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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

00:18:18

[$9.9M Raised] Do you have a moat? Answering VC's,...

The Founder Initiative ·

2023/05/23

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

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00:23:01

[$29M raised] Getting Sequoia to Invest In Your Seed;...

The Founder Initiative ·

2023/05/09

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

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00:13:24

Inside the Mind of a Solo Capitalist; Itamar Novick,...

The Founder Initiative ·

2023/05/02

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

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00:23:04

Investor in Gusto & Robinhood; Chamaeleon's Managing...

The Founder Initiative ·

2023/03/30

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

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00:09:43

Founder Market Fit - what are investors actually...

The Founder Initiative ·

2023/03/21

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

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00:16:41

Sequoia & Kleiner invested pre-product; Shane Curran,...

The Founder Initiative ·

2023/03/14

Young founder, no product, or real working experience...First 2-years were just trying to get capitalWhat broke through? - qualifying investors - going in person - working on the problem in a personal capacity for 5 years, as a teenager

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00:14:35

[$0-IPO] Braze's Founder, Mark Ghermezian; now...

The Founder Initiative ·

2023/03/07

1. The founders have a thesis 2. The product is the way to get there3. Are they keeping their ear to the ground?4. Are they continuously iterating?5. Are they applying what they're learning?

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00:19:06

4 weeks of runway to $48M total raised; how did...

The Founder Initiative ·

2023/02/28

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!

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00:16:15

[Seed Investor in Paypal & Co-Founder of Eventbrite]...

The Founder Initiative ·

2023/02/14

[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.

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00:17:31

Tesla of Motorcycles? - Oben's Founder, Madhumita...

The Founder Initiative ·

2023/02/13

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

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00:12:22

TechCrunch Disrupt Winner: Minerva Lithium's Founder,...

The Founder Initiative ·

2023/02/07

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

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00:13:00

[$1.3B AUM] Crosslink Capital's Tobias Nilsson-Roos:...

The Founder Initiative ·

2023/01/27

How to nail your first meeting with a VC-->1. Solve for getting a second meeting2. Nail your story/narrative3. Don't explain every part of your business!

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00:17:02

VamosVentures's Principal, Ashley Aydin: breaking...

The Founder Initiative ·

2023/01/24

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

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00:17:10

[$600+ AUM] M13's Anna Barber; why multiples ACTUALLY...

The Founder Initiative ·

2023/01/17

Who will get funded now?Capital efficient, but don't suck too much capitalVelocityConsistency - great investor updates

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00:13:38

[$10M Seed] Using a white paper to oversubscribe your...

The Founder Initiative ·

2023/01/05

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...

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00:13:59

Angular Ventures's, David Peterson: 3 things VCs look...

The Founder Initiative ·

2022/12/13

Angular Ventures's, David Peterson: 3 things VCs look for what YOU might not have in your deck?Secret insight & how did you find it?Is there a movement that you could be the center of? Can you attract the right talent?

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00:15:15

GTMfund's Scott Barker; nail these 4 things if you...

The Founder Initiative ·

2022/12/08

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.

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00:19:30

[Airtable's former VP of Growth] Darius Contractor;...

The Founder Initiative ·

2022/11/15

How do you show a VC that your company could return their fund?--> Strategic Sequencing...

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00:15:57

[$12M Seed, Greylock Invested] Rishabh Jain,...

The Founder Initiative ·

2022/11/08

[$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?

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00:14:14

Mendoza Ventures, GP Senofer Mendoza; how to share...

The Founder Initiative ·

2022/11/01

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

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210 results

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