The Startup Solution
The Startup Solution tackles the make-or-break situations that entrepreneurs face, offering clear advice on how to survive and thrive in an early-stage company. Who’s it for? Founders, startup execs, and investors who want to learn from real-world situations, unpacked by Heidi Roizen, a “recovering" entrepreneur and current VC who has seen it all through 40 years and 40 boards.
Heidi uses a case method to unpack a new situation in each episode, breaking down why it’s a big deal and talking about how it was solved or could have been solved. The situations are from her direct experience, though all names and details have been changed to uphold our commitment to the Entrepreneur Protection Program.
Heidi has spent 40 years in the tech startup world, the first dozen years as an entrepreneur herself, and since then, 25 years as a venture capitalist. She’s served on over 40 boards, from seed stage to public companies. She also co-leads the Threshold Venture Fellows program at Stanford University and is a partner at Threshold Ventures.
Latest episodes
Sep 27, 2023 • 15min
The Case of the Company That Wasn’t
For the final episode of the first season of The Startup Solution, Heidi tackles what is, perhaps, the single most difficult thing an entrepreneur may ever have to do: wind down a company when it clearly just isn’t working. More information: https://www.threshold.vc/podcast/the-case-of-the-company-that-wasnot
Sep 20, 2023 • 15min
The Case of the Boardzilla Board Member
Felicia’s boardroom has become a battlefield due to the disruptive and even destructive behavior of one of her board members — but he is also one of her largest investors. Heidi lays out a variety of options for addressing this, including the nuclear one: how to unseat a board member who's causing problems. More information: https://threshold.vc/podcast/the-case-of-the-boardzilla-board-member
Sep 13, 2023 • 11min
The Case of the Exposed Compensation File
Carl, a startup CEO, accidentally left a list of every employee's pay and equity in the printer. Soon enough, it was circulating on the company Slack. Heidi helps him understand that the most troubling thing exposed wasn't the payroll. It was the company's lack of a proper compensation philosophy. More information: https://threshold.vc/podcast/the-case-of-the-exposed-compensation-file
Sep 6, 2023 • 15min
The Case of the Deadweight Co-Founder
In the process of closing her startup’s first round of outside capital, CEO Claire hit a snag. One of her co-founders had already left the company, and his massive share position for only a year of work concerned the new investor. Heidi explains how to allocate founder shares fairly, and what can be done if you may have already done it differently. More information: https://www.threshold.vc/podcast/the-case-of-the-deadweight-co-founder
Aug 30, 2023 • 11min
The Case of the Millionaire Mirage
Nate has a first-world problem: As VP of Engineering at a startup, he thought he'd become a millionaire when the company had its big exit — but he was crushed when he got only 5% of what he expected. Heidi helps Nate understand what likely went sideways, and what to consider the next time around. More info: https://www.threshold.vc/millionaire
Aug 23, 2023 • 12min
The Case of the Soggy Software
Heidi changes gears from recounting other entrepreneurs' challenges to share a story of her own from when she was the CEO of a software startup. Learn how a mishap with the office sprinkler system led to a reckoning about her company's culture. More information: http://www.threshold.vc/podcast/the-case-of-the-soggy-software
Aug 16, 2023 • 15min
The Case of the Strategic Sucker Punch
Trent hits a crisis when his strategic investor lets their term sheet expire, and his $50 million round falls apart. Strategic investors are a huge part of the startup ecosystem but differ from regular VCs. Learn about the pros and cons of strategic investors, and how to craft a good deal for both sides. More information: https://www.threshold.vc/podcast/the-case-of-the-strategic-sucker-punch
Aug 9, 2023 • 14min
The Case of the In-law Investors
JJ, a Threshold Venture Fellow at Stanford, has in-laws who want to pull money from their retirement fund to participate in a “friends and family” allocation in JJ's seed round. Heidi sets JJ straight about the ins and outs of seed investing — and suggests at least one way to reward his in-laws for their support without putting them at risk. More information: https://www.threshold.vc/podcast/the-case-of-the-in-law-investors
Aug 2, 2023 • 13min
The Case of the Downer Round
Founders often think of valuation as the grade at the top of the paper, which is why few things take an emotional toll like the prospect of a down round. When Ann's company is faced with just such a thing, Heidi explains that terms end up mattering more than valuation — and that a down round needn't be a downer. More information: https://threshold.vc/podcast/the-case-of-the-downer-round/
Jul 26, 2023 • 10min
The Case of the Boardroom Blow-up
When Priya informed her board that the company missed its quarterly sales target, she was met with a barrage of attacks. The real error wasn’t the business shortfall — it was how she managed the situation. Learn how to avoid her mistakes. More information: https://threshold.vc/podcast/the-case-of-the-boardroom-blow-up-1/
