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

Nihal Mehta of Eniac Ventures joins Nick to discuss The Human Rolodex, How the 2021 VC Vintage will Perform, and the Importance of Partnership Dynamics. In this episode we cover:   How do you think about active management of relationships over time? Do you have any advice, tricks, or tips? What is something you would have told yourself when you started Eniac? How have you built the team over time and thought about roles, responsibilities, skill sets required, and driving value/outcomes for the firm? What do you look for in a fund manager? Where do 2020 and 2021 Vintage Funds rank? What inspired you to start the 100K Pledge?  Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.  

Yanev Suissa of SineWave Ventures joins Nick to discuss Public Sector Tech, the Merits of Hyper Concentration, and Why Google is More Frightening than the NSA. In this episode we cover: You've talked about investing "where the Valley, the Fortune 500, and the public sector intersect". How is this different from the typical Valley-based investor?  Are there any advantages to working with public sector buyers?  Is there legislative risk you take on by selling to an administration?  Where do you see the biggest opportunities are coming out of the infrastructure bill?  Rapid fire round of questions. Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out. Did you miss our guests full length episodes? David Goldberg Episode 272 Nicole Quinn Episode 279 Spencer Maughan Episode 284 Jonathan Ebinger Episode 302 For other great episodes, go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/27155166/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/TFR_Pod).

Manan Mehta of Unshackled Ventures joins Nick to discuss Selection at Day 0, Investing in Immigrants, and Navigating Founder-Problem Fit. In this episode we cover: What is investing at Day 0? What unique challenges do you face in backing immigrant founders? How do you approach sourcing and how you do it differently than other firms? What is Founder-Problem Fit? Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Tim Guleri Amy Nauiokas Sach Chitnis Guy Perelmuter Each investor discusses a portfolio company that did not survive and why it was that they failed. Did you miss our guests full length episodes? For other great episodes, go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/27155166/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/TFR_Pod).

Tony Wilkins of Standing Oaks Venture Partners joins Nick to discuss Identifying Stand-outs at Pre-Seed, Coaching High-Growth Leaders, and Leveling the Playing Field for Underrepresented Founders. In this episode we cover: Are leaders born or made? How do you select for potentially great leaders at the very beginning of their business journey? How do you think about building a strong and healthy culture within a firm?  What's the most important thing for an angel investor to know when they start investing? What will it take to level the playing field for founders? 

Each investor discusses sectors, drivers and/or trends that may have significant impact in the future and are potentially positioned for outsized-returns. Did you miss our guests full length episodes? Ben Wiener Vanessa Larco Victor Pascucci Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/27155166/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/TFR_Pod).

Jonathan Lehr of Work-Bench joins Nick to discuss IT and Enterprise Tech Investing, The Realities and Myths of PLG, and The Past and Future of NYC Tech. In this episode we cover: Walk us through your background and path to VC. Tell us a little more about the thesis at Work-Bench.  On your website, you mention you invest in "seed and seed II" startups. What is a seed II? What sort of myths are there around PLG companies? How do you advise startups to price their products? Mark Suster recently Tweeted…  "If you look at our industry, it's now awash with capital that requires every firm to get very focused on where its edge comes from. If you're not a bulge-bracket VC, choose your positioning wisely"(stage, sector, geography, founder access) … way too many firms are generic". What are your thoughts on the financing environment? You've been a part of the New York tech ecosystem for about a decade now. How has the tech scene evolved over the past 10 years or so?  There was a dogma for a while that enterprise startups had to be built in Silicon Valley. Why do you think this is a mistaken belief? Missed a recent episode? Go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.    

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured:   Nikhil Basu Trivedi Alfred Chuang Monique Woodard Ben Sun Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out. Did you miss our guests full length episodes? For other great episodes, go to The Full Ratchet blog and catch up! Also, follow us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/27155166/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/TFR_Pod).