Nick Dolik is a NYC-based investor, currently the Managing Director at TriplePoint Capital, and is focused on supporting founders and funding high-growth technology companies. Nick is passionate about entrepreneurship and has spent the past ~10 years backing various startups, including multiple unicorns.

Discussed in this Episode:

The current state of the financing environment for startups.
Venture debt: what it is, how it works, and why it exists.
Advantages of venture debt for founders and when to consider it.
The importance of building long-term relationships in the venture capital world.
Nick's unconventional path into venture capital and lessons learned.
The value of getting "closer to the sun" when pursuing a career in VC.
Common misconceptions about the founder-investor relationship.

Highlights:
[12:26] – The current financing environment for startups.
[24:45] – Nick explains venture debt and its benefits for founders.
[39:30] – Nick shares his journey from credit derivatives to venture capital.
[47:22] – The importance of getting "closer to the sun" in pursuing a VC career.
[51:30] – Advice for founders approaching their first fundraise.
[59:41] – One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Nick thinks is bull$***
[1:04:01] – One thing that is working for Nick in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (Nick Dolik):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ndolik/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsors:

Brought to you by Flex. Flex is a finance super app built around a credit card with unique Net-60 day terms that enables businesses to make an investment today and pay it back 60 days later with zero percent interest. If your business growth is constrained by the cashflow you need for inventory, advertising, or something else, Flex could provide you with an interesting growth lever.
Brought to you by Orum. Orum is an AI-powered live conversation platform designed to supercharge sales activity, connect sales teams, and drive more revenue over the phone. Orum’s platform includes an AI-dialer that automates the manual aspects of calling and get sales reps into more conversations, a virtual sales floor for teams to build camaraderie and learn from one another, as well as analytics and coaching tools to help teams improve together.

The GTMnow Podcast
The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Trust Philosophy with Mark Given