increasingly complex AI models, the search for new data sources as we exhaust easily available data, and the development of AI models that can perform actions autonomously.
Adam's insights into the AI space and his vision for Glyphic were truly enlightening. It's clear that the intersection of AI and sales is ripe for innovation, and Glyphic is at the forefront of this transformation. I'm looking forward to delving deeper into these topics in the main podcast episode.🕒 Time stamps - 01:08 - Introducing Guest Adam Liska
01:50 - Adam's First Job and Entry into AI
03:09 - Founding Glyphic and the Co-founder Story
04:36 - Building Slowly in Big Tech vs Startups
05:24 - The Technical Co-founder Dynamic
07:13 - Adam's Alternate Career Path
08:05 - The Concept of Research Assistants
09:32 - What is Glyphic?
11:58 - Glyphic's Market Presence and Funding
13:33 - AI Trends: Evaluation, Data, and Autonomous Agents
16:06 - AI Accessibility for Non-Technical Users
17:14 - Voice Chat with AI and Future Possibilities
18:03 - Closing Remarks and Thanks
In this episode of the Nothing Ventured podcast, host Aarish Shah interviews Clara Armand-Delille, the founder of Third Eye Media. Clara shares her insights and expertise in strategic communications, media relations, marketing, and branding for startups, scale-ups, and VCs.
The discussion begins with a comparison of PR strategies for corporates, startups, and VC funds. Clara highlights the proactive nature of corporate PR, while startups focus on breaking into the news and generating a footprint. VC funds, on the other hand, work on building their brand, profiling partners, and promoting their portfolio investments.
The conversation then delves into the challenges startups face in the current funding landscape. Clara advises startups to invest in their initial launch, hire professionals if needed, and distill their unique value proposition. She also emphasizes the importance of celebrating smaller milestones and leveraging guest posting to sustain a brand presence.
The podcast explores the oversaturation of press and the need for startups and VCs to differentiate themselves. Clara suggests bridging the language gap early and targeting specific media outlets to showcase expertise and gain visibility. She also discusses the importance of building relationships with journalists and leveraging trends in the industry.
The episode concludes with a discussion on scaling from Europe to the US and the lack of repeat entrepreneurship in Europe. Clara advises startups to bridge the linguistic gap, secure coverage in English media, and use PR to position themselves as industry leaders.
Overall, the episode provides valuable insights into PR strategies for startups, scale-ups, and VCs, highlighting the importance of differentiation, media relationships, and sustained brand presence.
👂 Listen to the Primer / Main Episode here - https://youtu.be/-TM2pCeVYhs🕒 Time stamps -
02:15 - Different Approaches to PR for Corporates, Startups, and VCs
09:12 - Distilling the Investment Thesis and Differentiating in the Market
13:11 - Balancing PR and Execution for Startups
15:46 - Avoiding Oversaturation of Press Coverage
19:38 - Leveraging Guest Posting to Build Brand and Sustain Footprint
22:20 - The Challenge of Scaling from Europe to the US
28:22 - Differentiating VCs in a Crowded Market
32:23 - Bridging the Linguistic Gap for European Startups
35:55 - Tips for Startups and VCs in PR Strategy
38:18 - Conclusion and Contact Information
In this episode of the Nothing Ventured Primer, host Aarish Shah interviews Clara Armand de Lille, the founder of Third Eye Media. Clara shares her background in PR and communications, including her experience working at Google and iZettle. She discusses the importance of PR in the tech and venture ecosystem and how Third Eye Media helps startups, scale-ups, and VCs with strategic communications, media relations, marketing, and branding. Clara also highlights three trends she is excited about in the media landscape: the growing understanding of PR in Europe, social media's impact on brand accountability, and the continued importance of traditional media outlets in the face of fake news. Overall, the episode provides valuable insights into the world of PR and its role in the tech industry.🕒 Time stamps - 00:00 - Introduction and Sponsorship
01:51 - Clara's First Job and Interest in PR
03:14 - Clara's Career Before Tech and Venture Ecosystem
04:11 - Clara's Experience at Google and the Growth of the PR Team
06:05 - Clara's Move to Founding Third Eye Media
08:01 - Clara's Move to Lisbon and Trendsetting
10:00 - Clara's Alternative Career Paths
10:35 - Overview of Third Eye Media and Target Clients
11:18 - Third Eye Media's Multilingual and Multi-Market Approach
12:20 - Challenges and Opportunities in the Media Landscape
13:26 - Trends in PR and Media: Europe's Understanding of PR, Social Media's Impact on Brands, and the Importance of Traditional Media Outlets
18:40 - Battling Misinformation on Social Media Platforms
19:33 - Conclusion and Thank You
In this episode of the podcast "Nothing Ventured with Aarish Shah," Matthew Stafford, co-founder of Nine Others, discusses the importance of building a safe space for founders to share their challenges and learn from each other. He explains that the goal of Nine Others is to bring together small groups of entrepreneurs in a casual and intimate environment to discuss the issues they face. Stafford also talks about his own experiences as an angel investor and the value of building a network before it is needed.👂 Listen to the Primer / Main Episode here - • Matthew Stafford: Unveiling the World... 🕒 Time stamps - 02:50 Safe space for founders to share06:32 Diverse founders share valuable insights.07:58 Lessons from diverse business experiences.13:21 Build your network before you need it.16:03 Build relationships with no expectations.21:14 Value of personal connections.24:33 Founder-product fit is crucial.28:21 Don't invest in first-time pitches.33:46 Invest in people, not just cash.
In this podcast, host Aarish Shah interviews Matthew Stafford, co-founder of Nine Others. Stafford shares his background in angel investing and his experience hosting dinners for entrepreneurs. He also discusses his first job as a beater on a pheasant shoot and the lessons he learned from that experience. Overall, the podcast provides insights into Stafford's journey in the tech and venture ecosystem.🕒 Time stamps - 02:05 First job: Pheasant beater on a farm.07:17 Building a supportive network for founders.10:54 Support and connect startup founders.13:46 Ambitious companies with global impact.19:39 Twitter has potential as an "everything app."
The podcast discusses the evolving venture capital landscape, with a focus on B2B enterprise software. Josh Bell explains how venture capital has become an established asset class, attracting interest from institutional investors. He also touches on the differentiation between category-defining enterprise software businesses and those that may be less impactful in the market.🕒 Time stamps - 02:52 Venture capital is a maturing asset class.09:10 Emerging managers can still succeed.11:14 Capital is available for emerging businesses.18:57 Diversity leads to better investment decisions.22:07 Women tend to stick things out longer in their careers.27:33 Profitability not essential for Series A.🔗 Josh's links - LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/joshbellTwitter/X - https://twitter.com/joshbellWeb - https://dawncapital.com/
In this episode of the podcast, host Aarish Shah interviews Josh Bell, one of the founding and general partners at Dawn Capital. They discuss Josh's background, including his time at McKinsey, and his decision to start Dawn Capital. Despite the challenges of raising funds during the 2007 financial crisis, Dawn Capital has been successful in investing in early-stage businesses in the B2B software industry.🕒 Time stamps - 00:04:37 Venture investing requires different skills.00:05:24 Dawn has evolved into a successful business.00:10:14 Classic journeys and exciting investments.🔗 Josh's links - LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/joshbellTwitter/X - https://twitter.com/joshbellWeb - https://dawncapital.com/
In this transcript of a podcast episode, host Aarish Shah interviews Antonio Avitabile, the Managing Director for Sony Ventures Corporation in Europe. They discuss the shift in Sony's investment approach, moving from off-balance sheet investments to a more formalized fund structure. Avitabile explains that the shift was driven by the need for speed and the challenge of convincing engineers within the company to buy into external technologies. The goal of Sony Ventures is not just to find technologies that Sony can potentially acquire or use, but also to generate returns for their LPs.🕒 Time stamps - 00:02:28 Shift from off-balance sheet to traditional fund structure.00:07:24 Investing in deep tech requires upfront capital and a longer time horizon.00:12:52 Cultural barriers hinder Italian startups.00:18:24 Deep tech investment has high risk and high potential.00:24:29 Investing in African creativity and building partnerships.00:30:15 Invest in African innovation now.
In this podcast, Aarish Shah interviews Antonio Avitabile, the Managing Director for Sony Ventures Corporation. Antonio has over 20 years of experience with Sony and has a background in electrical engineering. He discusses his journey from being an engineer at Philips to finding a new business for image sensors at Sony. Antonio shares the challenges they faced when proposing the idea of integrating image sensors into mobile phones but ultimately succeeded with the support of Nokia, Ericsson, and eventually Apple. He also talks about his transition to the venture ecosystem and how he started scouting for innovative startups in Europe.🕒 Time stamps - 00:04:13 Investing in startups for competitiveness.00:06:17 Investing in deep tech ventures.00:13:07 Deep tech companies have transformative potential.
Fatou and Stephanie discuss their venture debt fund, Bootstrap Europe, which provides growth debt to scale up businesses. They explain that venture debt is not loss funding but rather a form of growth funding that allows entrepreneurs to grow their businesses without diluting equity. They also highlight their ability to acquire SVB's German debt portfolio, despite being considered underdogs in the industry.🕒 Time stamps - 02:00 Long-lasting friendship turned successful business partnership.10:24. Complementary skills lead to success.12:19 Venture debt is growth funding.16:07 Venture debt is a risky option.23:20. Venture lending is a long-term partnership.28:06 Opportunity seized through strategic expertise.31:43 Agile, innovative, entrepreneurial success.37:06 Venture debt market growing in Europe.
The podcast episode features guests Fatou Diagne and Stephanie Heller, co-founders of Bootstrap Europe, a venture debt fund. Fatou and Stephanie discuss their first jobs, which include working at McDonald's and tutoring math.Before getting involved in the tech and venture ecosystem, Fatou helped set up a weather insurance company, while Stephanie worked for family offices in Zurich advising on direct investments.🕒 Time stamps - 01:12 Venture debt funds support growth.07:14 Venture debt fills market gap.15:10 Exciting opportunities in venture debt.15:28 Liquid biopsy company using AI.20:45 RNA innovation driving problem-solving.
This podcast episode features Sam Beni, the founder of Platin, a platform that uses AI to curate networking connections. Sam shares his journey as a refugee from Iran to the UK and how he had to navigate the challenges of being without legal status for four years. He also discusses his experience as an entrepreneur, living on his office couch for three years and the complexity of AI in systems. The episode concludes with a discussion on separating the social from social media at Platin.🕒 Time stamps - 02:38 Overcoming adversity through entrepreneurship.09:55. Migrant founders embrace entrepreneurship for survival.14:07 Entrepreneurship requires a mindset shift.18:22. Tech Nation lost funding, but Tech Nation 2.0 is coming back.25:15 UK government's mixed approach26:47 The online safety bill and complex AI.32:43 The internet is becoming corrupted.40:28 Empower individuals with decentralized AI.43:25 Web3 is a marketing buzz.🔗 Sam's links - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-beniWeb - https://joinplatin.ai/
The host introduces Sam Beni, the founder of Platin, and discusses his background in car design and his interest in technology. Sam talks about his early internships and how he got into entrepreneurship. He also mentions his passion for politics and speculates that he might have pursued a career in politics if not for his involvement in the venture ecosystem.🕒 Time stamps - 01:51 Passion for design led to entrepreneurship.07:50 Creating access to global networks.12:25 Technologies of the future: AI, quantum computing, convergence.🔗 Sam's links - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-beniWeb - https://joinplatin.ai/
In this podcast episode, hosts Aarish Shah interviews Dom and Elliot Chapman, the founders of Chapman Capital. They discuss the process of acquiring and scaling boutique agencies, as well as lessons learned from previous ventures. The Chapmans highlight the importance of aligning founders' values during acquisitions and maintaining unity despite private disagreements. They also share their approach to due diligence and the specific case of their acquisition of Speak On Podcasts, a B2B sales and marketing agency.🕒 Time stamps - 04:49 Acquiring distressed businesses for growth.09:04 Agencies can increase net profit.10:26 Easier to start agency than tech startup.16:07 Building a business takes time.21:22 Scaling agencies requires strategic integration.27:05 Importance of founder alignment33:27 Trust and alignment in business.35:24 Importance of mutual agreement and communication
In this podcast episode, Aarish Shah interviews Dom and Elliot Chapman, founders of Chapman Capital. They discuss their background and how they got involved in the tech and venture ecosystem. Dom shares his experience working in an IT management consultancy after being involved in soccer coaching, while Elliot talks about his first job selling ice creams and later working in the family business. They also mention their previous business, Social Chaps, a B2B sales and marketing agency. The episode is sponsored by Odin, a platform that helps raise and deploy capital for angels, VCs, and founders.🕒 Time stamps - 01:06 Brothers Dom and Elliot Chapman founded Chapman Capital, a company that acquires and scales boutique agencies.08:41 Entrepreneurship born from personal challenges.11:21 Building relationships through data automation.17:23 Support for agency owners' pain.23:39 Flexibility in business strategy.
Rosie provides insights into Lightpace VC, an emerging fund focused on financial inclusion and climate tech in Europe and major African markets. The fund looks for pre-seed and seed stage startups that are solving real-life problems, particularly in the field of climate technology. The podcast emphasizes the importance of African founders tackling significant challenges affecting millions of people.🕒 Time stamps - 04:00 Investing in impactful startups.07:56 Tech solutions can promote financial inclusion.🔗 Rosie's links - LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/rosie-olympio-650b3b127
In this episode of the Nothing Ventured podcast, host Aarish Shah interviews Shruti Ajisaria, a partner at Allen & Overy, about her journey in the legal tech industry. Shruti discusses her experience as a derivatives lawyer, her pivot to creating Fuse, Allen & Overy's legal tech incubator, and the changing landscape of the legal industry. She also talks about her participation in a business start-up course while on maternity leave and how it motivated her to bring a legacy industry into the modern age.👂 Listen to the Primer here:https://youtu.be/6ACPk8rJ35A🕒 Time stamps - 02:24 Legacy industry transformed through innovation.05:08 Law firm started innovation incubator.09:49 Take risks and shoot your shot.14:30 Resistance to change in legal tech.21:11 Future of legal profession uncertain.27:03 Investing in startups is time-intensive.28:12 Investing in mature, growing companies.32:52 Regulation is changing rapidly.🔗 Shruti's links - LinkedIn - t.ly/DjRLp
Aarish Shah welcomes Shruti Ajitsaria to the podcast to discuss her role as the head of FUSE at Allen & Overy. They talk about Shruti's background as a derivatives lawyer and how her maternity leave sparked her interest in doing something different within the law firm. FUSE was created to bridge the gap between traditional law firms and legal tech startups, allowing lawyers to have a say in the development of innovative solutions.🕒 Time stamps - 04:11 FUSE connects law firms and legal tech startups.04:56 Encouraging innovation in legacy industries.🔗 Shruti's links - LinkedIn - t.ly/DjRLp
The discussion in this podcast episode centers around the geographical location of Oklahoma and how it is categorized within the US. The term "mid-continent" is used to describe the region, which has a significant presence in the oil and gas industry. Nathaniel Harding emphasizes the importance of recognizing the uniqueness of the mid-continent as a market and how Cortado Ventures leverages their experience and expertise in the region to make strategic investments.🕒 Time stamps - 03:22 Oklahoma is considered part of the mid-continent region due to its unique characteristics and the dominance of the oil and gas industry.10:26 Venture capital scene in Oklahoma is developing.10:57 Massive growth in venture capital.20:34 Building local businesses attracts investors.23:06 Military mindset benefits startups.27:32 Decline of business plans in startups.34:46 VC industry is relationship-driven.🔗 Nathaniel's links - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanielhardingTwitter/X - https://twitter.com/nat_hardingInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/nat_harding/Web - https://www.cortado.ventures
Nathaniel Harding, managing partner of Cortado Ventures, joins Aarish Shah on the Nothing Ventured podcast to discuss his career journey. Nathaniel shares that his first job was delivering mail at his boarding school and emphasizes the importance of accuracy and consistency. Before getting involved in tech and venture, Nathaniel founded and led Antioch Energy, a technology-focused energy exploration company. He explains how his experience in the energy industry, working with technology and outside capital, and witnessing the convergence of technology and legacy industries led him to venture capital. Nathaniel shares his passion for investing in innovative companies and being part of the underwriting side of technological advancements.🕒 Time stamps - 03:44 Tech and venture in oil.05:44 Investment firm focuses on deep tech energy startups.11:03 NuView mentioned by Mac Ventures.🔗 Nathaniel's links - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanielhardingTwitter/X - https://twitter.com/nat_hardingInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/nat_harding/Web - https://www.cortado.ventures
In this podcast episode, the Aarish is at the Dream Factory in Chance Street for the London Venture Capital Network drinks event. They interview Dan Pandeni-Inhenga, an investor at 1818 Venture Capital and the founder of the London Venture Capital Network. They discuss Dan's background, his work in startup investment consulting, and his role at 1818. They also talk about the London Venture Capital Network and its mission to make venture capital more accessible. Dan mentions some of the investments he is excited about in the 1818 portfolio.🕒 Time stamps - 03:41 Venture capital accessibility is key.06:36 Investing in innovative companies.🔗 Dan's links - LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/danidhengaTwitter/X - https://twitter.com/DanIdhengaWeb -https://www.danidhenga.com/
In this episode of the podcast "Nothing Ventured," host Aarish Shah and guest Martin discuss the topic of inclusivity, particularly in relation to disabilities. They explore why disabilities often get ignored or downplayed in discussions about inclusivity, noting historical and cultural factors. Martin shares his perspective as someone with spinal muscular atrophy and talks about the medical and social models of disability. He highlights the need to move away from the perception of disability being about segregation and charity, and instead focus on inclusion and understanding.🕒 Time stamps - 01:45 Disabilities often overlooked in inclusivity discussions.08:05 Increased possibilities for disabled individuals.14:13 Language matters for inclusion.17:23 Disability is about societal barriers.23:45 Opportunities for profit in disability-focused entrepreneurship.🔗 Martyn's links - LinkedIn - t.ly/VbJDHTwitter - https://twitter.com/martynsibleyInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/martynsibleyWeb - https://www.martynsibley.com
Martin Sibley, co-founder of Accomable and founder of Purple Goat Agency, is interviewed by Aarish Shah on the Nothing Ventured Primer podcast. They discuss Martin's career journey, his motivation to create accessible travel options, and his current work connecting brands to the global disability market. Martin shares his personal experiences as a wheelchair user and his mission to promote inclusivity for disabled individuals.🕒 Time stamps - 01:10 Making travel more accessible.08:39 Disability inclusion in marketing.11:03 Accessible travel innovations empower individuals.🔗 Martyn's links - LinkedIn - t.ly/VbJDHTwitter - https://twitter.com/martynsibleyInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/martynsibleyWeb - https://www.martynsibley.com
Aarish welcomes Julio Martinez, founder of Abacom, in this episode of Nothing Ventured. They dive into the topic of the ideal CFO tech stack and its significance for finance teams. Julio, drawing on his 20+ years of experience in finance, outlines the essential components of the ideal stack. He stresses the importance of laying a strong foundation with an ERP system, such as QuickBooks or NetSuite, and automating processes like payroll and spend management. Julio also emphasizes the need for integration with operational KPIs to provide valuable insights for finance teams.🕒 Time stamps - 02:49 Ideal CFO tech stack: ERP, payroll provider, spend management, accounts payables, accounts receivables.07:56 Invest in technology for finance.15:59 Excel is here to stay.18:29 Excel and new tools coexist.22:18 Understanding business drives impact.30:54 CFO tech is becoming popular.33:11 CFO tech is lagging behind.38:53 LinkedIn is essential for finance professionals.🔗 Julio's links - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejuliomartinezTwitter/X - https://twitter.com/JULIOMARTINEZGWeb - https://www.abacum.io/🔗 Aarish's Links - https://linktr.ee/adsinuk
The podcast features Julio Martinez, the founder of Abacom, who talks about his journey from working in finance to building fintech products. Julio shares his experience as a bartender at a young age and how it taught him valuable customer service skills. He also discusses the trigger that led him to start building startups and his passion for solving the pain points in the finance industry.🕒 Time stamps - 02:20 Transitioning from finance to tech.06:15 Finance teams need to be empowered.11:06 Data quality is essential for finance.17:22 Smart capital is crucial for growth.🔗 Julio's links - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejuliomartinezTwitter/X - https://twitter.com/JULIOMARTINEZG🔗 Aarish's Links - https://linktr.ee/adsinuk
In this episode of the Nothing Ventured podcast, host Aarish Shah interviews Mark Kleyner, the co-founder of Dream VC. They discuss building capacity in the venture ecosystem in Africa, the challenges faced by startups and VCs in Africa, and why Kleyner and his co-founder launched Dream VC. The episode also touches on Kleyner's background and experiences in various emerging markets.👂 Listen to the Primer here - https://youtu.be/eWl6bCsIgHw 🕒 Time stamps - 02:51 Building resilience through diverse experiences.06:29 Contrasting experiences shape perspectives.10:07 Investors should support African tech.14:33 Investment gap in African market.20:07 Building African venture ecosystem with African investors.26:47 Education is key for innovation.30:04 Educate yourself on African tech.34:20 Reach out to Mark Kleyner.🔗 Mark's links - LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/markkleynerTwitter/X - https://twitter.com/markkleynerInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/markkleyner/Dream VC - https://www.dream-vc.com/
In this episode of the Nothing Ventured Primer, Aarish interviews Mark Kleyner, the co-founder of Dream VC. Mark shares his background as an entrepreneur, ecosystem builder, and early-stage investor in emerging markets. He discusses his experience in research and consulting before diving into the tech and venture ecosystem. Tune in to learn more about Mark's journey and insights into the African investment landscape. This episode is sponsored by Odin, a platform that helps angels, VCs, and founders raise and deploy capital seamlessly. https://www.joinodin.com/🕒 Time stamps - 03:11 Moving into venture consulting.04:16 Building startups and adrenaline junkie.07:08 VC bubble idea.10:05 VCs fundraising as much as founders.14:04 African focused investors.16:09 VC space revamp.19:43 East Asian and South Asian funds.🔗 Mark's links - LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/markkleynerTwitter/X - https://twitter.com/markkleynerInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/markkleyner/Dream VC - https://www.dream-vc.com/
🕒 Time stamps -01:07 Eleanor Kaye (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q83n5lnRRhA)06:47 Emmie Faust (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwtjL3I0Hto)12:23 Agata Nowicka (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnwbA1UcUpk)16:39 Anishka Prasad (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEb_e5Ng0Xs)22:28 Andy Ayim (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIYFnBJI0Mo)
In this highlights episode, we'll take a look back at all our friends from across the pond since the beginning of the year.You'll hear from Adam Besvinick and his journey to launching his fund Looking Glass; Brett Martin live and direct from Costa Rica talking about Charge ventures; Michael Palank, General Partner at MaC Ventures talking diversity, Los Angeles and spacetech; Daniel Glazer, Managing Partner of the London office of WSGR on launching in the US and Zecca Lehn on raising Resposibly Ventures and why you don't have to sacrifice returns even if you're building in the impact space.🕒 Time stamps -00:38 Adam Besvinick (https://youtu.be/vifBiUrRL-o)08:19 Brett Martin (https://youtu.be/Q7sz8pye330)15:54 Michael Palank (https://youtu.be/yvltYpMiO50)22:04 Daniel Glazer (https://youtu.be/JRL_HI_bPpA)30:25 Zecca Lehn (https://youtu.be/JdYgsUmt4K8)
Matt Jonns is the founder & CEO of Founder and Lightning. Founder and Lightning have helped build over 30 companies in the last 8 years and have a portfolio valuation of £100m+
👂 Listen to the Primer / Main Episode here -
🕒 Time stamps -
0:00 - Intro - Who is Matt Jonns? 01:06 - Tell me about Founder + Lightning and what it does. 02:32 - What was Matt's first job? 03:04 - What was Matt doing before he got into the tech ecosystem? 04:29 - How did you get into building Founder + Lightning? 05:47 - What kind of founders does Matt work with, and what sectors does he focus on? 08:07 - Is Matt looking for venture-scale small businesses, or does he prefer smaller exits? 10:57 - What are some of the challenges and misconceptions founders face when chasing unicorn valuations? 13:31 - Are there any ventures that Matt is really excited about inside or outside your portfolio? 17:32 - What are the most common mistakes made by non-technical founders when building their startups? 19:08 - How do you address the challenge of founders spending too much money on MVPs and taking too long to launch? 21:03 - What advice does Matt give to founders about building successful products, especially when big corporates can create their own versions? 21:23 - What mistakes do many founders make when developing their solutions, and what should they focus on instead? 22:07 - What are some of the reasons why founders struggle to raise investment for their startups, as mentioned by the speaker? 22:45 - What advice does Matt give to founders regarding choosing the right co-founder and maintaining control of their startup? 35:20 - How would Matt describe himself - an accelerator, incubator, venture builder, or a fund? 36:02 - Is Matt looking for unicorns or zebras when investing in companies? 39:00 - With the explosion of generative AI and no-code tools, is software still a moat for startups, and how should founders approach this?
🔗 Matt's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-jonns/ Web - https://www.founderandlightning.com/
Matt Jonns is the founder & CEO of Founder and Lightning. Founder and Lightning have helped build over 30 companies in the last 8 years and have a portfolio valuation of £100m+
👂 Listen to the Primer / Main Episode here -
🕒 Time stamps -
0:00 - Intro - Who is Matt Jonns? 0:10 - What was Matt's first job? 3:00 - Were was Matt doing anything before he got into the tech ecosystem? 4:43 - What would Matt be doing if he wasn't supporting founders in this way? 6:05 - What sort of founders should work with Matt, and what stages and sectors does he work with? 8:02 - Is Matt looking for venture-scale businesses or is he interested in digitizing existing businesses? 10:03 - If there were three ventures that Matt is most excited about either inside or outside the portfolio, what would they do?
🔗 Matt's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-jonns/ Web - https://www.founderandlightning.com/
Maya Moufarek is the founder of Full Stack CMO. Full Stack CMO partners with start-up and scale-ups Founders & CEOs define & implement their growth path.
👂 Listen to the Primer Episode here - https://youtu.be/O2n4rfB1fgs
🕒 Time stamps -
0:00 - Intro - Who is Maya Moufarek? 0:52 - Maya Muthurek's background and experiences 2:02 - What are the key lessons and challenges DTC Ventures face today in a saturated digital acquisition environment? 4:07 - How did Pharmacy2You balance profitability and growth in the low-margin business of online repeat prescriptions? 5:02 - Why is understanding your customers and building real communities important for DTC businesses? 6:05 - How should early-stage businesses approach retention and acquisition in their growth journey? 8:01 - What does "fitting a giraffe into a brand" mean, and how does it apply to brand building and marketing strategy? 12:01 - How do you balance retention and acquisition for VC-backed businesses that need to show growth? 14:19 - How can companies struggling to understand their identity and mission start developing a clear narrative? 19:55 - What are the considerations for businesses that have a functional product/service without much emotional appeal to customers? 20:26 - How can startups understand their customers' frustrations and needs to build products that address them effectively? 23:05 - Why is cross-functional growth essential for startups to succeed and why should founders avoid outsourcing the entire marketing function? 26:17 - How important is building trust for startups, especially when selling into established businesses, and what are practical strategies for building and maintaining trust with customers? 35:04 - What is your investment philosophy and how do you approach angel investing, especially in the areas of Health Tech, FemTech, and AI? 44:46 - How can investing be viewed as a way to continuously learn and gain valuable insights into different markets, products, and technologies? 45:03 - Where can listeners connect with Maya online?
🔗 Maya Moufarek's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmoufarek?originalSubdomain=uk Twitter - https://twitter.com/msmaya?lang=en-GB Web - https://www.marketingcube.co/
Maya Moufarek is the founder of Full Stack CMO. Full Stack CMO partners with start-up and scale-ups Founders & CEOs define & implement their growth path.
👂 Listen to the Main Episode here - https://youtu.be/9EtfTrIhSlk
🕒 Time stamps -
0:00 - Intro - Who is Maya Moufarek? 0:25 - What was Maya Moufarek's first job? 1:56 - What triggered Maya's move into startups? 3:08 - What would you be doing if you weren't an early-stage operator? 4:14 - What is Marketing Cube - who is it for, what stages of companies do you work with, and what sectors and geographies do you focus on? 6:10 - What three ventures are you involved in that you're really excited about right now? 8:49 - Tell us more about YuLife and how they are transforming life insurance? 9:55 - How does Maya support tech conferences and help them with their go-to-market strategy? 10:45 - Who are We are Jude and what is their significance in the female health sector?
🔗 Maya Moufarek's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmoufarek?originalSubdomain=uk Twitter - https://twitter.com/msmaya?lang=en-GB Web - https://www.marketingcube.co/
Alex Mann is partner at Timechain, a VC fund focused on Bitcoin that exists to redress the widening funding gap between Bitcoin infrastructure projects and the wider crypto space.
👂 Listen to the Primer Episode here - https://youtu.be/EQanwHKnNQk
🕒 Time stamps -
01:32 - What is the future for currency in nation states? 02:29 - What triggered your move into venture capital? 06:44 - Why do you believe blockchain is just a marketing gimmick? 08:10 - How does Bitcoin provide a timestamp sequence of events? 10:38 - Is everything in the wider crypto space going to zero? 21:40 - What is the advantage of Bitcoin compared to cash or gold? What is the difference in holding Bitcoin without intermediaries? 22:05 - Why is there so much misinformation about Bitcoin? 22:43 - What are your thoughts on the adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender in countries like El Salvador? 24:04 - How do you think governments will respond to Bitcoin potentially replacing state-sponsored fiat currency? 25:02 - What are the potential issues with a state-sponsored CBDC, such as universal basic income (UBI) and restrictions on transactions? 26:49 - What are the options for countries like El Salvador in terms of currency? 27:32 - How has the adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender affected El Salvador? What are the changes and benefits observed in the country? 28:31 - Do you think other countries in Latin America will follow El Salvador's example and adopt Bitcoin? 29:28 - How does the volatility of Bitcoin affect its adoption as a currency for daily transactions? 30:00 - How does Bitcoin provide a means for poor countries to build and develop capital? 31:00 - Does Bitcoin's return to a fixed supply and decentralized nature resemble the pre-modern banking era? 32:31 - What are the problems associated with the current fiat currency system and money printing? 34:42 - What is the purpose of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)? 35:09 - How would a CBDC allow for granular control of individual spending patterns? 36:51 - What are the challenges and considerations when choosing between a CBDC and Bitcoin? 38:21 - What is the future of Western governments and their financial situation? 40:49 - How does money-printing lead to increasing inequality?
🔗 Alex Mann's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandersmann/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/alex_singh_mann?lang=en Web - https://concentric.vc/people/alex-mann/
Alex Mann is partner at Timechain, a VC fund focused on Bitcoin that exists to redress the widening funding gap between Bitcoin infrastructure projects and the wider crypto space.
👂 Listen to the Main Episode here - https://youtu.be/vv1t14W2L00
🕒 Time stamps -
0:46 - Intros - Who is Alex Mann?
1:23 - What was your first job?
1:43 - And what did you do before? Directly before getting into Venture?
2:02 - And what was it that triggered that move into venture?
2:21 - So what would you have been doing if you weren't an investor?
2:41 - What what are the sort of funds are on Timechain's management, what stages do you invest in, and what sectors of Bitcoin?
3:28 - Three ventures either inside or outside the portfolio, they're really excited about at the moment.
🔗 Alex Mann's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandersmann/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/alex_singh_mann?lang=en
Web - https://concentric.vc/people/alex-mann/
Toyosi Ogedengbe is a principal at Ascension Ventures. Before Ascension, he was a Venture Capitalist at Speedinvest with a focus on marketplaces.
👂 Listen to the Primer Episode here - https://youtu.be/U3L-nW26_MY
🕒 Time stamps -
0:00 - Intro - Who is Toyosi Ogedengbe? 5:04 - Toyosi on the trade-off between growth and retention in marketplaces. 7:04 - What excites Toyosi the most about the tech scene in Africa 11:12 - Africa's young population and emerging middle class in the tech ecosystem. 15:19 - Toyosi on the growth of fund managers and venture capital in Africa. 19:37 - The quality of talent in Africa and its potential in the global tech industry. 21:21 - The culture like in VC as a minority or member of an underrepresented community? 21:52 - What was Toyosi's lived experience as a minority in Venture Capital? 23:05 - How did Toyosi get into venture and what was his experience in securing roles? 24:06 - What challenges do underrepresented founders face in venture? 25:09 - What advice would Toyosi give to people from underrepresented backgrounds trying to break into venture or entrepreneurship?31:02 - As an underrepresented person, what has been Toyosi's experience in Venture Capital? 32:06 - What advice would Toyosi give to people from minority ethnic backgrounds or underrepresented backgrounds trying to break into Venture Capital or as Founders? 36:05 - What is Toyosi's advice for people trying to break into venture or entrepreneurship? 37:38 - How should people leverage their relationships and do their homework to succeed? 38:46 - How can founders approach investors and gain trust? 39:25 - An example of leveraging relationships to create opportunities? 40:08 - Where can people find Toyosi online (LinkedIn and Twitter)?
🔗 Toyosi's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/toyosiogedengbe/?originalSubdomain=uk Twitter - https://twitter.com/theblackvc?lang=en Web - https://www.ascension.vc/
Toyosi Ogedengbe is a principal at Ascension Ventures. Before Ascension, he was a Venture Capitalist at Speedinvest with a focus on marketplaces.
👂 Listen to the Main Episode here - https://youtu.be/anL9GU1NnWM
🕒 Time stamps -
0:00 - Who is Toyosi Ogedengbe and what was his first job? 0:55 - What did Toyosi do before you got into Venture? 1:46 - What triggered Toyosi's move into VC? 2:46 - What would Toyosi be doing if you weren't an investor? 3:52 - A bit of background about Ascension? 4:24 - What industries and stages does Ascension Ventures invest in? 4:55 - What are the check sizes for investments? 8:19 - What are three Ventures, inside or outside the portfolio, is Toyosi really excited about?
🔗 Toyosi's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/toyosiogedengbe/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/theblackvc?lang=en Web - https://www.ascension.vc/
Zécca J. Lehn is the General Partner of Responsibly Ventures, based in California, backing U.S. PreSeed startups in both Social and Sustainable Tech—using multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a guidepost per investment.
Over the past 15+ years, he has worked as an Environmental Economist, Data Scientist, Non-Profit Board Member, and Co-Founder. He grew up in an off-the-grid Japanese-style home, on a remote island in the Pacific Northwest. Through his world travels and living in Scandinavia during his early 20’s, he discovered a deep love for people, planet, and diverse cultures.
👂 Listen to the Primer Episode here - https://youtu.be/Vff6h7oWI9M
🕒 Time stamps -
0:00 - Intro - Who is Zecca Lehn? 0:24 - What sort of metrics should sustainable businesses be measuring, if any at all?
1:24 - Did Zecca always want to work in VC?
8:32 - The balance between money and social good.
18:42 - What are the 50 impact metrics he tracks?
25:10 - Why VC reporting requirements are so high.
28:20 - How do we get more money towards start-ups which do social good?
36:49 - Where can we find Zecca online?
🔗 Zecca Lehn's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/zecca/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/Zecca_Lehn
Zécca J. Lehn is the General Partner of Responsibly Ventures, based in California, backing U.S. PreSeed startups in both Social and Sustainable Tech—using multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a guidepost per investment.
Over the past 15+ years, he has worked as an Environmental Economist, Data Scientist, Non-Profit Board Member, and Co-Founder. He grew up in an off-the-grid Japanese-style home, on a remote island in the Pacific Northwest. Through his world travels and living in Scandinavia during his early 20’s, he discovered a deep love for people, planet, and diverse cultures.
👂 Listen to the Main Episode here - https://youtu.be/JdYgsUmt4K8
🕒 Time stamps -
0:00 - Intro - Who is Zecca Lehn
0:43 - What was Zecca Lehn's first job?
5:04 - What was Zecca doing before he got into venture finance?
9:26 - What stages does Zecca invest into?
11:27 - The balance between money and social good.
🔗 Zecca Lehn's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/zecca/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Zecca_Lehn
Marcus Love is the co-founder at Love Ventures, a venture fund which specialises in FinTech, PropTech, ConsumerTech at Seed to Series A stage and UK only (for now).
👂 Listen to the Primer Episode here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLwB0T_feGQ
🕒 Time stamps -
0:00 - Intro - Who is Marcus Love? 0:11 - What are the essential things for new managers to focus on when setting up a fund? 2:07 - The significance of having a thick skin to handle rejections while fundraising. 3:02 - Leveraging networks, co-investments, and referrals to attract capital from investors. 5:03 - Choosing partners wisely and ensuring clearly defined roles within the team. 6:00 - Importance of operations and selecting partners for fund administration, custodianship, and other support services. 10:05 - Discussion about the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Love Ventures being an EIS fund. 14:02 - Bridging the gap between EIS investors and VC investors in the UK. 15:19 - What are the challenges faced by startups with traditional VC investors and how are SEIS and EIS regimes beneficial? 15:31 - How can funds that offer a wrapper to investors without deal flow benefit the startup ecosystem? 16:30 - What expertise does your Love Ventures have in helping companies reach Series A? 19:10 - How important is building a personal brand in the VC industry for emerging managers? 21:21 - How do you see the funding environment unfolding for fund managers and founders over the next 12 months? 25:01 - Why is it important to democratize venture capital for pension fund investors? 35:00 - How can increased access to information and education reduce the perceived risk of investing in venture capital for the average person? 37:04 - Where can people find more information about Love Ventures online?
🔗 Marcus Love's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-love/?originalSubdomain=uk Twitter - https://twitter.com/mjrlove1?lang=en Web - https://loveventures.co.uk/
Marcus Love is the co-founder at Love Ventures, a venture fund which specialises in FinTech, PropTech, ConsumerTech at Seed to Series A stage and UK only (for now).
👂 Listen to the Main Episode here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlO3CixO6qY
🕒 Time stamps -
0:00 - Intro - Who is Marcus Love? 0:16 - What was Marcus Love's first job, and how did you end up in an international project? 1:36 - What did Marcus do before becoming a VC, and how did he transition into venture capital? 3:34 - If you weren't an investor today, what other field or activity would Marcus pursue? 4:41 - What is Love Ventures? Breakdown of funds, stages, sectors, geographies, and check size. 6:26 - Name three exciting ventures inside or outside your portfolio and what makes them stand out? 8:03 - Venture 1: Banked - Leveraging open banking for account-to-account payments, major investments, and potential for Series B. 9:50 - Venture 2: Connect Earth - Carbon data analytics for better decisions, B2B strategy, and potential for success in the evolving carbon space. 11:08 - Venture 3: Circa 5000 - Impact investing app and platform, recently launched ETFs on the London Stock Exchange, and domain expertise in the impact space.
🔗 Marcus Love's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-love/?originalSubdomain=uk Twitter - https://twitter.com/mjrlove1?lang=en Web - https://loveventures.co.uk/
Theo Priestley is a globally recognised and sought-after futurist, international speaker, author and authority on the future of business, technology and society, focusing on the convergence of emerging trends, including web3 spatial computing and artificial intelligence. He is widely known and sought after for his forthright views on both the positive and the negative impacts of technology on society, and currently works to inform political and business leaders of the risks and benefits of adoption.
👂 Listen to the Primer Episode here - https://youtu.be/8KXIUSeRCnk
🕒 Time stamps - 0:00 - Intros - Who is Theo Priestley? 1:56 - How much of being a futurist is about being right in the absolute versus being directionally correct?
2:48 - How do you balance data-driven insights with speculative or imaginative thinking as a futurist?
3:32 - Is the process of being a futurist about running assumptions and numbers or thinking about possible future worlds?
4:20 - How do you ensure that people are aware of future problems without overwhelming them or scaring them off?
5:04 - How do you balance historical trends and observations with the hype and evangelism around technology trends?
6:31 - How does the rapidly changing pace of technology impact the future and its adoption by the general public?
7:15 - How do you raise awareness about disruptive technologies without overwhelming people or sounding too dystopian?
8:02 - How do you communicate the potential impact of technology to people who are apathetic or focused on immediate concerns?
8:48 - How do you deliver a message about disruptive technology to people who are trapped in their own echo chambers?
9:34 - How do you address the challenge of educating people about future problems that may not directly impact them today?
10:13 - How do you overcome the perception that climate change or other future problems are too big to comprehend or address?
10:52 - How can individuals and society prioritize future problems that may not affect them directly in the present?
11:13 - How can the education system better prepare children for the future by teaching them how to think and learn?
20:33 - What are the questions asked in the book rather than the solutions provided?
21:34 - How do different trends like banking, AI, Web3, and Metaverse connect and impact each other?
23:27 - What are the layers of reality in the Metaverse and how can they be orchestrated together?
24:32 - Why is it important to bring different trends like cloud, big data, and analytics together?
25:23 - Why has blockchain become a marketing facade rather than a useful infrastructure?
27:50 - When do technologies like AI and blockchain become second nature in our daily activities?
30:19 - What is the issue with the decentralization aspect of projects like Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies?
32:12 - What has hindered the adoption of decentralization in Web3 and the development of useful applications?
🔗 Theo Priestley's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/theopriestle Twitter - https://twitter.com/tprstly Web -https://www.theopriestley.com/
Theo Priestley is a globally recognised and sought-after futurist, international speaker, author and authority on the future of business, technology and society, focusing on the convergence of emerging trends, including web3 spatial computing and artificial intelligence. He is widely known and sought after for his forthright views on both the positive and the negative impacts of technology on society, and currently works to inform political and business leaders of the risks and benefits of adoption.
👂 Listen to the Main Episode here - https://youtu.be/nxWSBeslvcA
🕒 Time stamps -
0:00 - Intro - Who is Theo Priestley?
0:25 - What was the guest's first job and how long did they last in it?
0:56 - What did the guest do before becoming a professional futurist?
1:42 - What triggered the guest to pursue a career as a futurist?
3:16 - What would the guest be doing if they weren't a futurist?
5:01 - What does being a futurist entail and who benefits from their work?
7:01 - What are three technological shifts the guest believes we will experience in the next decade?
🔗 Theo Priestley's links - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/theopriestleTwitter - https://twitter.com/tprstlyWeb -https://www.theopriestley.com/
Andy Ayim MBE is the creator of The Angel Investing School, that trains diverse professionals on how to get started with investing in the next generation of diverse startups. He also consults companies in highly regulated industries with his Product Playbooks on how to set up and scale new agile product management teams.
He was previously Managing Director at Backstage Capital and was on the Advisory Board for London Tech Week 2020, Black Tech Fest, One Tech, Translate Culture, Black Tech Fest, Startup Garage and YSYS.
👂 Listen to the Primer Episode here - https://youtu.be/vIYFnBJI0Mo
🕒 Time stamps -
0:00 - Intro - Who is Andy Ayim?1:04 - What is the mission of Angel Investing School? 1:54 - What mindset issues hold people back from angel investing? 2:05 - How does angel investing help break down barriers? 3:11 - How can individuals be useful to entrepreneurs? 4:19 - What is the key to being helpful in angel investing? 4:41 - How does Angel Investing School simplify complex concepts? 10:09 -What do losses on the rest of the portfolio allow? 10:21 - Who is on the list of people the speaker has invested in? 10:57 - What should one understand before engaging with VCs? 11:10 - What can Angel Investors do with their own money?21:14 - What does it mean to build a startup in 2023? 22:23 - What is the importance of cost efficiency and resourcefulness in the market? 23:09 - How to build their business and validate ideas? 25:00 - Why is bootstrapping and cash efficiency important in the current market? 27:16 - How do outcomes differ for angel investors and VCs in terms of business exit? 29:09 - What are the different types of business models that can be bootstrapped? 31:03 - How does software development skill impact the lean approach in building a business? 32:22 - What are the considerations for founders regarding investor involvement?
🔗 Andy Ayim's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyayim/?originalSubdomain=uk
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Andy_ayim
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/andy_ayim/?hl=en
Web - https://greenangelsyndicate.com/about/people/andy-ayim-mbe/
Angel Investing School - https://angelinvestingschool.com/
Andy Ayim MBE is the creator of The Angel Investing School, that trains diverse professionals on how to get started with investing in the next generation of diverse startups. He also consults companies in highly regulated industries with his Product Playbooks on how to set up and scale new agile product management teams.
He was previously Managing Director at Backstage Capital and was on the Advisory Board for London Tech Week 2020, Black Tech Fest, One Tech, Translate Culture, Black Tech Fest, Startup Garage and YSYS.
👂 Listen to the Main Episode here - https://youtu.be/fCTgjTuJWd0
🕒 Time stamps -
0:00 - Introduction to the episode. 1:00 - What was Andy's first-ever job? 1:40 - What did Andy do before launching Angel Investing School? 3:51 - What triggered Andy's move into investing? 5:16 - Building products and solving problems. 7:24 - Who is the Angel Investing School for? 8:34 - What is the fundamental problem that the Angel Investing School addresses?
🔗 Andy Ayim's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyayim/?originalSubdomain=uk Twitter - https://twitter.com/Andy_ayim Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/andy_ayim/?hl=en Web - https://greenangelsyndicate.com/about/people/andy-ayim-mbe/
Angel Investing School - https://angelinvestingschool.com/
Andrea is an entrepreneur, advisor, investor and strategist with global expertise in emerging technology, innovation, investment strategy and strategic growth initiatives. She’s built four businesses in the technology space, including in analytics & event technology, femtech & wearables and HRtech.
She is currently Co-Founder & CEO at Hive Founders, a network for women entrepreneurs, providing education, investment readiness training and advisory services to 800+ founders across the globe. She is also co-founder at Womankind Ventures, a dynamic and inclusive global angel investment group with a mission to get more funding to female founders.
👂 Listen to the Primer Episode here - https://youtu.be/SuflZ3-uK_s
🕒 Time stamps -
1:50 - What are some of the unique challenges for female Founders and how is high Founders addressing those challenges?
3:08 - What are some examples of specific advice that doesn't work for female Founders?
3:21 - How does the Venture Capital model disadvantage women entrepreneurs?6:21 - How does the socialization of women affect their entrepreneurship experience?
7:39 - What are the three key elements needed for successful fundraising?
15:00 - Why are there so many communities for underrepresented groups, and why is there a lack of understanding of the investor mentality from the founder's perspective?
18:36 - How does WomanKind Ventures select the startups it invests in, and how many members/angels are part of the syndicate?
21:31 - How does WomanKind Ventures educate investors on the benefits of angel investment and encourage women to diversify their portfolios?
22:05 - Why do startups founded by female entrepreneurs often have a strong sense of purpose and societal impact?
🔗 Andrea Sommer's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrealsommer/
Andrea is an entrepreneur, advisor, investor and strategist with global expertise in emerging technology, innovation, investment strategy and strategic growth initiatives. She’s built four businesses in the technology space, including in analytics & event technology, femtech & wearables and HRtech.
She is currently Co-Founder & CEO at Hive Founders, a network for women entrepreneurs, providing education, investment readiness training and advisory services to 800+ founders across the globe. She is also co-founder at Womankind Ventures, a dynamic and inclusive global angel investment group with a mission to get more funding to female founders.
👂 Listen to the Main Episode here - https://youtu.be/eXUxjt7rUrw
🕒 Time stamps - 0:49 - What was your first job?
1:25 - What did you do before you founded your first venture?
1:52 - How was the juxtaposition of that and then startups?
2:08 - What was it that triggered your move into entrepreneurship?
2:52 - And what do you think you'd be doing if you weren't a founder?
3:55 - So, who is Hive for?
4:27 - If you were to think about the ideal founder persona, who would join Hive? Who are they? Why would they want to join Hive?
5:27 - Do you find you end up turning down some businesses because they aren't the right fit or in the right direction?
5:57 - If you were to think about three ventures that you're really proud to have supported, what would those three ventures be?
🔗 Andrea Sommer's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrealsommer/
Daniel Glazer is an American technology lawyer, strategic business advisor, and the Managing Partner of Wilson Sonsini's London office. Since the 2010 launch of the UK Government's Tech City initiative, Dan has advised high-growth UK/European technology and life sciences companies on raising capital in the US and UK/Europe, expanding their businesses into US markets, and connecting with investors, corporates, and advisors.
👂 Listen to the Primer Episode here - https://youtu.be/3hNIVAGALec
🕒 Time stamps - 0:00 - Why is it important to have good counsel in the US versus the UK?
1:34 - What are the differences between the legal systems in the UK and the US?
1:45 - How does the fee-shifting system in the UK affect the litigation environment?
2:04 - Why do parties in the US tend to send legal letters more frequently than in the UK?
3:45 - Why do startups in the US seek problem avoidance legal advice?
4:16 - What role does risk management play for CFOs in the UK and lawyers in US firms?
5:30 - Why is close collaboration between CFOs and lawyers crucial in early-stage US firms?
6:59 - How does the reliance on external advisors differ between US and UK businesses?
7:12 - What are the advantages of delegating administrative and logistical complexity in the US?
9:45 -Why are funding rounds typically larger in the US compared to the UK?
10:44 - What are the trigger points for a UK firm looking to expand into the US and when should they consider getting the right structure in place?
12:04 - When is it necessary to set up a proper structure in the US for a UK company?
12:34 - Is it advisable to create a U.S subsidiary or parent company for a UK firm expanding into the US?
20:47 - What strategies can startups use to mitigate those risks
?21:01 - What do UK startups often get wrong when going to the US?
22:01 - How is running a business in the US different from the UK?
24:03 - How can UK companies scale up massively in the US?
26:13 - Is it necessary to move the CEO to the US when expanding there?
28:04 - What are the differences in venture approach between US and UK VCs?
30:03 - Are startups in the UK struggling to achieve bigger exits compared to the US?
31:22 - What are the differences in investor approach between the UK and the US?
33:02 - How do successful startup employees in the US become prolific angel investors or VCs?
34:31 - Are UK institutional and public market investors hesitant to invest in tech companies?
37:03 - How can the UK increase the number of exits at scale in its tech ecosystem?
38:47 - Is the UK tech ecosystem still in the early stages of growth compared to Silicon Valley?
🔗 Daniel Glazer's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielcglazer/?originalSubdomain=uk
Twitter - https://twitter.com/danielcglazer?lang=en
Web - https://www.wsgr.com/en/people/daniel-glazer.html
Daniel Glazer is an American technology lawyer, strategic business advisor, and the Managing Partner of Wilson Sonsini's London office. Since the 2010 launch of the UK Government's Tech City initiative, Dan has advised high-growth UK/European technology and life sciences companies on raising capital in the US and UK/Europe, expanding their businesses into US markets, and connecting with investors, corporates, and advisors.
👂 Listen to the Main Episode here - https://youtu.be/JRL_HI_bPpA
🕒 Time stamps -
0:00 - Introduction to the episode and guest, Daniel Glazer.
0:30 - What was Daniel's first job?
0:44 - Daniel's first job was working at Burger King and later at McDonald's.
1:04 - What did Daniel do before getting into Venture law?
1:48 - What triggered Daniel to move into the field of Venture law?
2:02 - What would Daniel be doing if he wasn't a lawyer?
2:05 - Daniel would likely be working in government, focusing on transatlantic international commerce.
2:34 - How large is the practice at Wilson Sonsini, and what kind of businesses do they work with?
3:49 - Can Daniel mention three businesses that Wilson Sonsini has supported and that he is proud of?
5:06 - Discussion concludes and appreciation for having Daniel on the podcast.
🔗 Daniel Glazer's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielcglazer/?originalSubdomain=uk Twitter - https://twitter.com/danielcglazer?lang=en Web - https://www.wsgr.com/en/people/daniel-glazer.html
After years in different venture capital firms, Marc Cohen has gone it alone and founded Unbundled VC. He invests in early-stage start-ups and offers free resources for founders looking to get funding on his website.
👂 Listen to the Primer Episode here - https://youtu.be/C765cIqgG2k
🕒 Time stamps -
0:00 - Intro - Who is Marc Cohen? 1:16 - Why call yourself a VC rather than an Angel Investor?
4:30 - What returns are VCs looking for?
7:05 - The importance of portfolio construction
12:37 - What factors tell a VC “this is the right deal” in the long term?
19:14 - Why he looks for distribution returns?
21:33 - What is his process for investing and why is it set up like that?
30:18 - What type of founders seek venture capital?
34:22 - The power of reputation in the VC world for founders.
36:02 - How will AI impact the way people invest?
48:00 - Where can people find you online?
🔗 Marc Cohen's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcnigelcohen/?originalSubdomain=gg
Twitter - https://twitter.com/unbundledvc
Web - https://www.unbundled.vc/
After years in different venture capital firms, Marc Cohen has gone it alone and founded Unbundled VC. He invests in early-stage start-ups and offers free resources for founders looking to get funding on his website.
👂 Listen to the Main Episode here - https://youtu.be/xuEARO8_UBY
🕒 Time stamps -
0:00 - Intro - Who is Marc Cohen? 2:06 - What did he do before he got into venture capital? 3:11 - What would he be doing if he wasn’t a VC? 6:25 - What is deep tech outside of AI and how will it impact the workplace?
🔗 Marc Cohen's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcnigelcohen/?originalSubdomain=gg Twitter - https://twitter.com/unbundledvc Web - https://www.unbundled.vc/
Hussein is a partner at Hoxton Ventures. He currently represents Hoxton on the boards of Baseimmune, BeyondRisk, Biocortex, Biotx, DruidAI, Finesse, Fy!, Giraffe360, Kbox, Kitt, Luminary, Peptone, PillSorted, Raptor Supplies, Really Clever, Rensair, Replai, Replan, Skin Analytics, TourRadar and XYZ Reality, and serves as a board observer on Behavox and Karakuri.
👂 Listen to the Primer Episode here - https://youtu.be/TABxKlhvRbE
🕒 Time stamps -
0:00 - Intro / Hussein's career to date.
1:47 - What does Hoxton Ventures invest into?
7:08 - Hussein's response to some articles about Hoxton having an all-male investment team.
12:29 - What is Hoxton Ventures looking for in their next member of staff?
18:44 - How hard is it to get funding today?
24:28 - What does Hussein think of the AI space?
25:19 - What are the deterrents for that put off a small business from investing locally vs going straight to the US?
33:44 - Is GymShark a technology business?
34:05 - Where can people find Hussein online?
🔗 Hussein Kanji's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hkanji/?originalSubdomain=uk Twitter - https://twitter.com/hkanji Web - https://www.hoxtonventures.com/people/hussein-kanji/
Hussein is a partner at Hoxton Ventures. He currently represents Hoxton on the boards of Baseimmune, BeyondRisk, Biocortex, Biotx, DruidAI, Finesse, Fy!, Giraffe360, Kbox, Kitt, Luminary, Peptone, PillSorted, Raptor Supplies, Really Clever, Rensair, Replai, Replan, Skin Analytics, TourRadar and XYZ Reality, and serves as a board observer on Behavox and Karakuri.
👂 Listen to the Main Episode here - https://youtu.be/I7XM7vEymmY
🕒 Time stamps -
0:00 - Intro / Hussein's career to date.
14:23 - What is Hoxton Ventures and what is his role in it?
20:39 - What are 3 ventures Hussein is most excited about right now?
🔗 Hussein Kanji's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hkanji/?originalSubdomain=uk
Twitter - https://twitter.com/hkanji
Web - https://www.hoxtonventures.com/people/hussein-kanji/
Arthen Sirola-Hashemi is an investment manager at Karma Ventures. Karma Ventures (karma.vc) is an early-stage venture capital firm, specialising in late seed and A-round investments in Europe’s most promising tech startups.
👂 Listen to the Primer Episode here - https://youtu.be/660PuKw9Pds
🕒 Time stamps -
2:13 - What did Arthen have to unlearn when he joined the world of investing?
5:32 - Going from operations to investing, what skills did you bring over?
7:17 - How does Arthen think about finance?
13:30 - How does Arthen weigh up what is a good or bad investment?
15:54 - What is the VC / tech industry like in the Nordics?
20:31 - Why do more fintech products come out of the Nordics?
25:03 - Does money or ideas attract talent?
30:24 - Why having too much capital can cause businesses to be less innovative.
44:48 - Where's the best place to find Arthen online?
🔗 Arthen Sirola-Hashemi's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthensadr-hashemi?originalSubdomain=uk
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ArthenSH
Web - https://www.karma.vc/
Arthen Sirola-Hashemi is an investment manager at Karma Ventures. Karma Ventures (karma.vc) is an early-stage venture capital firm, specialising in late seed and A-round investments in Europe’s most promising tech startups.
👂 Listen to the Main Episode here - https://youtu.be/3Pdwp0r8LU8
🕒 Time stamps -
0:00 - Who is Arthen Sirola-Hashemi and what has his career been to date?
7:01 - Where does Karma invest?
9:24 - A teaser of what's to come in the main episode...
🔗 Arthen Sirola-Hashemi's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthensadr-hashemi?originalSubdomain=uk
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ArthenSH
Web - https://www.karma.vc/
Eghosa Omoigui is the founder and Managing General Partner of EchoVC Partners. EchoVO is a seed & early-stage technology venture capital firm investing in underrepresented founders and underserved emerging markets.His investments in the US and India include Betaworks, StackCommerce (acquired), Talkable, Frid.ge (acquired), Sense Networks (acquired), Voxify (acquired), SmartZip (acquired), Yatra (IPO), and BuzzInTown (acquired).👂 Listen to the Primer Episode here - 🕒 Time stamps - 1:55 - Why does he invest in underrespected founders in underserved markets? 4:10 - A brief history of Eghosa's career.6:35 - What exactly does "unrepresented" mean?10:52 - The link between what you invest in and how it impacts the wider society14:20 - How different investments look around the world.19:48 - So what are the specific challenges you think you face as a person of colour, trying to raise a fund and as a person of African origin?27:55 - How how can one change thatfundraising dynamic for African startups?30:33 - How does Eghosa calculate the "burning need" for a product?33:01 - Where's the best place for people to find Eghosa online? 🔗 Eghosa Omoigui's links - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/eghosaomoigui/Twitter - https://twitter.com/EghosaOWeb - https://www.echovc.com/team
Eghosa Omoigui is the founder and Managing General Partner of EchoVC Partners. EchoVC is a seed & early-stage technology venture capital firm investing in underrepresented founders and underserved emerging markets.His investments in the US and India include Betaworks, StackCommerce (acquired), Talkable, Frid.ge (acquired), Sense Networks (acquired), Voxify (acquired), SmartZip (acquired), Yatra (IPO), and BuzzInTown (acquired).👂 Listen to the Main Episode here - https://youtu.be/WG-EOTM81kI🕒 Time stamps - 0:00 - An introduction to Eghosa and his career to date.5:27 - What is a Semantic Web?13:55 - Why you have to understand the future to see where tech is going today.20:53 - What does EchoVC invest into? 25:16 - What areas of investment are the most exciting to Eghosa right now?37:13 - Why venture capital is a collaboration business. 39:30 - Why the stock markets are in trouble! 🔗 Eghosa Omoigui's links - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/eghosaomoigui/Twitter - https://twitter.com/EghosaOWeb - https://www.echovc.com/team
David Fogel is the co-founder of Alma Angels. Alma Angels is an inclusive community of angel investors who are passionate about actively investing in and supporting ambitious female founders building tech-driven startups on a global scale.
David is also an advisor at Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford and a co-founder of the Israeli Tech Parliament.
👂 Listen to the Primer Episode here - https://youtu.be/M4VP445_WJQ
🕒 Time stamps -
00:00 - An introduction to David Fogel
01:52 - What were the tools that the IDF gave you that have best served you?
05:52 - The problems with leaving a corporate job.
11:05 - What are the challenges in scaling a business that is focused on emerging markets?
15:57 - What commercial model worked best with David's business?
26:28 - Why did David leave his own fund?
29:21 - If you could start over, would David do it all again?
35:20 - What drove David to launch Alma and where do you hope it will lead?
50:14 - How Alma grew its investment community.
52:12 - Where can people find David online?
🔗 David Fogel's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/fogeldavid/?originalSubdomain=uk
Twitter - https://twitter.com/fogeldavid?lang=en
Web - https://www.alma-angels.com/
David Fogel is the co-founder of Alma Angels. Alma Angels is an inclusive community of angel investors who are passionate about actively investing in and supporting ambitious female founders building tech-driven startups on a global scale.
David is also an advisor at Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford and a co-founder of the Israeli Tech Parliament.
👂 Listen to the Full Episode here - https://youtu.be/Xrh28nzyfp8
🕒 Time stamps -
00:00 - An introduction to David Fogel
01:07 - David Fogel's career history
09:05 - David's history working and investing in Israel, Spain, Germany, and now back in the UK
12:50 - How David is trying to create food in bioreactors
🔗 David Fogel's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/fogeldavid/?originalSubdomain=uk
Twitter - https://twitter.com/fogeldavid?lang=en
Web - https://www.alma-angels.com/
Michael Palank is a General Partner at MaC Venture Capital and has been since it was established in January 2019. He has played a vital role in identifying and investing in seed-stage consumer and enterprise startups across various sectors. Prior to joining MaC, Michael held the esteemed position of General Partner at M Ventures, a prominent early-stage venture fund with locations in Los Angeles and the Bay Area.
Through his wealth of experience and unwavering passion for innovation, Michael Palank continues to make a profound impact on the entrepreneurial landscape, consistently driving growth and success for the ventures he supports.
🕒 Time stamps -
00:00 - An introduction to Michael Palank
01:30 - What makes the LA VC scene unique and special?
07:04 - Where's better - LA or Miami?
08:13 - What are the parallels between Venture Capital and Hollywood?
14:27 - Will more artists and TV stars get into funding start-ups?
18:44 - Why venture capital is all about relationships
25:31 - What milestones and challenges will every founder face on their journey?
27:09 - How to get very comfortable with the "what ifs"
27:20 - What is MaC Venture Capital?
34:21 - What's the best piece of advice for anyone wanting to enter the LA VC eco-system?
38:00 - Where's the best place to find Michael online?
🔗 Michael Palank's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelpalank/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mpalank101/?hl=en
Twitter - https://twitter.com/mpalank101
Web - https://macventurecapital.com/team/michael-palank/
Michael Palank is a General Partner at MaC Venture Capital and has been since it was established in January 2019. He has played a vital role in identifying and investing in seed-stage consumer and enterprise startups across various sectors. Prior to joining MaC, Michael held the esteemed position of General Partner at M Ventures, a prominent early-stage venture fund with locations in Los Angeles and the Bay Area.Through his wealth of experience and unwavering passion for innovation, Michael Palank continues to make a profound impact on the entrepreneurial landscape, consistently driving growth and success for the ventures he supports.🕒 Time stamps - 00:00 - An introduction to Michael Palank
00:41 - Michael Palank's career history
10:05 - How big is the fund for MaC Venture Capital?
15:33 - What ventures is Michael most excited about right now?
23:57 - Why founders should keep plugging away if they want funding. 🔗 Michael Palank's links - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelpalank/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mpalank101/?hl=enTwitter - https://twitter.com/mpalank101Web - https://macventurecapital.com/team/michael-palank/
Ernst Rustenhoven is a venture capitalist working at Slingshot Ventures. Slingshot Ventures is a Dutch venture capital fund solely backed by successful entrepreneurs. Ernst is also a Board Observer at Eatch and Wundermart and a Board Member at Check and Toothfairy.
🕒 Time stamps - 00:00 - An intro to Ernst Rustenhoven and his career.02:03 - Ernsts thoughts on the Dutch ecosystem and opportunities.08:03 - Why Ernst moved from an operator to an investor13:54 - Why does "consumer" excite Ernst?16:57 - Why "going faster" isn't always better for start-ups.20:32 - Why growing your team might not be the best strategy22:41 - How does Ernst think consumer brands should think about marketing?26:06 - What specific complexities do consumer brands have that founders need to think about?29:09 - What specifics should start-up consumer brands always keep in mind?32:53 - How is the venture capital landscape shifting? 36:14 - Where can you find Ernst online?
🔗 Ernst Rustenhoven's links - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ernstrustenhoven/Web - https://www.slingshot.ventures/
Ernst Rustenhoven is a venture capitalist working at Slingshot Ventures. Slingshot Ventures is a Dutch venture capital fund solely backed by successful entrepreneurs. Ernst is also a Board Observer at Eatch and Wundermart and a Board Member at Check and Toothfairy.
🕒 Time stamps -
00:00 - An intro to Ernst Rustenhoven
00:58 - How Ernst got into venture capital.
05:48 - What ventures is Ernst most excited about right now?
12:39 - A taster of what is to come in the main episode
🔗 Ernst Rustenhoven's links -
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ernstrustenhoven/
Web - https://www.slingshot.ventures/
Zoltan A. Vardy helps business-to-business tech founders struggling with sales to build predictable revenues by teaching them how to focus, structure, and scale their sales and marketing activities worldwide.👂 Listen to the Primer episode here - https://youtu.be/lZ_p_anasRY🕒 Time stamps - 01:31 - How Zoltan Vardy closed $2 billion worth of deals in his career.01:42 - What have been the best and worst deals of his career?06:07 - What scars have his career left him with?08:45 - How Zoltan "cracks the corporate forces" for his clients with limited resources.12:27 - How to know when to move up the chain of decision making and who to approach? 22:27 - How important is it to have workers in a location that you want to launch in? 28:14 - How to more effectively use whatever capital you have to grow your business.38:52 - Who was Zoltan's first customer?40:34 - The benefits of reoccurring revenues in a business.🔗 Anishka Prasad's links - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoltanvardy/?originalSubdomain=ukFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/zvthelaunchcode/YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCYgDlLOftJBhv0CvomtF4QInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/zoltanvardy/Twitter - https://twitter.com/zvardyWeb - https://zoltanvardy.com/
Zoltan A. Vardy helps business-to-business tech founders struggling with sales to build predictable revenues by teaching them how to focus, structure, and scale their sales and marketing activities worldwide.👂 Listen to the Primer episode here - https://youtu.be/lZ_p_anasRY🕒 Time stamps - 00:58 - How did Zoltan Vardy start his career? 06:07 - What are the most interesting tools on the market right now?07:54 - Thoughts on ChatGPT🔗 Anishka Prasad's links - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoltanvardy/?originalSubdomain=ukFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/zvthelaunchcode/YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCYgDlLOftJBhv0CvomtF4QInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/zoltanvardy/Twitter - https://twitter.com/zvardyWeb - https://zoltanvardy.com/
Anishka Prasad is a former lawyer turned entrepreneur and the founder of Astra. Astra is a network of inspiring and aspiring angel investors who enable each other to grow their investment portfolios by showcasing and investing in underrepresented and female-founded businesses.She is also the Head of Strategy & Operations at Future VC, having previously worked as their growth manager. 👂 Listen to the Primer episode here - https://youtu.be/6inO17gnflg🕒 Time stamps - 0:00 - An intro to Anoushka3:30 - What were the hardest challenges in moving countries and career? 6:40 - Applying for grants in the UK.8:04 - How long was the Innovate UK grant application process? 13:09 - What lessons did she learn in her start-ups early years? 15:49 - How did she transition from start-ups to venture capital? 17:07 - What makes Astra unique? 19:01 - Investing in property vs start-ups.25:00 - What is Future VC and what is her role within it?26:25 - How does she measure the success of Future VC?28:52 - What advice does Anoushka have for people wanting to get funding in 2023? 🔗 Anishka Prasad's links - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anishkaprasad/?originalSubdomain=ukTwitter - https://twitter.com/PrasadAnishkaWeb - https://www.anishkaprasad.com/🔗 Astra's links - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/astrainvestor/🔗 Future VC's links - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-vc/Twitter - https://twitter.com/future_vc1?lang=enWeb - https://futurevc.com/
Anishka Prasad is a former lawyer turned entrepreneur and the founder of Astra. Astra is a network of inspiring and aspiring angel investors who enable each other to grow their investment portfolios by showcasing and investing in underrepresented and female-founded businesses.She is also the Head of Strategy & Operations at Future VC, having previously worked as their growth manager. 0:00 - Anishka talks about Astra and her career. 2:27 - What was the thinking behind Astra? 4:10 - How Astra helps start-ups.5:01 - What has Anishka invested in / what is exciting her right now? Anishka Prasad's links - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anishkaprasad/?originalSubdomain=ukTwitter - https://twitter.com/PrasadAnishkaWeb - https://www.anishkaprasad.com/Astra's links - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/astrainvestor/Future VC's links - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-vc/Twitter - https://twitter.com/future_vc1?lang=enWeb - https://futurevc.com/
Paolo is the Co-Founder and General Partner of Exceptional Ventures, early-stage Venture Capital firm based in London that invests in high-impact businesses focused on helping people live happier, healthier, and longer lives.Prior to that he was the Managing Director for Europe at Joyance Partners, US VC firm investing in health and happiness startups. Paolo launched Joyance' European operations from scratch, invested in 25 companies across 9 EU countries, built a team of 8 world-class investors, attended and spoke at more than 400 events including the World Economic Forum and created a community of more than 1000 like-minded entrepreneurs and friends of the fund, promoting Health and Happiness along the way. This led to the fund being named among the most active EU VC by Pitchbook and one of the Hottest EU VCs by TechCrunch.Paolo started his career at Cisco in Silicon Valley as Software Development Engineer, going on to become Technical Marketing Engineer and then Product Manager. He then moved to Switzerland to launch Cisco’s new SDN product line across EMEAR (Europe Middle East Africa and Russia) and later Asia Pacific, going from $0 to $300M run rate in less than three years. He is an Angel investor and serves in various startup boards and advisory roles. Paolo holds an Executive MBA from London Business School where he was recognized for excellence in asset management, and a Cum Laude MS Engineering degree from Politecnico di Torino. He is passionate about meditation, nutrition and exercise: he co-founded and runs a fitness training bootcamp in London, where he lives (www.urbantribe.life). Paolo speaks English, Italian, French and Spanish.
Paolo is the Co-Founder and General Partner of Exceptional Ventures, early-stage Venture Capital firm based in London that invests in high-impact businesses focused on helping people live happier, healthier, and longer lives.Prior to that he was the Managing Director for Europe at Joyance Partners, US VC firm investing in health and happiness startups. Paolo launched Joyance' European operations from scratch, invested in 25 companies across 9 EU countries, built a team of 8 world-class investors, attended and spoke at more than 400 events including the World Economic Forum and created a community of more than 1000 like-minded entrepreneurs and friends of the fund, promoting Health and Happiness along the way. This led to the fund being named among the most active EU VC by Pitchbook and one of the Hottest EU VCs by TechCrunch.Paolo started his career at Cisco in Silicon Valley as Software Development Engineer, going on to become Technical Marketing Engineer and then Product Manager. He then moved to Switzerland to launch Cisco’s new SDN product line across EMEAR (Europe Middle East Africa and Russia) and later Asia Pacific, going from $0 to $300M run rate in less than three years. He is an Angel investor and serves in various startup boards and advisory roles. Paolo holds an Executive MBA from London Business School where he was recognized for excellence in asset management, and a Cum Laude MS Engineering degree from Politecnico di Torino. He is passionate about meditation, nutrition and exercise: he co-founded and runs a fitness training bootcamp in London, where he lives (www.urbantribe.life). Paolo speaks English, Italian, French and Spanish.
Agata is a two-time entrepreneur (one exit) and an investor. She spent the past 7 years working in fintech. First, at a clearing house startup, second as a founder of a blockchain capital markets startup selling to major investment banks. Recently, she moved to Venture Capital, investing in fintech founders, and founded Female Foundry (femalefoundry.co) - a community and mentorship platform of over 5,000 female founders and investors across Europe with the mission to bring more diversity into the Venture Capital ecosystem and more funding to female entrepreneurs.
Agata is a two-time entrepreneur (one exit) and an investor. She spent the past 7 years working in fintech. First, at a clearing house startup, second as a founder of a blockchain capital markets startup selling to major investment banks. Recently, she moved to Venture Capital, investing in fintech founders, and founded Female Foundry (femalefoundry.co) - a community and mentorship platform of over 5,000 female founders and investors across Europe with the mission to bring more diversity into the Venture Capital ecosystem and more funding to female entrepreneurs.
Welcome to this episode of The Nothing Ventured Primer. Today in the studio with me I am super excited to have me Sameer Singh.Sameer is an early-stage investor focused on network effects. "Creator" of Breadcrumb.vc and Applied Network Effects (one of the highest rated courses on Maven) — both are globally renowned resources to learn about network effects. Sameer is also a Venture Partner at Speedinvest and part of the Atomico Angel Program, where he invests in early-stage startups with network effects.14 years of experience in the technology ecosystem — distributed between technology startups and investing. For much of this time, Sameer studied technology business models and network effects in a professional capacity and via independent projects. He Previously, spent 5 years at App Annie, a Sequoia-funded, late-stage startup during its hypergrowth phase. There, he led a global, cross-functional team, working across product, marketing, and sales. Advised leading tech companies like Spotify, Shpock and Trainline. Before that, Sameer was an early-stage investor focused on commerce businesses.
Welcome to this episode of The Nothing Ventured Primer. Today in the studio with me I am super excited to have me Sameer Singh.Sameer is an early-stage investor focused on network effects. "Creator" of Breadcrumb.vc and Applied Network Effects (one of the highest rated courses on Maven) — both are globally renowned resources to learn about network effects. Sameer is also a Venture Partner at Speedinvest and part of the Atomico Angel Program, where he invests in early-stage startups with network effects.14 years of experience in the technology ecosystem — distributed between technology startups and investing. For much of this time, Sameer studied technology business models and network effects in a professional capacity and via independent projects. He Previously, spent 5 years at App Annie, a Sequoia-funded, late-stage startup during its hypergrowth phase. There, he led a global, cross-functional team, working across product, marketing, and sales. Advised leading tech companies like Spotify, Shpock and Trainline. Before that, Sameer was an early-stage investor focused on commerce businesses.
Hello and welcome to this week's Nothing Ventured Episode with Aarish Shah. Today I am really excited to have with me Andrew Poesaste Investor at Angular Ventures across Pre-Seed, Seed in Europe and Israel.
Hello and welcome to this week's Nothing Ventured Episode with Aarish Shah. Today I am really excited to have with me Andrew Poesaste.
Hello and welcome to this week's Nothing Ventured Episode with Aarish Shah. Today I am really excited to have with me Annalise Dragic. Annalise prides herself on being a global citizen and working towards improving the lives of others. She's a venture capital investor with Sapphire Ventures focusing on Series B to Pre-IPO direct investments in Europe and Israel across all sectors.Prior to joining Sapphire, She was a venture capital investor at Atomico, focusing on Series A and later opportunities in Europe across the enterprise sector. Prior to that She worked in San Francisco, London, and Dublin at LinkedIn across corporate M&A, business operations, sales strategy, and product finance. Additionally, I previously spent time at Morgan Stanley in the Technology Investment Banking Group.Annalise earned an MBA from Stanford University, where she was an Arjay Miller Scholar. She also graduated summa cum laude with honors and a major in Science, Technology and International Affairs from Georgetown University.
Hello and welcome to this week's Nothing Ventured Episode with Aarish Shah. Today I am really excited to have with me Annalise Dragic. Annalise prides herself on being a global citizen and working towards improving the lives of others. She's a venture capital investor with Sapphire Ventures focusing on Series B to Pre-IPO direct investments in Europe and Israel across all sectors.Prior to joining Sapphire, She was a venture capital investor at Atomico, focusing on Series A and later opportunities in Europe across the enterprise sector. Prior to that She worked in San Francisco, London, and Dublin at LinkedIn across corporate M&A, business operations, sales strategy, and product finance. Additionally, I previously spent time at Morgan Stanley in the Technology Investment Banking Group.Annalise earned an MBA from Stanford University, where she was an Arjay Miller Scholar. She also graduated summa cum laude with honors and a major in Science, Technology and International Affairs from Georgetown University.
Hello and welcome to this week's Nothing Ventured Episode with Aarish Shah. Today I am really excited to have with me Kelvin Au. Kelvin has over 17 years of experience in technology investment banking, VC and managing high-growth operations. Previously a Principal at Molten Ventures(formerly Draper Esprit) and headed up investments at Founders Factory, Kelvin worked closely with founders on product, strategy and fundraising and has co-invested with over 100 venture investors throughout Europe. Kelvin gained operational experience at a deep tech scale-up where he led the company to Series B and the eventual exit to one of the largest global supply chain players. He started his career at Credit Suisse and HSBC where he provided M&A and financing advice to technology companies after achieving a first class Master's degree in Computer Science from Imperial College London.Outside of speaking and learning from really smart people (aka founders), he geeks out on Lego and Rubik’s cube and spends his every waking moment entertaining his two young daughters (but in vain).
Hello and welcome to this week's Nothing Ventured Episode with Aarish Shah. Today I am really excited to have with me Kelvin Au. Kelvin has over 17 years of experience in technology investment banking, VC and managing high-growth operations. Previously a Principal at Molten Ventures(formerly Draper Esprit) and headed up investments at Founders Factory, Kelvin worked closely with founders on product, strategy and fundraising and has co-invested with over 100 venture investors throughout Europe. Kelvin gained operational experience at a deep tech scale-up where he led the company to Series B and the eventual exit to one of the largest global supply chain players. He started his career at Credit Suisse and HSBC where he provided M&A and financing advice to technology companies after achieving a first class Master's degree in Computer Science from Imperial College London.
Outside of speaking and learning from really smart people (aka founders), he geeks out on Lego and Rubik’s cube and spends his every waking moment entertaining his two young daughters (but in vain).
Hello and welcome to this week's Nothing Ventured Episode with Aarish Shah. Today I am really excited to have with me Amardeep Parmar. Amardeep is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of The BAE HQ, where he inspires, connects and guides the next generation of British Asian entrepreneurs. He has a podcast, news, social content, and in-depth toolkits to level up underrepresented founders.
Hello and welcome to this week's Nothing Ventured Episodewith Aarish Shah. Today I am really excited to have with me Armadeep Parmar. Armadeep is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of The BAE HQ, where he inspires, connects and guides the next generation of British Asian entrepreneurs. He has a podcast, news, social content, and in-depth toolkits to level up underrepresented founders.
Today I am really excited to have with me Brett Martin. Brett is an entrepreneur, angel investor, pragmatist, and optimist. Having spent most of his career in the startup trenches, he now focuses on supporting other entrepreneurs as Managing Partner of a small seed-stage venture fund: Charge Ventures. Charge is a NYC-based pre-seed/seed stage venture fund. We invest 200-500k at the earliest stages of company formation and then help founders take things from 0 to 1.
Hello and welcome to this week's Nothing Ventured Primer with Aarish Shah. Today I am really excited to have with me Brett Martin. Brett is an entrepreneur, angel investor, pragmatist, and optimist. Having spent most of his career in the startup trenches, he now focuses on supporting other entrepreneurs as Managing Partner of a small seed-stage venture fund: Charge Ventures. Charge is a NYC-based pre-seed/seed stage venture fund. We invest 200-500k at the earliest stages of company formation and then help founders take things from 0 to 1.
In today's episode, Aarish speaks to Emmy Faust about her journey as an angel investor, why female founders are still getting less than 2% of venture funding, why she decided not to raise a VC fund and why it's massively important to think about wellness and mental health.
Hello and welcome to this week's Nothing Ventured Primer with Aarish Shah. Today I am really excited to have with me Emmie Faust. Emmy is a three times executive founder, angel investor, and founder of Female Founders Rise.
This week we speak to Adam Besvinick, founder of Looking Glass Capital a pre seed and seed stage firm investing in health, climate and empowerment. Listen to our Primer episode to listen to Adam's journey through finance and venture including cutting his teeth at Chris Sacca's Lowercase Capital and more.NV Main Show S4e3 - Adam Besvinick
This week we speak to Adam Besvinick, founder of Looking Glass Capital a pre seed and seed stage firm investing in health, climate and empowerment. Listen to our Primer episode to listen to Adam's journey through finance and venture including cutting his teeth at Chris Sacca's Lowercase Capital and more.
Today I'm super excited to have with me. Eleanor Kaye. Eleanor is the Executive Director at Newton Venture Program, a JV between London Business School and Local Globe, with a mission to level the playing field for typically and structurally overlooked and underestimated backgrounds. In today's episode, we talked about the Newton Venture Program, the importance of partners like LBS and Local Globe as. Silicon Valley Bank we talk about the difficulties for underestimated people from underestimated backgrounds, breaking into venture, as well as the future for the Newton Venture Program and much, much more.
Welcome to this episode of Nothing Ventured With Me Arish Shah. Today I'm really excited to have Reece Chowdhry and Chris Mansfield with me. We are gonna be talking about raising in a bear market, how to be capital efficient and not spend the money the VCs give you the VC founder relationship and the fact that it lasts longer than the average UK marriage. Their advice for founders who are trying to break ground today Y Combinator, and much more Looking forward to this one.
In this Primer episode we talk to Reece Chowdhry, Founding Partner at Concept Ventures and get a quick background on his background as an operator and investor as well as the stage, sector and geographies he's targeting at Concept - a fund that launched in the Summer of 2022.
This is the Primer. A new concept for Nothing Ventured. We're getting the overview from founders and investors in advance. In doing so we're primed with the basic information before we get into the main event later in the week.
In this Nothing Ventured Primer Episode we talk to Chris Mansfield, Co-Founder of GoodCourse, a Y-Combinator backed venture that is building the new age micro-learning platform built for engagement. We learn about Chris's background and his journey through the genesis of GoodCourse.
On the podcast this week we welcome Shir Chorev. Shir is a passionate and experienced Data Scientist, skilled in Machine Learning and algorithmic research.
Co-Founder and CTO of Deepchecks a MLOps start-up, developing a platform that incorporates an innovative algorithmic approach to help organizations automatically detect and prevent costly AI system failures.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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On the podcast this week we welcome Venetia Archer. Venetia is Founder and CEO of Ruuby, the UK’s leading on-demand beauty & wellness services platform. One of the Forbes 30 Under 30, she launched the business in 2015.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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On the podcast this week we welcome Nathan Beckord. Nathan is the CEO of Foundersuite.com a venture-backed company that makes the leading “funding stack” (Investor Database, CRM, Pitch Deck Hosting, Bulk Email, Virtual Data Room and Investor Update tools) for startups raising capital. Since launching in 2016, users have raised over $3 Bln in seed and venture capital.
Prior to starting Foundersuite, Nathan spent ten years working with over 150 startups as interim CFO, Business Developer, and Advisor. Nathan has an MBA in Entrepreneurship, a BSC in Finance, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). In his free time, he enjoys sailing, traveling, and riding motorcycles.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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On the podcast this week we welcome Leo Ringer. Leo is the Founding Partner at Form Ventures an early-stage VC focused on markets shaped by public policy and regulation.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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On the podcast this week we welcome Andrew Scott. Andrew is the Founding Partner of 7percent Ventures and the Co-Founder of Allocate the European GP/LP event for tech venture capital funds and those who invest in them. He's an exited founder, board advisor and has a host of entrepreneur in-residence and advisory roles to his name.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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In a podcast double header this week we welcome back Moaz Hamid for Pt. 2 of his discussion with Aarish. The Founding and Managing Partner of mvmt ventures - a venture studio and fund focused on accessible first technology.
In the past twenty years, Moaz has worked as a DJ, spent eight years at Palm Inc., over half a decade working at HTC, and five years as General Manager and Partner at Microsoft, followed by eight years at Google.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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On the podcast this week we welcome Moaz Hamid. The Founding and Managing Partner of mvmt ventures - a venture studio and fund focused on accessible first technology.
In the past twenty years, Moaz has worked as a DJ, spent eight years at Palm Inc., over half a decade working at HTC, and five years as General Manager and Partner at Microsoft, followed by eight years at Google.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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On the podcast this week we welcome Founder, writer, and TEDx speaker Alec Maslov,
Alec is the Founder of Thunderhead Interglobal, a consulting company that provides communication, fundraising, and business development services.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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On the podcast this week we welcome Brom Rector.
Brom Rector is the founder and GP of Empath Ventures, a VC fund that invests in psychedelic medicine startups. Prior to founding Empath, Brom spent 7 years as a portfolio manager and quantitative researcher - most recently managing a global macro portfolio for Crabel Capital Management - a Los Angeles-based hedge fund with $9B AUM.
After leaving Crabel in 2020, Brom started The Integration Conversation, a long form video podcast that covers the psychedelics industry from an investing perspective. The research that went into this podcast and the connections it established laid the groundwork for what would become Empath Ventures.
Growing up in a military family, Brom saw the mental health struggles of service members and how those mental health issues impacted families. Seeing this first-hand gave him a deep appreciation for the healing power of psychedelics, especially as it relates to PTSD and depression.
Personally, Brom has been using psychedelics for most of his adult life and has found them extremely beneficial for purposes of mental hygiene, internal exploration, and perspective shifting. Brom is a staunch proponent of ending the war on drugs and making psychedelics legally available to all.
Brom was homeschooled and began college at age 15. He holds an M.S. in Computer Science from Georgia Tech and is a CFA Charterholder.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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On the podcast this week we welcome Nancy Fechnay.
Nancy has been a part of the investment and startup world for nearly 15 years. She co-founded three tech companies, resulting in one small exit and one seed stage ‘future of work’ company (backed by Atomico Angels and Outlier in Europe). Nancy also founded a non-profit, The Inspire Movement, in London alongside Google to promote mental health for entrepreneurs. Nancy started her career in cleantech venture capital but has since covered a large spectrum of tech sectors. She worked for Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and GE Ventures before becoming a partner at Flight Ventures (the largest syndicate in the world) in 2015. Nancy has invested alongside top-tier US and EU-based firms, such as Softbank, Greycroft, Google Ventures, Andreessen, Bessemer, Accel, and Founders Fund.
Nancy is currently a partner in Alumni Ventures (AV) and Flight VC. AV has a unique model with 24 funds, a network of 600k+ alumni, and $700AUM. Nancy is also a Venture Partner for Gaingels, the world’s most active syndicate focused on bringing diversity to the tech ecosystem.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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On the podcast this week we welcome Matt Penneycard, Partner at Ada Ventures - an early-stage, pre-seed fund.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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On the podcast this week we welcome Kerry Sharp , Director of Growth Investments at Scottish Enterprise.
With a background in corporate banking followed by four years as Portfolio Manager in 3i Group, Kerry has managed a broad portfolio of equity investments in SMEs.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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On the podcast this week we welcome Sarah Nadav, best-selling author, strategist, founder, mentor and Expert Network Behavioural Economist to the World Economic Forum.
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On the podcast this week we welcome Siddhi Mital.
Siddhi is co-founder of yhangry - a venture delivering chefs to your doorstep since 2019, set up with Heinin Zhang. Siddhi is also a professional Bollywood dancer and successfully navigated Dragons’ Den.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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On the podcast this week we welcome Priya Oberoi.
Priya is the Founding General Partner of Goddess Gaia Ventures - a pre-series A fund focused on ventures innovating in women's health, wellness, and femtech.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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On the podcast this week we welcome Nick Telson.
Nick is a Co-Founder at trumpet, podcast host at Pitch Deck and an Investor at Horseplay Ventures. Nick successfully exited his business Design My Night in 2019, many of you may know them if you've booked a restaurant or bar in London.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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On the podcast this week we welcome Brent Murri.
Brent is a Principal at M13 where he leads early-stage investments in consumer technology companies. Brent joined M13 from Battery Ventures where he focused on growth-stage enterprise software investments. Prior to Battery, he worked in strategy & business development for Samsung NEXT, where he developed and executed strategies around Samsung’s consumer software and services initiatives.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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On the podcast this week we welcome Suki Fuller.
Suki is a Founder of Miribure, Co-Founder & Senior Vice President of DC Analytics and Storyteller for Group of Humans. She is a fierce supporter of intelligence, ethical tech, #SafetyTech, Security, Privacy and Surveillance. Her eclectic 19-year career within strategic intelligence and technology has taken her from the US Department of Defense to teaching students in China.
She currently resides in London, where she is an intrinsic part of the tech community as a board member for Tech London Advocates / Global Tech Advocates, which includes key positions as Co-Lead TLA Women in Tech, Vice-Chair for TLA Black Women in Tech, and Board Advisor for TLA Young Entrepreneurs. Suki was recently named the 5th Most Influential Woman in UK Tech by Computer Weekly 2021.
She loves Penguins!
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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On the podcast this week we welcome Alex Macdonald.
Alex is a serial entrepreneur and Angel Investor. He is the Co-Founder of Velocity Black, a concierge reimagined for the digital age, which has raised over $30m in venture capital. He has been angel investing at pre-seed and seed stage for 8 years in the UK and US, and runs a syndicate. Alex recently founded his second business.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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On the podcast this week we welcome Samira Ann Qassim. Samira is an early-stage investor in market-making female-led startups. She founded Pink Salt Ventures in 2019 to capitalise on the untapped potential of female-led technology.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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On the podcast this week we welcome David Miles. David is a Senior Investment Manager at Foresight Group, sustainability-led alternative assets, and SME investment manager. Foresight partners with promising SMEs across all sectors and deal stages having supported nearly 300 companies.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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On the podcast this week we welcome Ulyana Shtybel Co-founder of HighCastle, a cap table, and deal management platform and Co-founder of Enkidu, a Swiss nonprofit platform for charities.
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On the podcast this week we welcome Gautam Sahgal CEO of Perkbox, in conversation with our own Aarish Shah.
Perkbox helps companies care for, connect with and celebrate their employees - no matter where they are globally.
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On the podcast this week Aarish talks to Nii Cleland, CEO, and Co-Founder of Flair.
Flair is a racial equity technology company helping organisations measure and demonstrate their progress in building racially equitable cultures.
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In this week's episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah is in conversation with Mariano Gonzalez Vasconcelos.
Mariano is Founder and General Partner at MGV Capital Group. MGV invests in Fintech, Consumer Technology, and Enterprise Software across the US and Mexico.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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In this week's episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah is in conversation with Renana Ashkenazi.
Renana is a General Partner at Grove Ventures, a leading Israeli early-stage, deep technology fund established by Dov Moran. Prior to joining Grove Ventures, Renana worked at Applied Materials, a global technology leader, in various product and technical management positions. Her previous position was as an engineering fellow at the Center for Innovation in Global Health Technologies at Northwestern University developing diagnostic devices for poorly resourced countries.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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In this week's episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah is in conversation with Jonathan Sun.
Jonathan is the founder of Horizan VC, a UK-based alt VC working to bring the Convertible Income Share Agreement to the UK (now known as the Convertible Future Earnings Agreement. Prior to getting into VC, Jonathan was a former Edtech founder, ran community events for Othership, Product-Hunt, Techstars, and Guide Group, and also attended the Lavin Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Washington.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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In this week's episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah is in conversation with Anthony Rose. Founder of Seedlegals, Anthony discusses getting BBC iPlayer on track and Seedlegals, which let's face it you've probably used!
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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In this week's episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah is in conversation with Tania Mulry. Tania discusses Steamwork Ventures and their investment thesis, her background in investment banking, product development, marketing, and a lot more!
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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In this week's episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah is in conversation with Alex Leigh. Alex discusses The Tippy Top his support community for entrepreneurs and his role as Senior Investment Executive at the Development Bank of Wales (DBW).
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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In this week's episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah is in conversation with Patrick Ryan Co-Founder of Odin. Odin is an investment platform and community for people building the future. We are starting by making it 10x cheaper and easier to launch and invest in syndicates, SPVs & funds.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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In this week's episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah is in conversation with Marvyn Harrison Chief Growth Officer at BELOVD Agency amongst other things, author, speaker, radio presenter. The list goes on.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem, bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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In this week's episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah is in conversation with Melissa Snover CEO and Founder at Nourish3d and Script3d.
Melissa shares her considerable insight as a founder and adviser in this episode, it's a must-listen for founders.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem. Bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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In this week's episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah is in conversation with David Hickson. David is part of the Founders Factory founding team. A serial operator & founder, he has over 20 years of experience spanning five different tech companies, four of which as a co-founder or on the founding team and which have reached an aggregate enterprise value of ~$1.5bn.
David shares his considerable insight in this episode, it's a must-listen for founders.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem. Bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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Welcome to the new look Nothing Ventured.
In this week's episode, Aarish Shah is in conversation with Cleo Sham. Cleo cut her teeth with Uber and Didi in China before moving into the investment space, arriving at her current role as Partner at Stride VC in 2021.
Cleo shares her considerable experience, lessons from her time as an operator, and how this helps her in her current role.
As ever Nothing Ventured brings an honest take on investors, operators, and the start-up ecosystem. Bringing founders the insight they need to navigate this crazy world.
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In conversation with Jenny Ervine Co-Founder of Raise Ventures, Marketeer, Director, Advisor, Investor, Event Speaker and Mentor.
Jenny is passionate about working with start-ups and Raise pitching events and accelerator are living proof. In this episode, Jenny talks about her career and provides great insights for founders looking to start their first raise.
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In conversation with Zoe Peden, Principle at Ananda Impact Ventures and Founder at FutureWorld VC.
Zoe talks about everything from her early publishing career, Co-Founding an award-winning language and communication development software business to her present career as a VC.
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In conversation with Arfah Farooq, community lead at NHSX, angel investor and speaker and workshop host around community building, diversity+Inclusion, and careers and organizing events
Arfah talks about her journey from a media degree to working for the Government.
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In conversation with Chris Smith, the Managing Partner at Playfair Capital.
Chris talks about his journey from the law, via the Isle of Man to his current role at Playfair.
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In conversation with Kirsty Macdonald, Principle at JamJar investments.
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In conversation with Claire Cherry, Investment Principle at True.
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In conversation with Paige Doherty, Founder at Behind Genius Ventures.
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In conversation with Jason Foster, CEO of Ori Biotech.
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In conversation with Flavia Richardson, Chief Commercial Officer at Juice Ventures.
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In conversation with Becks Armstrong, General Partner and COO at Supercapital Partners, and Founder and CEO of Clarity.
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In conversation with Ariana Thacker, the founding partner at Conscience VC.
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In conversation with Neil Shah from The London Stock Exchange.
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In conversation with the Managing Partner at SuperSeed.
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In conversation with the Head of Strategic Finance at Hopin and angel investor.
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In conversation with Anuj Desai the host of Europe’s leading cannabis industry podcast, The Cannabis Conversation.
Anuj is also a qualified lawyer, having worked in a variety of senior roles in the UK media industry over 15 years, and now acts as a legal consultant and board advisor to cannabis startups and SMEs in the UK.
In conversation with the Co-Founder of Consilience Ventures and former Head of Ecosystem at Microsoft Scale Up Europe.
In conversation with Alex Dunsdon, LP, GP, Founder, Board Exec and Advisor
"Just listened to your podcast on Nothing Ventured and what you're doing with potential.co sounds so amazing I was close to tears." - Nothing Ventured listener.
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In conversation with the Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Omnipresent, ex-special forces and teamwork expert.
In conversation with the futurist, economist, strategist, trend analyst, avid reader, and published writer.