Taranvir Johal & Salman Elmi of Tavolo and Top Figure join Nick to discuss Racism in Venture -- A White, Male VC Threatens Black & Brown Founders. In this episode, we cover: Quick personal backstory and origin story for Tavolo -- Taranvir. Quick personal backstory and origin story for Top Figure -- Salman. So, there was an incident last week in Minneapolis where venture capitalist, Tom Austin (who has since been fired by F2 Group), confronted you in your building's exercise room. You guys captur...
Jun 04, 2020•24 min
Jim Douglass of Fulcrum Equity Partners joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss Pandemic Effects on B2B SaaS and Healthcare -- Total $ Invested, Multiples, and the Exit Environment. In this episode, we cover: Background/path to venture. The thesis at Fulcrum. Investments since COVID -- Anything additional you need to see or changes to process to get to investment? B2B SaaS -- impacts to existing contracts and funnel opportunities thus far? Recently, we had Byron Deeter at ...
Jun 01, 2020•40 min
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: John Vrionis Elizabeth Yin Bobby Franklin Jeremy Neilson Each investor illustrates a critical lesson learned about startup investing and how it's changed their approach. To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information....
May 29, 2020•11 min
Melody Koh of Nextview Ventures joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss Super-Technologies; The Everyday Economy; The Overlooked Working Class; and Fear of Missing Out vs. Fear of Looking Dumb. In this episode, we cover: Background and path to venture Thesis and Focus at NextView Hands-on approach (only 2-3 investments/yr)? You wrote that when it comes to investing in the COVID era -- FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) is replaced by FOLD (Fear Of Looking Dumb). What are you seein...
May 27, 2020•38 min
Jeff Fluhr of Craft Ventures joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss Launching StubHub During the Dotcom Crash; Why Market Need Trumps Market Timing; Choosing B2B vs. B2C; and Why Founders Shouldn't Let VCs Decide Their Fate In this episode, we cover: Background and path to venture Thesis and focus at Craft So, you incorporated Stubhub in March 2000... just weeks before the dotcom bubble burst. Was there any hesitation or second thoughts as the tech world was collapsing ar...
May 25, 2020•58 min
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following investors are featured: Ryan Gembala Jenny Rooke Jeff Clavier Courtney Reum Each investor discusses sectors, drivers and/or trends that may have significant impact in the future and are potentially positioned for outsized-returns. To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information....
May 23, 2020•10 min
Sarah Tavel of Benchmark joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss Consumer Marketplace Investing; Why Aggregate GMV is a Red Herring; and Minimum Viable Happiness as the Key to Market Leadership. In this episode, we cover: Background and path to venture? Quick overview of the thesis and your focus at Benchmark What are your thoughts on platform VC? What tactics or approaches do you use in the process of “scaling your founder”? You sit on the board of some companies, such as...
May 21, 2020•47 min
Beezer Clarkson of Sapphire Ventures joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss Platform LP; Allocations in a Down-Market; COVID Strategy Drift; and Emerging Manager Selection . In this episode, we cover: Background and path to Sapphire? Overview of the thesis at Sapphire? You have relationships with many different funds and fund managers, how have you been managing the current situation from the LP side? Down years tend to be very good times to invest, what portion of instit...
May 18, 2020•56 min
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Alex Osterwalder Scott Kupor Cheryl Cheng Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out. To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information....
May 14, 2020•10 min
Byron Deeter of Bessemer joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss Why This is the Seminal Moment for Cloud and Lessons from 19 Unicorn Investments. In this episode, we cover: Background and path to venture Stage and focus area at Bessemer? You’ve said that many of the lessons learned from the 08 crisis are applicable today -- what are the top 2 or 3 lessons that founders can directly apply to their business during the current crisis? From a startup standpoint, how is this c...
May 11, 2020•45 min
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Michael Cardamone Jim Kim Jason Calacanis Each investor discusses a portfolio company that did not survive and why it was that they failed. To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information....
May 09, 2020•14 min
Leah Solivan of Fuel Capital joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss Building TaskRabbit in a Recession; COVID Effects on the Independent/Gig Economy; and Key Factors for Early-Stage Marketplace Success. In this episode, we cover: Background -- path to venture? How is the current climate affecting your investing? Differing viewpoints on how much runway to plan for w/ a new capital raise... are you suggesting founders raise for more than 18-months or does the standard runwa...
May 07, 2020•46 min
Grace Isford of Canvas Ventures joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss How Companies Can Maintain Growth Post-COVID. In this episode, we cover: You're an extroverted, people-person... how you holding up w/ the quarantine? Quick overview of your background and path to VC? Your focus (and thesis) at Canvas? You developed a 30 page GTM Playbook based on interviews w/ 10+ CROs/VPs of Sales across major B2B companies. First of all, is this publicly available and also what were...
May 04, 2020•38 min
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Minnie Ingersoll Scott Dorsey M.G. Siegler Each investor describes the most unusual situation or pitch that they've encountered as an investor. To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information....
May 02, 2020•7 min
Ash Fontana of Zetta Venture Partners joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss The AI Investing Playbook; Why "Dev Tools" for Data Scientists is the Next Great Opportunity; When Fund Returns Don't Fit the Power Law; and Ash's Favorite Investment Heuristic from Naval Ravikant. In this episode, we cover: Zetta III was announced recently, a $180M fund for founders building AI-first companies. You went from $60M -> $125M -> $180M... how was the fundraise different this time aro...
Apr 30, 2020•53 min
Tomasz Tunguz of Redpoint Ventures joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss SaaS Strategies, Sector Data, and the $ Ceiling for Deals over Zoom. In this episode, we cover: September of 2015 was the last time we had you on the program... bring us up-to-speed on major milestones and changes since then? Has your thesis changed at all? Aside from the effects of the pandemic now, what has been the biggest change in SaaS investing since then? Lots of varying advice from so-called...
Apr 27, 2020•30 min
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Aydin Senkut Steve Glickman Ash Rust Each investor illustrates a critical lesson learned about startup investing and how it's changed their approach. To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information....
Apr 24, 2020•11 min
Richard Kerby of Equal Ventures joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss the Tactical Advice for Raising VC Fund 1, Why Not to "Raise the Bar," and a Framework for Startups Adjusting to COVID-19. In this episode, we cover: Walk us through your background and path to Venrock Why'd you leave to launch Equal? You, Rick and the team just launched a $56 million Fund 1 at Equal Ventures in February...congrats on the final close! Tell us a bit about your thesis and how you differe...
Apr 22, 2020•49 min
Elizabeth Yin of Hustle Fund joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss Investing after 1 Zoom Meeting, 2nd & 3rd Order Effects of the Virus, and Why "Market Pull" is Critical. In this episode, we cover: Tell us a bit about your background and path to venture Why'd you leave 500 and start Hustle Fund? What is the thesis at Hustle Fund? From a macro standpoint, how do you think the pandemic effects the venture landscape? What were some trends you were following, prior to the v...
Apr 20, 2020•45 min
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Adeyemi Ajao Oren Klaff Leo Polovets Each investor discusses sectors, drivers and/or trends that may have significant impact in the future and are potentially positioned for outsized-returns. To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information....
Apr 17, 2020•6 min
Patrick Gallagher of Tuesday Capital joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss VC Firm Survival, How Seed Investing Scales, & A Glimpse at the Road Ahead. In this episode, we cover: Walk us through your path to venture How did things first come together for Crunchfund w/ you and Michael Arrington? Why did Michael leave and why did you rebrand Crunchfund to Tuesday? Gives us the highlights of your thesis? How do current events effect your approach going forward? Anything you'...
Apr 15, 2020•1 hr 3 min
Darren Bechtel of Brick & Mortar Ventures joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss The Built World in Crisis. In this episode, we cover: Background and path to venture? South Park... must be a story behind the name there? Overview of the thesis at Brick & Mortar? Just have to say... I suspect that the impacts of this crisis on the built world will be more profound that we can possibly imagine... and I won't pretend to know what those might be. Can you talk a bit about what ...
Apr 13, 2020•1 hr 20 min
Welcome back to TFR for the first Investor Stories Cram Session. In these special releases, we have aggregated the Investor Stories from previous episodes. In this installment, the following investors are featured: Jonathan Struhl John Greathouse Joanne Wilson Semil Shah Bryce Roberts Troy Henikoff Jason Heltzer Christopher Mirabile David Brown Brad Feld Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out. To listen more, please visit htt...
Apr 10, 2020•27 min
Somesh Dash of IVP joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss Late Stage Impacts and Prioritizing Mental Health. In this episode, we cover: Quick background and what led you to venture/IVP? Overview of the firm and your focus? Covid impact on later stages The 2008 crisis... '08 was still strong for C round funding, steep dropoff in 2009, stayed pretty low in 2010, returning to fairly strong levels in 2011... thoughts on timing, severity and duration of impact on later stage f...
Apr 08, 2020•56 min
Semil Shah of Haystack joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss VC Fund Management in a Pandemic World. In this episode, we cover: Last time we had you on was Nov. 2017... quick update on you and Haystack since then? LP interaction - are capital call defaults a serious issue to consider in this environment? How do you think investment dollar volume adjusts in 2020 vs. '19? I know you've had a lot of calls w/ friends and mentors lately... what are you hearing from the vetera...
Apr 07, 2020•40 min
Samir Kaji of First Republic joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss Relief $ for Startups via CARES Act, EIDL, PPP; & How an Extended Downturn Affects Emerging VC Funds. In this episode, we cover: Startups... The CARES Act became law on 3/27, but many are having trouble making sense of it and how it applies... Let's start out w/ the two types of loans that are available to small businesses... First off, can you explain the difference between the Economic Injury Disaster L...
Apr 03, 2020•39 min
David Horowitz of Touchdown Ventures joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss How Corporate VC Will Respond. In this episode, we cover: What is your current view of the venture market given the current crisis? Corporates have a history of pulling back in economic downturns, what will happen now? This is your 3rd economic downturn, What is different about this economic period vs. prior recessions? Are there advantages to new corporate funds vs. existing corporate funds? Comm...
Apr 01, 2020•29 min
Chris Douvos of Ahoy Capital joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss the LP Lessons from '01 and '08, The Denominator Effect, Capital Calls & Fundraising in a Down Market. In this episode, we cover: What is the denominator problem/effect? Why does it matter? How do LPs react when they face the denominator problem? How quickly do LPs tend to rebalance their investment portfolio? What's the implication to VCs? How should VCs react when their investors face the denominator pr...
Mar 30, 2020•45 min
Steve Blank joins Nick on this special "Crisis Coverage" installment to discuss The Playbook for Startup Survival. In this episode, we cover: What industries will be most affected by social isolation? How do you see this playing out over the next 3 - 6 months? How does this pandemic and the impact on the economy compare to the past 3 market crashes? Similarities/differences? Having lived through 3 crashes, what's the biggest mistake CEOs make? So lets say I’m a startup founder -- What are the ma...
Mar 25, 2020•48 min
Mark Suster of Upfront Ventures joins Nick on a Pre-Crisis chat to discuss Building a VC Franchise; The Shift to Bite-Sized Video Content; Last-Mile Attribution; & the Impact of Corona Virus Over The Next 6-12 Months. In this episode, we cover: Last time we had you on the show was December 2016. Any notable updates or changes at Upfront since then? Just chatting w/ Minnie Ingersoll and she was saying how great the Upfront Summit was and how I need to attend next year... what were the highlights ...
Mar 23, 2020•1 hr 10 min
