Next Legacy Perspectives

John Vrionis looks, on paper, like many other VCs - educated at Harvard, University of Chicago, and Stanford GSB - mentored by founders of funds like Benchmark, Kleiner Perkins, and Sequoia. Yet, for all the ways John might seem "normal" for a VC, this conversation focuses on all the ways he is different. As the name implies, Unusual Ventures celebrates their differences. John gives a granular loo...

Materials companies are not generally the first industry that comes to mind when you think about venture capital darlings. But don't tell that to Carbice founder, Bara Cola. Hear Bara describe the unique ways that Carbice has leveraged carbon nanotubes to create a material that sounds almost magical in its potential to serve customers in industries like semiconductors, automotive, and space travel...

Puneet represents a rare combo in a VC. He came into the industry with extensive experience on both the operating side, as a product manager at several startups, and on the finance side in tech investment banking at JP Morgan. As a "both sides of the table" sort of VC, Puneet has a wealth of great insights that reflect his breadth of experience. The founder is the customer (not the other way aroun...

Eurie and Forerunner have enjoyed a decade of performance that places them at the apex of the VC world. But, as Eurie is quick to explain, the actual investment is more like the "start of an ultra marathon" than a finish line. Eurie and Ryan's conversation covers her path to get into venture, how Forerunner works to give their portfolio companies an unfair advantage, and even how she approaches ri...

Richard is a Georgetown grad, a school perhaps best known for politics, and he jokes that he chose VC because startups are in some ways the opposite of government, which can be slow and resistant to change.    Equal Ventures prefers to lead Seed and Series A investments in a wide array of industries. Hear Richard share his view on how VCs can have a "prepared mind" and why this preparation can lea...

One of the traits 645 Ventures looks for most in founders is what they call a "purity of motivation." They seek founders who are intrinsically motivated to solve some problem for reasons that go beyond potential riches or accolades. As early stage investors, 645 Ventures is in the business of investing in companies that can become a huge success before it is obvious that huge success lies in their...

New York born, Portland, Oregon raised, Talia brings a "first principles" mindset to everything, whether that is creating her own major at Penn, her approach to venture investing, or what she looks for in a founding team. Talia fits right in with the Next Play crew as a self professed fitness junkie, and she sees many parallels between athletes and founders, starting with the simple truism, "Pract...

Stephanie invests around a core thesis focusing on how technology affects how we live, work, and play. Her conversation with Next Play founder Ryan Nece covers a lot of ground, including her current investment focus areas, her favorite hobbies (travel, yoga), how to win competitive deals (have good references), why VCs need psychology degrees, and much more.   Wanna know how Stephanie has two biol...

Jessica is a woman on a mission. Uncharted began as a modest, playful way to address the power insecurity of the developing world, with a soccer ball that could be used to charge and run household devices. While they remain a scrappy upstart in the broader landscape of global energy, she has put luminaries like Elon Musk on notice that she is coming for them. Now focused on energy infrastructure,...

Aileen Lee would be near the top of any short list of the most influential women, and people, in VC. After 13 years at Kleiner Perkins, Aileen struck out on her own, founding seed stage firm Cowboy Ventures, which has invested in many eventual unicorns, a term Aileen actually coined in her famous NYT article.    Her conversation with Next Play Founder Ryan Nece explores many of the ways she has fe...

Following a career in product at Intuit, Brian has been at Venrock for 22 years. While the VC industry has changed a great deal in that time, Brian's approach has not. He invests in founders by building trust first. That trust, he says, is a prerequisite to adding value, offering feedback, making intros, or anything else.     Brian explains why Venrock thinks "pattern recognition" can lead to bad...

Three time founder, two acquisitions, one IPO – Josh Kopelman then decided to try his hand at investing to help other founders navigate their own journeys. The result is one of the best brands in VC, regularly stocking the Midas List, leading in rankings of entrepreneurs favorite VCs, and regularly producing top decile returns. First Round Capital is one of the most heavily access restricted VC fu...

 Tristan Walker always knew he had  it  – but having the ability, or the potential, or even the ambition isn't always enough when you are black kid from the projects. What started as a chip on his shoulder to prove he could make it, get rich, and overcome long odds to success has evolved into much more. Those early dreams were all accomplished by age 30, and this founder and CEO now has different...

Natasha Watley knows what it takes to be a success. This four time All-American softball player at UCLA went on to win two medals as the first black woman on the US National Team. She played professionally in both the US and Japan where she was a fixture on the All-Star team, but her passion nowadays is on the ways she can impact the next generation. She has inspired many young women of color, onc...

Managing Director of Precursor Ventures, Charles Hudson has decades of experience in Silicon Valley. This candid conversation with Next Play Founder Ryan Nece focuses both on Precursor's investment philosophy and on broader changes that need to happen in the VC industry.   Amongst those changes, hear why Charles thinks some of the old school habits, even the ones that have worked well, are respons...

The skillset of a startup founder and that of a public company CEO are oftentimes very different. Thus, it is rare that one CEO will lead a company throughout this journey. Sprout Social founder, Justyn Howard started the company in 2009. More than a decade later, Justyn is almost a year into his stint as the CEO of a public company. In fact, all four founders still work for the company.   Hear ab...

Pro skateboarder was once considered a fringe sport for outsiders. When Mikey first picked up a skateboard, this was the case. Fast forward several decades, skateboarding has exploded in popularity, and the business opportunities for the sport's elite have grown along with it. Mikey has been both a symptom and a cause of this trend. His brand, identity, and priorities have evolved during this time...

Mark has been an entrepreneur and professional investor for most of his adult life. His perspective on investing and the founder journey is flavored by an empathy for the difficulty that starting a company entails but also enthusiasm for how amazing it can be when everything ultimately goes right.    There is lots in this podcast for both entrepreneurs and aspiring VCs. Mark offers his perspective...

Christian Ponder is no stranger to success. Yet, this candid conversation delves more into his struggles than his highlight reel. Christian's vulnerability and reflectiveness around what drove him to success, but also what ultimately held him back, exposes a realness not often seen in a superstar.  Christian shares insight on his faith, questions around his identity as he left the game of football...

Ryan Darnell has a fascinating story from college athlete, to working on Kenny Chesney's rum company, to starting a VC firm. Max Ventures is an early stage fund that focuses mostly on NYC and the Nordics, specifically Sweden. Hear Ryan talk about why this unique geographic focus has been a winning formula and how they have approached growth as they embark upon Fund III.    Ryan's thoughtful approa...

Vernon Davis has worn many hats. He is one of the fastest tight ends to ever put on an NFL uniform. He collected Super Bowl trophies and Pro Bowl accolades. He is also an artist, an avid curling fan, and a successful investor.   As an investor Vernon has had some huge hits in franchising and startup investing, but he has also learned some tough lessons about trusting the wrong people to manage his...

After a storied college football career at Notre Dame, Rick Mirer was the #2 pick in the NFL Draft and the Rookie of the Year in his first season. From there, he went on to play for seven NFL teams over twelve seasons. Rick credits this exposure to so many different teams, playbooks, and cultures for his knack for building relationships in his life since he retired in 2004.  Rick is now the owner...

Do you know many NCAA football players who major in mechanical engineering? That anomaly is just the tip of the iceberg in the many ways that Zane Beadles defies stereotypes and carves his own path through life. Hear this thoughtful recently retired NFL trench warfare specialist share his mentality on and off the field. From blocking for Peyton Manning to protecting his family's nest egg from unfo...

Brendon Ayanbadejo grew up in the housing projects of Chicago. Yet, even today, he reflects on the formative lessons he learned in those tough, early years in orienting him to achieve all manners of success. Brendon is a Super Bowl Champion, a 3x Pro Bowler, and one of the largest OrangeTheory Fitness franchisees in the country. He doesn't shy away from putting his goals and ambitions out there pu...

Rhone founder Nate Checketts shares his founding insights into building one of the most successful direct to consumer luxury men's athletic wear brands. Nate dives into time management, balancing entrepreneurship with fatherhood, channeling failure to drive future success, and many more broadly applicable insights.   Nate also offers strong opinions on when to use your gut versus when to lean on d...