"Turpentine VC" | Venture Capital and Investing

Joe Lonsdale, founder of 8VC, discusses revitalizing declining sectors in the U.S. They cover solutions for education, prison reform, homelessness, healthcare, defense, and more. Emphasizing policy and market-driven solutions, they offer insights on addressing systemic problems and creating impactful change.

Jason Lemkin, founder of SaaStr, discusses the intersection of VC, media, and events. He emphasizes the importance of marketing for VCs, the idea of 'edge' in venture, and the challenges of scaling large communities. The conversation also touches on the evolution of his business, the distinctions between media and software businesses, and strategies for business growth and transitions.

Marc Andreessen, co-founder of a16z, discusses his intellectual influences, global governance, and the impact of elites on policies. The podcast explores the dynamics between left and right ideologies, the role of CEOs like Elon Musk, elite circles, utilitarianism, evolution of meritocracy, nationalism vs. global governance, and consequences of past policies and educational failures.

James Currier, a partner at NFX, discusses founder authenticity, skepticism towards B2B marketplaces, and NFX's investment approach. He shares insights on investing strategies, the role of software in venture business, and the challenges and opportunities in building consumer marketplaces. The conversation also touches on the impacts of COVID on company building and the importance of sector specialization for successful investing.

Scott Belsky shares his angel investing journey, investments in Pinterest and Uber, evaluating the market, failed products due to timing, and thoughts on the future of work and productivity. He discusses his investment philosophy, capacity to become an investor, and current investment interests, highlighting consumer social views and thematic investing in small businesses.

Will Quist discusses Slow Ventures' unique venture thesis, the evolution of VC models, treating VC like a PhD program, funding new data sets, success in VC, franchise opportunities, and strategic decision-making in venture capital.

The podcast features an interview with Kirsten Green discussing her journey to create Forerunner Ventures, the story behind Dollar Shave Club, making investment decisions, and maintaining strong relationships with LPs. It also covers topics like observing consumer behavior, early-stage investing, innovative ad platforms, navigating challenges in venture capital, and insights on investing in the consumer sector.

Mike Maples shares insights on building successful startups, Thunder Lizard perspective, missed opportunities like Airbnb, and the future of VC. The discussion covers navigating the idea maze, investing in non-consensus ideas, fostering artistic vision in startup teams, and the evolution of Justin TV to Twitch. It also explores operator angels, the future of seed markets in venture capital, tech trends, fund strategies, blitz scaling, and the essence of entrepreneurship and investing.

Chris Dixon discusses AI, crypto, and Web3 in depth, highlighting the collision of AI and crypto, challenges in Web3 adoption, and the importance of open protocols. He explores the evolution of technology trends, the influence of blockchain networks, and the challenges faced by technology start-ups in the blockchain era.

Michael Dempsey, Managing Partner at Compound, discusses thesis-driven vs founder-driven investing, Compound's AI thesis, company building opportunities, ways to win at venture, advice for emerging managers, evolution of AI investing, exploring potential outcomes of increased capital, tech bio innovations, fertility investments, technical risk in venture capital investing, and strategies for seed fund managers in an insightful and engaging conversation.