How much value do VCs truly bring beyond their capital? And what makes the difference between a supportive partnership and a dysfunctional founder-investor relationship?

In this episode, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein welcome Nick Crocker, General Partner at Blackbird Ventures, to explore these critical questions. Blackbird has been at the forefront of Australian venture capital, backing iconic startups like Canva, SafetyCulture, and Culture Amp. Drawing from Nick’s deep experience, this conversation unpacks what founders need to know about choosing investors, avoiding pitfalls, and building lasting partnerships.

Nick also dives into what separates successful startups from the rest clear storytelling, well-balanced cap tables, and hiring the right early team members. If you're a founder, this episode is a must-listen for navigating the complex venture capital landscape.

In this episode, you will:

• Understand the common misconceptions about venture capital and why VCs may overstate their value.
• Learn why it’s critical to reference-check your investors and how to tactically approach it.
• Discover the key to early-stage success: clearly defining and passionately telling your story.
• Gain insights into the importance of hiring a strong operations/finance leader in your first 10 hires.
• Explore how founders can safeguard their health and attention to stay effective in the long term.
• Uncover the challenges Australian startups face in scaling and how the ecosystem can mature.
• Evaluate the impact of governance and board structures on a startup’s success.

The Pact

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Key links

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Learn more about Chris and Yaniv

Work 1:1 with Chris: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://chrissaad.com/advisory/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Chris on Linkedin: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Credits

Editor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Justin McArthur⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Content Strategist: Carolina Franco https://www.linkedin.com/in/francocarolina/

Intro Voice: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jeremiah Owyang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠