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PODCAST

The Founder Initiative

Helping founders hit PMF, get funded & drive durable growth through podcasting & buyer events (Formerly TheTop.VC)

technology investing

All Episodes

00:24:52

From Rejection to $2.5B GMV: The Product-Market Fit...

The Founder Initiative ·

2025/07/01

Check out SmartLing: https://www.smartling.com & their CEO Bryan Murphy https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanmurphy2/Side note to Founders --> 🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://airtable.com/appBXetKIMsy5r3bE/pagQlrExmVx38bk6W/form 😌 1 (of many) Top Insights From The Episode: 🔑 “Tie your product-market fit journey to measurable outcomes.” - A vague vision isn’t enough. Your product

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00:43:45

[$4B VC] Greycroft's Partner, Mark Terbeek, Behind...

The Founder Initiative ·

2025/06/24

VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://airtable.com/appBXetKIMsy5r3bE/pagQlrExmVx38bk6W/form GUEST: Mark Terbeek https://www.linkedin.com/in/markterbeek/ TOPICS DISCUSSED 1. Founder-Market Fit Is Everything Mark emphasized the importance of a founder’s unique insight and experience into the problem they’re solving. The most compelling cold emails show why this founder is one of one — uniquely suited

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00:51:56

How Rinse Raised $70M: The Fundraising Lesson Every...

The Founder Initiative ·

2025/06/18

Ajay Prakash, Co-Founder & CEO of Rinse shares his story getting raising $70M and how they launched to hit product-market fit! 03:06 – Ajay explains how he wasted three months pitching Series A firms for a seed round. 05:03 – Don’t try to predict who will write a check — talk to everyone qualified, but do it in a tight time frame to keep momentum and focus. 06:03 – Their first capital came from a rolling friends & family round — with no set close — raising ~$500–600K before institutional

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00:06:54

(YC S24) How Offstream Got Into YC With Screenshots,...

The Founder Initiative ·

2025/06/17

What if you could get into Y Combinator without a full product? In this episode, Varsha Ramesh Walsh, Founder of Offstream (useoffstream.com), shares exactly how she did just that — with a little traction, screenshots, and relentless customer focus. She breaks down the precise steps she took to validate her idea, iterate fast, and win early customers, even before building a functional platform.Whether you're applying to YC or searching for product-market fit, this conversation is packed with

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00:06:42

[$370M Exit] Neubird's Founder, Gotham Rao; selecting...

The Founder Initiative ·

2025/06/11

🎧 Episode SummaryIn this episode, Gotham Rao—serial founder and now Co-Founder of Neubird (https://neubird.ai/)—shares how he built and sold companies to Pure Storage, Dell, and Citrix before co-founding Neubird. With $40M+ in VC backing, Neubird is reimagining how enterprises troubleshoot production issues using a telemetry access layer powered by AI. We dive deep into Gotham’s founder mindset, the role of gut instinct, why design partners matter more than early traction, and how LLMs can

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00:43:15

[$70M raised] LucidLink's Founder; near shutdown to...

The Founder Initiative ·

2025/06/04

Peter shares how they confirmed PMF, got funded (after nearly shutting down) and eventually nailed their beachhead. (00:07:52) Decision to start (00:13:05) VC Rejection (00:16:50) Surviving Financial Struggles in Startup Journey (00:30:14) All in moment - focus shift (00:34:16) Break through (00:41:40) Resilience

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00:47:37

[VC Pitch] Hustle Fund's GP, Eric Bahn & Feather...

The Founder Initiative ·

2025/05/28

🎙️ Top 5 Unique Learnings from This Podcast1️⃣ The “What If It All Goes Right” Test Founders must paint a bold vision for their startup. The VC’s key question: 👉 What happens if everything goes right? Don’t just pitch a product. Sell the future where your solution changes the world. 2️⃣ Pre-Selling = Proof, Not Just Hype Pre-selling (getting LOIs, early orders, deposits) is a game-changer, especially for hardware. It shows there’s real demand—and real cash—before you even build. Pre-selling can

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00:23:27

The Funding Framework, ex 500 Global, Vijay Rajendran...

The Founder Initiative ·

2025/05/22

🔑 Unique LearningsFundraising reflects operational discipline—how you fundraise is a preview of how you’ll run your company. Vulnerability is only powerful when it’s paired with credibility. Cold outreach is almost useless without signal. Warm intros from LPs or founders are disproportionately effective. Running a tight, time-boxed process is a hidden superpower. Investment memos are underutilized but highly effective—especially when articulating risks and vision in written form. TIME

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00:17:52

[VC Pitch] Eventbrite's Founder (now VC at A*)...

The Founder Initiative ·

2025/05/14

Want to raise from VCs? Watch this before reaching out. It will give you an edge to close your round. REAL VC PITCH --> - Kevin Hartz, Founder of Eventbrite, now VC A*, and Peter Fitzpatrick, founder of Fawn LEARNINGS 1. How to pitch a VC 2. What are they thinking about you but not saying A* - https://www.a-star.co/ Fawn - https://www.fawnfriends.com/

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00:11:42

[VC Pitch] Foundation Capital's ($6B AUM), Partner...

The Founder Initiative ·

2025/04/23

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

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00:33:00

450 early stage investments; Founder & GP; Michael...

The Founder Initiative ·

2024/04/02

LEARN --> how they got started & how to impress them in a pitch1. 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

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00:20:05

[$300M AUM] Navy SEAL & Olympian to Harpoon Ventures,...

The Founder Initiative ·

2024/02/27

GEN AI summary! #LetsGoLarsen 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

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00:23:38

[$70M raised] Productiv's funding &...

The Founder Initiative ·

2024/02/06

(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

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00:18:26

Immigrant founder to $10M+ raised; Oana Manolache,...

The Founder Initiative ·

2024/01/23

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

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00:12:14

[$13M Raised] YC Space Tech startup, how they got...

The Founder Initiative ·

2024/01/09

(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

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00:18:28

What VCs expect during a pitch: Emil Capital's...

The Founder Initiative ·

2023/12/12

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/

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00:27:34

[$23M Raised] Getting into YC (no website) & how they...

The Founder Initiative ·

2023/12/05

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

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00:09:46

8 Unicorns (Deel & Miro); Altair Capital's, Igor...

The Founder Initiative ·

2023/11/14

GPT-Powered SummaryIgor 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

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00:20:09

[Exit to Salesforce] Troops's Founder, Dan Reich: How...

The Founder Initiative ·

2023/10/26

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

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00:26:43

Exits to SAP & Medallia: Shreesha Ramdas, Founder of...

The Founder Initiative ·

2023/09/26

(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 ============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

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