All Episodes
Kiva Dickinson (Selva Ventures) - Best Time To Start A Brand, Why First Mover is So Important in CPG, and Why VCs are Scared of Getting it Wrong
April 2, 2020
*This episode features two conversations I’ve had with Kiva*
Madeline Keulen (Victress Capital) - Knowing Your Why, Analyzing Contrasting Trends, and Building Brands
March 30, 2020
*Please note that this episode was recorded before the coronavirus global pandemic*
Logan Langberg (Imaginary Ventures) - DTC 2.0, Multiple Channels of Distribution, and Paid vs. Organic Growth
March 26, 2020
*Please note that this episode was recorded before the coronavirus global pandemic*
Charles Hudson (Precursor Ventures) - The State of Seed Investing, The Early Stage Ecosystem, and Why Consumer Has Been Out Of Favor with VCs
March 23, 2020
Charles Hudson is the Managing Partner and Founder of Precursor Ventures . Precursor Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in the first institutional round of investment for the most promising software and hardware companies. Some of their investments include The Athl…
Bonus - Coronavirus: Feat. Robert Gelb (HeySummit) - How early stage investors are thinking about the current landscape?
March 20, 2020
I reached out to all past investors that came on the show and future investors that will be coming on and asked them the following questions pertaining to the impact of corona:
Laura Chau (Canaan) - The Five Pillars of Social Media, Moving Towards Status and the Power of Grit
March 16, 2020
Laura Chau is a Principal at Canaan . Canaan is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in visionaries with transformative ideas. Some of her current investments include Coterie, Curtsy, and Jumpcut. At Canaan, she focuses on consumer technology. She previously worked in Deloitte’s Strateg…
Ethan Austin (Techstars) - Punched in the Face with a Problem, Analyzing Teams and EQ
March 5, 2020
Ethan Austin is the Managing Director of Techstars Western Union Accelerator . Techstars Western Union Accelerator is the premier program for global startups shaping the future of money movement. Companies participating in the program gain direct access to the world's best fintech execs, founders a…
Lee Hower (NextView Ventures) - Making Good Decisions Fast, Going With Your Gut and Why Trust at the Early Stages Is Vital
March 2, 2020
Lee Hower is the Co-Founder and Partner of NextView Ventures . NextView is a high-conviction hands on seed-stage VC firm that invests in founders who are redesigning the everyday economy. Some of their investments include Grove Collaborative, Skillz, Plastiq, Attentive, LetGo and TapCommerce. Previ…
Bonus - Matt Hirst (West): Brand and Marketing - What is Brand?, How to Hire at the Early Stages, and Trusting Your Gut vs. Data Driven
Feb. 27, 2020
Matt Hirst is the Managing Partner at West . West is a venture studio, a team of market and brand experts with investor discipline. Since 2011, West has partnered with some of the world’s most innovative companies and founders to maximize their opportunity and make impact including Impossible Burge…
Elizabeth Yin (Hustle Fund) - Investing When There’s No Traction and How To Mitigate Risk When Founding
Feb. 24, 2020
Elizabeth Yin is a co-founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund , a pre-seed fund for software entrepreneurs. One of Hustle Fund’s missions is to level the playing field in the world of venture-backed businesses by investing in non-Stanford and non-Ivy League founders.
Jason Shuman (Primary Ventures) - Payback Period, Market Timing, and The Importance of Distribution
Feb. 20, 2020
Jason Shuman is a Principal at Primary Ventures , a seed-stage venture capital firm responsible for backing NYC's most promising founders. Some of their investments include Ticketfly, Jet, Deliveroo, and Package Free.
Kate Boyle (Banjo Robinson) - Expanding Into Different Countries, Her Unfair Advantage, and Storytelling
Feb. 18, 2020
Kate Boyle is the founder and CEO of Banjo Robinson . Banjo Robinson is a magical cat that writes personalized letters that turn reading, writing and learning about the world into a magical game for 5-8 year olds. Banjo Robinson graduated London Techstars Accelerator fall 2019 and recently raised a…
Gautam Gupta (M13) - The Thin Line Between Success and Failure, Board Construction, and Why He Offers Learnings, Not Advice
Feb. 13, 2020
Gautam Gupta is a Partner at M13 and founded and previously was the CEO of Naturebox .
Tim Katt (TACK Ventures) - How Tech is Disrupting Sports, Media and Advice for Founders in Secondary Markets
Feb. 10, 2020
Tim Katt is the managing partner and co-founder of TACK Ventures , TACK Ventures is an early stage venture capital firm based in Brooklyn and focused on investing in game-changers across sports, media, lifestyle and entertainment. Investments include Overtime, ShotTracker, Roam, Greenfly and .
Sophie Bakalar (fable & Collaborative Fund) - What is Market Expertise?, Conscious Consumerism, and How She Sensed An Opportunity
Feb. 6, 2020
Sophie Bakalar is the founder of Fable, an e-commerce pet store help pets (and their humans) lead healthier, happier lives through better design. She is also a Venture Partner at Collaborative fund, a seed stage fund that focuses on the growth of the creative class and the concept of collaborative …
Sumeet Shah (Swiftarc Ventures) - 4th Generation of Retail, Periscope Founders and What is Wrong in VC
Feb. 3, 2020
Sumeet Shah is the Portfolio Support Associate at Swiftarc Ventures. Swiftarc Ventures is an early- and growth-stage venture capital firm mainly focused on North America-based consumer brands making major economic and social disruptions.
Jason Stoffer (Maveron) - Mediocre Markets, Early Traction, and Knowing Your Weaknesses
Jan. 30, 2020
Jason Stoffer is a General Partner at Maveron . Maveron is a premier consumer focused fund that invests in seed and Series A companies that empower consumers to live on their terms. Some of Maveron’s investments include Everlane, Allbirds, General Assembly , eBay , and Coursehero . Jason is focused…
Jordan Nof (Tusk VP) - Regulated Industries, The Importance of Timing, and Good Growth vs. Bad Growth
Jan. 27, 2020
Jordan Nof is a Managing Partner and the Head of Investments at Tusk Venture Partners , where he oversees all aspects of the firm’s venture capital investment practice and is a member of the Investment Committee. Jordan has led many of the Fund’s capital investments including Lemonade, Bird, Alma, …