$100M Exits with Jason Kirby

From dog genetics to bootstrapping to an eight-figure exit , Conor Tomkies has done it all. As the founder of Support Ninja , Conor scaled a bootstrapped business into a middle eight-figure success story, managing thousands of employees worldwide. After selling to private equity, Conor is now building Operator Equity and Entrepreneur Cooperative , empowering founders to scale and exit with purpose...

Raising capital? Get a list of vetted VCs for FREE here: https://web.thunder.vc/list-of-investors-vcs-for-founders Get the latest fundraising insights, news, and tips: https://blog.thunder.vc/funding-101   ----------------------------------------------------- What does it take to build, scale, and sell a business—and then do it all over again? David Hauser, the mastermind behind Grasshopper and Va...

Raising capital? Get a list of vetted VCs for FREE here: https://web.thunder.vc/list-of-investors-vcs-for-founders Get the latest fundraising insights, news, and tips: https://blog.thunder.vc/funding-101   ----------------------------------------------------- What do a career coaching platform, a French-American football team, and a fraud prevention startup have in common? Meet Patrick Butler, the...

Raising capital? Get a list of vetted VCs for FREE here: https://web.thunder.vc/list-of-investors-vcs-for-founders Get the latest fundraising insights, news, and tips: https://blog.thunder.vc/funding-101   ------------------------------------------------ Think debt is a trap? Think again. Learn how the right kind of debt can fuel your growth without sacrificing control of your startup. In this ins...

Raising capital? Get a list of vetted VCsfor free here: https://web.thunder.vc/list-of-investors-vcs-for-founders Get the latest fundraising insights, news, and tips: https://blog.thunder.vc/funding-101   —--------------------------------------------------- Starting off December with a recap from the podcast's biggest fundraisers of 2024... Ever wondered how the most successful founders raise mill...

Raising capital? Get a list of vetted VCs for FREE here: https://web.thunder.vc/list-of-investors-vcs-for-founders Get the latest fundraising insights, news, and tips: https://blog.thunder.vc/funding-101   ----------------------------------------------------- Alexandria Procter takes center stage on this episode of Fundraising Demystified to share how she transformed a local student housing proble...

Raising capital? Get a list of vetted VCs for FREE here: https://web.thunder.vc/list-of-investors-vcs-for-founders Get the latest fundraising insights, news, and tips: https://blog.thunder.vc/funding-101   —------------------------------------------------ In this episode of Fundraising Demystified , Jason Kirby sits down with Patrice King-Brickman , the founder and CEO of Inspire Access , to discu...

Raising capital? Get a list of vetted VCs for FREE here: https://web.thunder.vc/list-of-investors-vcs-for-founders Get the latest fundraising insights, news, and tips: https://blog.thunder.vc/funding-101   ---------------------------------- In this episode of Fundraising Demystified , Jason Kirby talks with Dori Yona , founder of Simple Closure , about the tough but crucial process of shutting dow...

This episode is sponsored by ThunderVC, an investment bank for founders by founders. Raising capital? Get a list of vetted VCs for FREE here: https://web.thunder.vc/list-of-investors-vcs-for-founders Raising debt? Find the perfect lender in minutes here: https://debt.thunder.vc Get the latest fundraising insights, news, and tips - https://join.thunder.vc ---------------------- In this eye-opening...

This episode is sponsored by ThunderVC , an investment bank for founders by founders. Raising capital?  Get a list of vetted VCs for FREE here: https://web.thunder.vc/list-of-investors-vcs-for-founders Raising debt? Find the perfect lender in minutes here: https://debt.thunder.vc Get the latest fundraising insights, news, and tips - https://join.thunder.vc Raising capital?  Get a list of vetted VC...

Get your free list of AI-matched VCs: https://web.thunder.vc/list-of-invest...   Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: https://join.thunder.vc/ In this episode of Fundraising Demystified , Jason Kirby, a seasoned entrepreneur who has raised over $145 million and completed four exits, breaks down the strategic steps required for a successful 12-month fundraising process.  Whether you’re a first-time...

Join us as we sit down with Edrizio De La Cruz, founder of Arcus (formerly Regalii), a fintech company that revolutionized bill payments in Latin America. Get your free list of AI-matched VCs: https://web.thunder.vc/list-of-investors-vcs-for-founders Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: https://join.thunder.vc/ Edrizio shares his journey from Air Force mechanic to Wall Street, and ultimately to suc...

In this special solo episode, Jason Kirby, serial entrepreneur and Managing Director of Thunder. VC, shares his invaluable insights on how to make a lasting impression during your first investor call. With four successful exits and over $135 million in transactions under his belt, Jason reveals the secrets that can make or break your fundraising efforts. Jason walks through the critical steps foun...

In this episode, we're joined by Ari Newman, co-founder and managing partner of Massive VC . Ari is a successful exited founder, former partner at Techstars , and experienced board member. His unique hybrid investment model at Massive VC combines committed capital with deal-by-deal flexibility, offering investors unprecedented access and information for seed-plus to growth-stage investments. O...

In this episode, we welcome Noah Friedman, a distinguished venture capitalist and general partner at Top Shelf Ventures. Noah shares his fascinating career transition from acting to becoming a successful VC and entrepreneur in the alcohol industry. Noah provides valuable insights into his experiences founding Top Shelf Ventures, a fund specializing in the alcohol sector, and co-founding Uncharted,...

In this episode, we're joined by Prateek Joshi , founder and former CEO of Plutoshift (acquired), machine learning author, and now Venture Capitalist at Moxxie Ventures . Pratik shares his journey from growing up in India to becoming a successful tech entrepreneur and investor in Silicon Valley. Pratik talks about his experiences writing 13 technical books on AI and machine learning, building...

In this episode, I'm excited to welcome the DeepTech entrepreneur, Michael Markesbery , the co-founder and CEO of OROS Labs - a material technology company that provides thermal solutions. He shares his journey from solving a personal problem to building a deep tech material science company that has raised over $50 million. OROS Lab has raised funding through a Kickstarter campaign, seed round...

Join us as we sit down with David Rodnitzky, the founder and former CEO of 3Q Digital. He built his company from the ground up, sold it, then in a rare move, bought it back, only to sell it again.  David breaks down the challenges and opportunities he encountered during multiple rounds of fundraising and acquisitions, offering real insights in agency growth and M&A transactions. For entreprene...

In this episode, we're joined by Aakash Shah, founder and CEO of Wyndly , a healthcare startup revolutionizing allergy treatment. Akash shares his journey from personal allergy sufferer to innovative healthcare entrepreneur, and reveals how he navigated the challenging waters of fundraising without relying solely on traditional venture capital. Aakash talks about creative capital strategies, d...

We're privileged to have Dan Reich join us in this episode - a seasoned entrepreneur and investor with an impressive track record of successful exits. From his humble beginnings selling bouncy balls in high school, he's gone on to found and exit companies in diverse sectors including technology and beauty. In our conversation, Dan talks about the intricacies of startups, fundraising strate...

In this episode, we're thrilled to talk with a true tech veteran, Chris Gladwin , a serial entrepreneur and currently the CEO and co-founder of Ocient . Chris shares his journey through multiple successful ventures, including Cleversafe (acquired by IBM for over $1.4 billion) and MusicNow. He provides valuable insights into raising capital, navigating market cycles, and building resilient tech...

In this episode, we're sitting down with Alex Pattis, general partner at Riverside Ventures and author of the newsletter "Last Money In". Alex shares his journey from sales director to launching a syndicate that has completed over 300 deals and deployed $75 million in capital. Alex provides valuable insights into how syndicates operate, their advantages for both founders and investor...

We're excited to have Wen-Wen Lam, former founder of NexTravel and formerly a partner at Gradient Ventures, join us in this episode. Wen-Wen shares her entrepreneurial journey, from her early days at LinkedIn to founding and scaling NexTravel to $100 million in bookings before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the travel industry. Wen-Wen provides invaluable insights into the challenging process...

In this episode, Rob Hunter, partner at Speaker Ventures and exited founder, shares his entrepreneurial roller coaster journey. From going bankrupt with his ice cream franchise in his 20s to getting into Y Combinator, raising venture capital, and eventually exiting his tech startup HigherMe. Rob provides insights on navigating the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, making tough decisions like whe...

We got another great story in this episode with Colby McKenzie having worn multiple hats as a successful corporate lawyer, co-founder of a cannabis tech startup that raised over $12 million, exited founder after orchestrating a strategic acquisition, and now an investor and founder of a boutique law firm dedicated to guiding entrepreneurs. Colby talks about the grueling fundraising process, naviga...