Vanessa Cheung: Impact Investor at Accys

In this episode, Vanessa Chung explores valuation methodologies, sustainability, and cleantech trends. She shares insights into the evolving cleantech landscape and the circular economy. The discussion covers equity research fundamentals, sustainable and ESG investing, and valuation methods like multiple and discounted cash flow (DCF) approaches, using Apple as a case study. Vanessa examines forecasting Apple's free cash flows, terminal value, discount rate, and WACC. The episode also discusses enterprise and equity value calculations, model adjustments, sensitivity analysis, and comparables. Vanessa highlights using Koyfin for public company research and shares workflows for evaluating investments and exits.

Rahul Rana: Lux Capital

In this episode, Rahul Rana from Lux Capital joins to discuss his journey into venture capital, focusing on deep tech investments. The conversation covers Lux Capital's investment thesis, emerging trends in foundational markets, and the potential of space exploration and human-technology integration. Rahul shares insights on assessing deep tech startups, founder psychology, and overcoming industry challenges. He delves into moon colonization, satellite internet, and life extension prospects. The episode also explores deep tech in ESG and energy, investment stages, and Rahul's experience writing "Making Moonshots". The discussion concludes with life advice, serendipity in investing, and future writing plans.

Alison DeNardo: Mac Venture Capital

In this episode, Alison DeNardo shares her venture capital journey, highlighting confidence in deal-making and diverse work experiences. She discusses her early life, education, and parental guidance in shaping her career. Alison talks about her time at Atrium, forming Mac Venture Capital, their portfolio, and launching Alden. The conversation covers innovative job application methods, Mac Venture Capital's focus, and Charles King's role in celebrity investments. Alison provides strategies for entering hot deals, building founder relationships, overcoming gender bias, and offers insights on successful founders, networking in VC, and mindfulness.

Sarah Leners: Bull City Venture Partners

In this episode, Joel Palathinkal chats with Sarah Leners about her venture capital journey at Bull City Venture Partners. They explore Bull City's investment strategy, deal sourcing, and managing differing opinions in deal flow. Sarah offers advice for first-time fundraisers, discusses tools for sourcing deals, and shares insights on venture capital recruiting. They also talk about empowering female investors and translating banking skills to VC. The episode wraps up with reflections on regional valuation differences, building connections, and optimizing collaboration time, along with audience questions on startup cash flow structuring.

Oscar Ramos: SOSV China

In this episode, Oscar Ramos shares his journey to China and his diverse background leading to his role at SOSV. He discusses his early career in R&D, challenges in China, and the evolving startup community there. The conversation compares tech ecosystems in Europe and China, touching on entrepreneurship and risk perception. Oscar explores adapting to the Chinese market, regional tech ecosystems, and UI/UX differences. He offers insights into data-driven design and customer engagement. The episode concludes with SOSV's investment strategies and thoughts on emerging fund managers and future plans.

Kate Brodock: W Fund

In this episode, Joel Palathinkal and guest Kate Brodock of W Fund, explore venture capital with a focus on underrepresented founders. Kate discusses launching a VC fund and building a community at scale. Topics include early-stage founders' needs, accelerator structuring, and virtual vs. in-person event dynamics. They cover strategies for engaging limited partners, diligence criteria, and investment opportunities. Case studies of innovative companies are highlighted, followed by audience questions on community building, mental health in startups, and the future of marketplaces. The episode wraps up with insights on targeting LPs and challenges for first-time fund managers.

Tracy Chadwell: 1843 Ventures

In this episode, Joel Palathinkal is joined by Tracy Chadwell of 1843 Ventures to explore the intersection of autonomous transportation and venture capital. Tracy shares her journey from law to finance, highlighting the significance of 1843 and Ada Lovelace. They discuss cross-border investments in Asia and the role of angel investing and venture partners. The conversation delves into aging tech, examining challenges, opportunities, and innovations in elderly care. Tracy emphasizes impact investing in mobility solutions and explores longevity finance strategies. They discuss venture capital fund strategy, the importance of relationships, and fund-raising tactics. The episode concludes with insights on SilverTech's market potential and Tracy's mentor advice.

Daria Abbaei: Naples Technology Ventures

In this episode, Joel Palathinkal welcomes Daria Abbaei from Naples Technology Ventures to discuss her background and the evolution of the Naples tech ecosystem. They explore the benefits of a lean venture fund, best practices in sourcing and screening deals, and current cybersecurity trends, including the use of honeypots. The conversation shifts to robotics, military applications, and tech trends in Florida. Daria shares insights on investor relations, raising capital, and community building strategies. They also discuss breaking into venture capital, the significance of networking, hiring for VC roles, and managing team dynamics. The episode concludes with thoughts on mentorship and maintaining humility in the industry.

Anna Raptis: Amplifica Capital

In this episode, Joel Palathinkal is joined by Anna Raptis of Amplifica Capital, to discuss her purposeful strategy targeting women investors and her journey into venture capital. Anna shares her early career influences, including her family's business and roles at the UN and World Bank, which shaped her focus on impact investing and financial inclusion. They explore the establishment of Amplifica Capital and its gender lens approach, along with the challenges Anna faces as a sole GP in the US. The conversation touches on mission alignment, advice for emerging fund managers, and educational content for LPs. They also cover investment strategies in Latin America, support for female fund managers, and audience interaction, concluding with networking insights and acknowledgments.

Steven Melia: Openview Ventures

In this episode, Joel Palathinkal chats with Steven Melia about his career shift to True Search and OpenView Ventures. They explore hiring in venture funds, strategies for joining top VCs, and OpenView's diverse team approach. Steve highlights the value of sales skills, personal branding, and a unique perspective in venture capital. They discuss crafting a career narrative, transitioning into venture, and essential skills for different VC stages. Topics include financial models, product-led growth (PLG) strategies, effective networking, blogging for differentiation, evaluating PLG companies, and SEO. The episode concludes with a nod to the OpenView podcast.

Brynne Kennedy: Impact VC

In this episode, Joel Palathinkal engages with Brynne Kennedy from Impact VC to discuss her career journey and the significance of connection points in professional growth. They delve into strategies for new fund managers on fundraising and building relationships with limited partners (LPs), addressing the importance of fund materials, follow-up, and scheduling etiquette. Brynne shares insights on constructing a sales team, utilizing LinkedIn for hiring, and defining the characteristics of early-stage salespeople. The conversation explores marketing's supportive role in sales, effective communication, and nurturing. They also cover demand generation, growth marketing, and offer life advice, including incentives for pipeline and deal generators.

Carlos Torres: AMG Block

In this episode, Joel Palathinkal and Carlos Torres explore the venture capital scene in Mexico and Latin America. Carlos discusses his path into VC and founding AMG Block, emphasizing its global reach. They cover the shift from the ICO boom to a traditional VC fund, fundraising strategies, and the LP ecosystem. Topics include tax considerations, emerging vs. established managers, and shared challenges. Carlos offers insights on deal flow, key sectors in Mexican FinTech, and AMG's focus on NFTs, collectibles, and DeFi. The episode wraps up with advice for new fund managers and the importance of in-person LP interactions in Latin American finance.

Melissa Pegus: TechSquare Ventures

In this episode, Joel Palathinkal chats with Melissa Pegus from TechSquare Ventures about her journey in venture capital and her entrepreneurial family background. They explore her shift from college to product management, her e-commerce experience, and the impact of Buy Now Pay Later on consumer trends. Melissa shares insights on evaluating consumer deals, startup growth, and scaling sales. They also discuss her transition to venture capital, firm value propositions, and participation methods. The episode covers venture capital roles, ESG, climate tech, and university spinouts, with audience questions on startup investments and portfolio management.

Matt Cohen: Ripple Ventures

In this episode, Joel Palathinkal and Matt Cohen (Ripple Ventures) explore Matt's journey from New York to venture capital, the emergence of Silicon Alley, and high-frequency trading. They discuss the evolution of electronic trading and its link to crypto markets. Matt shares his venture capital transition, emphasizing mission alignment in acquisitions. The conversation covers PR, marketing, and success stories of bootstrapped companies. Matt talks about founding Ripple Ventures, managing funds, and strategies for fundraising and performance reporting. The episode also touches on building LP relationships, personal branding, and offers advice for aspiring venture capitalists, including insights on the Ripple fellowship program.

Rachel Sachs: Sweater Ventures

In this episode, Joel Palathinkal and Rachel Sachs of Sweater Ventures, explore early investment lessons, career challenges, and childhood influences on mental health. They critique education and discuss Rachel's experiences with Sweater and women's roles in venture capital, as well as Ethereum excitement. The pandemic's influence on retail investing, marketing, and venture capital careers are examined. They discuss transitions from engineering to VC, investment conviction, and scout management. The episode covers fund evolution, product management, consumer and B2B deep tech investments, trend predictions, and media's role in VC, highlighting the importance of community, mentorship, and life satisfaction.

Faye Sahai: Vinaj VC

Faye Sahai from Vinaj VC joins Joel Palathinkal, to delve into genomics, longevity, and preventive healthcare. Faye discusses her shift from healthcare to venture capital, comparing corporate and traditional VC paths. The episode highlights strategic investing, corporate VC growth in healthcare, emerging technologies, and key investment sectors. They explore chronic conditions' impact on healthcare and financial planning, focusing on senior tech and Telocity Fund's senior care market. Topics include AI-driven mental health solutions, employee retention, and HIPAA compliance, concluding with insights on due diligence, fund structure, networking strategies, mentorship advice, and announcements.

Andrew Kirima: Cantos VC

In this episode, Joel Palathinkal chats with Andrew Karima from Cantos VC about his transition from football to entrepreneurship and venture capital. They discuss the roles of product management and content creation in VC, the interview process, and skills development. The conversation covers investment in deep tech, nuclear energy, renewable energies, and quantum computing challenges. They compare university innovation with online platforms, merit-based employment, and the importance of proof of work. The episode also touches on traditional education versus skill-based learning, personal branding, and preparing for a VC career, concluding with insights on the metaverse and future media technologies.

Chris Yeh: Blitzscaling Ventures

In this episode, Joel Palathinkal, Chris Yeh, and John Robinson explore venture capital and community building. They discuss the importance of initiative, Chris Yeh's career, and his experiences with Reid Hoffman and Peter Thiel. The conversation covers blitzscaling, deal access strategies, seed round trends, and crossover funds. They offer advice for fund managers and traits of successful founders, drawing insights from Ted Lasso. The episode wraps up with guidance on intellectual property protection for founders.

Jessica Karr: Coyote Ventures

Jessica Carr joins Joel Palathinkal to discuss her journey from Impossible Foods to founding Coyote Ventures. She shares her investment thesis in food tech and femtech, exploring the industry's landscape and resources. They delve into university partnerships, deal sourcing, and essential qualities for investment teams. The conversation also covers crossover funds, retail investing, and fund formation platforms. Jessica highlights building community with LPs and shares strategies for deal flow and productivity. Audience questions address investing in Impossible Foods, with Jessica offering insights from mentors and the role of intuition. The episode ends with closing remarks and gratitude.

Kelsey Chase: Founder of Aumni

In this episode, Joel Palathinkal talks with Kelsey Chase who is the Founder of Aumni, about the origins and development of Omni, a platform designed to support emerging funds. Kelsey provides insights into Omni's core value proposition, venture capital firm management, and compliance essentials. They explore MVP development, international market trends, and strategic advice for emerging fund managers. The conversation covers LP interests, due diligence, and pipeline strategies, alongside legal data utilization in deal structuring. They also discuss opportunities and challenges in private markets, comprehensive data strategies, pro rata rights, and follow-on round strategies. The episode concludes with advice on adding value and building investor relationships.