The Sure Shot Entrepreneur

Lo Toney, founder and managing partner at Plexo Capital, takes us behind the scenes of a venture fund to show a limited partner's perspective. He shares his vision for a flywheel effect from the top to increase diversity.  A hybrid VC firm investing both in emerging VC funds and in early stage companies How can limited partners influence change diversity trends starting at the top Now there is a w...

Manan Mehta, founding partner at Unshackled Ventures, shares his personal journey as the son of immigrants and how he built a venture capital firm with a mission to support foreign born founders. His authentic stories describes unfair barriers and his solutions to overcome them.  Great teams are also self-aware on their blind spots  The only VC with immigration attorneys as partners Hamilton - Imm...

Paul Arnold, founder of Switch Ventures, explains data driven investing in venture capital. He gives real-life examples of founders sharing information to prepare for a deeper discussion in the first meeting.  Quants are good at beating the average but algorithms cannot beat the best in the game There is no magic formula for success in startups Great entrepreneurs have high quality of insights on...

Shruti Gandhi, founder of Array Ventures, describes her investment process in detail. Using specific examples of first meetings with founders, she explains what she likes to see in early stage startups.   Smart founders figure out a way to expand market size Why are you solving that problem and why are you excited about it? 25% of founders backed by the firm are women and 50% are immigrants Pledge...

Fred Groce, Principal at Storm Ventures and founder of Blck VC, shares authentic stories of startup investments that succeeded and failed. He describes how to identify the X-factor in a founding team. He also talks about his initiatives to double the number of black VCs. Diversity is a competitive edge in the market for organizations Tech is not an inclusive industry.

Ravi Belani, founder of Alchemist Accelerator, talks about entrepreneurship for all. He gives examples of technical founders building software businesses LaunchDarkly and Rigetti. Alchemist looks for what can go right and how big can the business be more than dwelling on what can go wrong.   Both Steve Jobs like charismatic vision and Steve Wozniac like behind the scenes execution are important in...

Pat Matthews, founder & CEO at Active Capital, walks through his investment decisions with three startup stories. Learn from his career as a pioneer in B2B SaaS entrepreneur in the late 90s and an active angel investor in 100+ startups before he became a full-time VC.   Startups in underdog cities need investors with experience Leading with your strength is a competitive advantage Well crafted col...

Kamal Hassan, founding partner at Loyal.vc, explains how the power of his network helps avoid negative effects of biases in investing. The 2 year old firm has invested in 116 startups in 30 countries. He treats founders the way he wishes he was treated when he was an entrepreneur.   Inside access through  business networks helps identify best startups and encourages good behavior to maintain reput...

Ian Rountree, founder of Cantos Ventures,  shares an insider view on his 40+ investments focused on frontier technology. He talks about the experience of angel investing as a better education in venture capital than an MBA degree.  Startups with defensible technology, large future market potential + a team that can execute is the magic formula. Errors of commission is ok but errors of omission hur...

Naeem Zafar shares his experience as a CEO and mentor to founders. He talks about recruiting early employees, motivation of A-players, and the liberating power of entrepreneurship. Make emotional deposits well before you ask for favors from your network. A-players look for impact of solving an important problem.  Selling a noble act of listening, analyzing, connecting the dots and suggesting solut...

Miriam Rivera talks about the lack of diversity in the industry, and her investments with a mission to promote entrepreneurship among women and people of color. She shares how her husband is the best partner both at home and at work.    9% of VC decision makers are women. Unfairness hurts the industry. We need change. She doesn't hide the ball. She openly discusses risks with entrepreneurs and hig...

Rajeev Madhavan, founding partner at Clear Ventures, shares his career as a 3x successful entrepreneur. He shows how an entrepreneur changes his skeptical view and convinces him in 20 minutes. A great VC is a coach who can pick the right entrepreneurs and shows lessons from past experiences. Spark in the first meeting is the best and only chance to convince a venture capital investor. The ecosyste...

Rick Zullo talks about bridging the digital divide in legacy industries by supporting founders with experience. Authentic relationships with industry experts is important, not just a rolodex of CXOs.  Highlights:  Industries with complex problems need  cataclysmic changes with tail winds lasting many years. Founders with  experience in industries like employee benefits, staffing, senior care, and...

Kat Utecht, partner at Core VC, shares her adventurous journey of starting a VC firm on the east coast and expanding to the west coast. She describes how her startup investments improve the lives of average Americans. Highlights:   Mission-driven investing is  popular everywhere including in the Silicon Valley. Insider view on a bold bet in healthcare while political changes were creating uncertai...

Scott Barclay shares insights on when to play an active role as a venture capital investor. He explains with examples how engagement with an entrepreneur starts and eventually disproves or strengthens his conviction in a business idea.  Highlights:  The right VC:CEO fit is magical. A good investor does not impose his alpha role but is always ready to intervene and lead. Become a student of economi...

Gokul Rajaram shares specific characteristics he looks for in entrepreneurs who range from former coworkers to founders he never met in-person. He describes his unique journey in the Silicon Valley leading product development at Juno, Google, Facebook, Square and Doordash.  Highlights:  The determination to move heaven and earth to solve a problem is an important quality in entrepreneurs. Founders...

Listen to the podcast for entrepreneurs with ambitious ideas. Post reviews and ratings on Apple Podcast to help entrepreneurs find this podcast.  Come here to listen to relatable, insightful and authentic stories from venture capital investors and other early believers.  I am your host Gopi Rangan. Once a week, we will talk about startups, investments, bold ideas, tech and the future.  Share comme...