Understanding VC
Understanding VC is a podcast that provides founders with the knowledge and resources they need to understand venture capital. My goal is to create the best and most comprehensive resource on venture capital on the internet, so that founders can make informed decisions about their businesses and secure the funding they need to succeed.
Show episodes
The Superpowers of Founders: A VC's Guide to Spotting the Best | James Shecter from Makena Capital
🕰️ Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 00:48 - Opening Question 01:08 - Challenges in Evaluating Founders 03:56 - Assessing Founders 06:58 - Market and Product Assessments 09:25 - Founder-led companies do better at later stages? 12:00 - The Importance of Quantitative Assessments 13:14 - Psychological and Motivational Dis
🕰️ Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 00:42 - Purpose of a Pitch 02:15 - Defining the Outcome of Your Pitch 05:32 - Elements of Persuasion in a Pitch 12:08 - Different Types of Pitches 17:57 - Core of a Great Pitch 21:29 - Crafting an Effective Pitch 24:27 - Structuring the Pitch for Funding 28:22 - Right People to Prac
The ULTIMATE Series A Fundraising Playbook | Christian Meermann from Cherry Ventures
🕰️ Timestamps: 00:42 Success Metrics for Series A Fundraising 01:29 Industry Averages and Market Trends 02:11 Factors Influencing Graduation Rates 04:07 The Importance of Support and Playbooks 05:43 Developing Benchmarks and KPIs 10:54 Case Study: Tecto's Roadmap to Series A 12:46 Challenges and Common Gaps in Plannin
🕰️ Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 00:50 - Opportunity in AI 02:39 - OverInvestment in LLMs 05:37 - Impact of AI on Jobs 07:19 - Value Creation in the Application layer 10:32 - SaaS evolving into AI Agents 12:48 - Exaggeration of Capabilities in Gartner Hype Cycle 19:22 - Human Brain v/s LLMs 21:53 - Cost of doing Se
🕰️ Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 03:54 - Importance of Branding in Startups 07:42 - Hugh on starting JFDI 17:33 - Importance of Mentorship 20:44 - How to attract great people 26:06 - Measuring relevant Progress Metrics in Accelerators 29:41 - Selection in Accelerators 32:17 - What’s a ‘Great’ Outcome for an Acceler
How to Build a Strong Founder-VC Relationship | Akshay Mehra from Hummingbird Ventures
In this episode you will learn: 00:00 - Introduction 01:32 - Easy to build good relationships with Investors? 03:55 - Importance of a Good Relationship with Investors 05:59 - Size and Strategy of a fund affects Founder-VC Relationship 07:37 - Components of a Successful Relationship 09:04 - Hummingbird’s POV on Inv
