Zach Coelius, venture capitalist specializing in early-stage investments, joins Jason to discuss the phases of early-stage startups, the state of VC, and answer live questions from the audience. Topics include finding product-market fit, advantages of builder/founder startups, startup soft landings, and the challenges of raising pre-seed funding.

Ryan Mac and Kate Conger, New York Times reporters and co-authors of "Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter," join Zach Coelius, a venture capitalist supporting Musk's management. They dive into a lively debate over Musk's impact on Twitter, exploring financial declines, advertising challenges, and the shifting sands of truth in social media. Insights emerge on the platform's operational struggles post-acquisition and the contrasting leadership styles of Musk and his predecessor, Jack Dorsey. A sharp look at the chaotic evolution of a once-favored platform.

Zach Coelius is BACK with Jason to take questions from founders and investors! They cover investing on Zoom post-COVID (6:07), diligence red flags (13:13), investor red flags (27:32), building relationships prior to fundraising (48:59), and more! (0:00) Jason Kicks off the show (1:21) Managing time as an angel (6:07) Moving to zoom instead of the room (9:50) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist (10:54) Servicing new deals vs. existing ones (13:13) Red flags to look for in a syndicate startup deal (20:18) Coda - The All-in-one doc for teams, sign up for free at https://coda.io/twist (21:47) Your options when there is no path to profitability (27:32) Red flags when courting angel investors (41:10) Contra - Get $500 off your first hire at https://contra.com/twist (42:35) Assumptions that have evolved (45:23) Recent learnings in the past few years (48:59) Building genuine relationships with investors (53:40) Difficulties in startups (57:37) Negotiating terms on deals FOLLOW Zach: https://twitter.com/zachcoelius FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood

Molly had a big board meeting today, so we had our guy Zach Coelius join for another version of Ask an Angel (1:32). Zach and Jason share their thoughts on remote work (4:40), the downturn (22:10), and then they answer audience questions (41:22). It’s a solid episode for founders and investors! (0:00) Jason intro’s today’s Ask an Angel episode with Zach Coelius (1:32) Ask an Angel with Zach Coelius (4:40) Zach’s thoughts on remote work (13:19) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/TWIST (14:37) Managing a company post-COVID (17:00) Who shines in the remote work era? (20:51) Notion - Get $250 off by using code TWIST at https://notion.so (22:10) The downturn: will people cancel or review their SaaS bills? (26:09) How many of Zach’s founders have prepped for the downturn? (30:50) Odoo - Get your first app free and a $1000 credit at https://odoo.com/twist (32:02) Don’t try to invest in pre-product market fit companies when you’re first starting out (unless you know the founder’s awesome) (41:22) Q&A: How do you think about competition in the same market in the early stages? (46:43) What are the top buzzwords you’re staying away from as investors right now? (59:00) Would you invest in SF? (1:04:00) How much dilution after seed rounds turns into a red flag? (1:06:14) Should the equity grant occur during financings or the board meeting? (1:09:15) What does Zach focus on in terms of diligence? (1:19:30) As a founder, when should you provide pro rata to angels and when not? (1:25:10) Have you ever advised a founder to leave the CEO role? (1:32:29) How long do you think the down market is going to be and what’s your strategy?

Jason does a Founder University segment on how to generate startup ideas (1:55), then Zach Coelius joins to take some "Ask an Angel" questions: what data points are most valuable when iterating on product (29:03), what skills are most important to be a success in VC (36:410), what skills are most important to be a success in VC (42:51).

Elizabeth Yin, a venture capitalist and co-founder of a startup accelerator and Zach Coelius, a successful entrepreneur and angel investor, join host David Weisburd to discuss trends in venture capital. They cover topics such as the growth of fund sizes, the resurgence of the Bay Area, the decrease in capital efficiency, the rise in unicorn companies but lack of liquidity, and top recent investments.

Check out Zach on AngelList: https://angel.co/p/zach-coelius FOLLOW Zach: https://twitter.com/zachcoelius FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

Zach Coelius joins Jason to answer live listener questions (1:09), and then the pair discuss Apple's recent debacle in firing Antonio Garcia Martinez after being pressured by employees (42:43). Check out the pod notes here: https://bitly.com/e1215notes

Jason discusses how founders can secure follow on funding (1:57), then is joined by investor Zach Coelius to answer listener questions on technical co-founders (38:21), successful founder traits (40:41), founder red flags (46:07), why startups fail diligence (56:17) and more.

In a Founder University segment, Jason compares running a bootstrapped vs. venture-backed company (1:17), discusses 'pegasus' companies (11:09), advises what types of businesses should take VC (23:59), and explains what motivates VCs (33:27). Then Zach Coelius joins to take some listener questions (38:48).