Pitch Deck

In this conversation, Shane Neman, a seasoned entrepreneur and venture capitalist, shares his insights on unique investment opportunities across various asset classes, including real estate and technology. He discusses the importance of understanding market dynamics, the significance of social signaling in venture capital, and the key traits he looks for in early-stage founders. Shane emphasizes the value of hard work and ingenuity in building successful businesses, while also providing practical advice for founders on networking and validating their ideas before seeking investment.Keywordsinvestment, venture capital, entrepreneurship, real estate, tech startups, founder advice, unique opportunities, portfolio management, early-stage investment, networkingTakeawaysInvesting across various asset classes can yield unique opportunities.Understanding market dynamics is crucial for making informed investment decisions.Social signaling plays a significant role in venture capital.Founders should focus on concise communication to capture investor interest.Building a strong network is essential for founders without existing connections.Demonstrating traction through early tests can validate business ideas.Bootstrapping can be a viable path to success for many founders.Investors prefer companies that do not necessarily need their money.Hard work and ingenuity are key traits for successful entrepreneurship.Being accessible and open about investments can foster better relationships with founders.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Shane Neman08:00 Investment Strategies and Portfolio Allocation15:15 Key Signals in Early-Stage Founders22:10 Understanding Traction and Validation29:06 Bootstrapping and Going from Zero to One Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this conversation, Hector Mason, a partner at Episode 1 Ventures, shares valuable insights into early-stage fundraising, misconceptions founders have, and what excites investors about startups. He discusses the importance of understanding customer problems, the significance of hiring standards, and the evolving landscape of venture capital. Hector emphasizes the need for founders to stay close to their customers and the impact of execution pace on investment decisions. The discussion also touches on behavioral roadblocks, red flags in pitches, and the dynamics of remote versus in-office work for startups.Keywordsventure capital, early stage funding, startup advice, founder insights, investor relations, fundraising misconceptions, startup validation, hiring strategies, scaling startups, competitive landscapeTakeawaysThe perceived power dynamic between VCs and founders can hinder productive conversations.A compelling product demo can significantly influence investor interest.Founders must focus on solving real customer problems to succeed.Hiring standards are crucial for building a successful startup team.Staying close to customers is essential for understanding their needs.Behavioral roadblocks can prevent the adoption of new solutions.Red flags in pitches include overconfidence and lack of clarity.Validation from potential customers is key for pre-revenue startups.The early-stage funding landscape has become more efficient and selective.Pace of execution is a critical factor in attracting investment.TitlesNavigating Early Stage Fundraising with Hector MasonInsights from a Venture Capitalist: Hector MasonThe Dynamics of Startup Funding and Founder RelationshipsSound Bites"A great product demo is really compelling.""Gamification is often ineffective.""Hiring standards are crucial for success.""You should go speak to those companies.""Staying close to customers is so important.""The pace of execution impresses me so much."Chapters00:00 Introduction to Hector Mason and Episode One Ventures02:00 Misconceptions in Early Stage Fundraising04:30 What Excites Investors About Founders06:55 Standout Points for Pre-Seed Startups09:13 Understanding Behavioral Roadblocks11:37 Red Flags in Decks and First Calls14:13 Navigating the Competitive Landscape14:56 Validation for Pre-Revenue Startups17:57 Changes in the Early Stage Funding Landscape19:41 Key Lessons for Scaling Startups21:50 Hiring Strategies for Early Stage Founders24:19 Common Advice for Early Stage Founders26:04 Reasons Startups Fail Before Series A27:12 Office vs. Remote Work for Startups28:51 Engaging Founders in Two-Way Conversations30:21 The Importance of Pace of Execution Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Sriram Gollapalli, a seasoned entrepreneur and angel investor, shares insights into the world of angel investing. He emphasizes the importance of the founder's qualities over the business model itself, discusses the challenges and opportunities in B2B and B2C investments, and provides valuable advice for underrepresented founders. Sriram also highlights the significance of storytelling in pitches, the traits that make a successful founder, and the essentials of a compelling pitch deck.Keywordsangel investing, startup funding, founder qualities, B2B, B2C, pitch deck, underrepresented founders, investment strategies, entrepreneurship, startup adviceTakeawaysBetting on the founder is crucial in angel investing.B2C investments can be riskier but also more exciting.Understanding the problem space is key for founders.Storytelling is essential for engaging investors.Energy and adaptability are vital traits for founders.Customer validation is necessary before seeking investment.Cold outreach to angels should be personalized and relevant.Authenticity and transparency are critical in pitches.Founders should aim for realistic financial projections.Investors appreciate a clear relationship to the problem being solved.TitlesThe Art of Angel Investing with Sriram GollapalliNavigating the Startup Landscape: Insights from an Angel InvestorUnderstanding the Role of Founders in Angel InvestmentsSound Bites"I really bet on the founder.""B2C is certainly riskier.""Energy is key for founders.""Never pay to pitch.""Be authentic and transparent.""You are here to get advice."Chapters00:00 Introduction to Angel Investing and Sriram's Background02:56 The Importance of Founders in Investment Decisions05:58 Evaluating B2B vs B2C Investments09:00 Understanding the Angel Investment Perspective11:54 The Balance of Storytelling and Realism in Pitches14:57 Key Traits Founders Should Exhibit18:07 Advice for Underrepresented Founders21:05 Cold Outreach Strategies for Founders24:07 What Makes a Compelling Pitch Deck32:54 Conclusion and Key Takeaways Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this conversation, Nick Telson-Sillett interviews Marcus Lang, a partner at Speedinvest, who shares insights from his unique journey as an operator-turned-investor in the SaaS space. Marcus discusses the importance of understanding the founder's journey, the role of gut feel in assessing potential investments, and the ideal composition of founder teams. He emphasizes the opportunities presented by AI in traditional industries and the evolving importance of go-to-market strategies. Finally, Marcus provides valuable advice on what makes an effective pitch deck for early-stage investors.KeywordsSaaS, venture capital, startup, founder journey, AI, go-to-market strategy, pitch deck, investment, early-stage funding, team dynamicsTakeawaysMarcus Lang's journey from operator to investor provides unique insights.Understanding the founder's emotional journey is crucial for investors.Gut feel in assessing founders is developed through experience.Two to three founders often create the best team dynamics.AI presents significant opportunities for traditional industries.Go-to-market strategies are becoming a critical competitive advantage.The pitch deck serves as a proxy for a founder's capabilities.Investors look for clarity and design in pitch decks.Founders should showcase their product in their pitch.Building a scalable go-to-market strategy is essential for fundraising.TitlesThe Operator's Edge in Venture CapitalThe Role of Gut Feel in Investment DecisionsSound Bites"You only understand the roller coaster if you lived it.""It's about grit and energy, not just numbers.""Gut feel is created through experience."Chapters00:00 Introduction to Marcus Lang and His Journey04:34 Assessing Founders: The Role of Gut Feel09:01 The Ideal Founder Team Composition10:25 AI's Impact on SaaS: Opportunities and Challenges15:07 Go-to-Market Strategies as a New Moat24:11 The Importance of the Pitch Deck Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this conversation, Jason Kirby, co-founder and CEO of Thunder VC, shares his insights on the venture capital landscape, the importance of understanding what it means to be a venture-backable business, and the various funding options available to startups. He emphasizes the need for founders to assess their goals, the market potential, and the implications of pursuing venture capital. Jason also discusses the significance of profitability and offers practical advice on crafting an effective pitch deck for angel investors.Keywordsventure capital, startup funding, angel investing, business growth, capital efficiency, pitch deck, entrepreneurship, startup ecosystem, Thunder VC, Jason KirbyTakeawaysNot every startup needs to pursue venture capital.Founders often chase venture funding without understanding its implications.Assessing whether a business is venture-backable is crucial for founders.Capital efficiency is important, but VCs often prefer aggressive growth strategies.There are alternative funding options beyond traditional venture capital.Grants can be a valuable source of funding for startups.Profitability can provide more options for funding and growth.A compelling pitch deck should highlight the founder's credibility and story.Understanding the VC landscape can help founders find the right fit for funding.The path to profitability can lead to better funding opportunities.TitlesThe Realities of Startup FundingNavigating the Venture Capital LandscapeSound Bites"Not every startup needs to get VC.""Chasing venture can lead to failure.""What's your real North Star as a founder?"Chapters00:00 Introduction to Jason Kirby and Thunder VC02:55 Understanding Venture Capital and Its Implications06:04 Assessing Venture-Backable Businesses08:50 The Reality of Capital Efficiency in Venture11:46 Navigating the VC Landscape: Finding the Right Fit15:01 Exploring Alternative Funding Options20:57 The Path to Profitability and Its Importance26:53 Crafting a Killer Pitch Deck for Angels Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Bradley, a partner at Salica Investments, discusses the importance of nurturing startups and specializing in specific sectors. He emphasizes the need for venture capitalists to provide assistance and expertise to help companies develop and scale. Tom also highlights the significance of building durable businesses with defensibility and solving big problems. He shares insights on team evolution, hiring, and the importance of being flexible and open to feedback. Tom also discusses internationalization and the attributes of a great pitch deck.Keywordsstartups, venture capital, nurturing, specialization, scaling, defensibility, team evolution, hiring, flexibility, feedback, internationalization, pitch deckTakeawaysNurturing startups is crucial for venture capitalists, who provide capital and expertise to help founders develop and scale their companies.Specializing in specific sectors allows venture capitalists to better influence the success of the companies they invest in.Building durable businesses with defensibility and solving big problems is key to long-term value.Team evolution involves a combination of commercial and technical leadership, value alignment, and the ability to delegate and make necessary changes.Being flexible, open to feedback, and constantly thinking about what's next are important for success.Internationalization should be approached strategically, with a focus on proving success in the home market before expanding.A great pitch deck should highlight the problem, unique solution, team capabilities, and provide unique insights that make the reader learn something new.TitlesStrategic InternationalizationAttributes of a Great Pitch DeckSound Bites"We believe that those companies can benefit from assistance along the way.""Our level of specialism is able to better influence the outcome for the companies that we invest in.""We like there to be a combination of commercial and technical leadership in the business."Chapters00:00 Introduction and Background06:33 Building Durable Businesses with Defensibility08:53 Team Evolution and Hiring Strategies13:22 Flexibility, Feedback, and What's Next17:16 Strategic Internationalization19:49 Attributes of a Great Pitch Deck Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul Lehair, Partner, at Albion VC, discusses the key factors they look for when investing in startups, including product-market fit, revenue potential, and differentiation from competitors. He emphasizes the importance of clear storytelling, traction, and customer satisfaction. Lehair also shares insights on investing in AI companies, the challenges of competitive markets, and the value of scenario planning to avoid failure. He concludes by highlighting the significance of personalization and uniqueness in pitch decks to grab investors' attention.Keywordsstartup investment, product-market fit, revenue potential, differentiation, AI companies, competitive markets, scenario planning, failure, pitch decksTakeawaysInvestors look for startups with clear product-market fit, demonstrated through customer satisfaction and repeat business.Revenue potential and scalability are important factors in determining investment readiness.Differentiation from competitors is crucial, whether through unique technology, proprietary data sets, or deep industry knowledge.Investing in AI companies requires careful evaluation of long-term value and differentiation beyond hype.Startups in competitive markets can succeed by providing superior value and positioning themselves as second-wave disruptors.Founders should engage in scenario planning and maintain optionality to avoid running out of funds.The number of founders is less important than their passion, vision, and ability to execute.Pitch decks should tell a clear and unique story, demonstrate traction, and personalize the message to grab investors' attention.TitlesFinding Product-Market Fit and Revenue PotentialAvoiding Failure: Scenario Planning and OptionalitySound Bites"Investors look for startups with clear product-market fit""Investing in AI companies requires careful evaluation of long-term value""Startups in competitive markets can succeed by providing superior value"Chapters00:00 Introduction to Paul Lahair and Albion VC03:00 Finding Product-Market Fit and Revenue Potential08:21 Investing in AI Companies: Differentiation and Long-Term Value12:49 Navigating Competitive Markets: Disruption and Positioning25:41 Avoiding Failure: Scenario Planning and Optionality28:57 The Role of Founders: Passion, Vision, and Execution34:28 Crafting Compelling Pitch Decks: Clear Storytelling and Personalization Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike Soutar, a media entrepreneur and angel investor, discusses his approach to angel investing and what he looks for in founders and startups. He emphasizes the importance of learning new things and being attracted to ideas that make sense. Soutar is comfortable investing in sectors he may not know well, as long as he can understand the problem the startup is solving and the market opportunity. He values founder market fit and looks for founders who have an unconventional viewpoint and can think insurgently. Soutar prefers to invest in the pre-seed stage and enjoys being involved right from the start, working closely with founders to help them raise money and grow their businesses. He believes that investors back people first and ideas second. Soutar looks for founders who can clearly articulate why their solution is different and better, and who can demonstrate customer demand and willingness to pay. He also values clarity, consistency, and discipline in founders, and believes that founders should have a clear understanding of their competitors and be able to recognize and respect them. Soutar advises founders to be cautious about expanding operations abroad and to consider testing new ideas or adjacencies in their existing market before going international. He also shares insights on failures and the importance of raising enough capital and building in contingency. Soutar discusses the changing landscape of media businesses and the challenges and opportunities presented by social media and user-generated content. He believes that while there may still be a space for curated content, consumers now prefer to control their own journey and decide what they want to consume. Soutar sees opportunities in using high-quality original content to engage audiences, but believes that monetization models need to evolve beyond traditional advertising or paid content. Keywordsangel investing, startup, founder market fit, pre-seed, customer demand, willingness to pay, competitors, expansion, media business, social media, user-generated content, go-to-market strategyTakeawaysInvestors should be open to learning new things and be attracted to ideas that make sense.Founder market fit is important, and founders should have an unconventional viewpoint and the ability to think insurgently.Investing in the pre-seed stage allows for greater risk but also greater upside.Founders should be able to clearly articulate why their solution is different and better, and demonstrate customer demand and willingness to pay.Understanding competitors and having a go-to-market strategy are crucial for success.Expanding operations abroad should be carefully considered, and testing adjacencies in the existing market may be beneficial before going international.The media landscape is changing, and monetization models need to evolve beyond traditional advertising or paid content.Chapters00:00 Introduction and Background00:40 Investment Approach and Agnosticism01:52 Comfort with Unknown Sectors and Technologies03:45 Founder Market Fit and Insider Perspective04:46 Investing in the Pre-Seed Stage06:20 Finding and Assessing Founders08:52 Understanding Competitors and Being Respectful09:49 Investing in Early Stage and Willingness to Pay11:53 Traits of Successful Founders15:10 Being Cautious about Expansion16:40 Lessons from Failures and Importance of Capital17:09 Expanding Operations Abroad19:24 Common Threads in Failures21:00 Traction Takes Longer and Importance of Raising Enough Capital23:12 The Changing Landscape of Media Businesses26:29 Opportunities in the Era of Social Media29:11 Key Elements of a Perfect Deck Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan, co-founder and partner at SuperSeed, shares insights on early-stage investments and what founders can do to differentiate their businesses. He emphasizes the importance of having a clear vision and position in the market, rather than relying on technical moats. Dan also discusses the role of competition and the need for founders to have a long-term strategy. He advises founders to focus on their ideal customer profile (ICP) and consider expanding into new territories or customer segments. Dan also shares his thoughts on expanding to the US market and the challenges of transitioning from founder to CEO.Keywordsearly-stage investments, differentiation, vision, market position, competition, ideal customer profile, expanding to the US, founder to CEOTakeawaysHaving a clear vision and position in the market is more important than relying on technical moats.Founders should focus on their ideal customer profile (ICP) and consider expanding into new territories or customer segments.Expanding to the US market can be beneficial, but founders should carefully consider the timing and the need for boots on the ground.Transitioning from founder to CEO can be challenging, and founders should be self-aware and open to bringing in additional leadership.Thoughtfulness, relevance, and conciseness are key when reaching out to investors and creating a pitch deck.TitlesExpanding to the US Market: Timing and ConsiderationsNavigating Competition and Expanding into New TerritoriesSound Bites"I don't believe in moats and I think your bang on, I think technical moats died a while ago.""There are some incredible founders that I meet that are building lovely businesses that I want to invest in. I just can't, I need it to be no gorillas, venture scale, which means global fund returner.""You need some kind of strategy that's gonna horizontally play across some form of smaller business, mid-tier avenue, or it's gonna go up into the enterprise."Chapters00:00 Introduction to Dan and SuperSeed01:23 Differentiating Your Business: Vision and Position in the Market03:24 Navigating Competition and Expanding into New Territories05:57 Expanding to the US Market: Timing and Considerations08:58 Transitioning from Founder to CEO: Challenges and Strategies11:12 Crafting an Effective Pitch Deck: Thoughtfulness, Relevance, and Conciseness Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah Drinkwater, an influential pre-seed angel investor and founder of Common Magic, discusses the importance of community in technology companies. She defines community as a combination of utility and belonging, and emphasizes the role of community in connecting audiences to products and enabling long-term resilience. Sarah believes that community-building is not suitable for every company and depends on the specific audience and problem being solved. She also highlights the traits she looks for in founders, including resilience, persuasiveness, self-knowledge, and comfort with chaos. In terms of pitch decks, Sarah values clarity, a clear reason for the timing of the product, and a compelling reason why the founders are the right fit for the problem.Keywordscommunity, technology companies, utility, belonging, audience, product, resilience, founders, pitch deckTakeawaysCommunity is a combination of utility and belonging in technology companies.Community-building is not suitable for every company and depends on the specific audience and problem being solved.Founders should possess traits such as resilience, persuasiveness, self-knowledge, and comfort with chaos.Pitch decks should focus on clarity, the timing of the product, and a compelling reason why the founders are the right fit for the problem.TitlesTraits of Successful FoundersKey Elements of an Effective Pitch DeckSound Bites"Community is kind of utility plus belonging.""Technology is no longer the moat, go-to-market is the new moat.""Resilience is queen."Chapters00:00 Introduction01:20 The Role of Community in Technology Companies02:09 The New Moat: Go-to-Market03:36 Traits of Successful Founders09:14 Key Elements of an Effective Pitch Deck Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrea Pacini, a renowned presentation coach and Head of Ideas on Stage UK, shares tips on how to improve your pitching skills. He discusses the differences between in-person and online presentations, emphasizing the importance of technology setup, audience interaction, and delivery. Pacini highlights the significance of familiarity and preparation in building confidence, as well as the structured process of developing a compelling message. He introduces the POST-IT framework for pitching to investors, which includes problem, opportunity, solution, timeline, investment, and team. Pacini also provides guidance on ending a presentation effectively by focusing on the key message, explaining its relevance to the audience, and discussing next steps.Keywordspresentation skills, pitching, online presentations, technology setup, audience interaction, delivery, confidence, message development, POST-IT framework, problem, opportunity, solution, timeline, investment, team, ending a presentationTakeawaysTechnology setup is crucial for online presentations, including microphone, webcam, and lighting.Maintaining high audience attention is more challenging in online presentations, requiring frequent interaction.Confidence in presenting comes from familiarity, preparation, and following a structured process.The POST-IT framework (problem, opportunity, solution, timeline, investment, team) is effective for pitching to investors.Ending a presentation should focus on the key message, its relevance to the audience, and discussing next steps.TitlesMastering the Art of Presenting: Tips from a Presentation CoachThe POST-IT Framework: A Simple Structure for Pitching to InvestorsSound Bites"You need to create a designed conversation.""Always subtract at least 30% of the allotted time for preparation.""80% of your confidence comes from your ability to develop a compelling message."Chapters00:00 Introduction of Andrea Pacini04:56 Tips for Technology Setup and Audience Interaction11:36 Building Confidence in Presenting22:08 Presentation Frameworks and Structures26:17 The POST-IT Framework for Pitching to Investors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Pakman, Managing Partner at CoinFund, discusses his experience at Apple and the impact of the company on the music industry. He also shares insights into the future of crypto beyond coins and the exciting businesses in the crypto space. Additionally, he provides advice on what makes a compelling pitch deck.TakeawaysApple's ability to attract top talent and its focus on user experience were key factors in its success.Spotify has revolutionized the music industry by pioneering the streaming model and offering personalized experiences.Crypto has the potential to transform various industries, including finance, gaming, and cross-border payments.Specialist VCs in the crypto space have an advantage over generalist funds due to their deep domain knowledge.A compelling pitch deck should highlight the team's expertise, market understanding, and the unique qualities of the product.Chapters00:00 Introduction and Background01:19 Apple's Special Qualities03:01 Fostering Creativity at Apple05:08 Apple Post-Steve Jobs07:02 Impact of Spotify on the Music Industry13:37 The Future Opportunity of Crypto16:36 Crypto Use Cases Beyond Coins24:15 Exciting Businesses in the Crypto Space26:24 Generalist Funds in the Crypto Market28:28 What Makes a Compelling Pitch Deck30:21 Where to Find David Pakman and CoinFund Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Annelie Ajami, founder of Anamcara Ventures, shares insights on what she looks for in pre-seed startups and how founders can impress investors. She emphasizes the importance of the founding team, including their domain expertise, unique insights, narrative, technical capabilities, and clarity of thought. She also discusses the significance of a founder's motivation and determination. Annelie highlights the value of warm introductions and resourcefulness in getting in touch with investors. When it comes to pitch decks, she suggests focusing on the problem, solution, market, team, business model, and round being raised, and keeping the deck short and concise.Keywordspre-seed, venture capital, founding team, domain expertise, unique insights, narrative, technical capabilities, warm introductions, pitch deckTakeawaysThe founding team is crucial in pre-seed investments, with factors such as domain expertise, unique insights, narrative, technical capabilities, and clarity of thought being important considerations.A founder's motivation and determination are key indicators of their potential success.Warm introductions and resourcefulness can greatly increase the chances of getting in touch with investors.Pitch decks should focus on the problem, solution, market, team, business model, and round being raised, and should be kept short and concise.TitlesThe Value of Warm Introductions and ResourcefulnessMotivation and Determination: Key Indicators of SuccessSound Bites"I love founders that have something to prove.""Yes, it's definitely happened more than once that when I speak to founders, my heart starts beating faster.""There's this bias against that type of setup."Chapters00:00 Introduction to Annelie Ajami and Anamcara Ventures01:16 The Importance of the Founding Team in Pre-Seed Investments10:42 The Value of Warm Introductions and Resourcefulness14:10 Pitch Deck Essentials: Problem, Solution, Market, Team, Business Model, and Round Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Pitch Deck, Nick Telson-Sillett, founder of trumpet, interviews Peter Nixey, an operator, investor, and AI expert. Peter shares his interest in businesses with clear value propositions and emphasizes the importance of solving real problems that people are willing to pay for. He also discusses his venture builder, Inaugural, which focuses on creating AI companies. Peter explains the different layers of AI and the potential for builders to create applications on top of AI models. He highlights the value of AI in specific verticals and provides insights into the key elements of a pitch deck, including clarity of message and specific storytelling.TakeawaysFocus on businesses with clear value propositions and solve real problems that people are willing to pay for.Consider the different layers of AI, including base models, builders creating applications on top of models, and traditional machine learning.Explore AI use cases in specific verticals, particularly in unattractive jobs that are repetitive and can't be easily automated.When creating a pitch deck, prioritize clarity of message, take investors on a journey, and tell specific stories about what you're building.Chapters00:00 Introduction and Background01:03 Interest in Businesses with Clear Value Propositions06:26 Inaugural: A Venture Builder for AI Companies10:36 Different Layers of AI13:45 Builders on Top of AI Models20:41 Key Elements of a Pitch Deck24:17 Anecdote from Paul GrahamProudly supported by Google Cloud, Seven Legal, Fuelled and Carta Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SummaryIn discussion with Nick Telson-Sillett, founder of trumpet, with Fred Soneya, an operator turned VC, discusses his approach to pre-seed investing and what he looks for in early-stage companies. He focuses on investing in businesses that have identified a pain in the present and are starting to identify a buyer who is willing to pay for a solution. Fred emphasizes the importance of understanding the market, defining the ideal customer profile, and having a revenue-driven mindset. He also discusses the value of vertical SaaS companies and the need for innovation and go-to-market strategies. When evaluating founders, Fred looks for grit, determination, and a deep understanding of their business. He advises founders to approach relevant funds with personalized outreach and to create pitch decks that are short, aesthetically pleasing, and designed to generate intrigue.TakeawaysInvest in businesses that have identified a pain in the present and are starting to identify a buyer who is willing to pay for a solution.Understand the market, define the ideal customer profile, and have a revenue-driven mindset.Vertical SaaS companies offer value by going deep into a specific industry and becoming the fundamental platform for that vertical.Grit, determination, and a deep understanding of the business are key qualities to look for in founders.Approach relevant funds with personalized outreach and create pitch decks that are short, aesthetically pleasing, and designed to generate intrigue.Sound Bites"Investing in businesses that have identified a pain in the present.""Vertical SaaS is about going deep into a domain and building an end-to-end SaaS product for that market.""Gritty founders who understand their business end to end."Proudly supported by Google Cloud, Seven Legal, Fuelled and Carta Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Summary Kirsten Connell, an investor at Octopus Ventures, shares insights on pre-seed investing and what investors look for in startups. She discusses the importance of traction and metrics at the seed stage, but notes that pre-seed investments are less impacted by this shift. She emphasizes the need for exceptional founders who have identified a real need, can build an MVP, and have a clear plan to take their product or service to market. Kirsten also discusses the challenges and opportunities in B2C startups, the importance of founder-market fit, and the impact of competition on investment decisions.Keywords pre-seed investing, traction, metrics, exceptional founders, MVP, go-to-market, B2C startups, founder-market fit, competitionTakeawaysInvestors are more focused on traction and metrics at the seed stage, but pre-seed investments are less impacted by this shift.Exceptional founders who have identified a real need, can build an MVP, and have a clear plan to take their product or service to market are highly sought after.In B2C startups, it's important to have a strong value proposition and a clear understanding of the market and route to market.Founder-market fit is crucial, whether the founder has first-hand experience in the industry or is passionate about solving a problem.Competition is a factor to consider, but it's not the sole reason to bow out of investing. Other factors such as market size, product roadmap, and business model should also be taken into account.When reaching out to investors, a warm introduction from another founder can be more effective than a cold outreach. Concise and visually appealing pitch decks that highlight the founder's standout qualities and the size of the opportunity are more likely to capture investors' attention.TitlesThe Importance of Founder-Market FitThe Shift in Expectations for Seed RoundsSound Bites"You're still looking for an exceptional founder who's identified a real need, can build an MVP, and has got line of sight of how they're going to take that product or service to market.""Founders who truly understand their route to market and have a deep understanding of their early adopters are more likely to succeed.""In B2C startups, building a strong brand and ensuring product retention are key challenges."Chapters00:00 Introduction to Kirsten Connell03:24 What Investors Look for in Pre-Seed Startups08:52 Challenges and Opportunities in B2C Startups12:38 The Importance of Founder-Market Fit23:37 Tips for Reaching Out to Investors and Creating Pitch Decks Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pitch Deck is coming back! Some news from Nick about what is round the corner for the re-booted Pitch Deck.Pitch Deck is sponsored by trumpet Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jay is a serial entrepreneur and has founded 3 successful businesses worth over $500m: Yieldify, Reachdesk & ScreenloopHe now spends his time in 3 areas: (1) Building tech companies through his startup studio Blissgrowth (2) Co-hosting the podcast Happy Millionaire - which is in the top 10 in Apple and Spotify: It's 2 friends having fun and talking about startups, success and happiness stories  (3) Angel investing - he has done 40 deals so far.His passion is to bring more joy to work and loves talking about entrepreneurship, happiness whilst having fun.Episode Links:Sponsored by trumpet - turning better buyer journeys into more revenueBlissgrowthReachdeskScreenloopJay's Linkedin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Founding Partner of the multi award-winning Concept Ventures, largest dedicated pre-seed fund in the UK ($60m).Reece has invested in 80+ start-ups from idea to unicorns (6 in total) and been ranked as one of the Top Asian Tech Investors on numerous occasions by Diversity UK.Prior to founding Concept, Reece built and sold several start-ups in the software space, 1 of which was successfully exited, 1 a complete disaster and 1 is still going today.Passionate about giving back, Reece has created the Concept Venture Pledge where a percentage of Concept's exit profits are donated to a social cause of the founder’s choice. He has also been selected by the FT as one of the top 100 BAME leaders in tech for his consistent work in helping promote diversity in the UK tech sector.Episode Links:Sponsored by trumpet - Create buyer journeys that drive more revenueReece's LinkedinConcept Ventures Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chris founded Divido in 2014, now the world’s largest white-label platform for Buy Now Pay Later. As founder/CEO Chris took the company to 10 countries and onboarded over 100 clients including Mastercard, HSBC and BMW. They have raised over $50m are recognised as the 83rd fastest-growing company in Europe by the Financial Times '21 and achieved 1250% revenue growth over three years until 2020. Chris is also an investor with Seedcamp, who have backed over 350 startups including the likes of Revolut and Transferwise, Entrepreneur in Residence at HSBC and Fellow at Primary Venture Partners - Early-stage investor in startups based in New York.Episode Links:DividioPrimary Venture PartnerstrumpetChris on Linkedin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amory started life out in investment banking before moving into the energy sector and VC moving to Shell Ventures as Venture Principal. Shell Ventures an arm of the oil company,  invests in early-stage companies that have reached proof-of-concept focused on fintech/insurtech/mobility and clean tech. He is now founder of his own $20m fund, D2 and looking to do 10 deals this year and a further 10 next year, focused on lean startups that don't need further funding to get to Series A and then the founder can decide whether they want to go down the VC route or grow from profitability - and has been an angel investor in the pastD2 is a different type of venture fund. They provide early stage start-ups with equity capital and also offer debt as they scale. Their objective is to bring the right type of capital at the right time to help you own more of your business at exit.Episode LinksD2 fundtrumpet - Create buyer journeys that drive more revenueAmory on Linkedin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Novo was co-founder of Syft that was acquired by Indeed.com in a multi-million pound deal and is now known as Indeed Flex, the online marketplace for temporary staffing in the UK and US supplying workers to the hospitality, retail and logistics sectors. Since exiting Syft. Novo has also angel invested and has around 15+ companies in his portfolio including BYP (Black Young Professionals), Tinto (mothers community app) and Ufurnish (marketplace for buying furniture across  retailers)Show Links:Sponsored by trumpetNovo's Linkedin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Henry de Zoete is an alumnus of Y Combinator and in 2014 co-founded The Big Deal which uses tech to facilitate collective bargaining for consumers. In 2018, he went on to establish Look After My Bills, a tech start-up that became the largest auto-switching service in the UK, saving families money on their gas and electricity. After raising global investment and securing the best deal in the history of BBC’s Dragons’ Den, Look After My Bills was acquired by Go Compare in July 2019. He is also a non-exec director for Hornby and the UK Cabinet Office and has been angel investing since 2019, and is now in over 50 companies.Episode Links:Hyper-personalise your sales cycle from cold outreach to onboarding, with trumpet. More demos, more revenue, quicker.Henry's Linkedin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rupa is an entrepreneur, angel investor and senior advisor to corporates, government and private equity.She has started several businesses over the last decade across the property, media and technology industries.She is an active angel investor in under-represented founders with 24+ company investments and an LP in five venture capital funds run by diverse partners.She was recognised in 2021 as Top 20 Female Angel Investors in the U.K. by the Angel Business Association and is also a board advisor for several early-stage VCs, a board member of YPO, a founding member of the Guild of Entrepreneurs and a mentor on the Mayor of London's Business Growth Programme. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'll be taking a quick summer break and will be back in September with some more great guests. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eamonn Carey is a partner at Tera Ventures, where he focuses on pre-seed and seed-stage investments across multiple sectors. He's previously been a founder, an MD at Techstars in London and New York, and a partner at The Fund. He's invested in almost 100 companies across Europe, the US, Africa and Asia. There is nothing that Eamonn doesn't know in this space.Episode Links:Sponsored by trumpetEamonn's Linkedin and TwitterTera Ventures Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Delighted to be joined by Hannah Seal, early check investor from one of the largest global VCs, Index Ventures. Before joining the behemoth VC, Index, Hannah set up the General Merchandise business for Ocado before spending 3 years at Ebay UK, managing their consumer marketplace business. Hannah is fascinated by the future of work and has been an early and consistent champion of Europe’s B2B software sector. She is particularly energized by founders who have an unfair advantage in tackling daunting problems in technical or challenging markets. Hannah currently sits on the board of Remote, Fanoa, Seed Legals and others. Episode Links:Sponsored by trumpetIndex VenturesHannah's Linkedin and Twitter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan will need no introduction to most. Dan is an avid mental health advocate, community and brand expert having started, scaled, (failed) & succeeded with various companies over the last 10 years. His newest startup, Heights, exists to make braincare as normal as skincare and haircare. This includes Smart Supplements, mental well-being, and bitesize neuroscience—all combined to create proven pillars to make braincare simple. Dan is also the creator and host of rocketship podcast Secret Leaders, the number 1 UK business Podcast delivering the stories behind some of the most impressive leaders of our generation. Dan also now angel invests and advises startups and is often quoted as the most connected entrepreneur in Europe.Episode Links:Sponsored by trumpetHeightsSecret Leaders PodcastDan's Twitter and Linkedin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Millen spent nine years at Citigroup working her way up to become Vice President of Corporate Derivatives before setting up her own business, "no+mi" in 2016 -    an online destination with perfectly curated gift sets for expecting and new mothers. In 2020 she joined the consumer team at Octopus Ventures and is particularly interested in category-defining innovations around the way we live, work, travel, play and recuperate! Octopus runs one of Europe's largest venture funds with £1.2 billion under management and they have been fortunate enough to have worked with the founding teams of some fantastic companies including Zoopla, Graze.com and Depop.Episode Links:Sponsored by trumpetMillen's LinkedinOctopus Ventures Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alex is co-founder of Velocity Black which is concierge, reimagined for the digital age. Backed by more than $30m in venture capital, they are the 3rd fastest growing company headquartered in the UK according to Forbes, and was named in Deloitte’s Fast 50 2020 list of the UK’s fastest-growing tech companies based on revenue growth over the last 4 years. Alex has also become a prolific angel investor and keen commentator on the space both on substack and twitter where he regularly posts content for founders who are looking to raise money at any level, and for people who want to get started as angel investors. He’s also in the process of starting an exciting new startup called sequel, which is in the investment/professional athlete space.Episode Links:Sponsored by trumpetAlex's Twitter and Linkedin and SubstacksequelVelocity Black Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I was thrilled to have a powerhouse early stage check investor from a powerhouse VC join me. In Summer 2021 Gemma joined Creandum as an investment principal. Creandum is a pan European early-stage VC fund, having invested in companies like Spotify, Trade Republic and Depop. Gemma covers the London market and is focused on both B2C and B2B technology businesses.  Gemma was the Chief Operating Officer at Elder Technologies, a Series B health tech startup for the past 3 and a half years, where she helped the company scale from 20 to 120 people and raise a series B in 2019. Previously, Gemma was a Senior Manager at Uber in the UK (2014-2018) where she co-chaired 'Women of Uber' in 2017, and before that, was a consultant at McKinsey. She has a BA from Yale and an MBA (14J) from INSEAD.Gemma has been an angel investor for the past two years and is very interested in Healthtech, Marketplaces, Agetech, Silver Economy and Sustainability. 80+% of her investments have been in female founders. Episode Links:Sponsored by trumpetGemma's LinkedinCreandum Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Saasha is the daughter of Iowa hippy entrepreneurs who was raised with a deep appreciation for the planet and its scarce resources. After completing her MBA at Stanford School of Business, where she met her OLIO co-founder Tessa Cook. Saasha spent 13 years in various strategy and business development roles - at the likes McKinsey and Vice President of International Partnerships, American Express. When on maternity leave in 2012 she opened her first business in London, which she outfitted entirely from FreeCycle. The seeds for OLIO were planted. OLIO is a sharing app connecting neighbours to stop good food and household items from going to waste, which she founded with Tessa in 2015. OLIO now has over 5 million users, over 42 millions of portions shared and 5 billion litres of water saved, and is the number 1 free sharing app.Episode Links:Sponsored by trumpetSaasha's LinkedinOLIO Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maya is a multi-cultural & multi-lingual Google and American Express marketing, product & partnerships professional with 15+ years of experience in tech & D2C industries. Currently, as the Founder of a strategic growth consultancy - MarketingCube.co - her clients include portfolio companies of Balderton, Notion, Creandum, LocalGlobe amongst others. Maya has also joined advisory boards and is an active Angel investor.  As a ‘full stack’ CMO Maya is able to support with: Identifying & understanding your customers; creating a stand-out brand & revitalised messaging that encourages loyalty; sustainable & profitable growth plans; org design & talent management.Most recently, in an in-house full-time role, Maya was digitising the UK healthcare industry at Pharmacy2U by bringing repeat prescription management online. Under her CMO leadership, Pharmacy2U grew 5 fold in revenue and secured a brand awareness of 1 in 4. This growth was recognised by the Amazon growing business of the year award and making it into the Sunday Times TechTrack 100.Episode Links:Supported by trumpetMaya's Linkedin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode we speak to Matt Smith, a professional footballer for the last 11 years for clubs such as Leeds, Fulham, QPR and Millwall, scoring over 100 goals. Matt, who has a business degree is also very interested in the angel investing world, investing in over 10 startups to date, including the likes of Velocity Black and Honest Mobile.  Episode Links:Supported by trumpetMatt's Twitter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 2 we are joined by Nikhil Shah. Nikhil is a creative, technology and social impact entrepreneur, passionate about supporting mission-driven founders on their entrepreneurial journeys. He is the founder of Mixcloud, the world's leading streaming platform for the DJ & radio community, with over 20 million listeners and 4 hours of content uploaded every minute. He now has a portfolio of startup advisory roles, social impact and creative projects. He is an angel investor with a portfolio of 30 startups spanning consumer, wellbeing, psychedelics and the creative sectors. Nikhil received a BA and MA in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge. He is a DJ and a trained yoga instructor.Episode Links:Sponsored by trumpetNikhil's Linkedin ProfileMixcloud Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 1 we are joined by Deepali Nangia; Deepali is a seasoned, high profile, angel investor with over a decade of experience in private equity, investment banking and corporate operational roles. She is now a Partner at one of the world's most prestigious VCs, Speedinvest. Deepali also co-founded Alma Angels in 2019, an angel community on a mission to level the playing field for female entrepreneurs seeking early-stage startup funding.Episode Links:Sponsored by trumpetDeepali's Linkedin ProfileAlma AngelsSpeedinvest Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nick has taken a far too long hiatus but is back for Series 5! Here he reveals a new format for Series 5 which will give listeners a tonne of bite-sized, useful takeaways from leading angel investors and early-stage VCs. The plan for this series is to pump out a lot more content but in smaller chunks; 15-20 minutes per episode.Series 5 sponsored by trumpet - https://www.sendtrumpet.com/Horseplay Ventures - https://horseplay.ventures/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I was joined by the inspirational Andrew Wilkinson, founder of Tiny; he started product and branding agency Meta Lab in 2006 and was responsible for some of our most-loved and used companies such as Slack, UberEats, Coinbase, Pinterest and Headspace, to name a few. He then used MetaLab's profits to purchase other companies that have solid revenues, are designed well, have a great culture, and are profitable, which he knew he could rocket ship. Tiny now owns circa 30 companies, the likes of designer platform dribbble and the largest remote work community in the world, WeWork Remotely. Tiny has never relied on outside funding until recently where it launched a $150m fund to buy more businesses and for their own company WeCommerce, which has raised $60m, which is now on the Canadian stock exchange with a market cap of circa $1bn - WeCommerce buys and builds businesses that sit solely on the Shopify ecosystem.We listened to the pitch from Will, founder of Circl, which is looking to bring the concept of social betting to the masses. The concept being a group of friends form a Circl, put money in the pot then dependent on what happens in a sports match, the pot moves around the Circl...eg. A throw in, the pot moves clockwise two steps, a red card the pot moves anti-clockwise 4 steps etc...whoever has the pot at the end of the match takes it all. Circl is looking to bring the fun back into betting and make it a social activity, rather than something that's done in isolation and in excess. Andrew and I dug down on go-to-market strategy, where the concept could go beyond sport, the complications of the betting market and the team around Will. Brought to you by my Startup Playground, Horseplay Ventures - https://horseplay.ventures/Circl - https://www.playcircl.com/Tiny - https://www.tinycapital.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I was joined by Gemma Bloemen; Gemma was the Chief Operating Officer at Elder Technologies, a Series B health tech startup for the past 3.5 years, where she helped the company scale from 20 to 120 people and raise a series B in 2019. She has been an angel investor for the past two years and is very interested in Healthtech, Marketplaces, Agetech, Silver economy and Sustainability. 80% of her investments have been in female founders. Previously, Gemma was a senior manager at Uber in the UK where she co-chaired Women of Uber in 2017, and before that she was a consultant at McKinsey. Gemma left Elder this summer and has joined Creandum as an investment principal. Creandum is a pan European early-stage VC fund, having invested in companies like Spotify, Trade Republic and Depop. Gemma covers the London market and is focused on both B2C and B2B technology businesses.Pitching to us was Charlotte Melia, founder of Vesta Kids, a B2B2C subscription web platform and app providing educational, safe & active content for working parents and their wider families. Looking to sell the platform as a "perk" to companies to be able to provide their employees with kids with a video library and live, high-production content that they can get active with, learn and have fun. There is also a large emphasis on producing content that allows neuro-diverse children and neuro-typical children to play and learn together rather than being segregated. The founding team already have a successful events business that puts on bespoke events for the super-rich, so they come with a lot of expertise in production.We dug down on competing with big boys such as Netflix and Disney, being able to keep production values high, will online learning remain the norm post covid and the B2B2C vs B2C model.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Please Note: The brand name has changed since recording from Captain Compare to GoCaptainI'm joined by Chris Smith, Managing Partner at Playfair Capital. He focuses his investing activities on seed (and pre-seed) deals in the UK and Israel. Chris is particularly interested in autonomous transportation, business and industrial automation, HealthTech and B2B SaaS. He loves finding companies operating in unloved/overlooked sectors that are ripe for disruption.Prior to joining Playfair, Chris held senior roles at plan.com including Sales Director, Head of Tech/BI and Head of Product Development. Revenues Playfair was founded in 2013 and has made 78 investments with 4 exits to date. Since Chris joined in November 2018, he has led 9 new investments, 3 of which have gone on to raise subsequent rounds so far, and we actually have one investment together into Heka a B2B employee well-being saas product and marketplace.We listened to the pitch from Abraham Sillah, co-founder of GoCaptain, which is looking to help GenZ pay for driving lessons and get them to pass the test quicker: Get driving lesson finance without affecting the applicants credit score enabling them to learn to drive much quicker than the average learner, by booking an intensive driving course with an instructor and learn to drive under 7/14 days.We really dug deep on the go-to-market strategy, proving the real need for the business, early startup team structures and understanding your numbers.Brought to you by my Startup Playground, Horseplay Ventures - https://horseplay.ventures/GoCaptain - https://www.gocaptain.co.uk/Playfair Capital - https://playfaircapital.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm joined by Timothy Armoo, who is the CEO/Founder of Fanbytes and recently named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for his achievements in Media and Marketing; making the front cover no less! Timo has also been voted the Huffington Post Entrepreneur of the Year and most “Influential person in advertising” from the Evening Standard. Fanbytes is recognised as the leading GenZ marketing agency with over 60 employees and working with the likes of the Government, on some corona campaigns, Deliveroo, McDonalds and Nike. Huffington Post saying that he is creating the WPP of GenZ. Timo has also used his influence to build the Fanbytes fund which invests and funds influencer campaigns for black businesses, which aims to shine a light on, and act on, a lack of support and funding for black-owned businesses.We listened to the pitch from Camilla Chesham, co-founder of Fugo, who are looking to disrupt the content management solutions for digital screens. Think of all the digital screens you come across in your daily life...in restaurants, shop windows, hotel receptions, public attractions...the list goes on. Fugo is looking to replace the archaic way of managing these, which in a lot of cases is still a USB stick. Fugo content management system allows central head office to create and push relevant content to the relevant screens at the right times; all managed centrally.We really dug on go to market strategies, focus as founders, focus when selling and future opportunities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I was thrilled to be joined by guest investor, Alex Dunsdon. Alex was previously head of central strategy and business development director for M&C Saatchi. He was also co-founder of thebakery.com from Dec 2012 to Jan 2020, which enables corporates to drive meaningful innovation, as well as creating partnerships with startups. Alex moved on to be chief of staff at Redbrain, one of Europe's fastest-growing companies, helping them transform from startup to scaleup. Currently, Alex set up, and is partner at, Saatchi invest and is LP for Potential Climate Ventures who want to have a global scale impact on the climate - currently invested in and advising over 130 companies. Alex also set up Potential, which is set up to help the 7bn people in the world who have talent but no opportunity. Their mission is to find, foster and fund crazy, unusual, and innovative startups. Alex was also a seed cheque investor into Citymapper, Farewill and Ometria, as well as circa 20 other companies.Alex is also very keen on cryptocurrency so we bent his year at the start of the episode on all things Bitcoin and beyond.We listened to the pitch from Aisling Byrne, founder of Nuw, who are looking to help their users reduce the environmental impact of fashion, and gain unlimited access to the community’s shared wardrobe. While there are other fashion swapping/2nd hand fashion sites out there, Nuw have used a unique token system to ensure users trade the same quality of clothes, while taking money out of the whole equation. They have some very positive early traction including high repeat usage rates and are raising funds to help scale the product and market with the aim of having 12m active users over the next 3-5 years. We dug deep on scaling a marketplace, the revenue model, subscriptions, competition and feasibility of scaling the userbase so quickly.Brought to you by my Startup Playground, Horseplay Ventures - https://horseplay.ventures/Nuw - https://www.thenuwardrobe.com/Alex Dunsdon - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexdunsdon/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm joined by legendary west coast angel investor, Zach Coelius. Zach is a 4-time entrepreneur and his last company, Triggit was acquired by Gravity4 in 2015. From then on, Zach has become one of the most revered angel investors in the US with circa 50 investments to his name and 80 invested in total. He currently invests $200K-$1m cheques into early-stage companies and $2-$5m cheques into later-stage ones. Zach uses 3 vehicles for investing; a $45m fund with Industry Ventures as the sole LP; a friends and family Rolling Fund that invests alongside the main fund; and his own syndicate on Angel List that has over 3000 members and was actually the first syndicate on Angel List to get a billion-dollar exit when General Motors bought Cruise Automation in 2016. The syndicate has had 6 exits in total including Hello Sign who were acquired by Dropbox in 2019 for $230m.We listened to the pitch from Daniel Botcherby, co-founder of Kalda; the world's first mental well-being app specifically for the LGBT+ community. In Beta stage, Kalda is looking to bring together members of the LGBT+ community who are struggling with their mental health and provide group therapy sessions, daily check-ins, peer support as well as fixed courses people can go on. 1 in 2 people in the LGBT+ community have suffered some form of anxiety/depression in the last year, 3x the general population. Due to NHS wait times, high prices for individual therapy and stigma that LGBT+ people feel from a therapist not from their community, Kalda is looking to bring people together and at the same time democratise mental health services, making it affordable, easy to access, instant and being surrounded by peers and therapists from the same community. Zach prefers to engage in a more general conversation, rather than a grilling, so we had a chat more broadly about the market in general, expansion plans, future product roadmap and aspirations, competitors and the merits/risks of going after a niche. Some super insightful things highlighted by Zach as well as a very competent founder in Daniel. Brought to you by my Startup Playground, Horseplay Ventures - https://horseplay.ventures/Kalda - https://kalda.co/Zach Twitter - https://twitter.com/zachcoelius Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm joined by Pietro Invernizzi, first cheque investor at Stride.VC, who recently closed their second $138m seed fund and have recently officially launched the First Check Programme, where they are looking to back up to 20 teams straight out the gate as their first supporter, regardless of how early they are.Pietro started his career as an investment banking analyst in London before moving into the startup world where he joined The Family, the "coolest" place if you want to build a startup in France. Whilst there, he spent a ton of time working really closely with founders, helping them with all the 100s of questions they ask themselves when building a company, particularly around fundraising. In this context, he started 'angel investing'  into the founders he was most excited by. He quickly realised that investing was his passion and so decided to join the now notorious Stride VC in June 2020, focusing on their early-stage investment.We listened to the pitch from Tiernan Mines, founder of Hello Lamp Post - looking to reimagine how local governments and councils engage with their community for feedback and ideas. By turning inanimate objects like bus stops, lamp posts and park benches into an engaging SMS conversation, the council can ask for, gather and analyse feedback from locals. The same can go for real estate developers, museums, stadia etc...any public space that wants to engage with its customers or locals.We dug down on the "why", the importance of their own tech, their true moat as a business and defining a true market opportunity. Brought to you by my Startup Playground, Horseplay Ventures - https://horseplay.ventures/Hello Lamp Post - https://www.hlp.city/Stride.VC - https://stride.vc/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm joined by legendary investor and Forbes acclaimed, "Queen of UK VC", Eileen Burbidge. Eileen is a Partner at Passion Capital, the legendary early-stage tech venture fund with the likes of Monzo, Tide, Nested, Butternut Box & Marshmallow under their belts and is actually a Board Director with Monzo as well as being super involved with a lot of the other portfolio companies too.Eileen started her career in Silicon Valley, working for the likes of Apple, Yahoo!, and Sun Microsystems. In 2004 she moved to London to become one of Skype’s earliest employees. In 2011, Eileen became founding partner of Passion.She is also a member of the board of Dixons Carphone, and awarded an MBE in 2015 for services to Business.We listened to the pitch from Amber Perng, founder of Salmo - looking to digitise, speed up and make cheaper the visa application process, of which there are 1.5m a year in the UK. Based on her own experience having to get a visa after studying in the UK, Amber realised lawyers were charging £4K to fill out forms on your behalf and not much else...it could be better. We really dug on the tech importance of a business such as this, the genuine TAM, reaching that target market, the potential to sell more products to the visa customers and whether they are the team to execute. It also brought up an interesting parallel between Eileen (VC) and my (Angel) take on the investment prospects.Brought to you by my Startup Playground, Horseplay Ventures - https://horseplay.ventures/Salmo - https://www.salmo.uk/Playfair Capital - https://www.passioncapital.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Super excited to announce that Series 3 will be launching soon. Series 3 is going to be the biggest yet, with some of the world's biggest and most renowned Angel Investors, VCs and Mentors, listening to pitches from some incredibly exciting startups. Listen to the trailer for Series 3 to see who we have lined up...it's going to be a banger of a Series!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm joined by Chris Smith, Managing Partner at Playfair Capital who focus on pre-seed and seed investments in UK and Israel. Chris is specifically interested in autonomous transportation, business automation, health tech and B2B SaaS. Chris is also an angel investor with 14 deals and 4 exits to date, previously an operator at plan.com and a corporate lawyer. We listened to the pitch from Elliott Herrod - Taylor, founder of The Bunch - looking to reimagine how tenants manage the process of shared accommodation. Elliott had a professional rugby contract with Bath but got bitten by a spider and got sepsis so 3 weeks later decided to go to Uni. He started The Bunch in his 2nd year of uni and took his 3rd year off to get the startup off the ground. The bunch is now in 30 cities, serviced 7000 customers and generates £4m gross revenue. Elliott has a vision to stay with a customer from 18 at university all the way through to renting a property as a young professional, with The Bunch sorting out bills, liability, finding a property and more. We dug down on managing and preventing churn, expanding out your customer base to improve stickiness, standing out against competitors and going up against some big boys within your industry. We also discuss the different angle taken by an Angel vs a VC.Brought to you by my Startup Playground, Horseplay Ventures - https://horseplay.ventures/The Bunch - https://the-bunch.co.uk/Playfair Capital - https://playfaircapital.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I am joined by Veronika Kapustina, an early-stage investor and advisor, who started her journey working on capital raising for late-stage technology corporates such as Uber, Airbnb and Netflix in London and later in California. After moving to the West Coast she started mentoring seed-stage founders and quickly realised that her passion lay in angel investing. After building a high-performing portfolio, Veronika has now become a founder herself, currently setting up a Venture Fund focused on investing in seed-stage founders who come from a social science background.We listened to the pitch from Marie Farmer, founder of Mini Mealtimes app, looking to revolutionise how children's nutrition is both tracked and improved. The app provides personalised nutrition reports, easy to use food diary, expert nutrition advice and dietician-approved recipes. This was a problem for Marie as a mother which led her to set up the idea; a very assured and confident pitch. We dug deep on the business model and subscription model, getting scale for a B2C app, advertising within an app and building a team and a moat.Brought to you by my Startup Playground, Horseplay Ventures - https://horseplay.ventures/Mini Mealtimes - https://www.minimealtimes.com/Veronika Kapustina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronika-kapustina-8a590914/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Angel is Saloni Bhojwani who has moved from operator to investor. Saloni was a management consultant at Deloitte for 3 years followed by doing an MBA at London Business School to then being a strategy lead at startup Zebra Fuel. She has since moved into the world of angel investing independently as well as at Founders Factory. Saloni is also recently the founder of Sie; a capital platform that supports the most promising female founders on their fundraising journey. Their ultimate goal is to close the gender funding gap by providing female founders with better access to capital, network, and support.We listened to the pitch by Giles from Chatable Apps; previously an app that, via Bluetooth to your headphones, helped those with hearing loss or hearing difficulties especially in busy environments, that has now pivoted to help those with learning/concentration difficulties including autism and ADD including an actual wearable to be offered via national health services. This episode is a super interesting deep dive into understanding/judging a pitch where the Angels don't have much knowledge, wearable hardware vs app subscription, the risk/reward of relying on health services as your go-to market strategy and different pricing models. A really interesting vertical, a well-informed founder and some brilliant Angel questions. Brought to you by my Startup Playground, Horseplay Ventures - https://horseplay.ventures/Chatable - https://chatableapps.com/Sie - https://www.sie.ventures/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Angel is Anthony Rose, currently the founder of Seed Legals. Anthony is a serial tech entrepreneur whose career has spanned across many sectors including the advent of 3D graphics, P2P music, video streaming, social TV, social platforms, and most recently, legal technology. Anthony is best known for his work managing the launch of BBC iPlayer for which Wired named him "the man who saved the BBC. Anthony lead the team as CTO from 2007 until 2010. Since leaving the BBC Anthony has founded 5 companies with two exits and his new venture Seed Legals is the number 1 closer of funding rounds, closing deals worth over £400m. Pitching to us was Conor, from Kieka. Kieka's mission is to help its users beat the crowds and get from A to B as quickly as possible. Currently starting on the London Underground there is a bigger vision to help beat the crowds in all scenarios from transport to stadiums. It is centred around an AI brain, which is all proprietary tech. This was an extremely interesting episode as Anthony had his founder and investor hat on, both asking investor questions and offering advice to Conor and startups as a whole. We dug deep on B2B data play vs B2C app play, achieving network effects, listening to investor advice and overall business focus/strategy. Brought to you by my Startup Playground, Horseplay Ventures - https://horseplay.ventures/Kieka - https://kieka.co.uk/Seed Legals - https://seedlegals.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.