Investing in Startups

Rick Timmins delivers a primer on angel investing. Rick is a veteran angel investor and financier with a fascinating career. He served in senior roles with Motorola and Cisco at the height of their powers, was a semi-pro poker player, and today sits on 5 boards including the Angel Capital Association. We talked about the craft of angel investing, the potential rewards and pitfalls, and some of the lessons Rick learned from his decades of experience as a tech executive.   Investing in Startups is hosted by Joe Magyer and produced by Seaplane Ventures.

Adi Levanon is the Founder of Selah Ventures. Selah is a Tel-Aviv-based firm that is a first-check investor into fintech startups that are building in the US. We talked about fintech, why Israel has more unicorns per capita than the US, the state of the Israeli venture scene today, and the advantages of being a solo GP.   Investing in Startups is hosted by Joe Magyer and produced by Seaplane Ventures.

Rajiv Bala is the Co-Founder of Clutch VC. Clutch is an Austin-based firm that makes Seed investments in B2B software. We talked about the importance of staying true to your investment thesis, the strategy that enabled Clutch to raise a strong first fund despite a terrible environment, and whether it’s true that you have to be in a billion dollar deal to produce a great venture fund. Please enjoy.   Investing in Startups is hosted by Joe Magyer and produced by Seaplane Ventures.

Nick Moran is the Founder and General Partner of New Stack Ventures. Nick is also the host of The Full Ratchet, the first VC podcast that started back in May 2014. We discussed how New Stack adds value, why Nick is focused on deals outside the Bay area, and why access is overrated. Please enjoy. Investing in Startups is produced by Seaplane Ventures. You can follow host Joe Magyer on LinkedIn or on X at @Magyer.

Avlok Kohli is the CEO of AngelList. Avlok is a serial entrepreneur who came on to lead AngelList in 2019. The platform has grown massively since then and now has $124 billion in assets. We explore AngelList's strategy, the state of play in venture, why GPs shouldn't get their hopes up for a liquid secondary market, and Avlok's approach to angel investing. Investing in Startups is produced by Seaplane Ventures. You can follow host Joe Magyer on LinkedIn or on at @Magyer.

Our guest this week is Morgan Housel. Morgan is a partner at Collaborative Fund and the best-selling author of The Psychology of Money and his new book, Same As Ever. He is an award-winning columnist from his days of writing for The Motley Fool and The Wall Street Journal. We discussed what you can and can’t learn from studying great investors, what surprised Morgan about moving from public to private markets, and what Morgan has changed his mind on over the years. It was a really fun conversation. Please enjoy. Investing in Startups is produced by Seaplane Ventures. You can follow host Joe Magyer on LinkedIn or on X at @Magyer.

Our guest this week is Chris Douvos, the Founder and Managing Director of Ahoy Capital. We explore why Chris is focused on emerging managers, what led him to a concentrated strategy, what he has changed his mind on over the years, and what keeps him up at night. Please enjoy this fun conversation. Investing in Startups is produced by Seaplane Ventures. You can follow host Joe Magyer on LinkedIn or on X at @Magyer.

Our guest this week is Martin Tobias, the Founder of Incisive Ventures. Incisive is a Seattle-based firm that invests in pre-seed software startups in the US and beyond. Prior to starting Incisive, Martin was a highly successful angel investor and a serial entrepreneur who served as the CEO of 3 venture-backed startups.  We discuss why Martin loves pre-seed investing, valuation trends, the challenges and opportunities that come with investing abroad, and why investors should be careful to not put too much weight on the reputations of their coinvestors. Investing in Startups is produced by Seaplane Ventures. You can follow host Joe Magyer on LinkedIn or on X at @Magyer.