rational vc

Cyrus and Iman discuss the huge advancements in AI by Tesla, showcased in their AI day. They also talk hacker homes and why they're getting funding, Jeff Bezos suing NASA, the damning IPCC report on climate change, and OnlyFans dropping explicit content from its platform. You can also watch this in video format on our youtube channel to see supporting material: https://youtu.be/0FOjjeKXsb4   Mater...

Will Bruey is CEO & Co-Founder of Varda Space Industries. Varda is pioneering space manufacturing by building the first space factory to launch and return space-made products for terrestrial applications. Varda was incubated in Founders Fund, and has since gone on to raise* over $50MM from investors such as Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, General Catalyst, Caffeinated Capital, Naval Ravikant, and ot...

Cyrus and Iman discuss whether diversification makes sense through the lens of Apple vs. all the world's unicorns, how fundraising is growing in VC, and the Bezos vs. Branson space race. They also discuss why right now is the best time ever to build a startup or be a Venture Capitalist. You can also watch this in video format on our youtube channel to see supporting material: https://youtu.be/ALdQ...

Cyrus and Iman discuss the 'deep sickness' in the UK (vs. US) capital markets according to James Anderson, the rapid growth of startup entrepreneurship during covid, woke culture in big tech, Microsoft making new moves to compete with Apple, and what makes Nvidia a great investment. You can also watch this in video format on our youtube channel to see supporting material: https://youtu.be/lKxzUl_p...

Cyrus and Iman discuss the latest CB Insights report on unicorn companies, whether venture capital has stopped being innovative and risk-taking, Europe lagging behind the US, Babylon health's decision to list via a SPAC, and Tiger Management cubs including Bill Hwang of Archegos Capital. You can also watch this in video format on our youtube channel to see supporting material:  https://youtu.be/F4...

Cyrus and Iman discuss the recent 2021 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting. We covered inflation, innovation affecting the world's largest companies, crazes such as Robinhood, Bitcoin, SPACs, and finally details around Warren Buffett's successor following Charlie Munger's leak. You can also watch this in video format on our youtube channel to see supporting material: https://youtu.be/UgDs-Gcdepg   M...

In our latest Rational Musing market roundup, Iman and Cyrus give a Lindy take on some updates in the world of tech. We cover all things Bitcoin, Crypto, and Blockchain, weighing up the pros and cons following comments from Charlie Munger, Nassim Taleb, and Balaji Srinivasan, in addition to the state of European venture capital following recent reports on investment data. You can also watch this i...

In our latest Rational Musing market roundup, Iman and Cyrus give a Lindy take on some updates in the world of tech. We cover delivery startup valuations, moats, Apple's M&A strategy, hiring, the future of careers in tech, and whether SPACs are dying out. You can also watch this in video format on our youtube channel to see accompanying slides and screen share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQup...

From investing at a young age, to working for Nouriel Roubini, before ultimately becoming the Chief Investment Officer at Sturgeon Capital, Kiyan Zandiyeh is considered the world's leading technology investor in frontier markets. Kiyan shares all there is to know about these underlooked markets where Sturgeon has been exceptionally successful, with the first fund returning 5x-7x and the second fun...

Dr. Sepah is a clinical psychologist, professor of psychiatry and a serial entrepreneur. He recently founded Maximus; a consumer health company that provides men with content, community, and clinical support to optimise them in mind and body. Maximus has raised $5M from Silicon Valley goats such as Founders Fund and 8VC as well as leading angel investors/operators from Bulletproof, Tinder, Coinbas...

In this special (no guest) episode of our podcast, Cyrus shares his learnings from Kaufman's rare talk. Kaufman covered everything from physics and biology to game theory, mental models, decision-making, leadership, business, managing relationships, and generally living a better life. Discover Magazine archive of interviews collated in one file: https://www.valueinvestingworld.com/2019/04/the-big-...

Amir is Chief Commercial Officer of Callsign - a leading digital identity startup backed by Accel. A seasoned Exec, he's passionate about social mobility and also co-founded FinTech North London - a networking group with some of the biggest names in UK FinTech. Cyrus and Iman talk to Amir about his background and moving from corporate life to OakNorth (Europe's most valuable FinTech at the time) a...

Sarah Nöckel is the founder of Femstreet, the largest global community for women in Tech and Venture Capital. She's also a Venture Capitalist, working as an Investment Manager at Northzone. The trio talk building communities, growing side hustles, and female / minority representation in Tech and VC. Femstreet: https://www.femstreet.com/   Sarah's Twitter: https://twitter.com/SarahNoeckel     This...

Cyrus and Iman talk to Paul Cuatrecasas, Founder and CEO of Aquaa Partners. From Wall Street to London, Paul has several decades of experience in Tech M&A. His book "Go Tech or Go Extinct" shows how CEOs need to think about M&A and transformation in the tech age. Paul also explains his thesis on the death of value investing and why tech businesses will be the only ones to survive. www.aquaapartner...

Cyrus and Iman talk to Sean Seton-Rogers - General Partner at PROfounders Capital and a Forbes Midas List VC in 2020. Sean explains why PROfounders is a fund for founders, backed by founders. Sean also explains his approach to investing, how he thinks about the venture market and growing competition in VC. The guys also discuss the future of Europe and even test Sean the sneaker-head on his Jordan...

Cyrus and Iman were invited to the McKinsey Early Stage Investor Conference. They held a working session with a series of startups across two days where they outlined their approach to building efficient and successful startups. This is a snippet of one of their sessions. They talk about go-to-market strategy, startup scaling, developing product, and fundraising. They also touch on actionable tips...

Cyrus talks to Michael Ginzo, Co-Founder of Hofy, a leading remote working B2B subscription startup. Hofy enable companies to set up home offices for their employees online in just a couple of clicks. Michael discusses the early days of setting up Hofy, achieving product-market fit, scaling, Hofy tech, closing large clients, advice on raising VC funding, the future of remote work, efficiency hacks...

SPACs seem to be the hot topic of investing at the moment, with big names like Chamath and Bill Ackman setting up their own SPACs. Retail investors have access to this opportunity too. So Cyrus and Iman look into SPACs to see what all the hype is about and to test their relative merits vs traditional methods of raising capital. Merry Christmas! This podcast provides weekly content on technology in...

Cyrus and Iman interview Andi Kazeroonian: Investment Manager at leading UK FinTech venture fund Outward VC. Andi discusses what he looks for in investments, the future of European tech, and investing in Primary Bid early on, in addition to participating in their follow-on round of £50M (Series B). He also talks through what key criteria he looks for in founders he invests in, and the state of UK...

Cyrus and Iman interview seasoned founder: Matteo Franceschetti - CEO and Co-Founder of Eight Sleep, the leaders in sleep technology. Through their patented technology, Eight Sleep make products that leverage machine learning and artificial intelligence to improve your sleep through thermoregulation and analytics. The company is not just focused on sleep. They are now growing into a digital health...

Many founders often focus on the wrong things in the early stages. Iman and Cyrus cover all things on go-to-market strategy from a strategist's point of view, and how to set up an effective product management function, what to track, and biases to be aware of so you don't get caught up in the traps of inefficiency. This is the last of our 6 MVP episodes - lookout for a big step up from next week w...

There's a revolution coming in tech investing. Rolling funds are making early-stage investing more accessible to the masses. They're also making it easier for anyone to set up a fund. Cyrus and Iman cover everything you need to know, including what they are, the problem they solve, differences vs. traditional venture, pros, cons, and the future. This podcast will provide weekly content on technolo...

Cyrus and Iman break down the most interesting industry verticals for long-term investment and explain why these make a strong case for a 20-year hold. They also challenge each other on the future of these spaces and how disruption will occur. This podcast will provide weekly content on technology investing and technology building. We break everything down to first principles, to simplify the comp...

After receiving a number of messages, Cyrus and Iman share their thoughts on entering the technology ecosystem and navigating career paths in this space. Do any of the below apply to you or someone you know? Send them this video if so! 1) You've just graduated high school and you don't know what to do. But you're interested in technology and investing because you always see interesting stories in...

Have tech valuations ever baffled you? Are you sceptical of why Tesla is worth so much? Is the Venture Capital space confusing? In this episode we talk through the confusing world of venture capital and tech investing. We answer some of these questions and more. This podcast will provide weekly content on technology investing and technology building. We break everything down to first principles, t...