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

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Adeyemi Ajao Ash Rust SC Moatti Each investor discusses a portfolio company that did not survive and why it was that they failed. To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.

Welcome back to TFR for another Cram Session. In these special releases, we have aggregated the takeaways and tips from previous episodes. In this installment, we will be recapping the following episodes:   138. How to Angel Invest Like the Best, Part 1 (Jason Calacanis) 139. How to Angel Invest like the Best, Part 2 (Jason Calacanis) 142. Beacon: An Engineering Systems Approach to Investing, Part 1 (Chris Farmer) 143. Beacon: Modernizing the VC Firm, Part 2 (Chris Farmer)   To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/  for all of our other episodes.   Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.

Mark Suster of Upfront Ventures joins Nick to discuss Economic Theory in Venture Capital. In this episode, we cover: You’ve written about a major lesson from Clayton Christensen’s book, the Innovator’s Dilemma, which was one of ‘deflationary economics.’ Can describe what this means and why it should be a focus for startups? In light of deflationary economics, what are the key questions that a founder should ask him/herself about the business? Why is it that incumbents have such a hard time responding to startups w/ this approach? What should new market entrants focus on when it comes to price vs. functionality? At a high-level what are your thoughts on the trade-offs between growth and profitability? What are your impressions of what Bryce Roberts is doing at Indie VC? How have your thoughts on investment psychology and economics been influenced by The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb? What other principles of economics, that we haven’t touched on, have informed your investment philosophy? In light of today’s topics, what are the key things you’re looking for in startups? Can you talk about Defy Ventures and your experience visiting California State Prison and the impact that Defy is having? To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: John Vrionis Bradley Tusk Oren Klaff Each investor describes the most unusual situation or pitch that they've encountered as an investor. To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.

Jason Whitney of IU Ventures joins Nick to discuss University-Affiliated Funds & Angel Networks. In this episode, we cover: Backstory/path to venture At IU you have 3 core initiatives - The Quarry, IU Venture Fund and the IU Angel Network. What's the focus of each? Talk about the investment focus for the IU Philanthropic Fund. What're the criteria to be eligible for funding? How does IU Ventures support the University's mission? How does it affect or benefit current students?   As a broader goal, I know the organization ultimately hopes to entice investors and entrepreneurs from around the country to return to Indiana as a result of participating in the network. Are you measuring this and are your efforts working thus far? So, a criticism of both university venture funds and angel groups is speed -- traditional angel groups and academia move slowly with investment decisions.  How do you combat that issue for founders raising on a tight timeline, trying to close a round? I was speaking with a university-affiliated investor just last week and he was saying, there's just not enough deal flow when you restrict investments to companies that have a specific university affiliation... do you agree/disagree? I've heard from a number of the Alumni Ventures Groups in recent years  -- there are folks leading funds and angel groups with alumni from a particular university... are you a part of this effort and what's your impression of the Alumni Ventures Groups? Let's talk more about the IU Angel Network. How do you go about becoming a member? What do you gain access to as a member? Aside from the university affiliation, which is appealing to many, what advantages and points of differentiation does IU Angels have vs. other angel groups? For the founders out there... why should they fight to get IU Ventures and/or IU Angels on their cap table -- how specifically are you driving success beyond that of other investors? Advice for investors? To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Craig Wortmann David Horowitz Cyan Banister Each investor illustrates a critical lesson learned about startup investing and how it's changed their approach. To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.

Can you give us a brief overview of Assure? Can you walk us through the history of how sidecars and/or angel groups have handled (or mishandled) these syndication style investments in previous decades? What are the pros and cons of utilizing an SPV as an LP or individual investors? Do the lead investors on these SPVs make money upfront -- initiation fees, mgmt fees, broker/transaction fees? Do you see fund managers that use SPVs exclusively for pro ratas? What are the advantages here? What are the regulatory risks for sidecar funds?

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Bobby Franklin Steve Glickman Cheryl Cheng Each investor discusses sectors, drivers and/or trends that may have a significant impact in the future and are potentially positioned for outsized-returns. To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.

M.G. Siegler of GV joins Nick to discuss Streaming Wars, The Future of Mobile & The Evolution of User Interaction. In this episode, we cover: Backstory/path to Venture How'd you find your way from Hollywood to SV? Who was the first VC that, based on your writing talent, saw your potential as an investor? Why did you leave Crunchfund for GV?  A little confusion about the array of venture funds affiliated with Google - can you give us a quick overview and whether there is still an affiliation between Google and GV? Tell us about your thesis. How hands-on do you get w/ portcos? How does Jony Ive's departure affect Apple? What are the most valuable consumer tech companies by market cap - five years from now? Right now, in the streaming market, we have a fragmented group of services yet know one platform to unify the user experience...  what do you see for the future of streaming? How do you see the competition between Apple and Disney play out?  Who wins? Just heard the announcement that Facebook is acquiring CTRL - Labs. Why do you think this is a good strategic buy for FB? removing monotony.... repetitive tasks....  mental fatigue....  Impact of constant stimulation, content consumption, on happiness, creativity, etc.? You’ve invested in some big names such as Medium, Slack and Stripe to name a few. What's the single biggest common success factor that you've observed across very different companies? What are some of the major trends we will see in mobile in the coming year and what do you think will phase out? Who is your favorite writer in the space? If you ever get around to writing your screenplay, what will you write about? To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Michael Cardamone Jenny Rooke Scott Dorsey Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out. To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.