The Full Ratchet: Vc | Venture Capital | Angel Investors | Startup Investing | Fundraising | Crowdfunding | Pitch | Private E

Manan Mehta of Unshackled Ventures joins Nick to discuss Selection at Day 0, Investing in Immigrants, and Navigating Founder-Problem Fit. In this episode we cover: What is investing at Day 0? What unique challenges do you face in backing immigrant founders? How do you approach sourcing and how you do it differently than other firms? What is Founder-Problem Fit? Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Tim Guleri Amy Nauiokas Sach Chitnis Guy Perelmuter Each investor discusses a portfolio company that did not survive and why it was that they failed. Did you miss our guests full length episodes? For other great episodes, go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/27155166/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/TFR_Pod).

Tony Wilkins of Standing Oaks Venture Partners joins Nick to discuss Identifying Stand-outs at Pre-Seed, Coaching High-Growth Leaders, and Leveling the Playing Field for Underrepresented Founders. In this episode we cover: Are leaders born or made? How do you select for potentially great leaders at the very beginning of their business journey? How do you think about building a strong and healthy culture within a firm?  What's the most important thing for an angel investor to know when they start investing? What will it take to level the playing field for founders? 

Each investor discusses sectors, drivers and/or trends that may have significant impact in the future and are potentially positioned for outsized-returns. Did you miss our guests full length episodes? Ben Wiener Vanessa Larco Victor Pascucci Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/27155166/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/TFR_Pod).

Jonathan Lehr of Work-Bench joins Nick to discuss IT and Enterprise Tech Investing, The Realities and Myths of PLG, and The Past and Future of NYC Tech. In this episode we cover: Walk us through your background and path to VC. Tell us a little more about the thesis at Work-Bench.  On your website, you mention you invest in "seed and seed II" startups. What is a seed II? What sort of myths are there around PLG companies? How do you advise startups to price their products? Mark Suster recently Tweeted…  "If you look at our industry, it's now awash with capital that requires every firm to get very focused on where its edge comes from. If you're not a bulge-bracket VC, choose your positioning wisely"(stage, sector, geography, founder access) … way too many firms are generic". What are your thoughts on the financing environment? You've been a part of the New York tech ecosystem for about a decade now. How has the tech scene evolved over the past 10 years or so?  There was a dogma for a while that enterprise

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured:   Nikhil Basu Trivedi Alfred Chuang Monique Woodard Ben Sun Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out. Did you miss our guests full length episodes? For other great episodes, go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/27155166/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/TFR_Pod).  

Rob Go of NextView Ventures joins Nick to discuss Reflections From 10 Years at NextView, Dogma vs Discipline, the Importance of Effective Post Money, and Market Sizing Pitfalls. In this episode we cover: Is VC fundamentally changing under our feet? What are other biggest industry shifts that have changed the way you operate at Next View? Most LPs are focused on their fund managers' ownership percentage at entry. Explain what effective post-money at exit is and why that has become a north star from next view? Takeaway #3: There is a Goldilocks zone between too much dogma and lack of discipline. Can you give us an example or two of strategies that were difficult to let go of or move on from? Your favorite saying internally is “anything worth doing is worth doing fast”. Yet this is a pretty long cycle business and it takes time for a portfolio to mature and drive returns. What were the key learnings with regards to returns and metrics? How do you know if you're winning if the metrics are a bit of a

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Dharmesh Thakker Billy Libby Emily Paxhia Ed Sim Each investor discusses a portfolio company that did not survive and why it was that they failed. Did you miss our guests full length episodes? For other great episodes, go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/27155166/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/TFR_Pod).

Jonathan Ebinger of Transform Capital joins Nick to discuss Donating Half Your Carry, Why Open Banking is the Future, and Recruiting Outside the Bay Area. In this episode we cover: Walk us through your background and path to VC Tell us about your experience at Blue Run and why you decided to launch Transform. What is the thesis at Transform? Portfolio construction / stage / check size How did you come up with the model to donate 50% of your carry? What causes are you allocating carry to? What was the biggest challenge in the transition from early stage to late stage venture investing?  So you led the Series A in Jackpocket at BlueRun and the later stage Transform. How do you avoid conflicts of interest across both firms? I know you are an active fintech investor -- w/ regards to crypto... what areas are most compelling right now from an investment standpoint? We're in a hot market at the moment -- seeing lots of fund creation, lots of startup formation, and valuations are inflating  to 2-

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Mike Smerklo Amy Nauiokas Tsune Shirota Vanessa Larco Each investor illustrates a critical lesson learned about startup investing and how it's changed their approach. Did you miss our guests full length episodes? For other great episodes, go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/27155166/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/TFR_Pod). The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-moran-a738503/), General Partner of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in the exceptions. To learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our Website (https://www.newstack.vc/) and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/11396054/) and be sure to follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/NewStackVC). Are you a founder looking for your next investor? Visit our free tool VC-Rank (http://vc-rank.com/) and tell us about your bu

Eric Sippel of Sippel Farb Family Office joins Nick to discuss Raising from Family Offices, How to Differentiate as an Emerging Fund, and Common Mistakes Made by Established Firms. In this episode we cover: Walk us through your background and path to running Sippel Farb. Before we jump in can you give us some thoughts on Family Offices investing in Venture and how that has changed over the 25 years that you've been doing this? What are the major investment focus areas for the family office? With regards to manager selection... What gets you excited when you review the profile of an emerging fund? Tell us about the 3 S's that you look for. Rounds are moving faster then ever and prices seem to be escalating to 2-3x of what they were just 3 years ago.  Many GPs cite their speed of decision-making as a strength -- What is your opinion of quick investment decisions and short DD timelines? At New Stack, we focus on ownership.  However, some managers prefer a less concentrated approach with more shots on goal. 

Each investor discusses sectors, drivers and/or trends that may have significant impact in the future and are potentially positioned for outsized-returns. Did you miss our guests full length episodes? For other great episodes, go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/27155166/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/TFR_Pod). The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-moran-a738503/), General Partner of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in the exceptions. To learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our Website (https://www.newstack.vc/) and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/11396054/) and be sure to follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/NewStackVC). Are you a founder looking for your next investor? Visit our free tool VC-Rank (http://vc-rank.com/) and tell us about your business. We’ll send a list of possible investors right to your email’s InBox!

Victor Pascucci of Energy Capital Ventures joins Nick to discuss The Trillion $ Opportunity in Natural Gas, Building A Strategic LP-Base, and Creating a Strong LPAC. In this episode we cover: Give us an overview of the data and the opportunity within the natural gas sector for tech disruption.  What percentage of our energy consumption is natural gas based? Why focus on natural gas? Why is now the right time for a natural gas focused venture fund? Let's talk for a moment about the digital transformation of the natural gas industry. Where can we expect to see the most change going forward? Exploration, development, or production?  Any concerns about the volume and quality of dealflow in this specialized sector? What kind of founder do you look for to change this legacy industry? How may these founders differ from the Silicon Valley stereotype?  5 large publicly-traded LPs -- Talk a bit about how you plan to work with the LPs as you make investments, manage the portfolio? How do you avoid the tai

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Maren Bannon Sach Chitnis Jonathan Hsu Glenn Rockman Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out. Did you miss our guests full length episodes? Maren Bannon Episode 268 Sach Chitnis Episode 269 Jonathan Hsu Episode 243 Glenn Rockman Episode 282 For other great episodes, go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran, General Partner of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in the exceptions. To learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our Website and LinkedIn and be sure to follow us on Twitter. Are you a founder looking for your next investor? Visit our free tool VC-Rank and tell us about your business. We’ll send a list of possible investors right to your email’s InBox!

Seth Levine & Elizabeth MacBride of The New Builders joins Nick to discuss The Decline of Entrepreneurship in America, Systemic Inequity in Supporting Small Businesses, and the "Capital vs. Labor" Debate. In this episode we cover: Why did you write the book? I’d actually like to start w/ Chapter 6, which is a history of entrepreneurship in the US… we can’t really do it justice in the interview but can you give us an overview of the history and where we are at today? You cover that entrepreneurship has been declining in the US for the past 40 years and more significantly within the past 15. What are some of the big factors that have led to that decline? Why are entrepreneurship and new business creation so important for the future of our country and society? How does the Silicon Valley version of entrepreneurship differ from the reality of entrepreneurship? What does the real profile of entrepreneurship look like vs. what we see in the data on the tech / venture-funded part of entrepreneurship

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Reid Christian David Goldberg McKeever “Mac” Conwell II Neil Sequeira Each investor discusses a portfolio company that did not survive and why it was that they failed. Did you miss our guests' full-length episodes? Reid Christian Episode 259 David Goldberg Episode 272 McKeever “Mac” Conwell II Episode 277 Neil Sequeira Episode 281 For other great episodes, go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran, General Partner of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in the exceptions. To learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our Website and LinkedIn and be sure to follow us on Twitter. Are you a founder looking for your next investor? Visit our free tool VC-Rank and tell us about your business. We’ll send a list of possible investors right to your email’s InBox!

Emily Paxhia of Poseidon Asset Management joins Nick to discuss The $61B Cannabis Market, Overcoming Compliance and Regulation, and the Declining Social Stigma Around Cannabis. In this episode we cover: Can you give us an overview of the Cannabis Space -- size, growth, major sub-segments? Which segments are you most interested in? What areas do you not invest in and why? Raising a cannabis fund in 2013... I have to imagine you had to find a certain type of LP for that pitch to land. How hard was that? Regulation can be a break or a gas pedal --how have you or do you assess and underwrite the regulatory and legal risks in the space? To what extent are Cannabis businesses shut out of the existing financial system?  Are there any other major differences in sourcing or diligence for a cannabis focused fund vs. your standard VC fund? How many cannabis focused funds are there and is follow-on financing risk significant when you're dealing with a smaller pool of capital providers? In 2018 we saw t

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Dayna Grayson & Rachel Holt Ali Tamaseb Jonathan Hung Vanessa Larco Each investor describes the most unusual situation or pitch that they've encountered as an investor. Did you miss our guest's full-length episodes? Dayna Grayson & Rachel Holt Episode 291 Ali Tamaseb Episode 289 Jonathan Hung Episode 292 Vanessa Larco Episode 295 For other great episodes, go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran, General Partner of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in the exceptions. To learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our Website and LinkedIn and be sure to follow us on Twitter. Are you a founder looking for your next investor? Visit our free tool VC-Rank and tell us about your business. We’ll send a list of possible investors right to your email’s InBox!

Winter Mead of Oper8r joins Nick to discuss How to Raise a VC Fund, The YC for Emerging Managers, and Family Office Trends. In this episode we cover: Tell us a little more about Oper8or. Why did you leave Sapphire to start this program? Give us an overview of Oper8or? Walk us through the selection process and what you're looking for. Bring us up to speed on progress-to-date, how you measure success, and what the plan is going forward? You published your first book last year -- “How to Raise a Venture Capital Fund”.   The target audience for the book is fairly obvious... was the motivation to write the book similar to why you started Oper8r? What are the most common mistakes new fund managers make? How do you think about types of LPs or profiles that fund managers should be targeting? What are the patterns, practices or even tactics of the most successful fundraisers that you've observed? You co-authored a research effort w/ First Republic on Family Office Investors -- what were the key take

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Monique Woodard Spencer Maughan Paul Martino Ben Casnocha Each investor illustrates a critical lesson learned about startup investing and how it's changed their approach. Did you miss our guest's full length episodes? Monique Woodard Episode 273 Spencer Maughan Episode 284 Paul Martino Episode 275 Ben Casnocha Episode 245 For other great episodes, go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran, General Partner of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in the exceptions. To learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our Website and LinkedIn and be sure to follow us on Twitter. Are you a founder looking for your next investor? Visit our free tool VC-Rank and tell us about your business. We’ll send a list of possible investors right to your email’s InBox!