🎙️ E113: The Hard Truth About Winning in Startups

In this special 10X Growth Strategies panel, host Preethy Padmanabhan brings together three top voices from venture capital and private equity to decode how investors really evaluate startups today — beyond hype, beyond flashy demos, and beyond the AI noise.

Kayvan Baroumand (Founder, SignalRank), Patti Pan (General Partner, Solaris Venture Partners), and Aditya Naganath (Partner, Kleiner Perkins) share how the power-law plays out in real portfolios, what deep engagement metrics actually look like, why later-stage PE is shifting toward infrastructure and robotics, and how world-class funds pressure-test founders.

A fast, sharp conversation on what separates companies that scale — from those that stall.

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⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – 00:24 • Host Welcome – Preethy sets the stage
00:24 – 02:03 • Kayvan’s Intro – Power-law VC & AI-driven fund scoring
02:03 – 03:27 • New Venture Hub & Founder Support
03:27 – 04:36 • Patti’s Intro – PE, Data Centers & Robotics
04:36 – 06:03 • Founder Mindset & Why Artistry Matters
06:03 – 07:54 • Aditya’s Intro – Kleiner Perkins, History & Focus
07:54 – 09:20 • Investing in Early Enterprise & AI Trends
09:20 – 12:00 • Power Law in Action – Doubling Down & Pattern Recognition
12:00 – 15:00 • Picking Winners: What Real Signals Look Like
15:00 – 17:30 • Case Study: Sigma & Deep Engagement Metrics
17:30 – 19:40 • Evaluating Founders, Teams & Due Diligence
19:40 – 21:22 • High-Steam Companies & Early Red Flags
21:22 – 22:10 • What VCs Look for in AI Products
22:10 – 23:20 • Lightning Advice for Founders
23:20 – 24:00 • Closing & Next Session Transition