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

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Paul Martino Evangelos Simoudis Ben Narasin   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.

Roy Bahat of Bloomberg Beta joins Nick to discuss VCs Ride the Bus, Comeback Cities & Unorthodox Investing. In this episode, we cover: Backstory / Path to Bloomberg Beta Bloomberg Beta has taken a self-described "unorthodox approach"-- Tell us about your approach and why it's unique. I was exploring your page on Github and noticed that you've open sourced the entire operating manual-- why'd you do so and do you think other VCs should do the same? What's worked and what hasn't? You've talked about how you struggled figuring out what you wanted to do for a living. Have you figured it out? So, last year a number of SF-based VCs got on a bus and traveled the Midwest in what they called the Comeback Cities tour. Tell us about the experience and why you and others came to the Midwest to look for opportunities? How did the tour lead to a venture fund? Why do you think it's important to work w/ angels in the Midwest? What surprised you on the trip? Can you talk a bit about machine intelligence and how it's impacting the future of work? How do you see the VC asset class changing over the next few years?

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Sarah Anderson Tim O'Reilly Vic Pascucci   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.

Bradley Tusk of Tusk Ventures joins Nick to discuss Corruption, Extortion and the Fight Against Entrenched Interests-- How a VC Saves Startups from Death by Politics. In this episode, we cover: Why and how did you get into VC? You have a nice model where you generate revenue through Tusk Strategies, which allows you to hire great talent and invest forward in startups. How has the model changed over time and how is the organization structured today? How were you able to get allocations and generate dealflow when you were new to VC? You spent some time in Illinois w/ an infamous Governor of our's... and you're very candid in the book about the issues and illegal acts that Rod Blagoyevich instructed you to do. Give us some of the highlights and lowlights from the experience. You highlight the importance of narrative many times throughout the book. Can you touch on the key points w/ regard to picking and framing your narrative for tech startups? You've said that when large industry incumbents are disrupted, "they punch back, and they punch hard"... have you seen situations where startups have died b/c of response of a large incumbent? Talk about some of your experiences. Have you worked w/ any tech companies who's mission doesn't align w/ your political beliefs? How can you possibly win a prolonged battle going jurisdiction by jurisdiction? I enjoyed the section of the book you call "Pick your enemies = Win Your Battles (Strangle the baby in the crib). What's the best message founders can take away from this chapter? We've all heard a lot about the political issues w/ independent contracts vs. employees. Uber has been the headliner in the media but you also cite Handy, in the book, the platform that connects independent handymen w/ home owners... what's been your involvement w/ this issue and where do we stand? Talk a bit about your interactions w/ Elon and the work you did w/ Tesla against the dealership incumbents. You close the book w/ an emphasis on voting and the importance of mobile voting. You've even said that mobile voting is "the biggest disruption fight of them all" and that "restoring our true democracy-- and actually confronting our nation's deepest problem."

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: David Cohen Ben Einstein Jordan Nof 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.

Jim Tananbaum of Foresite Capital joins Nick to discuss Growth Investing in Biotech, Genomics and Pharma. In this episode, we cover: -His 25 years in the industry working as both an entrepreneur and investor.. often at the same time -Jim's investment focus at Foresight -The major changes in biotech over the past two decades -The key elements he looks for in a business -The main drivers causing more opportunity in the sector -The key challenges to investing in biotech, pharma and genomics -The role of data science in their process -How the experience of building and IPO'ing companies has helped Jim as an investor -How they target specific areas to invest in -Jim's take on predatory pharmaceutical pricing -And finally how some of these solutions might become more affordable for more people that need them

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Brian Ascher Joe Medved Ash Fontana Each investor discusses sectors, drivers and/or trends that may have significant impact in the future and are potentially positioned for outsized-returns.

Wayne Kimmel of SeventySix Capital joins Nick to discuss Sports Tech and the Future of eSports. In this episode, we cover: Talk about the investment focus and approach of your firm When did Ryan Howard start working w/ you and how did he become a part of the leadership team? Talk a bit about sports tech has evolved over the past decade. All these players or former players are getting involved on the investment-side... some pretty savvy, some more green... good thing or bad thing? What lens or framework does your firm use to segment the sportstech landscape? I've heard SportsTech categorized into Athlete performance tech, broadcast audience enjoyment tech, and In-person experience tech. Do you consider startups in these categories and where have you seen the most opportunities? eSports (ie. video games as a sport)... has exploded in popularity. Talk a bit about what you're seeing in esports and how you're approaching it from an investment standpoint. I know a number of sportstech investors that avoid the youth, amateur and collegiate markets, b/c they think all the money is in the professional markets. Missed opportunity or is there something to this position? Lessons from owning the USFL champions, the Stars? What are the specific ways you get involved with portfolio companies? You've spoken a lot about the importance of networking, and even wrote a book about it. What key lessons do you have for listeners w/ regard to networking?

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Rebecca Kaden James Hardiman Evangelos Simoudis   Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out.

Tae Hea Nahm of Storm Ventures joins Nick to discuss Go-to-Market Fit, Tidal Waves, Category Leadership & Split-Personalities. In this episode, we cover: You’ve been very successful with exits- is there a framework you apply to identify these? With your expansive experience in Venture, do you believe are changes necessary in the silicon valley mentality? You said you love to take the subway and observe what people are doing- what are some things you are spotting now and what are you spotting across the world. Through your recent observations, what is the next big thing you are testing in Korea? You’ve stated that founders have to stay both pragmatic and ambitious. In tech it’s often a problem when you build out infrastructure or sales before everything is ready. On the flip side sharing too many problems or issues with your team and investors will make them wary. Have you had any of these occurrences with finding a balance and what would you advise the audience as solutions. How do you actually identify true passion in founders and what are the criteria you use for this? In your book you talk about the 3 go to market elements. How long did it take you to realize these 3 things?