The IO Podcast: Investor + Operator How The BEST Founders Go From Seed To Series A - a convo w/ Brett Berson of First Round
22 snips
Jul 15, 2025 
Brett Berson, a Partner at First Round Capital, shares his journey from intern to key player in seed-stage investments. He discusses what founders should ask when raising a Series A, emphasizing the importance of building strong narratives and investor relationships. The impact of AI on startups is also explored, highlighting both opportunities and challenges. Berson delves into common missteps for seed-stage startups and the significance of balancing technical expertise with commercial know-how to attract the right venture capital.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Focus on Short-Term Viability
- Founders should focus on short-term revenue milestones like reaching $1M or $2M to validate business viability.
- Overanalyzing macro trends like software disruption or defensibility can cloud judgment and worsen investment decisions.
Enterprise Software Market Is Complex
- Despite software becoming easier and cheaper to build, major market incumbents like Oracle and Salesforce remain dominant.
- Many enterprise workloads still run on-premise, indicating slow large-scale software transitions.
Raise Money to Accelerate Growth
- Raise venture money to fund initial team growth and capture market share before generating profit.
- Consider that software complexity demands long-term product roadmaps and capital for continuous development.