The Founder Initiative

Listen to a real VC pitch in Silicon Valley and then go behind the scenes to hear what the VC actually thought... Sid Trivedi is a Partner at Foundation Capital https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddhanttrivedi/, a $6B VC fund in Silicon Valley! Josiah Spartz is the Founder of Cofactory.ai https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsjcs/, an agentic customer acquisition platform! FORMAT 1. PERFECT PITCH - Sid - shares what the perfect pitch would look like for a company in this sector 2. PITCH DISCUSSION - Joey & Sid have a pitch discussion! 3. VC CLOSED DOOR REVIEW - Sid shares more details...

LEARN --> how they got started & how to impress them in a pitch 1. How does Forum Ventures define its focus? #accelerator #startup 2. Which investment strategies resonate with you at Forum Ventures? #accelerator #growthstrategy 3. In your experience, why is Founder-Market Fit crucial for startup success? #startup #venturecapital 4. What founder considerations have personally impacted you according to Michael Cardamone? #B2B #SaaS

GEN AI summary! #LetsGo

Larsen Jensen, a former Olympic swimmer turned investment guru, has an impressive background that spans from the swimming pool to the Navy SEAL teams, and finally to the world of venture capital. His perspective on investment focus on dual-use technologies, which are applicable in both commercial and government sectors, is shaped by his unique experiences and his belief in their transformative potential. Jensen, who now heads Harpoon Ventures, sees these technologies as having significant geopolitical implications in today's world. He invests in next-generation technologies like AI, cybersecurity, and deep tech, with the vision...

(00:07:07) Challenges in understanding and managing SaaS applications

(00:15:24) Building Meaningful Connections for Startup Success

(00:18:13) Data-driven MVP development process

(00:23:27) The Power of Community Support in Startups

1. Quitting job, paying the bills and creating MVP 2. Landing first customers 3. Closing a Seed round in 2-months

(00:03:44) "The hardest thing for any founder to do is actually do it...it's really easy to convince yourself that it's stupid and that it's wrong and that your idea makes no sense and that you can do it somewhere else. And almost none of the metrics, if you were to draw a column of pros and cons, you're probably never going to have more pros and cons to start a business. And that, I think, is the biggest challenge, is you have to go against everything you're taught, everything you know, and take this massive risk that may not pay...

LEARN 1. Do I need to send my deck to a VC before a meeting? 2. What questions can I answer, "I don't know" to during a pitch 3. How can I get connected with the right investors? Check out Emil Capital here --> https://emilcapital.com/about-us/ Check out Marcel Bens here --> https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcel-a-bens-91825b/

Please check out CommandBar --> https://www.commandbar.com/ and James Evans --> https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-evans-7086b3126/

GPT-Powered Summary

Igor Ryabenkiy, a successful investor who has backed eight unicorns, recently shared his approach to venture capital investment in startups on the Top VC podcast. In this episode, Igor emphasizes the importance of founders having a clear understanding of their goals, plans, and target market. He also highlights key factors such as scalability, market size, industry landscape, business model, and customer approach that impact his investment decisions.

One of the key traits Igor looks for in founders is their ability to clearly articulate their vision and strategy. He believes that when founders can...

Closing a $1M+ round without customers or a product The key was in their analysis of the opportunity.

(00:01:31) Crafting a Compelling Story for Lumber

(00:07:08) Drive and Determination in Founders

(00:10:19) Founder's Assessment: Market Size, Competition, and Capabilities

(00:14:46) The Significance of Grit in Fundraising

(00:23:03) Understanding Customer Insights for Successful Fundraising

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Entrepreneurial Grit, Customer Focus, and Fundraising in Construction Tech Startups

In a recent episode of the Top VC podcast titled "Pitching Lumber In," entrepreneur Shreesha Ramdas shares his insights and experiences in the world of construction tech startups. Ramdas, who has successfully sold two companies in the past, is now...

Zamir Shukho is a seasoned founder and venture capitalist with a wealth of experience in the startup ecosystem, having established 42 accelerators and worked with over 1500 companies... HIGHLIGHTS (00:00:28) Investing in Strong Teams and Tangible Progress (00:02:54) Uncovering Customer Problems and Emotions Effectively (00:05:40) Seed stage Venture Fund specializing in B2B SaaS startups (00:08:18) Navigating Conflict and Geopolitical Challenges as a Founder/VC

Check out Rex and Cambrian! Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CambrianHQ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexsalisbury/ (00:00:22) Speed of Execution (00:01:22) Fintech Investing (00:03:40) Building a Community (00:05:20) Time Commitment in Venture Capital (00:14:00) Benefits of running a solo GP firm (00:19:30) Size of Opportunity in Fintech 00:00:22 - Speed of Execution Speed of execution is a crucial factor in building a successful startup, as highlighted by Rex Salisbury, the founder and GP at Cambrian. He believes that founders who can quickly navigate the idea maze and improve their ideas are the ones to watch. Rex looks for founders who actively seek feedback and iterate...

Mike Peregudov shared his experience of overcoming fundraising challenges and offered valuable insights on the importance of a structured process, tailored pitches, and incorporating the company's vision and mission. We'll delve into Mike's journey, practical advice, and data-driven insights to help founders navigate the fundraising landscape.(00:06:35) But this current seed round extension we raised mostly from early stage funds and angel investors and they are not that mission and vision is not that important for them. QUOTE (00:12:49) Our monthly updates, we build them like beautiful PDFs and a lot of news inside, quite honest, being honest there being sharing a...

In this podcast episode, Matt Martin, founder of Clockwise, shares his journey of securing over $75 million in funding and the tactics he used to break through the attention barrier of investors. Adam O'Donnell joins the conversation to discuss the importance of focusing on the inputs they can control and to introduce through email, reach out to VCs on LinkedIn and Mastodon. Whether you're just starting the process or need to refresh your strategy, this podcast provides helpful information and insight into the world of VC funding.

#entrepreneurship #funding #blackfounders #VC #doubt #belief #raisefunds #podcast #TheEntrepreneursJournal #motivation

[00:00:00] Early-stage investing and integrity prioritization

[00:03:07] Founder-Focused Accelerator Program Expansion

[00:06:17] Integrity in Founders and Venture Capital

[00:09:25] Investing in Founders with Integrity

[00:12:27] The Value of Due Diligence in Early-Stage Investing

[00:15:28] Building a Supportive Podcast Community

Finding Investment Success with Clear Ventures' Rajeev Madhavan

Clear Ventures' founder and general partner, Rajeev Madhavan, knows what it takes to succeed in early stage investment. During a recent episode of TheTop.VC podcast with host Adam O'Donnell, Madhavan shared his insights on what he looks for when considering an investment opportunity.

Madhavan emphasized the importance of having a strong background in technology. However, pedigree and expertise are only part of the equation. The next key factor is trust. Startups require resilience and the ability to handle the uphill battles that come with building a...

Join Adam O'Donnell on TheTop.VC podcast as he talks to Dave Fink, founder of Postie, about his experience in raising a reasonable seed round, building disruptive technology, and finding a revenue model to offset costs. Dave shares his insights on how to approach VCs during the fundraising process and emphasizes the importance of having thick skin and a belief in the product. He also discusses the need to focus on the value a business provides and not get bogged down by the noise and risks that come with fundraising. Tune in to learn how Postie is helping founders who...

Doppler's CEO, Brian Vallelunga shares how they got Sequoia to invest in their seed round! He shares his experience with Sequoia and emphasizes the importance of understanding that fundraising is a game that requires a strong story, with no pitch deck required. He also discusses Doppler's mission to help developers manage API keys and how every company is becoming a software company, making secrets management essential. With engaging narratives and real-life anecdotes, this episode is a must-listen for any startup founder looking to build enduring businesses and succeed in the software-driven world.

Introducing TheTop.VC podcast, where host Adam O'Donnell has an exciting chat with Itamar Novick, founder of Recursive Ventures. They discuss how Itamar invests in early-stage startups that revolutionize industries like financial services, insurance, and real estate by leveraging data and machine learning. He also talks extensively about his investment experiences with promising companies like Tomato AI, Clarity AI, and Claire AI. The discussion covers Itamar's successful approach in evaluating startups, go-to-market strategies, and the critical issue of fake content, along with market discovery for deep fake solutions. Listening to this episode will give valuable insights into the world...

Article 1: The Importance of Dialogue and Communication in Presentations

In this episode of TheTop.VC podcast, Adam O'Donnell interviews Nuno G. Pedro, the managing partner at Chameleon, an early-stage VC firm in San Francisco. Nuno speaks about the art of communication and presentation, and how important it is to incite dialogue with an audience.

Many founders often focus too much on presenting slides to their audience, forgetting to create opportunities for engagement and feedback. This is a common mistake, according to Nuno, as the objective of slides is to initiate dialogue an...

Founder Market Fit - Familiarity with the ecosystem - What is your experience? - Early stage investing is those two things (Vision + Team ) - Investors will do DD on your past. They will talk to people that worked for your in the past

Young founder, no product, or real working experience...

First 2-years were just trying to get capital

What broke through?

 - qualifying investors

 - going in person

 - working on the problem in a personal capacity for 5 years, as a teenager 

1. The founders have a thesis  

2. The product is the way to get there

3. Are they keeping their ear to the ground?

4. Are they continuously iterating?

5. Are they applying what they're learning?

Asking yourself, "if I knew what I know now, would I still pursue this business?" If the answer is no, you've saved yourself a lot of time! If it's yes, proceed with full force!

[Seed Investor in Paypal & Co-Founder of Eventbrite] Kevin Hartz, GP at A* Capital; what does he look for in a founding team?

Biggest learnings -->

  - Show investors that you have grit & intellect - how? It should be obvious from your background.

Tesla for Motorcycles? - Oben's Founder, Madhumita Agrawal; funding a hardware startup in a recession

- Keep fundraising until the money is in the bank!

- Referrals, referrals, referrals

- Fundraising is for founders 

What's it like to win Techcrunch Disrupt? Minerva Lithium's founder shares what they did, how she felt, and what their building!

How to nail your first meeting with a VC-->

1. Solve for getting a second meeting

2. Nail your story/narrative

3. Don't explain every part of your business!

Ashley Aydin is a Principal at VamosVentures. They invest in early-stage tech-enabled companies led by Latinx and diverse founders!

Who will get funded now?

The most impactful strategy you used to close your round?

 - Wrote a white paper...there are a lot of companies out there. They wrote a white paper about the future of work

 - Wrote it on Notion, put it behind a wall, 15-20 min read...filtered out those that are interested...

Angular Ventures's, David Peterson: 3 things VCs look for what YOU might not have in your deck?

Nail these 4 things if you want a chance of raising in this environment

 - Who was your warm intro? How well do they know the space?

  - Founder conviction is super important. What brought you to this point? How did you come across this problem? Why dedicate the next 10 years to solving it?

   - Real advisor relationship in your slide deck?

   - Can you withstand industry expert scrutiny?

   - How organized is your data room? Send it fast and make it detailed. 

How do you show a VC that your company could return their fund?

--> Strategic Sequencing...

[$12M Seed Greylock invested] Rishabh Jain, Co-Founder of Fermat Commerce; raising in a downturn

- thesis alignment is more important during a downturn

- what is your mega trend? 

You have something in your business that is scary to a VC...make sure you share it the right way

What's it like to raise a round right now? Learn what Hersh did to close a $12M Series A. Companyon Ventures, Atlassian Ventures, and CreativeCo join returning investors to fuel accelerated go-to-market investment

- sharing your GTM tests and strategies in your deck - getting creative with your GTM and how to share that with investors