Eric Liaw | The Hardest Early-Stage Problems Every Founder Faces

Yesterday at Slush 2025, we sat down with one of the most seasoned investors in the global venture landscape.Eric Liaw is a General Partner at IVP - the multi-billion-dollar firm behind companies like Coinbase, Supercell, Snapchat, and Zynga. Since joining IVP in 2011, Eric has partnered with some of the world’s most exceptional founders, backing category-defining businesses across consumer, B2B, infrastructure, gaming and more.Chapters:00:00 – Introduction00:25 – What Is “Keynote Bingo”?01:01 – Competing With Foundation Models01:47 – Freemium Pressure & Surviving Big Tech02:07 – IVP’s History & Eric’s Journey02:55 – What Great Founders Have in Common04:00 – Sectors IVP Is Watching Closely05:19 – How Founders Should Ask for Feedback06:45 – Hardest Early-Stage Problems07:48 – How To Run a Fundraising Process08:43 – Building Long-Term Investor Relationships09:46 – Advice Eric Would Give His Younger Self Huge thanks to Eric for making the time!#slush2025 #foundersandbuilders #ericliaw #ivp #venturecapital