8 clips
RRiding Unicorns
Dom Hallas reveals the explosive growth of UK's tech ecosystem, highlighting that venture capital raised in just May 2024 exceeded the entire year's funding from 2014. He sets up context for discussing recent government budget changes that founders and investors need to understand.
a16z Podcast · Anish Acharya
Anish Acharya outlines his framework for evaluating investment risk, identifying three key categories: competitive risk (can you win), pricing risk (did you overpay), and team risk (can founders execute at scale). He explains how each type of risk manifests and which ones are worth taking as a VC.
a16z Podcast
The speaker explores how AI is disrupting traditional venture capital categories, particularly the blurring lines between venture and growth funding, and between infrastructure and application companies. They use model companies as an example of this category confusion - these companies function as both horizontal infrastructure platforms and direct consumer applications.
A venture capitalist discusses how defense investing has rapidly shifted from taboo to mainstream in Silicon Valley. They explain their thesis of investing ahead of emerging theaters like space warfare, noting how attitudes toward funding hypersonic weapons companies completely changed between just a few years ago and 2023.
VVC10X · Nolan Bean
Nolan Bean, CIO of FEG Investment Advisors, discusses whether venture capital's appeal as an asset class has diminished in recent years. He acknowledges that while VC remains fundamentally a power law game focused on hitting home runs, the big question investors are grappling with is whether we're headed for a 1999-style correction.
StackOne's co-founder shares the psychological shift that happens after raising venture capital - how securing funding and buy-in for your billion-dollar vision creates intense pressure to execute without excuses. He reflects on the unique burden that comes with venture-backed businesses versus bootstrapped companies.
TThe Full Ratchet
A venture capitalist explains their mindset toward startup failures, emphasizing that losing investments are an expected part of the high-risk VC business model. They break down the fundamental reality that 9 out of 10 startups won't succeed, framing failure as a mathematical inevitability rather than something to feel sorry about.
Accel Partner Andrei Brasoveanu reflects on a key career lesson about the importance of authenticity in venture capital. He emphasizes that leaning into who you are is crucial for success, while acknowledging that VC work requires intense effort and persistence even when progress isn't immediately visible.
