The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

Chad Peets, a seasoned sales leader and advisor with a track record at Snowflake and X, dives into the gritty reality of sales recruitment. He discusses the challenges of hiring in Europe, emphasizing the need for obsessive, mission-driven talent. Chad shares insights into what makes a great salesperson, the futility of remote work for sales teams, and strategies to boost performance rapidly. He also touches on the evolving impact of AI on sales roles and stresses the importance of cultural fit when building successful teams.

The podcast dives into Groq's staggering $20B acquisition by NVIDIA, examining the strategic implications and market dynamics. They also discuss Meta's $2B acquisition of Manus and the factors influencing early exit decisions for founders. The conversation shifts to OpenAI's compensation strategies and how AI may disrupt venture capitalists' roles. Furthermore, they highlight the rise of 'invisible unemployment' and its impact on the future labor market, prompting a reevaluation of the IPO landscape and the balance between public and private company dynamics.

Alan Chang, Co-founder and CEO of Fuse Energy, discusses his rapid ascent in the startup world, scaling revenue from $2M to $400M in just three years. He emphasizes the need for ambition and hard work, advocating that weekend efforts are essential for success. Drawing from his time at Revolut, he highlights the importance of urgency and ownership in leadership. Chang also challenges the narrative around renewable energy, discussing the realities of grid constraints and contrasting approaches to energy deployment in China. His insights on talent recruitment and fostering a high-performance culture are invaluable!

Matt Fitzpatrick, CEO of Invisible Technologies and former McKinsey senior partner, dives into the crucial role of forward-deployed engineers in AI adoption. He argues that enterprises can’t fully embrace AI without these experts, highlighting the gap between AI model advancements and slow enterprise deployment. The conversation also covers the evolving data labeling landscape, the importance of quality data, and how human feedback remains invaluable in AI training. Fitzpatrick's insights emphasize the need for specialized strategies as AI reshapes industries.

In this engaging discussion, Jason Lemkin, SaaS entrepreneur and founder of SaaStr, and Rory O'Driscoll, a seasoned venture capitalist, delve into their predictions for 2026. They highlight Dario Amodei as a standout founder and discuss the impact of companies like Salesforce and Databricks. The duo explores the biggest surprises of 2025, including talent wars, and share insights on top tech stocks to watch. They also debate the potential impacts of AI on employment and speculate on upcoming IPOs, making for a thought-provoking and entertaining conversation.

Gérald Marolf, Chief Product Officer at On Running, brings a wealth of experience from brands like Microsoft and Ferrari. He discusses why many great products fail to evoke emotion and shares lessons learned from his journey. Gérald emphasizes the risks of physical vs digital products, argues that 'simple design' can be misleading, and admits that listening to customers too much can lead to mistakes. He reflects on brand personality, the importance of timing in product launches, and names intriguing future collaborators.

Lightspeed raises a staggering $9 billion, shifting dynamics for early-stage VCs. Disney's $1 billion investment in OpenAI propels discussions about IP rights in the AI space. The threat of AI is real, with firms at risk of being 'maimed' by competition. Cursor takes aim at Figma by blending design and coding tools. Plus, is a $1.5 trillion SpaceX IPO on the horizon? The team debates market appetites and the implications of such a massive valuation.

David George, a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, leads a team known for investing in transformative companies like Stripe and OpenAI. He discusses why larger funds can outperform smaller ones and the strategic advantages of staying private longer. The conversation touches on the evolving landscape of AI investments, the importance of founder strengths, and how revenue and margins are shifting in this new era. George also reveals insights on missed opportunities like Anthropic and defends the controversial $300M investment in Adam Neumann's Flow.

Raaz Herberg, CMO and VP of Product Strategy at Wiz, has been pivotal in scaling the company to a multi-billion-dollar powerhouse. He reveals the secrets behind Wiz’s initial success, including prioritizing customer outcomes and mastering enterprise sales. Raaz discusses the dangers of self-deception, the underrated value of branding, and why adaptable teams thrive. He also shares his insights on hiring effective marketing talent and the transformative impact of AI on engineering and marketing practices, predicting a shift towards custom tools in the enterprise space.

Rory O'Driscoll, a venture capitalist known for his expertise in tech valuations, and Jason Lemkin, a savvy SaaS investor, dive into the high-stakes world of venture capital. They dissect SpaceX's staggering $800 billion valuation and explore the implications for upcoming IPOs in 2026, including predictions on firms like Anthropic and Databricks. The duo also debates Netflix’s audacious acquisition of Warner Brothers and whether legal AI startup Harvey can sustain its growth amidst fierce competition. Tune in for insights on the evolving app landscape and the impact of AI on industries!