The Full Ratchet (TFR): Venture Capital and Startup Investing Demystified

In this special replay of Episode 154, Ben Narasin of NEA joins Nick to discuss NEA's Investment Process & The Key Ingredients for Startup Success. In this episode we cover:  - Why he made the move to NEA - His Investment focus - The investment process the firm and if decisions are made by committee - Ben's Evaluation Process - The key factor that every successful founder possesses - The common re...

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Mike Smerklo Spencer Maughan Vanessa Larco Ben Wiener 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? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/27155166/) and...

Ruth Foxe Blader of Anthemis joins Nick to discuss The Embedded Opportunity in Insurtech, Crypto & Web 3.0 Applications, and the Future of Fintech. In this episode we cover: Ruth's Background and path from English Major to VC What trends she's following in Fintech and Insurtech Opportunities for developing market founders & more!  Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up!...

Andrew Antonio of Urban Sky and Nate Williams of Union Labs join Nick to discuss Why We Invested in Urban Sky. In this episode we cover: What is Urban Sky?  How did Andrew and Nate originally connect?  The thesis at Union Labs.  What does the future hold for Urban Sky?  Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter .

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? 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).

Nagraj Kashyap of Softbank joins Nick to discuss The Future of Softbank and Vision Fund 2, Creative Monetization of User Growth, and Why VC's Missed on Zoom. In this episode we cover: Nagraj's Background and Path to VC. How do you think through horizontal, vertical, or geographic expansion and when the right time is to do so? What did other VC's miss about Zoom? How do you evaluate an opportunity?...

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).

Nihal Mehta of Eniac Ventures joins Nick to discuss The Human Rolodex, How the 2021 VC Vintage will Perform, and the Importance of Partnership Dynamics. In this episode we cover:   How do you think about active management of relationships over time? Do you have any advice, tricks, or tips? What is something you would have told yourself when you started Eniac? How have you built the team over time...

Yanev Suissa of SineWave Ventures joins Nick to discuss Public Sector Tech, the Merits of Hyper Concentration, and Why Google is More Frightening than the NSA. In this episode we cover: You've talked about investing "where the Valley, the Fortune 500, and the public sector intersect". How is this different from the typical Valley-based investor?  Are there any advantages to working with public sec...

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? David Goldberg Episode 272 Nicole Quinn Episode 279 Spencer Maughan Episode 284 Jonathan Ebinger Episode 302 For other great episodes, go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/2715...

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 F...

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...

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 c...

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 ther...

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 (htt...

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 perce...

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/co...

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...

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:/...

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 year...