Best Pre Seed Investing Podcasts (2024)

1
Florian Brand - MDMA and DMT trials, Raising $400M from Peter Thiel and other investors, Difficulties of bringing a drug to market, The journey of increasing self-awareness 28:41

1h ago28:41

28:41

Florian Brand co-founder and Co-CEO of ATAI Life Sciences. ATAI was founded in 2018 and is a global, listed, biopharma company with the vision to heal mental health disorders so that everyone, everywhere can live a more fulfilled life. They were one of the pioneers to use psilocybin in treating mental health and they have raised around $400M equity…

1
#054 - The Bed of Procrustes: Nassim Taleb (Incerto Series) 2:33:13

13h ago2:33:13

2:33:13

Learn from history's Greatest Minds — and find Timeless ideas you can apply to business and life. Every episode we explore a Lindy book: We strive to become polymaths like our investing and business icons, pulling the Big Ideas from a wide range of disciplines. For the curious-minded seeking Worldly Wisdom. Join 3,000+ others by subscribing @ ratio…

1
TBC93: Valuations, SAFEs & Convertible Notes Explained 9:39

1d ago9:39

9:39

In this episode of The Back Channel, Jason tackles the often misunderstood concept of valuation caps in fundraising. He walks through what a valuation cap is, how it works, and its role in SAFE agreements and convertible notes. Jason explains how these caps affect the conversion of investments into equity during future funding rounds, and covers th…

1
Michael Lazarenko - 350 meetings to raise pre-seed round, The effects of the war in Ukraine, Gearing to raise Seed, The importance of Storytelling, The $140B electronics R&D market 22:49

6d ago22:49

22:49

Michael Lazarenko, founder and CEO of Embedd. With Embedd they provide a unified framework so that all the components coming from tens of different manufacturers can communicate with each other on the circuit board. They raised $1.2M Eur pre-seed round led by Cocoa in May last year and now they are ready and gearing up to raise their seed round. Du…

1
11: How one of Arian Ghashghai’s virtual reality companies is on track to hit $20M in revenue after one round of funding 1:30:33

3d ago1:30:33

1:30:33

Have you ever played with an Oculus VR headset? You probably owe thanks to Arian Ghashghai. The former founder was working at Meta when someone in his network introduced him to an opportunity to invest in gummies. Yes, gummies. That’s far and away from Arian’s machine learning roots, it’s now one of his best investments to date. Arian has since gon…

1
How Michael Diesu Closed a $2.5M Seed Round for Revenue Roll (Michael Diesu / Revenue Roll - Ep 49) 53:12

3d ago53:12

53:12

Entrepreneurship is unpredictable—just when you think you’ve got it all mapped out, you're hit with a tough choice between two very different paths. One feels safe and familiar, while the other is full of potential, uncertainty, and risk. Every founder faces that pivotal moment: Do you play it safe, or take the leap? Today’s guest, Michael Diesu, c…

1
E111 Breakup big tech monopolies? Nava VC & Stanford Prof Manish Patel 1:05:49

8d ago1:05:49

1:05:49

E111 Breaking up big tech monopolies on Fireside with a VC speaking with Manish Patel, founder of Nava Ventures, a $175m VC fund in San Francisco, Teaching Faculty at Stanford University, early Googler, and former General Partner at Highland Capital Partners. Talking about his history at Google pre-IPO and the current state of monopolies with Googl…

1
TBC92: Revisiting Post-Money vs Pre-Money Cap SAFEs 9:13

8d ago9:13

9:13

In this episode of The Backchannel, we revisit a fundamental topic that every founder should understand: post-money cap SAFEs and their implications. Starting with a refresher on the basics of post-money versus pre-money valuations, the discussion then moves into how these financial instruments impact founder ownership and why they can be tricky. L…

1
TBC91: Investor Lists & Launching a Fundraise (HOW TO) 11:02

15d ago11:02

11:02

In this episode of The Backchannel, Jason dives into one of the most overlooked yet essential tasks in fundraising: building your target investor list. He breaks down why so many founders avoid this work—it’s time-consuming, tedious, and can be confusing. But also emphasizes its importance and offers a step-by-step guide on how to tackle it effecti…

1
E110 Austin, TX Venture Capital, ATX Ventures Chris Shonk 56:35

15d ago56:35

56:35

E110 Austin, Texas Venture Capital on Fireside with a VC speaking with Chris Shonk, cofounder and Managing Director of ATX Venture Partners. Discussing the evolution of Austin as a tech corridor from early semiconductors to IBM, Tivoli, and a string of startup hits early days of VC here and how Austin founders had term sheets from Silicon Valley re…

1
10: How Amit Garg co-founded an AI-first seed fund before AI took off 1:11:06

17d ago1:11:06

1:11:06

Armed with an educational background in computer science and biomedical informatics, Amit Garg switched to venture capital after a long, successful career in the corporate world, which included stints at companies like Google and Samsung. And that’s just the way he never planned it. That’s right, the almost-doctor didn’t intend to get into venture …

1
How Christal Wang Closed a $2.2M Seed Round for Shimmer (Christal Wang / Shimmer - Ep 48) 53:08

20d ago53:08

53:08

Fundraising can be both the most aggravating and comforting part of a founder’s journey. It only takes one “yes” to change everything, but getting there often means facing a mountain of “no’s.” Not every founder has the resilience to push through the rejection, but those who do often find success right when they’re ready to give up. In today’s epis…

1
TBC90: What Do Pre-Seed & Seed Rounds Look Like in This Market? 8:20

25d ago8:20

8:20

In this episode of The Backchannel, we dive into a topic that’s been on a lot of founders’ minds: the difference between pre-seed and seed rounds in today’s shifting market. We explain how the definitions and expectations for these funding stages have evolved, especially after the wild fluctuations caused by events like ZIRP and the SVB collapse. W…

1
Alexandre Momeni - Investing in founders with a sense of urgency, The future of brain machine interface, Paris VS London, Product Market Fit as a spectrum, Opportunities in healthcare in Europe 30:03

23d ago30:03

30:03

Alexandre Momeni - Partner at General Catalyst. Alex specialises in healthcare and AI and has been instrumental in bringing some of Europe’s biggest AI deals to General Catlayst’s door. For background General Catalyst, has $28bn assets under management and is one of the world’s best known VC firms. They backed some of greatest businesses that you p…

1
#80: End of Gaming PC? Ambitious Vision of Highscore for Cloud Gaming 47:44

28d ago47:44

47:44

🎮 Dive into the future of gaming with Ian from High Score! 🎮In this episode of Startup Project, we explore:- The true size of the gaming industry (hint: it's HUGE!)- How cloud gaming is revolutionizing accessibility- The story behind High Score's innovative platform- Challenges faced by cloud gaming services like Google Stadia- Future trends in gam…

1
TBC89: Why You Need Deadlines for Your Raise 8:03

1M ago8:03

8:03

In this episode of The Backchannel, the focus is on the critical role deadlines play in successful fundraising efforts. Deadlines can create a sense of scarcity and urgency, helping founders manage and control the fundraising process more effectively. By setting clear deadlines for meetings and feedback, founders can signal to investors that there …

1
Robert Jäckle - Finding and investing in talent, The path to €600M AuM in 5 years, The correlation between risk and success, Surrounding yourself with driven and ambitious people 34:15

30d ago34:15

34:15

Robert Jäkle is a Partner at Visionaries Club. Visionaries is a leading European early-stage VC fund with offices in London and Berlin. The fund is backed by over 30 unicorn founders - such as the founders of UiPath, Flixbus, Miro and Skype - as well as leading European family business entrepreneurs. Bobby joined the fund on day one and has helped …

1
How Orri Bogdan Raised a $2M Seed Round for VAE Labs (Orri Bogdan / VAE Labs - Ep 47) 1:00:43

1M ago1:00:43

1:00:43

In this episode, we explore the realities of fundraising with Orri Bogdan, Founder and CEO of VAE Labs. Like many founders before him, Orri’s journey to raising a $2M seed round was fraught with challenges. From losing co-founders to product failures and numerous rejections from VCs, Orri faced it all. Yet, he persevered by immersing himself in fou…

1
E109 Pre-Seed VC RSCM, 2k+ investments since 2012 1:08:55

1M ago1:08:55

1:08:55

E109 Pre-Seed venture capital on Fireside with a VC speaking with David Lambert, Cofounder, Right Side Capital Management (RSCM) one of the most active pre-seed or pre-VC investors in Silicon Valley and across the US and Canada. Links and Resources: Watch the full episode onYouTube: https://youtu.be/cspNXaMmorI. Find all episodes of Firesidewith a …

1
TBC88: How To Show VCs Traction 12:22

1M ago12:22

12:22

In this episode of The Back Channel, we explore a critical topic for founders: showcasing traction to VCs. Jason does another mailbag answering questions submitted by founders worldwide, exploring topics like how macroeconomic conditions impact investor targets, the importance of presenting meaningful metrics, and strategies for highlighting your u…

1
Aleksander Larsen - $1.3B revenue, North Korean hack, From the hottest company in web3 to being called a scam, Building digital nations, Competing with Visa 32:55

1M ago32:55

32:55

Aleksander Larsen is the Co-Founder, Chairman, and COO of Sky Mavis, the company behind the popular crypto game Axie Infinity and the Ronin Network. SkyMavis is the breakout company at the intersection of gaming and blockchain, they’ve raised around 300 million dollars according to Dealroom and Crunchbase from top investors like a16z, Accel and Par…

1
TBC87: Answering Founders Questions About The Fundraising Process 14:47

2M ago14:47

14:47

In this episode of The Backchannel, we revisit a popular topic among founders: how to create efficient fundraising processes. We address several questions submitted by founders, exploring various aspects of the fundraising journey. Our discussion covers strategies for improving investor outreach, managing communications, and maintaining momentum th…

1
How Coco Brown Raised $2.5M in Venture Capital for Athena Alliance (Coco Brown / Athena Alliance - Ep 46) 59:09

2M ago59:09

59:09

In this episode, we sit down with Coco Brown, founder of Athena Alliance, to discuss her journey of transforming a nonprofit into a venture-backed enterprise and successfully raising $2.5M in funding. Coco shares her experience with the challenging fundraising climate of 2023 and how she navigated countless investor rejections. She talks about the …

1
#79 Building a Scalable No-Code Backend with Xano 40:04

2M ago40:04

40:04

Startup Project Podcast: Building a Scalable No-Code Backend with XanoJoin Natraj as he sits down with Prakash, the founder of Xano, a revolutionary no-code backend platform that's shaking up the software development landscape.This episode dives deep into:🔸Xano's mission: Prakash explains how Xano empowers developers and citizen developers to build…

1
Investment NEED or Investment READY 9:47

2M ago9:47

9:47

In this solo episode Finlay outlines the subtle but important difference between investment need - as seen by a Founder and Investment Ready as decided by investor(s) He explains the work between these two points "Investor Readiness" is critical to success and needs serious time and energy!By Finlay Kerr

1
#053 - Skin in the Game: Nassim Taleb (Incerto Series) 2:58:49

2M ago2:58:49

2:58:49

Learn from history's Greatest Minds — and find Timeless ideas you can apply to business and life. Every episode we explore a Lindy book: We strive to become polymaths like our investing and business icons, pulling the Big Ideas from a wide range of disciplines to help us become better investors and operators. For the curious-minded seeking Worldly …

1
TBC86: How Do I handle Inbound Interest From VCs? 8:03

2M ago8:03

8:03

In this episode, we're tackling an important startup scenario: unexpected VC interest. We'll be answering a question Jason received from a founder who received an out-of-the-blue email from an investor. We'll also some practical tips on how to handle these situations smoothly, including ways to maintain control of the conversation and your timeline…

1
09: Angels of Shopify investing collectively and lessons on following your gut - Atlee Clark, Angel 58:53

2M ago58:53

58:53

What do you get when you mix U.S. national security, angel investing, and kids’ pajamas? Atlee Clark. Proud Canadian Atlee took a hard pivot from the public sector to the tech world, first through a nonprofit called the C100, which supports entrepreneurs, and later at Shopify, focusing on 0 - 1 initiatives. Similar to other angel collectives emergi…

1
TBC85: 5 Controversial Fundraising Ideas 11:51

2M ago11:51

11:51

In this episode of The Back Channel, we dive into five thought-provoking strategies to elevate your fundraising game while challenging existing advice. We explore concepts like pitch deck templates, riskiness of your idea, seeking rejection, tiering investors, and fundraising preparation. Join us as we challenge norms and empower you to refine your…

1
E108 Morgan Stanley Funding African American, Latino & Woman Startups 43:33

2M ago43:33

43:33

E108 Fireside with a VC speaking with Alice Vilma, Managing Director and Co-Head of The Next Level Fund at Morgan Stanley Investment Management. Alice explains how the Next Level Fund looks to promote financial inclusion and provide founders of tech and tech-enabled startups with much-needed access to investors—along with the tools, resources and c…

1
How Brian Raymond Raised $65 Million in Funding for Unstructured IO (Brian Raymond / Unstructured IO - Ep 45) 57:31

2M ago57:31

57:31

A lot of entrepreneurs take risks when they're young and have nothing to lose. For others, it's a different story. Maybe they found their dream job, started a family, bought a house, and then something happens that completely throws them off course. Today's guest was one of those people. After an unexpected situation, he decided to take a chance an…

1
E107 Scenario Planning for China & Asia, Silicon Valley & China 1:29:14

2M ago1:29:14

1:29:14

E107 In this episode of Fireside with a VC, we discuss scenario planning for China & Asia and the relationship with Silicon Valley. We explore future opportunities with Francis Bassolino, Managing Director of Alaris Consulting, who has been helping companies of all sizes enter, succeed, and exit China over a span of 30+ years. Francis is also an ad…

1
TBC84: Why Smart People Struggle With Fundraising 7:31

2M ago7:31

7:31

In this episode of The Backchannel, the focus is on why intelligent individuals often struggle with pitching to investors. The discussion includes the common pitfalls such as overemphasizing data, battling imposter syndrome, and the tendency to overcomplicate pitches to prove intelligence. The importance of simplicity, emotional connection, and emb…

1
08 Takeaways: Charles Hudson, Precursor Ventures: macro, team vs market, fund size vs. outcomes 20:32

2M ago20:32

20:32

Join Shaherose & Aamir as we reflect on our conversation with Charles Hudson of Precursor Ventures. Highlights: Don’t forget the macro: Government regulations can lead to massive opportunities or failures. We discuss case studies of companies like Samsara, Movtive (fka KeepTrucking), Republic, and Zum, showing how regulatory shifts led to category-…

1
TBC83: Answering Founders Questions About Pitch Decks 15:59

2M ago15:59

15:59

In this episode of The Backchannel, Jason answers 5 questions submitted by founders about pitch decks and pitching strategies. During the episode, he highlights the importance of simplicity and clarity in both deck design and delivery. Jason also discusses balancing design and content, conveying a compelling vision, and avoiding information overloa…

1
08: From the CIA to Google to 400+ pre-seed investments, first and early to define pre-seed - Charles Hudson, Precursor 59:28

3M ago59:28

59:28

Hailing from Michigan, Charles developed an early obsession with the public markets in high school. Charles Hudson is now the Managing Partner at Precursor Ventures, a pre-seed venture fund that has defined and has become synonymous with “pre-seed”. Charles is known for his ability to identify and mentor early-stage companies that have the potentia…

1
How Analisa Goodin Raised Over $31 Million in Funding for Catch+Release (Analisa Goodin / Catch+Release - Ep 44) 57:04

3M ago57:04

57:04

When all you've ever known is running a bootstrapped startup... the world of venture capital can feel pretty intimidating. Bootstrapping a company is an extreme sport, and so is going down the path of venture capital - but each path is completely different from one another. You might have been able to build an amazing company that you believe can b…

1
#78 Securing The World's IoT Devices with Asimily 37:55

3M ago37:55

37:55

🎙️ Startup Project Podcast - Episode with Shankar Somasundaram, CEO of AsimilyWelcome to another exciting episode of the Startup Project Podcast! In this episode, we have Shankar Somasundaram, the CEO and founder of Asimily, a company dedicated to providing visibility and security for medical IoT and OT devices. Shankar brings a wealth of experienc…

1
TBC82: Understanding VC Signals 9:55

3M ago9:55

9:55

VC signals can be tricky. A lot of them are deeply intertwined with social dynamics and can change investor interest in a matter of seconds. In this episode, Jason shares a recent example of how fast negative signaling can impact a deal. Listen to the full episode to learn about different types of VC signals and how you can use them to help you rai…

1
How to prepare your business for a happy lucrative regret free exit whenever you choose to do so! 30:35

3M ago30:35

30:35

Richard McMullan of Aurelius Advisory is the guest on the podcast for this episode Aurelius Advisory helps business owners prepare themselves and their business for a happy, lucrative, regret-free exit whenever they choose to do so. Richard and Finlay discuss the similarities in investor readiness and preparing for an exit - "Start with the end in …

1
E106 Ex-Head of Eric Schmidt’s Family Office, CFO of Sybase, Excite@Home, Siebel, Fortinet, Yahoo! 53:23

3M ago53:23

53:23

E106 Fireside with a VC speaking with Ken Goldman, former President of Eric & Wendy Schmidt’s family office, former CFO of Yahoo!, Fortinet, Siebel Systems (acquired by Oracle), Excite@Home, Sybase, and Cypress Semiconductor. Discussed the changes in VC, going public and the reasons companies should go public again, the problems secondaries for fou…

1
TBC81: Answering Your Questions About Getting Passed On 11:06

3M ago11:06

11:06

Welcome back to The Backchannel! In this episode, we're trying out a new format where we dive into your burning questions about how founders should navigate investor passes. Join Jason as he addresses the following questions: - Should you send a follow-up email after a pass? How soon is too soon to follow up after an informal meeting? - Is it appro…

1
The Story Behind Incognia's Pivot & How it Led Them to Raise $45.6M 1:08:41

3M ago1:08:41

1:08:41

When life throws you tough times, you only have two options: to give up or find a solution. Today's guest felt slightly differently when they ran into some truly unexpected situations... they decided there was actually only one option: find a solution and move forward. Our guest for this episode is André Ferraz, co-founder and CEO of Incognia, a fa…

1
#105 Ex-President of TiE Silicon Valley, Chair of TiE Global, founder of Monta Vista Capital, Seed VC 52:40

3M ago52:40

52:40

E105 Fireside with a VC speaking with Venktesh (Venk) Shukla founder of Monta Vista Capital and former President of TiE Silicon Valley, Chair of TiE Global. Venk explains the core values and magic of TiE. We discuss what Venk learned from making his first 20 investments and how he developed his framework for his Monta Vista Capital seed stage VC fu…

1
#052 - Antifragile: Nassim Taleb (Incerto Series) 3:42:56

3M ago3:42:56

3:42:56

Learn from history's Greatest Minds — and find Timeless ideas you can apply to business and life. Every episode we explore a Lindy book: We strive to become polymaths like our investing and business icons, pulling the Big Ideas from a wide range of disciplines to help us become better investors and operators. For the curious-minded seeking Worldly …

1
TBC80: Why Monthly Investor Newsletters Might Be a Bad Idea for Founders 9:15

3M ago9:15

9:15

In this episode of The Backchannel, Jason pushes back at the common practice of founders sending out monthly investor newsletter updates. Although it may work for some founders, monthly newsletters aren't for everyone. In this episode Jason shares a few other ways to use investor lists like targeted updates, requests for help, specific achievements…

1
07: Angel in 100+ startups, focused on learning and catalyzing mission-first startups - Eric Ries, Creator Lean Startup, Founder, LTSE 1:10:12

3M ago1:10:12

1:10:12

Eric Ries has invested in over 100+ early-stage startups. He is best known as the author of The Lean Startup, a must-read for entrepreneurs worldwide. He also founded the Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE), a new stock exchange designed to support companies with long-term goals. He recently launched a new podcast discussing ways to re-think corporate …

1
#77 Learn It All Mindset with CEO Damon Lemby 42:36

3M ago42:36

42:36

Damon Lemby, CEO of Learn It, a company that has trained over 1.9 million individuals, shares his journey from professional baseball to the world of education, offering insights on leadership, learning, and the future of work. The Power of the "Learn It All" Mindset Lemby argues that the key to success in today's dynamic world is not being a "know-…

1
TBC: Is Silicon Valley Still the Place to Be for Startups? (TBC79) 9:08

3M ago9:08

9:08

Hey everyone, welcome back to the Back Channel! Today, we're mixing things up. My producer Paige read an article from the Bay Area Council Economic Institute and wanted my take. They claim tech workers are flocking back to SF, with major companies still headquartered there, and a big chunk of AI investment dollars staying local. Although there's tr…

1
MENA Region Vibe Check + Lessons from Startup Tunisia 42:50

3M ago42:50

42:50

🎙️ This month's episode takes us to Tunisia, speaking to Mariem Sellami, a founder and former program manager at Startup Tunisia to understand what it’s like running a venture in Tunisia. 🇹🇳 Like most nascent tech ecosystems, the government plays an important role in the Tunisian ecosystem, with legal frameworks like the Startup Act—passed in 2019—…

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