The Rise by Nucleus Turner Novak: Building Banana Capital and a Following That Compounds
10 snips
Nov 11, 2025 Turner Novak, the founder of Banana Capital, is a rising star in venture capital, known for his investments in BeReal and Chainguard. He discusses how he built his brand through humor and social media, leveraging his insights to connect with founders. Turner shares his journey from Winnipeg to Ann Arbor, highlights key portfolio successes, and uncovers the importance of transparency and speed in investing. He also delves into the art of raising funds and what founders truly seek from their investors.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Posting To Build A Track Record
- Turner started posting ideas on Twitter primarily to help get a job and build a public track record.
- He expected a few theses to be proven right over years and used them as durable evidence of judgment.
Win The Group Chat With Shareable Humor
- Turner realized venture content was low quality and under-served founders, creating an opening for better work.
- He aimed for humor and shareability to win the group-chat distribution most VCs ignore.
Own Your Public Media Work
- Do the core public-facing media work yourself if you want it to be a defensible competency.
- Keep your face or voice as the constant because that authenticity is hard to outsource.