Venture Capital

In today's episode, Peter and Jon answer questions such as: How much annual recurring revenue is needed to raise a Series A? How many users do you need to raise a Series A? Is $1,000,000 in revenue enough?  What are the current standards, and has the market changed historical benchmarks? Join us for the podcast to find out!

Some Points  Covered in This Episode Include: If you have heard anything about the Carried Interest Loophole Act, you know it's the biggest news in the last few days. What does it mean and what does it entail if it were to be passed. The " carried interest loophole " allows hedge fund managers to tax their income at a lower rate than an ordinary salary.  Peter will weigh in both sides and discuss...

Have you ever wondered what Venture Capitalists think of Y Combinator companies/investments? In 2022 the program has significantly changed. It went from accepting 10 startups with each class to 400 in a recent cohort.  Learn about the Pro's and Con's of the program from a venture capitalist that has funded YC companies.

Peter and I provide anonymous feedback to a first-time founder.  We talk about their revenue numbers, team size, and if this startup should attempt to raise venture capital.

VC rips apart a pitch deck for a very open and honest review. Peter Harris from the University Growth Fund reviews the pitch deck for Appointment.com In this episode learn what a later-stage VC actually thinks about a pitchdeck.

How to Start a Syndicate In today’s episode we find how one gets into Venture Capital and deep dive into everything about a Syndicate.  Some Points Covered in This Episode Include: What is a syndicate, and how is it different from an SPV? What is the appeal of a syndicate? As an investor As a company As a manager How do syndicate managers/operators make money? Syndicates also charge carry - usuall...

How is Data Science improving Venture Capital? Jon asks Peter everything about data science. What data sources are they currently using? And how much will it disrupt the functioning of Venture Capital firms. Some Lies/ Points  Covered in This Episode Include: Would you say data science is changing things? What Data Sources are University Growth Fund are using at this point? For seed and early-stag...

Common Lies VCs Hear Truth or optimism. VCs hear multiple people talk about their plans, their business and they toe the line of sometimes being overly optimistic that it could be a lie. Here is what not to say, or how to frame it differently next time.  Some Lies/ Points  Covered in This Episode Include: Saying your market is a huge number/ some ridonculous billion $ industry, but the fact is you...

Is Venture Capital Slowing Down? A quick look at the sudden decline in the numbers. Looking at the numbers from Q4 and Q1 to analyse if there is a shift or worse a slow down coming. What do you think? Questions Covered in This Episode Include: In Q1, 4,822 VC deals were closed totalling $70.7 billion, which was far below the $90 billion of VC investment in Q4 2021. Are you seeing the trend too? Wh...

Misunderstood Venture Capital Terms If you don’t understand all the terms, and especially the ones that are part of your fundraising journey, it can cost you big bucks. In today’s episode we discuss such real life examples where real time mistakes were made.  Questions Covered in This Episode Include: What is Liquidation preference How are Participating Preferred different from Non Participating P...

How to Find a VC Mentor Some of the most successful people attribute their success to their mentors. If you want to speed up your learning process, find one! But the question is not only - how to find a mentor but what kind of mentor should you seek.  Questions Covered in This Episode Include: How does an entrepreneur build his network Why is it important to find a mentor What kind of mentors shou...

How To Start a Venture Capital Fund If you have ever wondered about starting a VC fund but felt overwhelmed. Jon speaks to Peter Harris who started a fund with his partner a couple of years ago. He breaks it down for us and shares his suggestions.  Questions Covered in This Episode Include: Peter, you and your partner started a fund 7 years ago. How did you do it? Where did you start? How much doe...

How do VCs Make Money? Some of you might be intrigued to understand how a VC fund runs. How do they make their money? Peter breaks down all that in this episode and all clear out the air if VCs are rich. Questions Covered in This Episode Include: Peter, everyone wants to know how VCs make money? ( Carried interest and management fee) How important is it to be rich to be a Venture Capitalist? What...

In today's episode we focus on some of the important considerations that need to be made while finding a VC firm. Are they a good fit? Do they have my company's best interest at heart? How to distinguish a Good VC from a BAD one.  Questions Covered in This Episode Include: Peter, what stories have you personally seen where VCs did not act the best As an insider, what would you say are some of the...

Getting Funded: Should a Startup Hire a Professional Fundraiser? In today’s episode we discuss the pros and cons of having a professional fundraiser. Should you consider one and if yes, when is a good time to do so. Questions Covered in This Episode Include: What is a professional fundraiser? How does one become one? What kind of education, background, social skills or experience is needed for it?...

How to Get and Keep a VC’s Attention The trickiest part of reaching out to a VC, is keeping them interested. In this episode, we discuss best practices and share a few tips. Questions Covered in This Episode Include: Should I focus my efforts on VC’s in my geographic area, or extend beyond my city/state? How accurate are online lists? What are some of the good ones? AngelList Forbes Midas list Cru...

How to Find a Venture Capitalist (And Get Funded) Let’s talk about how do you find a venture capitalist for your startup. Questions Covered in This Episode Include: What is your general advice for someone raising in 2022? Has the process changed in recent years? Will the process change in the coming years? Now lets cover some common questions to make sure we’re addressing them Should I focus my ef...

Peter Harris, a Venture Capitalist, will talk about the primary differences between venture capital and private equity.

How do Venture Capitalists get paid? What is "carry"?

Peter Harris shares an update on what investments his firm, University Growth Fund, has made in the recent months of 2021.

A few years prior the University Growth Fund invested in Simplus.com.  Recently, Simplus sold to a larger company and Peter talks with one of his students about the outcome, and what they learned.

Looking to know what VC's think about different startups? Join us as we review different deals that were recently funded, and we talk about the pros and cons of each.

Learn how to invest in a venture capital fund on today's podcast.  Peter talks about the risks, pros, and cons of investing in a fund.  As always, investing in a VC fund requires that you're an accredited investor.

Do you want to become a venture capitalist? If you're wondering how people land an analyst position at a VC firm just out of school then join us. This podcast talks about how one becomes an associate at a venture capital firm.  Questions covered in this podcast include: - What are the top skills? - How do you develop those skills? - Does school matter? - Work experience - The Top Internships - The...