Seed to Scale

Accel India

Building and scaling startups in emerging markets.

13 episodesBi-weekly

14

clips found

8

episodes analyzed

1.8

clips / episode

Clip categories

market insight (3)Bold/Contrarian (3)Practical Framework (2)Origin Story (2)contrarian take (1)personal lesson (1)

Most discussed topics

talent costs(1)international expansion(1)startup economics(1)pattern matching(1)contrarian investing(1)investment philosophy(1)vc founder relationships(1)investor mentoring(1)founder loneliness(1)lp perspective(1)venture ecosystem(1)content amplification(1)

Best clip

11:53· 18scontrarian take

First Round Capital founder challenges the golden rule of VC investing

11:53 / 12:12

I'll push back a little bit on pattern matching. I think that by definition, we're trying to find raw and fragile and contrarian ideas. And the challenge with pattern matching is that you begin to generalize. So I'm not sure that the best pattern matchers are the best investors.

Full clip page →

“And as I was building this company, pretty much everyone said, you know, you're crazy.”

of The Fund, at 1:52

Best guests

1

of The Fund

4 clips
2

of Tala

2 clips
3

of Eventbrite

1 clip

Top clips

Seed to Scale · of The Fund

Origin Story

In 2006, I started a startup, which was, definitely not part of my DNA. I don't think it was what what people thought I was gonna do. But I had an idea and I had passion, and I kinda went for it. And as I was building this company, pretty much everyone said, you know, you're crazy. You're building a tech company. You gotta go out to San Francisco.

Sets up the unexpected founder journey with 'not part of my DNA' and leads into the SF pressure. Good narrative setup but less punchy than the later versions of this story.

1:52 - 2:1826s

Seed to Scale · of Tala

Practical Framework

The advice I would give is really to focus on the problem that you're solving and stay focused on that more than staying focused on the name brand of an investor. Because I do think that if you have results, the path kind of starts to open up.

Counter-intuitive fundraising advice that challenges conventional wisdom about chasing prestigious investors. The framework of problem-focus → results → path opening is actionable and memorable for founders.

6:00 - 6:3130s

Seed to Scale

market insight

Why the LP voice has been missing from venture capital conversations

Beezer Clarkson explains how Sapphire Ventures created a simple ecosystem using just a hashtag and website to amplify the voices of LPs and GPs writing about venture industry trends. She describes their grassroots approach of reaching out to LPs and promising to retweet and amplify their content to address the missing LP perspective in venture discourse.

13:14 - 13:5440s
lp-perspectiveventure-ecosystemcontent-amplification

Seed to Scale · of The Fund

Bold/Contrarian

Pretty much everyone said, you know, you're crazy. You're building a tech company. You gotta go out to San Francisco. And so I spent some time out in San Francisco and realized that that just wasn't the place I wanted to build my company. So, really doubled down on building it here, and it was quite hard, you know, in my apartment. Felt very isolating.

Perfect contrarian narrative - rejecting conventional wisdom about going to SF to build tech companies. The isolation and apartment-building detail makes it relatable and authentic. Classic David vs Goliath framing.

2:11 - 2:3120s

Seed to Scale · of The Fund

Practical Framework

The truth is, it's too late by then. Like, there's there's some things we can do, but we need to start earlier. We need to start, you know, getting in front of students and really, you know, helping them at those earlier stages that we can inspire them to become founders, to start companies, and give them the resources. And that's really gonna help with, you know, diversity and inclusivity.

Strong urgency framing with 'it's too late by then' and specific actionable advice about timing interventions earlier. Connects to broader diversity outcomes, making it both practical and socially relevant.

13:36 - 13:5621s

Seed to Scale · of Tala

Quick Fire

We started hiking at two in the morning, so it was a night hike. And you get to the top of the mountain at about 06:30, and you get to see essentially the whole world wake up. It was just one of the best experiences of my life.

Vivid personal story with specific details (2am start, 6:30 arrival) and emotional payoff ('whole world wake up'). The extreme timing and universal appeal of sunrise makes it shareable, though less business-focused.

9:29 - 9:5021s

Seed to Scale · of Eventbrite

market insight

Why French engineers cost way less than Silicon Valley talent

Eventbrite's CTO explains the major cost advantages of building a startup in France versus Silicon Valley. He highlights how French engineering schools produce highly skilled talent at much lower salary costs, creating a compelling economic case for European startup operations.

12:43 - 13:0523s
talent-costsinternational-expansionstartup-economics

Seed to Scale

Origin Story

You have a phone call? And I was like, okay. Who is it from? And she said, Steve Jobs. And I was like, I don't, I don't think so. Are you serious? She's like, yeah, no, it's Steve Jobs.

A perfect celebrity name-drop story that's inherently shareable. The disbelief and casual delivery makes it relatable while the Steve Jobs connection provides massive social proof and curiosity.

9:59 - 10:3637s

Seed to Scale

personal lesson

VC relationships are beautifully complex - you're everything and nothing at once

Jake Saper reflects on the unique and multifaceted nature of VC-founder relationships, describing how investors must navigate being mentor, friend, boss, and peer at different times. He explains how going through company ups and downs together creates deep human connections, with VCs serving as a crucial support system for lonely founders.

23:50 - 24:3242s
vc-founder-relationshipsinvestor-mentoringfounder-loneliness

Seed to Scale

Bold/Contrarian

This really is a low ego job because you do get it wrong. There's no I in this job whatsoever.

Contrarian take on venture capital being 'low ego' when most perceive VCs as high-ego. The humility angle is refreshing and quotable, especially from a Sequoia partner.

16:25 - 16:4419s

Seed to Scale

Bold/Contrarian

You're either gonna have a lot of fun working with that group of people or you're gonna be super fucking annoyed every time you have a board meeting. And it's a hell of a lot more fun to have a good group of people around the table.

The strong language ('super fucking annoyed') and the stark binary choice creates memorable impact. This captures the emotional reality of board dynamics that founders rarely hear discussed so bluntly.

12:50 - 13:1020s

Seed to Scale · of The Fund

Business Mechanics

We call it community powered because we don't do really any outbound. All of our deal flow comes from those 50 founders in New York. And we run it all on a Slack channel where people submit deals and decks, and there's like, lively discussion about these deals. And we've become quite active. So in the eleven months that we've been around, we've done 28 deals.

Reveals the specific operational mechanics of how a successful fund actually works. The Slack channel detail and 28 deals in 11 months provides concrete proof points. Shows innovation in traditional VC processes.

9:48 - 10:1325s

Seed to Scale

market insight

Why new VCs are struggling to compete in today's brutal market

Beezer Clarkson discusses the intense competition facing new venture capital entrants and the steep learning curve required to compete with established firms. She touches on the challenges of building a VC practice when the market is saturated with players who recognize the opportunity.

11:48 - 12:1223s
vc-competitionemerging-managersmarket-dynamics

Most clip-worthy episode

Jenny Fielding, MD of Techstars & Founder of The Fund, on doubling down with the NYC tech community

of The FundApr 15, 20194 clips

Recent episodes

Renaud Visage, Cofounder & CTO of Eventbrite, on Taking a Startup through a Recession and then through an IPO

Renaud Visage, Cofounder & CTO of Eventbrite, on Taking a Startup through a Recession and then through an IPO

of EventbriteDec 2, 201921 min

Renaud Visage, cofounder and CTO of Eventbrite, discusses building and scaling a startup from the early days through major challenges like the 2008 financial crisis and eventually taking the company public. He shares insights on navigating economic downturns, international expansion, and the advantages of building tech teams in different markets.

Josh Kopelman, Founder of First Round Capital and investor in Uber, Square & Flatiron, on living in Philly, investing in NY and scaling teams beyond Silicon Valley.

Josh Kopelman, Founder of First Round Capital and investor in Uber, Square & Flatiron, on living in Philly, investing in NY and scaling teams beyond Silicon Valley.

Jul 23, 201920 min

Josh Kopelman, founder of First Round Capital, discusses his investment philosophy and approach to early-stage ventures. He challenges conventional wisdom about pattern matching in VC, arguing that the best investments come from contrarian ideas rather than following established patterns.

Jake Saper, Partner at Emergence Capital, on Coaching Networks, Zoom, and Series A Signaling Effect

Jake Saper, Partner at Emergence Capital, on Coaching Networks, Zoom, and Series A Signaling Effect

Jul 10, 201926 min

Jake Saper from Emergence Capital discusses the complex dynamics of investor-founder relationships and board governance. The conversation explores how VCs navigate multiple roles with portfolio companies, balancing mentorship, oversight, and partnership across different situations and timeframes.

Rich Wong, GP at Accel (recent IPOs = Slack, Crowdstrike & Fiverr), on his thesis of picks & shovels, early bets in mobile and why enterprise automation is the next big thing

Rich Wong, GP at Accel (recent IPOs = Slack, Crowdstrike & Fiverr), on his thesis of picks & shovels, early bets in mobile and why enterprise automation is the next big thing

Jun 21, 201922 min
Beezer Clarkson, MD at Sapphire Ventures, on reimagining the role of the LP in venture

Beezer Clarkson, MD at Sapphire Ventures, on reimagining the role of the LP in venture

May 30, 201919 min

Beezer Clarkson discusses the evolving role of Limited Partners in venture capital and initiatives to create more inclusive ecosystems for industry participation. The conversation covers the competitive landscape for new entrants in VC and strategies for building community through content and networking platforms.

Brian Feinstein, Partner at Bessemer, on identifying opportunities in vertical SaaS

Brian Feinstein, Partner at Bessemer, on identifying opportunities in vertical SaaS

Silicon ValleyMay 1, 201915 min
Jenny Fielding, MD of Techstars & Founder of The Fund, on doubling down with the NYC tech community

Jenny Fielding, MD of Techstars & Founder of The Fund, on doubling down with the NYC tech community

of The FundApr 15, 201918 min
Sarah Cannon, Partner at Index Ventures, on lessons from her time working with Obama, Capital G & Slack

Sarah Cannon, Partner at Index Ventures, on lessons from her time working with Obama, Capital G & Slack

Apr 3, 201918 min
Omar Hamoui, Partner at Sequoia Capital, on the early days of AdMob, a call from Steve Jobs and the secret sauce to Sequoia’s success

Omar Hamoui, Partner at Sequoia Capital, on the early days of AdMob, a call from Steve Jobs and the secret sauce to Sequoia’s success

Mar 20, 201921 min
Jeff Richards, MD of GGV, on board members: what to look for, how to optimize, expectations at each funding round and managing bad behavior

Jeff Richards, MD of GGV, on board members: what to look for, how to optimize, expectations at each funding round and managing bad behavior

Mar 7, 201928 min
Chris Farmer, Founder & CEO of SignalFire on reinventing the venture model with a many-to-many platform, powerful datasets and a full-stack team of engineers and data scientists

Chris Farmer, Founder & CEO of SignalFire on reinventing the venture model with a many-to-many platform, powerful datasets and a full-stack team of engineers and data scientists

Feb 21, 201926 min
Shivani Siroya, Founder & CEO of Tala, on raising capital, scaling teams and funding the underserved

Shivani Siroya, Founder & CEO of Tala, on raising capital, scaling teams and funding the underserved

of TalaJan 24, 201919 min
Michael Mignano, Founder & CEO of Anchor, on building the company that democratized podcasting

Michael Mignano, Founder & CEO of Anchor, on building the company that democratized podcasting

of AnchorJan 10, 201928 min

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