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.

David Teten: Versatile VC

In this episode, Joel Palathinkal chats with David Teten of Versatile VC about his career journey and founding Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of New York. David shares insights on transitioning to venture capitalism, addressing founders' challenges, and starting Versatile VC. They discuss emerging manager trends, co-investment strategies, sector-focused funds, and understanding LP motivations. David also offers advice on mentorship, public speaking, and crafting compelling pitch decks. The episode wraps up with a comparison of equity rounds and SAFE notes, tackling high startup valuations, and guidance for syndicate managers.

Nardo Manaloto: Qbits Ventures

In this episode, Nardo Manaloto of Qbits Ventures joins Joel Palathinkal to explore the quantum technology landscape and the creation of Qubits Ventures. They discuss quantum sensors, photonics, and Nardo's journey from Kaiser Permanente to venture capital. Nardo offers advice for new fund managers, insights on deal sourcing, and evaluating quantum startups. The conversation touches on quantum's impact on Neuralink, cryptography, and AI, alongside audience questions on NLP in healthcare. They also discuss deep tech team dynamics, business challenges, patents, fundraising, VC relationships, and the academic business mindset, concluding with quantum technology verticals and mentorship.

Shambhavi Asuri: ZX Ventures

In this episode, Joel Palathinkal is joined by Shambhavi Asuri of ZX Ventures to delve into the nuances of corporate and traditional venture capital, with a focus on ZX Ventures' strategy. Shambhavi shares insights on data analytics in corporate VC and explores innovation trends, including biotech applications in the beverage industry. The conversation covers transitioning into venture capital from other fields, evaluating investments, and the importance of KPIs. They discuss standardizing KPIs, setting benchmarks, and brand incubation processes. The episode also highlights future trends in deep tech for beverages and offers resources for industry trends and professional growth.

Sasha Datta: GE Vernova 

In this episode, Sasha Datta from GE Vernova joins Joel Palathinkal to discuss her journey from a personal background to a successful career in finance. Sasha shares insights into balancing personal life with a demanding career and her experiences during the financial crisis while at EY and GM. She talks about overcoming personal challenges, her return to GE, and her roles in cash and risk management at GE Capital Americas and Synchrony Financial. The conversation delves into GE's corporate culture, the significance of honesty and empathy in venture-backed companies, and strategies for handling conflicts. Sasha also discusses GE Vernova's formation, risk management, M&A advice, pension fund management, and the importance of continuous learning.

Mark Yde: Hector Ventures

Join Mark Yde of Hector Ventures and Joel Palathinkal as they explore Mark's venture capital journey. Mark discusses his family influences, initial interest in law, and the role of intellectual property and technology in healthcare. They also explore the potential of psychedelics in neuroscience and PTSD treatment. Mark highlights how sales skills translate to venture capital, emphasizing networks, partnerships, and sales tactics. He addresses imposter syndrome, the impact of travel, and building credibility across sectors. The episode wraps up with audience questions on favorite investments, storytelling, and advice for aspiring LPs.

Romain Diaz: Satgana

Join Romain Diaz of Satgana and Joel Palathinkal as they explore the world of venture studios. Romain discusses his background, investment strategies, and operational resources. They examine venture studio models in France and Belgium, equity considerations, and development. Learn about investment screening, scorecard pillars, and identifying impactful teams. The episode covers trends in long-term impact investment, regional venture ecosystem variations, and co-investment opportunities. Romain shares insights on climate change sectors, technology, and nuclear fusion, along with career advice and thoughts on the future of venture studios.

Eugenio Gonzalez: Plug and Play Ventures

In this episode, Eugenio Gonzalez from Plug and Play Ventures joins Joel Palathinkal to discuss his journey from law to venture capital and his role at Plug and Play's unique platform. Eugenio shares insights on key attributes and strategies for VC candidates, emphasizing the importance of branding and culture in the industry. The conversation covers career transitions for legal professionals and explores trends in tech, entrepreneurship, and Insurtech. Eugenio discusses assessing risk in startups, traits of successful founders, and the impact of new technologies on insurance. The episode concludes with audience Q&A on VC career paths, advice on developing an investment thesis, and guidance for aspiring venture capital analysts.

Kofi Ampadu: Sku'd Ventures

In this episode, Kofi Ampadu of Sku'd Ventures joins Joel Palathinkal to discuss his journey from Kraft Foods to entrepreneurship and venture capital. Kofi shares his decision to raise a fund for pre-seed CPG companies and highlights the importance of networking in VC. He reflects on his experiences at General Mills and launching a beverage company, covering market entry strategies and distributor partnerships. The conversation also touches on marketing for DTC companies, QR code impact, and beverage industry trends. Kofi discusses CPG investments, health and wellness innovations, and the merging of hardware and software in consumer goods, concluding with insights on fitness tracking devices.

David Yakobovitch: Data Power Ventures

In this episode, David Yakobovitch from Data Power Ventures joins Joel Palathinkal to discuss the evolution of big data players going public and his career journey, including his current role at SingleStore. David shares insights into investment strategies and industry experience in data startups, highlighting the data science investment landscape and exciting segments. The conversation explores the future of quantum computing and offers advice for aspiring investors. David emphasizes the importance of partnering with accelerators, LP relationships, and trends in DevOps and cloud strategies. The episode also covers advances in data storage, biopharmaceutical research, breaking into venture capital, and building a strong community, concluding with mentorship insights.

Andrew Cleland: Chief Investment Officer, Techstars

In this episode, Andrew Cleland who is the Chief Investment Officer of Techstars, shares his journey from early career interests to significant roles at Techstars and Time Warner. He discusses his entrepreneurial beginnings and the transition to Time Warner post-9/11, emphasizing talent attraction and retention strategies. Andrew reflects on his experiences at Comcast Ventures, offering career advice on upskilling and distinguishing between venture capital and private equity skills. The conversation delves into Techstars' role in the venture market, investing in deep tech, AI's impact, and accelerator acceptance criteria. Andrew concludes with insights on knowing your business, focusing on early-stage startups, and the importance of giving back.

Gregory Kammerer: Family Office

In this episode of The Investor podcast, Gregory Kammerer joins Joel Palathinkal to explore first and second-generation family investors. Gregory shares his journey from entrepreneurship to venture capital, law, and private equity. The discussion covers educating family offices, generational investment differences, and expanding roles. Gregory highlights tax strategies, public money management, and restructuring family office investments. They also discuss "Die With Zero," focusing on wealth transfer planning. The episode concludes with advice on starting early and debunking the myth of overnight success.

Mark Phillips: 11 Tribes

Join Mark Phillips from 11 Tribes Capital as he shares his journey from startup failures to founding a unique venture firm. Discover the insights behind Eleven Tribes Capital and the Cadence Group's support for entrepreneurs. Explore the evolving venture capital landscape, entrepreneurship's rise, and the great resignation. Mark offers advice on supporting entrepreneurs beyond capital, differences in fundraising, and the importance of verification. Gain tips on starting a venture firm, building an LP pipeline, and fostering community. Learn about skills for VC success, creative fund structuring, and building relationships with major VC firms.