4 clips
TThe Full Ratchet
A venture capitalist explains why he passed on Chime's seed round despite the founders' proven track record with Green Dot. He shares his reasoning for rejecting what seemed like a logical digital pivot from a successful team, illustrating how even experienced investors can misjudge market opportunities.
VVenture Unlocked
A VC explains why they're avoiding even the most hyped AI startup deals, including those from OpenAI and Anthropic alumni raising $15-20M or smaller $8-10M rounds at $40-50M post-money valuations. The speaker questions whether seed managers should compete for these overpriced opportunities at all.
A VC argues that seed managers shouldn't compete for oversubscribed rounds at high post-money valuations. They critique how the explosion of both investors and founders has led to lazy evaluation processes that rely on superficial signals rather than substantive founder assessment.
A discussion of how the shift from AI infrastructure to applications creates challenges for seed investors. The speakers explore why capital-intensive infrastructure deals don't fit the typical seed investment model, though some investors like Ed Sim at Boldstar have found ways to make it work.