The Full Ratchet (TFR): Venture Capital and Startup Investing Demystified

This segment features Aaref Hilaly, a General Partner at Bain Capital Ventures, who emphasizes the power of active listening in venture capital. Alongside him, Alexander Niehenke of Scale Venture Partners advises new investors to slow down and truly enjoy the process. They discuss how building strong relationships and contributing non-obvious insights can significantly enhance a young investor's career. Valuable tips are shared that highlight the importance of engagement and appreciation in the world of venture capital.

In this special replay episode Aaref Hilaly of Bain Capital Ventures joins Nick to discuss The Biggest Misconceptions About AI Agents, Why Defensibility Doesn't Matter at Seed, and Whether the AI Center of Gravity Is Shifting to China. In this episode we cover: AI Investment Strategy and Market Utility Impact of AI on Jobs and Early Instances of Reasoning Open vs. Closed Source Models and Data Control Scenario Planning and Unique Insights of Backed Companies Infrastructure and Application Investment Focus Future of Vertical Solutions and Infrastructure Investment Guest Links: Twitter/X (guest) Guest's LinkedIn Company's LinkedIn Company's Website The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached. Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.

In this episode, venture capitalist Mike Maples Jr. shares insights alongside Vince Hsieh and Ryan Delk. Maples highlights the importance of hiring to mitigate risks and adopting strict criteria before launching a startup, exemplified by Kasser Yunus of Applied Intuition. Vince discusses how listening to others can drive rapid growth, while Ryan emphasizes integrity and tough decision-making shaped by his father's influence. Their experiences reveal what truly sets visionary founders apart in the startup landscape.

In this insightful discussion, Aaref Hilaly, a venture investor at Bain Capital Ventures, shares his critical lesson on the dangers of mistiming trends, particularly in cloud adoption. Somesh Dash, general partner at IVP, highlights the importance of collaborative decision-making and encourages investors to 'sleep on it' to ensure readiness before committing. Together, they explore the pitfalls of emotional investments and the necessity of trusting your gut when an opportunity feels confusing. Tune in for valuable insights from seasoned investors!

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Kevin Jiang of Mangusta Capital Shamin Walsh of BAM Ventures Shashank Saxena of Sierra Ventures We asked guests to share the best question they've ever been asked by an allocator. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached. Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.

Arianna Simpson of Andreessen Horowitz joins Nick to discuss The Crypto x AI Convergence, the Truth About Stablecoins, Tokens vs Equity, and Whether NFTs Will Make a Comeback. In this episode we cover: Stable Coins and Their Impact on Crypto Geopolitical and Regulatory Risks for Stable Coins Crypto's Role in the Financial System and Emerging Use Cases Investing in Tokens and Equity Institutional Adoption and Market Cycles Challenges and Opportunities in the Crypto Market Founders and Their Impact on Investment Decisions The Future of NFTs and Emerging Technologies Guest Links: Arianna's LinkedIn Arianna's X Andreessen Horowitz's LinkedIn Andreessen Horowitz's Website The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached. Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Chris Rizik of Renaissance Venture Capital Casber Wang of Sapphire Ventures Medha Agarwal of Defy We asked guests to describe the biggest change to their investment philosophy over the course of their career The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached. Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Jon Terbell and Ted Clark of FourBridge Partners Lara Banks of Makena Capital Management Jim Tananbaum of Foresite Capital We discuss major conflicts that guests have faced and how they resolved them. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached. Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.

This segment features Mike Maples Jr., a venture capitalist known for his early-stage investments, who reflects on his decision to pass on Airbnb in 2008 and the valuable lessons learned. Nnamdi Okike, partner at 645 Ventures, reveals how founder concerns led him to overlook Skype early on, impacting his investment trajectory. Hemant Mohapatra from Lightspeed India shares his regret about missing out on Postman due to a delayed decision, emphasizing the importance of acting swiftly when conviction strikes. A compelling discussion on lessons learned in venture capital!

Ethan Austin, founding partner at Outside VC and former MD of Techstars Denver, dives into the world of venture capital. He shares insights from his journey founding GiveForward and why outsider founders excel. With a focus on unique personalities, Ethan discusses the importance of timing over trends and the traits that make successful founders. He also explores redefining VC roles, fostering employee liquidity, and supporting founders with hands-on guidance in fintech and climate sectors. Get ready for a candid conversation on the evolving landscape of investment!