Shane Ray Show

Raising VC money soon? Don't sign anything yet. In this episode, Shane sits down with Will Halliday , attorney at Williams Mullen and former investment banker, to break down the documents every founder faces: SAFEs, convertible notes, and term sheets. You'll learn: - What a SAFE is and the one number that determines your ownership - What term sheets do and why they matter, even though they're non-...

A chatbot told a teenager how to die. That is the problem Arul and Shirali Nigam set out to fix. In this episode, meet the co-founder of  Circuit Breaker Labs , a startup backed by A16Z Speedrun that stress-tests AI before it ever reaches a real person. They call it the crash test dummy for AI. Their team runs thousands of fake conversations to find the moment a chatbot breaks. Then they patch it...

Maksym Tereshchenko is building a startup while his country is at war.   ✅ What you'll learn: Stop founder-driven sales and build a predictable machine Survive the mental toll of doing 10 jobs all at once Hire your first GTM person without taking a guess Spot supply chain disruption before it hits you Leverage relationships to close deals Reach out to Max: LinkedIn: Maksym Tereshchenko Website: m...

If you're a faith-driven founder or investor - this one's for you!  I've been so fortunate to get to know Richard, Phil, Jake, and so many others in the FDI "Faith Driven Investor" community, and this conversation was a chance to go deep on how Sovereign's Capital built a $1B+ fund rooted in faith.  Richard Cunningham walks me through the full story - from Henry Kaestner getting turned down 40 tim...

Scott Dubin helps run RAISE, the event where 100 emerging fund managers get in front of 330 LPs in one day in San Francisco.  What we get into: Why "I make intros and serve on boards" scores a 5 out of 10 The application section where most GPs lose   How to use your existing LPs as a weapon onsite The follow up email everyone sends that gets ignored Why the GP who printed their logo on the sidewal...

In today's episode of The Shane Ray Show, Shane sits down with Pianpian Xu Guthrie - founder and CEO of Amotions AI , and a Yale-trained sociologist who spent her career obsessing over one question: why do people trust you? Her answer became a company. Amotions AI is a real-time AI teammate that listens live on your sales calls — detecting tone, emotional signals, and conversation patterns — then...

The PeaceTech GTM Accelerator is officially open!  In this episode, Shane breaks down everything - why it exists, who it's for, and what founders can expect from 12 weeks of go-to-market training, advisor access, and a Demo Day pitch in front of 20+ VCs on July 30th. This is a free, zero-equity accelerator headquartered one mile from the Pentagon in Arlington, VA. Only 6 spots. The waitlist is alr...

In this episode, you'll hear from Adam Chen, CRO at FinStrat. FinStrat has helped more than 300 founders and supported startups that have raised $480M+ in capital. Shane and Adam break down the patterns behind predictable B2B revenue. If you’re a founder trying to close enterprise customers or raise venture capital, this episode will save you months of trial and error. Most founders think sales is...

Can money help end wars? Most investors never ask that question. Marcel Smits has spent 25+ years working in conflict zones across Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. After years on the ground, he noticed a major problem: Peacebuilders create stability. Then investment arrives. But without the right safeguards, money can sometimes undo the peace that was just built. So Marcel is building someth...

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Aman Verjee is legendary. → CFO at two unicorns → Wrote PayPal’s first S-1 → Helped CEOs through multiple IPOs He has also deeply studied tech bubbles. We talked about: • Why bubbles start with people, not products • Why every bubble feels “new” but never is • What 2008, tulips, and crypto all have in common • What to build in 2026 when markets are uncertain • How the best investors stay calm when...

Can AI actually help end war, or is that just a nice idea? In this episode, Shane Ray Martin sits down with Simon Horton , author of The End of Conflict: How AI Will End War and Help Us Get On Better . Simon has spent 20 years teaching negotiation and conflict resolution across 25 countries, including work with major banks and the British Army. What you’ll hear in this episode Why Simon believes A...

2026 will be the greatest year in PeaceTech history. This podcast shares an imperfect, but actionable framework to 10x PeaceTech in 2026. Shoot me a DM on LinkedIn or email at s@bventuresgroup.com 

I’ve met 200+ PeaceTech founders in the last 12 months. The one thing preventing PeaceTech today from scaling massively is high-quality founder-led sales. We see this as a huge opportunity!  This episode walks you through Part 1 of the PeaceTech B2B system to find buyers, run sales calls, and close $25k+ paid pilots. If you want the full system, get the 5-module (+3 bonuses) course.  It is 99 USD...

Avi Yashin built Subconscious AI to fix a big problem: slow market research testing and bad data. In this episode, he shows how AI can measure demand without surveys, recruit synthetic respondents, and deliver insights in minutes. You’ll learn: How AI predicts consumer behavior   Why synthetic respondents beat long, expensive surveys How CMOs use AI to test messages, prices, and product ideas fast...

In this special episode, Caleb Morato interviews me!  I'll share the truth about my negotiation failures, some insights about my faith, and how teamwork often matters more than winning at all costs.  ✅ What you’ll hear: The $75K Microsoft deal that went sideways How failure built character and wisdom Why faith shapes every good negotiator 🎧 Hosted by Shane Ray Martin, investor, author, and peace...

Alex Schaffhausen built Blip to solve a painful problem he faced as a founder - slow, expensive payments. In this episode, he shares how he turned early pilots into real revenue without a sales team. You’ll learn: How to close your first pilot with a simple “fellow founder” ask Why texting your customers beats long email chains The step that turns a pilot into a long-term deal How to use rejection...

Six PeaceTech founders pitch their ideas in 60 seconds each. What you will hear: • How AI can turn conflict into connection • AI tools that build emotional resilience • Better ways to talk across political divides • Software that supports mediators and ombuds teams • Products that help couples, teams, and communities work things out Hosted by Shane Ray Martin . Investor @ B Ventures. Come learn. G...

This week’s episode is a little different. I’m sharing four events I’m helping host that you may want to join. Each one is about spending time with others in fellowship and helping your company grow.  ☕ Faith-Driven Founders and Investors October 7 at 9 AM PT, 340 Fremont Street, 9th floor, San Francisco 278 people have RSVP’d. No panels and no keynotes. Just founders and investors meeting over c...

Josue Romero never planned on tech - until grad school threw him into it.  From working construction in the Arizona heat… To breaking into VC without connections… To spotting huge startups before Draper and other big funds… To launching Silicon Oasis so Arizona founders don’t get overlooked… Josue’s story is about grit, kindness, and refusing to wait for permission.  In this episode, he shares: Ho...

Christine Keung has built through chaos - again and again. From scaling Dropbox during its rocket-ship growth… To serving as Chief Data Officer for San Jose at the height of the pandemic… To now backing founders as a GP at J2 Ventures… Chaos isn’t something she avoids. It’s where she thrives!  In this episode, Christine shares: The blind spots that trip up early founders Green flags she looks for...

Scott Sherman has worked with 500+ fund managers in his career. From his days at Blackstone to today at Mesa Lane Capital, he’s seen what makes a GP rise - and what makes them crash. Here’s the kicker: most VC fund managers don’t fail because they can’t invest. They fail because they forget they’re also running a business. In this episode, Scott breaks down: The #1 mistake new GPs make in Fund I W...

Most startup CEOs are spreading themselves too thin - too many channels, too many customer types, too many offers. On top of that: THEY DON'T ASK FOR THE BUSINESS. That’s the $10M mistake. In this episode, I share the Rule of One: One Channel – go where your buyers actually live. One Customer – focus on the person with pain and budget. One Offer – make it so good they feel silly saying no. When yo...

Chris Rizik has done what most VCs only dream of. He’s invested in 60 VC funds supporting 800+ startups while reshaping the entire Midwest startup ecosystem. In this episode, Shane sits down with Chris — NVCA Venture Vanguard Award winner, Michigan VC Hall of Fame inductee, and Managing Partner of Renaissance VC — to share the mindset and strategies that made him one of the most respected voices i...

In this awesome episode, you met Devon Coombs — a former homeless 21-year-old who rose to negotiating multi-billion-dollar AI deals at Google. Devon’s testimony is about resilience. Hard work. Wisdom. Taking action. It’s about breaking generational cycles, finding purpose in adversity, and choosing to make a difference. You’ll learn: ✅ How Devon went from living in his car to leading at Google ✅...