Jay Acunzo is NextView Ventures VP of Platform and runs the View from Seed blog. At NextView, he leads the creation of business development and educational resources for startups, from board deck templates to mobile workshops to the popular Hitchhiker's Guide to Boston Tech (bostontechguide.com). Prior to NextView, Jay led content marketing and production teams at HubSpot (IPO) and Dailybreak Media (acquired). A former sports journalist, he began his career in tech at Google. As a result of Jay's tremendous success Jay has been named Top 10 B2B Marketer in Boston, 70 Rising Social Media Stars and 100 Most Influential Content Marketers. Items Mentioned in Today's Show: Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain  Jay's Article in TechCrunch a16z GoDaddy Wordpress The Weird Things Business People Do On Twitter The Content Marketing Institute   In Today's Episode you will Learn: How Jay made his move into the world of tech with Google and how he then transitioned into the world of venture with NextView? What does VP of Platform really entail? Why has it become an emerging trend in the venture industry? How is the structure of VCs firms changing, with the likes of a16z moving to a much more service orientated venture fund. Are there any individuals or sections of society that should or should not be blogging? How can individuals drive traffic to their blog and what tactics Jay uses to get visitors to his blog? What Jay would suggest to business and startup founders thinking about whether to start blogging? What is the best platform to market your content or startup? Is Twitter really an effective marketing tool? How can individuals and businesses increase engagement on Twitter? What not to do on Twitter? We then finish today's episode with a lightning round where we hear Jay's thoughts on the best and worst aspects as VP of Platform, his best resource for content marketing, his favourite book and why.  

Jon Staenberg is one of the most experienced venture capitalists in the Pacific Northwest, having made over 250 startup investments and having raised two funds totaling over $100 million. Jon's investments include the likes of AngelList, StubHub, SAPHO, KitchenBowl (through AngelList syndicates) and many more. If that wasn't enough Jon sits on the boards of Class.com, Micropath and even owns his own vineyard! Previously, Jon worked in the marketing area at Microsoft for six years and is a Stanford alum! Items Mentioned in Today's Episode: KitchenBowl Kindara  In Today's Episode You Will Learn: 1.) How Jon started off in the tech industry and then made his move into venture? 2.) Having established 5 companies, what was the hardest element of the process and how did Jon overcome it? 3.) Having invested in over 250 startups what is Jon's investment strategy? What is Jon looking for in startups? 4.) Once invested in a startup, what is Jon's role and what services can VCs bring to a startup? 5.) Whether Jon feels AngelList syndicates are going to change the funding environment? Does it present a challenge to the more traditional VC model? We then finish with a quick fire round where we hear Jon describe the highlight of his glittering career, the biggest tip Jon would give to an aspiring entrepreneur and his most recent investment and why he said yes?  

Quote of the Day: “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard." John F. Kennedy Chris Dark is President International at C2FO, the Union Square Ventures backed company is the priceline for working capital where companies 'name their own price'. Prior to C2FO, Chris was VP at Atomico, the London based venture fund founded by Nicklas Zennstorm. At Atomico, Chris was on the boards of Chemist Direct, Fab, Hailo, Quipper, Wrapp, Knewton, Bebestore, and Gengo. If that wasn't enough Chris has also held roles at AOL, Bain & Co and started his own company GameReplays.org, an early esports community, which Chris built to 1 million uniques per month! Items Mentioned in Today's Show Niklass Zennstorm Kazaa The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Ben Horowitz Supercell   In Today's Show You Will Learn: Where it all began for Chris and how he made his move into venture? What skills Chris learnt from founding his company and how he applied them to the venture industry? What were the hardest aspects of building Chris' company and how did he overcome them? What are the best reasons to want to join the venture industry? What made Chris leave his VP role at Atomico to rejoin the entrepreneurial game with C2FO? Having both invested in startups and raised funds as a startup, what tips would Chris give to founders potentially entering a round of funding? How does Chris feel the tech eco system in London is developing and what Chris believes can be done to further improve it? We finish today's show with a lightning round where we hear Chris' thoughts on whether university is necessary or not, the next 5 years for him and his most recent investment and why he said yes?

In today's show I am joined by the immensely talented Nicolas Michaelsen, Founder & CMO at AirHelp, the go to place if you have grievances during air travel. Nicolas draws back the curtain on the exclusive world of Y Combinator, this includes the admissions process, the infamous interview, the tutoring available to YC startups, the effects of YC on the valuation of startups and the key takeaways from his time at YC.    Items Mentioned in Today's Show: Kevin Hale: Founded @ Wufoo, Partner @ Y Combinator Paul Buchheit: Creator of Gmail, Partner @ Y Combinator In today's show you will learn: How Nicolas got AirHelp started? At what point did Nicolas realise that Y Combinator was the place to go? Had Nicolas considered other more local incubators? What was the admissions process like? Is there any specific documentation required to apply? How is the YC interview structured? What type of questions do the partners ask? What percentage of the partners need to say yes for a startup to be accepted? How does the tutoring system work at YC? Who did Nicolas receive as tutors for AirHelp? What is a typical day in the life of a YC startup? We then finish today's episode by hearing Nicolas' thoughts on his most valuable takeaway from YC, the impact of YC on the valuation of a startup, what the future holds for AirHelp? If you would like to follow The Twenty Minute VC on Twitter, click here! If you would like to stay up to date with Nicolas and AirHelp, click here!  

Maha Ibrahim is General Partner at Canaan Partners. Maha is renowned in the venture industry for her ability to to spot technology trends extremely early, proven through Maha being one of the 1st investors to recognise the huge potential of social gaming. As a result, Maha led Canaan's early investment in social games pioneer PicksPal (acquired by Liberty Media) and was a seed investor in Kabam, the world's largest developer of massively multiplayer social games. Due to Maha's incredible success in venture, she was included in Silicon Valley the '40 Under 40' award by The Silicon Valley Business Journal and is a regular on Bloomberg TV. Items Mentioned in Today's Show: The Real Real ClusterHQ Lending Club In today's episode you will learn: How Maha made her transition into the world of Venture Capital? As one of the 1st investors in social gaming, what did Maha see that other people did not? With the gaming industry being as fast moving and fickle as it is, shown through the likes of Zynga's troubles, is Maha concerned for her gaming portfolio companies, in their ability to maintain their dominant presence in the sector? Maha is an investor in The Real Real, a company which had revenues of over $100m last year. What does Maha believe is the reason for this incredible success and where does she see the future for The Real Real? Increasing amounts of capital means increasing competition for VCs, what does Maha believe VCs can bring to the table to beat off the competition? What is Maha most impressed by, in terms of entrepreneurs pitching to her? Where does Maha believe the next big forms of disruption are coming from? We finish today's episode with a quick fire round where we hear Maha's thoughts on the hardest part about being a VC, how Maha measures her success as a VC and her most recent investment and why she said yes? You can follow Maha on Twitter here!  

In today's show I am joined by John Taylor, a nationally recognised authority in the venture capital and entrepreneurial finance sector. Currently, John is Head of Research at the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). In 2003, he co-founded the NVCA CFO Task Force which focuses on regulation and emerging issues dealing with a diverse range of Some of the many gems of this conversation include: where venture funds actually obtain their funds from, what is the main difference between an angel and a VC, what investors expect from their VCs, how has the IPO market changed since 2000, what do VCs look for in potential investments, how do VCs manage their time, what is the typical workload of a VC, can University students go straight into the VC industry?   Items Mentioned in Today's Show: Dave McClure | Lean VC | 500 Startups Andreeson Horowitz 

The debate over whether or not we are in a tech bubble is dominating the minds of many in the tech world and today Harry talks to major player, Brandon Lipman, Co-Founder of 3DLT and writer of the recent TechCrunch Article: The Potential Upside To A Technology Bubble. Brandon shares his views on why seed deals have decreased by 300%, following from Scott Nolan's TechCrunch article, Brandon answers Does Burn Rate Really Matter, what sectors will survive or thrive in a tech bubble and why companies are preferring to raise later rounds rather than go public. They also dive into the dogfight between Meerkat and Periscope, the biggest winners from a bubble and the companies Brandon is most excited about. Items Mentioned in Today's Show: Chris Sacca and Tony Hawk with Jason Calacanis on TWIST 500 Startups: Dave McClure on Stanford's Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders MatterMark Complete Report Meerkat vs Periscope

Keith Teare is the Founder of Palo Alto incubator, Archimedes Labs whose incubated startups include the likes of M.Dot (acquired by GoDaddy), TechCrunch (acquired by AOL) and Ivan Kalanick's Red Swoosh. Keith is also the Co-Founder of TechCrunch alongside Michael Arrington. Prior to TechCrunch Keith founded RealNames Corporation raising more than £130m of venture funding before filing for an IPO with an implied valuation of £1.5bn.  Items Mentioned in Today's Show: Michael Arrington The Lean Startup by Eric Ries Chat Center: Universal Chat for Everyone on the Planet DownTown App: Your Personal Waiter Weendy: Sunshine App What you will learn in todays show: How did Keith get into the tech world at a time when technology was not mainstream? A venture of Keith's, Cyberia was heavily used by women. Does Keith believe that there have been improvements in balancing the gender gap? What Keith believes can be done to reduce the gender inequality that persists throughout the tech sector? How did Keith's Co-Founding of TechCrunch with Michael Arrington come about? Why did Keith try and persuade Michael not to create TechCrunch? What are the benefits of bootstrapping your startup and not raising venture funding? Why Keith was never able to raise venture funding in the UK? How is the valley different from creating a company in the UK? Keith's beliefs on the barbell venture capital ecosystem that persists in the US? We then finish today's episode with a quick fire round where we hear the best advice Keith has ever been given, the highlight of his career so far and the 3 companies that he is most excited about and why?

Greg Rogers is Managing Director at Techstars, the world’s leading accelerator programme for early stage technology start-ups and is responsible for the Barclays Accelerator. Prior to joining Techstars, he spent eleven years in New York City as an entrepreneur and senior manager. Most recently, he was founder and CEO of Pictela, a super rich media technology company that was acquired by AOL in 2010. An active angel, Greg was an early investor in Schedulicity and has recently co-founded SmartUp, a new ed-tech company with Frank Meehan (Siri), Brent Hoberman (Lastminute.com), and Barry Smith (Skyscanner).   Items Mentioned in Today’s Show: The Fundraising Rules by Mark Peter-Davis Brent Hoberman, Frank Meehan, Jon Bradford LastMinute.com Aire DoPay Squirrel  In today’s episode you will learn:   1.) How Greg got into the TechStars world? 2.) What attracted Greg to the the Fintech space and how has he seen Fintech develop over the last 5 years? 3.) What areas within the Fintech space Greg finds most interesting and why? 4.) What does Greg see the future of Fintech looking like? Does he see any trends arising in the space in 2015? 5.) What does Techstars offer startups and what do they take in return? 6.) What does Greg think are the characteristics of effective mentors? Are mentors necessary for startups in their early growth? 7.) What is Greg’s new venture, SmartUp. Who is involved and what are his plans for the future of SmartUp?   We finish today’s episode with a quick fire round where we hear Greg’s plans for the next five years, what tip Greg would give Fintech entrepreneurs and the 3 companies from TechStars or Barclays Accelerator that Greg is most excited about and why?

Chris Redlitz is Managing Partner at Transmedia Capital, an early stage venture fund specializing in digital media. Their portfolio includes the likes of Snapchat, Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook, just to name a few. Chris also Co-Founded The Last Mile with his wife Beverly, a program that integrates the nation’s penal system with the technology business. Prior to Transmedia and The Last Mile, Chris launched the first online independent yellow page directory, automated coupon platform and content syndication system. As a result, he received Ad Age's prestigious i20 award for his contributions to the development of interactive marketing and advertising. Items Mentioned in Today's Show: Scan.me (acquired by Snapchat) SnappyTV (acquired by Twitter) Newsle (acquired by Linkedin) Josh James: Domo, Omniture Richard Branson: Losing my Virginity Good to Great by Jim Collins The Startup of You by Reid Hoffman Newco: John Battelle In today’s Episode you will learn: 1.) How Chris made his transition into the Venture Capital industry? 2.) How do VCs compete to be involved in the funding rounds of such attractive startups, such as, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook etc? 3.) How has Chris’ investment strategy changed over the years? What were his early deals? What did he learn from them? What does he do differently now? 4.) What is the premise of The Last Mile? 5.) How does Chris plan to scale the Last Mile to be nationally adopted in all prisons in the US? 6.) What has been the most challenging aspect of Chris’ journey with the Last Mile and how did he overcome it?   The episode will then finish with a quick fire round where we hear Chris plans for the next five years for The Last Mile, the resource he would most recommend to aspiring entrepreneurs and his most recent investment and why he said yes?

John Henderson is Principal at White Star Capital, a VC firm helping exceptional entrepreneurs build great technology companies, with a presence in Europe and North America. Prior to White Star, John was Head of Business Development and Operations at Summly, playing a crucial role in the build up to their acquisition by Yahoo in May 2013. John has also spent time at Facebook working in strategy and business development and was a strategy consultant at The Boston Consulting Group.   Items (and incredible people!) Mentioned in Today's Show: Ben Horowitz: The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers (THE TWENTY MINUTE VC BOOK CLUB: WEEK ONE) The Innovators by Walter Isaacson Shakil Khan, Christian Hernandez, Nick D'Aloisio, Frank Meehan Bloglovin Nuzzel PandoDaily TechCrunch  What you will learn in today's episode: How John got into the technology industry and later made his transition into the world of Venture Capital? As Head of Business Development and Operations at Summly, what was it like for John working with Nick D'Aloisio? How did his role change in the buildup to the acquisition by Yahoo? What does John think about Summary's evolution into Yahoo News Digest? What has been the biggest difference between John's life as a entrepreneur compared to his life as a VC? Does John believe it is crucial for startups to find a well-suited VC for their startup? What does John advise startup founders to do or ask to ensure that a VC is the right match for them and their company? Having made angel investments of his own, does John approach these personal investments in a different manner to his professional investments?  What advice John would give to anyone contemplating angel investing? The episode then finishes with a quick fire round where we hear John's thoughts on the future of bitcoin, John's personal news reading preferences and his most recent investment and why he said yes?  

Marc Bernegger is Venture Partner at Orange Growth Capital, a Fintech investment firm with notable investments in the likes of Bux, Knip and Zopa. Prior to OGC, Marc was Partner at Next Generation Finance Invest (today Ayondo Holdings). However, Marc has experienced both sides of the table, as he was only 20 when he founded usgang.ch (trade sale to Axel Springer) and later went on to be founder of amiando (trade sale to Xing). As a result of these many successes Marc was awarded 'Newcomer of the Year 2010' by Swiss ICT. Items mentioned in today's show: Bux Startup Bootcamp Fintech Robin Hood Trading App In today's show you will learn: 1.) How and why Marc made his entry into the VC world in 2010? 2.) Marc specializes in the Fintech sector and has done since 2010, when it was really a very niche sector. How has Marc seen Fintech develop over the last 5 years? What did Marc see that everyone else did not?  3.) Which areas within the Fintech space Marc finds most interesting? 4.) What Marc sees the future of Fintech to look like? Does Marc see any trends arising in the space in 2015? 5.)In recent years Switzerland has trailed behind the likes of London and Scandinivia in Fintech, this seems to be changing with the recent Fintech hackathon held in Zurich, what does Marc think is bringing about this change? 6.)Where does Marc stand on the social integration of mobile payments? 7.) OGC is a investor in Bux, the social gamified trading platform, is this the way Marc believes stock market trading is moving? How does Marc respond to critics who suggest Bux allows the mass market who do not have the significant investing knowledge to gamble recklessly.     The episode will then finish with a quick fire round where we hear Marc's thoughts on the future of Bitcoin, what tips Marc would give to aspiring entrepreneurs and what the biggest difference between being an entrepreneur and an investor.   

Tom Britton is Co-Founder and CTO of Syndicate Room, an equity crowdfunding platform that allows it's members to co-invest alongside professional investors. To date Syndicate Room have raised an incredible £20m for 30 companies. Prior to Co-Founding Syndicate Room, Tom was a professional football player playing in a number of countries including the US and UK. Items Mentioned in Today's Show: Nesta Report: Crowdfunding Page 52 Crowdcube Ego Airplanes Inn Style Salty by Simon West In today's episode you will learn: 1.) How Tom got into the technology industry and then moved into the very early concept at the time of, equity crowdfunding? 2.)How does SynidcateRoom operate and does their process differs from the likes of Crowdcube? 3.) How much of the £19m was invested by people on the Syndicate Room network rather than the anchor angels?  4.) Does Tom believe with the rise of crowdfunding in recent years, the crowd are a competing finance model to the traditional VC model?  5.) Having witnessed numerous successful campaigns to date, what does Tom believe are the recipes for a successful crowdfunding campaign? 6.) For startups contemplating raising funds for their business, what are the largest benefits of raising seed capital through SyndicateRoom? 7.) CrowdCube is the No 1 equity crowdfunding site in the UK, how does SyndicateRoom treat this competitive threat?   The episode will then finish with a quick fire round where we hear Tom's plans for the next 5 years, the hardest obstacles Tom has faced in building Syndicate Room and the 3 companies that Syndicate Room has funded that Tom is most excited about?            

Matthew McCall is a Partner at Pritzker Group Venture Capital and was previously a Partner with DFJ Portage. He has been involved with investments with Feedburner (acquired by Google), Playdom (acquired by Disney) and EverDream (acquired by Dell), just to name a few. Matt has been named in Chicago's '40 under 40' and their Top Tech 25 list. He has been named as one of the Top 100 VCs in the US, a Media 100 and a Hollywood 100 Power Player. Items Mentioned in Todays Show: Matt's Blog: Beyond the Profit Line SMS Assist Bill Gurley predicts dead unicorns Steve Job's Commencement Speech Finding Joe with Joseph Campbell Hello Giggles with Zooey Deschanel Jessica Alba: The Honest Company BigFrame with Sarah Penna Eric Ries: The Lean Startup Stephen King:On Writing Robert McKee: Story, Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting  Christopher Voglar: The Writers Journey Viv: The Global Brain In todays show, you will learn: How Matt got into the VC world? What is Matt's normal investment size?  When investing does Matt have a mental timeline of the startup with a clear strategy of when a desired exit will take place?  Matt has been named to the AlwaysOnTop 100 VCs list, leading me to ask how has Matt's investment strategy changed over the years? What were his early deals? What did Matt learn from them? What does Matt do differently now? Matt has written about the 15 year tech cycle and has quoted Steve Juvertson ‘if you can see it, it isn’t the revolution’, leading me to ask where does Matt stand on a ‘tech bubble’. Is it occurring and why does he say that? Has Matt seen a rise in the emergence of the female entrepreneur? Matt LOVES commencement speeches. Why is that and are there any Matt would recommend in particular? The episode will then finish with a quick fire round where we hear the resource that Matt would most recommend to an aspiring Founder and Matt's recent investment and why he said yes? *Shortly after the interview Matt strongly recommended to me Never Eat Alone by Keith  Ferrazzi   

Sharon Wienbar invests in Mobile and Internet companies at Scale Venture Partners, where she sits on the board of Actiance, Applause, BeachMint, Everyday Health, PlayPhone, Reply.com and uTest. Prior to working at Scale Venture Partners, Sharon was VP of Marketing for Amplitude Software and Critical Path.  Items Mentioned in Today's Show: Applause Kate Mitchell National Venture Capital Association Why Software is Eating the World? CloudHealth What you will learn in Today's Show: How Sharon made her entry into the technology world and later the Venture Capital sector? Why is there gender misrepresentation in both the tech and the VC industry and what can be done to improve this gender inequality. What Sharon's views are on investing outside of the valley? What are the necessary aspects required for a startup located outside of the valley? With such large amounts of capital creating extremely high valuations, is it possible to make money investing in startups? With increasing competition between VC firms for startups, what else can VC's bring to the table other than capital? What sector is Sharon most excited about and why? We then move on to a quick fire round where we hear Sharon's thoughts on what Sharon likes and dislikes about being a VC? The most recent investment Sharon has made and why she said yes?   

Luke Lang is Co-Founder and CMO of Crowdcube, the world's leading investment Crowdfunding platform. Crowdcube enables anyone the opportunity to invest alongside professional investors in start-up, early-stage and growth businesses. They have raised over £67m for an incredible 207 companies and have an amazing 150,000 registered investors Items Mentioned in Today's Show: Escape The City JustPark Love Righteous | Salad Dressings EdenProject What you will learn in today's episode: How Luke got into the technology industry and really came to be Co-Founder to the world's 1st quit Crowdfunding platform in the world? Other than capital what else will Balderton bring to you to aid your growth and development? Does Luke believe Crowdfunding is a competing finance model to the traditional VC model? Having seen 207 companies experience successful Crowdfunding campaigns, Luke describes what he believes the formula to be for a successful campaign? For businesses thinking about Crowdfunding, what are the biggest benefits to businesses of raising seed capital through the Crowd? With the increasing number of Crowdfunding sites, how does Crowdcube treat the competitive threat? Is there an opportunity to attract more institutional style money to Crowdcube through retail bonds, which might appeal to income funds. As the interview comes to a close we engage in a quick fire round where we hear Luke's views on the hardest obstacle Luke has faced in building Crowdcube? Where Luke sees Crowdcube in 5 years time? 3 companies funded by Crowdcube that Luke is most excited about?

James Wise is Principal at Balderton Capital, one of Europe's most successful venture funds. At Balderton, James invests and advises early-stage technology start-ups, holding board member positions at Crowdcube.com, Surnrise.am, 3Dhubs.com and many more... Prior to Balderton, James helped build one of the UK's first social venture funds and was a consultant at McKinsey & Company, working with entrepreneurs in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Items Mentioned in Todays's Show: Crowdcube.com JustPark Sunrise.am Chilango MyTomorrows.com An Intimate History of Humanity by Theodore Zeldin What you will learn in today's show: How James made his entry into the world of Venture Capital? How does James feel the VC model differs in the UK compared to the US? Does Silicon Valley deserve the plaudits it receives for producing revolutionary tech companies? Following Balderton's recent investment in Crowdcube.com, how does James believe the crowd will become more involved in the future? Is Crowdfunding not a competing method of financing to Venture Capital? What is Balderton's competitive advantage for winning deals? What James believes makes the perfect Series A round? Does James believe the mini-bond, introduced by Crowdcube.com have the potential to revolutionise funding for businesses? Which sector James is most excited about and why? When thinking of success who is the first person that comes to James' mind and why? We then move into a rapid fire round where we hear James' thoughts on his latest investment and why he said yes? Does James experience a fear of missing out (FOMO) when passing on investments? Finally, James' favourite book and why?  

Stefan Glaenzer is Founding Partner at Passion Capital an early stage VC fund who have invested in the likes of DueDil, GoCardless and CarThrottle. He is also Co-Founder of White Bear Yard, a co-working space in London's East End. Prior to Passion, Stefan was Chairman of Last.fm, an early investor in Wahanda and remains an active member of their board and founder of Ricardo, which went public in 1999. Items Mentioned in Todays Show: Passion Capital: The First Two Years Lendable Smava What you will learn in today's episode: How Stefan got into the technology industry and later pivoted into the VC world? What is Stefan's preferred stage to enter into an investment and what is the standard amount invested in a startup? How much equity Stefan would look for in an investment? What interaction is typical for VCs following investing in a startup? How individuals should pitch their idea to Stefan? How many startups does Passion typically invest in on an annual basis? Does Stefan encounter the fear on missing out on a startup? What is it about the Peer to Peer lending sector that excites Stefan so much? Does Peer to Peer have a brighter future than Crowdfunding? What sector is Stefan most excited about and why? How can an entrepreneur show their enthusiasm and make an awesome pitch? Is there a formula for making a successful pitch? What are Stefan's red flags when a startup pitches to him? As the interview concludes we ask Stefan some quick fire questions where we hear his thoughts on the hardest decision of his life? The best piece of advice Stefan has been given and his most recent investment and why he said yes? For all the resources mentioned in today's show head on over to www.thetwentyminutevc.com Likewise, if you have a suggestion for a VC that you would like us to interview please do let me know by emailing [email protected]

Nektarios Liolios is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Startupbootcamp Fintech, the leading innovation program in the financial industry providing access to a global network of investors and VCs for up to 10 lucky startups selected. Nektarios himself has more than 15 years in business, having spent the last three with InnoTribe, running the Innotribe Startup Challenge. Items mentioned in today's show: 500 Startups: How to Pitch investUP: The Crowdfunding Supermarket What you will learn in today's episode: How Nektarios got into the world of tech accelerators? How Startupbootcamp Fintech varies from the traditional VC model? What makes the best pitches at Demo Days? What is the selection process to get accepted at Startupbootcamp? What can startups prepare to do before pitching to Startupbootcamp? What is the most common reason Nektarios says no to startups? What would Nektarios advise someone who is looking to find a co-founder? What sector is Nektarios most excited about for the future? What Nektarios thinks about the future of bitcoin? We then complete todays interview by having a quicker round where we hear Nektarios' thoughts on his favourite entrepreneur? The happiest moment Nektarios has enjoyed in his career? A day in the life of a Managing Director of a Startupbootcamp? What was Nektarios' most recent investment and why he said yes? For all the resources mentioned in today's show, head on over to www.thetwentyminutevc.com For any suggestions about future guests or questions you would like to hear, we would love to hear from you. If so email [email protected]  

Mike Seibel has enjoyed the most incredible career in the technology industry on both the Founder and the VC side of the table. He was Co-Founder and CEO of Justin.TV which was part of the Y Combinator Winter Class of 2007, and was later acquired as Twitch.TV by Amazon for $970 million. In that time Mike also created a spin off from Justin.TV, SocialCam, where he was Co-Founder and CEO, culminating in their acquisition in 2012 for $60 million by Autodesk.  Items mentioned in Todays' Show: Twitch.TV SocialCam Y Combinator Dropbox What you will learn in this episode? How Mike got into the technology industry and later the tech accelerator business with Y Combinator? Why Mike did not learn to code? Mike's own experiences in Y Combinator. What is it that Y Combinator does to produce such amazing and revolutionary companies? What does Demo Day look like at Y Combinator? What is the selection process for choosing which companies to back and which not to? What do you look for in the interviews with the Founders? Are top level University degrees necessary for entry into the Y Combinator class? What are Mike's biggest red flags when looking at startups? Why Mike would never outsource engineering? What can startups do to prepare themselves for the Y Combinator process? What sector is Mike really excited about and why? What is a day in the life of a Y Combinator partner? We then finish todays episode with a rapid fire round where we hear Mike's thoughts on the best piece of advice Mike has received, the hardest decision Mike has had to make in his career, how can an individual start a company with no technical skills or experience?   For all the resources mentioned in today's show, check out www.thetwentyminutevc.com Likewise, we would love to hear from you, so if you have any questions you would like asked or VCs you would like to have on the show, send an email to [email protected]

Lisa is Vice President at Norwest Venture Partners (NVP), where she focuses on early to late stage investments with emphasis on consumer internet. Before joining NVP, Lisa worked in Amazon's Worldwide Corporate Development Team, in which she evaluated acquisition targets and identified strategies for potential expansion. Prior to Amazon, Lisa was at Bessemer Venture Partners. If that wasn't enough Lisa also founded her own startup, Banzaa! Fresh, providing high quality nutritious foods to schools and hospitals in Northern California. Items Mentioned in Todays show: Etsy Lending Club SkyBox FireEye Jet DoubleClick What you will learn in today's show: How Lisa got into the investing game? Why Lisa is investing in marketplaces? What Lisa's normal investment size is? Lisa's most recent investment and why Lisa said yes? Does Silicon Valley deserve the accolade it gets? Or is NYC fast approaching? Do VCs investment attitudes differ when comparing SF to NYC? How early is too early for Lisa to invest? What was the one thing that propelled Lisa's career?  We then move into a quick fire round where we hear Lisa's thoughts on the best advice she has ever been given, the number 1 reason Lisa says no to startups and what Lisa would do if all she had was a laptop and $100!

Kyle Lui is Principal at DCM Ventures where he helps entrepreneurs scale their companies and advise on product development across IOT, consumer internet and mobile and enterperise Saas. Prior to DCM, Kyle was Co-Founder at ChoicePass, a enterprise perks and rewards Saas company backed by prominent angel investors, later acquired by Salesforce.com and Rypple. At Salesforce, Kyle served as Director of Product Management on the founding product team for Work.com, growing the business to over 1,000 enterprise customers. Items mentioned in this episode: Learn Python the Hard Way AnyPerk Eaze In this episode you will learn: How Kyle made the leap from Startup Founder to Venture Capitalist? How did Kyle learn to code? How did Kyle feel on selling ChoicePass to Salesforce? What was it like working in such a large company, such as Salesforce? How did your role change when Salesforce was acquired? What was the most difficult element faced by Kyle in his time at ChoicePass? Where does Kyle see the future of incentivising employees and how important is this aspect of corporate life? When investing in a company what aspects really attract you to a deal and what can be a real red flag? Are University and College degrees necessary for you to invest in a founder? Is Kyle concerned that a potential increase in regulation could damage his investment in Eaze, medical marijuana delivery startup? We conclude today's show with a quick fire round where we hear Kyle's thoughts on what Kyle would do if all he had was a laptop and $100, what advice Kyle would give to entrepreneurs starting a company? For all the resources and items mentioned in todays show, head on over to www.thetwentyminutevc.com If there are any VCs you would like us to interview, send an email to [email protected] and we will arrange it!

Frank is Co-Founder and General Partner at Spark Labs Global seed fund where he has invested in 40 companies in the US, UK and Asia. Previously, Frank was part of Horizon Ventures where he represented them on the boards of Siri, Summly and Spotify, just to name a few.  Items mentioned in today's show: SparkLabsGlobal Horizon Venture Brent Hoberman Smartup Youth Digital Castle.io Clinkle In today's episode you will learn: How Frank made his entry into the technology industry and later the world of venture capital? What Frank would recommend someone who is trying to learn to code? Is coding necessary for a Founder to be successful? What does Frank believe makes the perfect Series A round? How early is too early to invest for Frank? How do VCs compete for the most competitive rounds? What was Frank's most recent investment and why he said yes? What sector is Frank most excited about and why? When thinking of success, who is the 1st person that comes to Frank's mind? What Frank learnt from working at Horizon? We then finish today's episode with a quick fire round where we hear Frank's thoughts on the future of the Asian tech market and the hardest decision of Frank's career. For all the resources mentioned in today's show, head over to www.thetwentyminutevc.com Likewise we would love to hear from you, if you have any questions you would like us to ask, send us an email [email protected]  

Clark Landry is Founder and Chairman at Shift, the leading social advertising network for brands. He is also Executive Chairman of GraphEffect, a prominent social media marketing firm. In recent years Clark has made his foray into the investing industry with investments in the likes of AngelList and Lettuce. In his short time investing in startups, Clark has achieved an incredible 10 exits. Items Mentioned in today's show: Shift Platform Burstly DSTLD Jeans  Limitless by Alan Glynn The Black Tux BloomNation In today's episode you will learn: How Clark made his entry into the world of tech and what caused his transition into angel investing? The most valuable insight Clark has learnt from being both a Founder and an Investor? How does Clark pick which startups to back, does he focus on any particular aspects of the company? What sector Clark is most excited about and why? How can someone make an entry into the tech startup world without having any coding ability? We then finish the interview by hearing Clark's thoughts the effectiveness of tech accelerators, his most recent investment and his favourite book. For all the reasons mentioned in today's show, head on over to www.thetwentyminutevc.com If you have a question you want answered, send it in to [email protected] and we will ask it on an upcoming show.

A very exciting day on the 11th episode of The Twenty Minute VC as we welcome our 1st London based guest on the show, Thomas Jones. Thomas is Founder and Partner at Charlotte Street Capital, who invest up to £200,000 in early stage UK technology companies. Their impressive portfolio includes the likes of Chilango, GoSquared and SeedCamp, just to name a few. Prior to Charlotte Street Capital, Thomas was Founder and Executive Director of SMARTS Group International, offering a real time market surveillance platform, now used in dozens of stock exchanges around the world. Items Mentioned in todays show: Crowdcube Seedcamp Kidslox In today's session you will learn: How Thomas made his entry into the world of Venture Capital? When investing in a startup, do you have a mental timeline of the startup's journey in your head with a clear strategy of when a desired exit will occur? When it comes to investing, what really gets Thomas excited about the potential of a company? What Thomas believes the main differences to be between VCs in Europe compared to the USA? With the evolution of funding methods, how does Thomas see the 'crowd' becoming more involved in the future of early stage funding? What advice Thomas would give to a graduate looking to make their entry into the industry? We finish today's episode with a quick fire round, where we hear Thomas' immediate thoughts on the future of disruption and the all time best business book! For all the resources mentioned in today's show head over to www.thetwentyminutevc.com where you can sign up for you free 7 DAY BUSINESS PLAN COURSE We would love to hear from you, so if you have a VC you would like to hear from, send us an email: [email protected] and we will see what we can do!

It is a great pleasure to have Niko Bonatsos on today's episode of The Twenty Minute VC. Niko is Principal at General Catalyst Partners where he specialises in mobile, consumer and healthcare technology. At General Catalyst Partner, Niko has been involved in the investments in the likes of Snapchat, TuneIn and SpoonRocket, just to name a few. Niko is also reknowned for being the 1st Angel Investor in Yik Yak, recently valued between $300-400 million. In today's episode you will learn: How Niko made the jump into the world of Venture Capital? What were the fundamental lessons Niko learned when his startup failed? Why Niko prefers to invest in founding teams instead of individual founders? How Niko determines whether a startup will be successful or not? What Niko looks for in startups? Does Niko ever experience FOMO (fear of missing out) on an investment? How do you value a company, in particular a startup with no revenue? Does Niko think Silicon Valley will continue to be the dominant hub for innovation and investment? What parts of the world have seen large growth in both funding and innovation? What Niko would advise graduates looking to make the entry into the Venture Capital industry? What is the best piece of business advice Niko has ever received? We then move onto a quick fire round where Niko tells us his thoughts on the future of education technology and the primary reason Niko says no to startups.   For all the resources mentioned in today's show, check out www.thetwentyminutevc.com We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions you would like to ask the VCs, drop us an email at [email protected] Likewise if you have a VC you would like us to interview, send us an email and we will arrange it. 

On today's show I am hugely excited to welcome Joe Floyd to the hotseat. Joe is Principal at Emergence Capital Partners. His expertise in building cloud startups has evolved over 10 years of advising and investing in startups. Prior to Emergence, Joe worked in American Capital's technology group where he focused on fast growing internet companies. At American Capital Joe was involved in their investments with the likes of PeopleMedia and HomeAway. Items Mentioned In Today's Show The Lean Startup by Eric Ries Predictable Revenue: Turn Your Business Into a Sales Machine with the $100 Million Best Practices of Salesforce.com  Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and HappinessNudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness   What you will learn in today's show: How Joe made his transition from the world of tech investment banking into the Venture Capital industry? What Joe would advise an individual looking to get into the industry? What Joe believes to be the most important aspect that a startup must have in order to attain VC funding? Whether Joe prefers a founder or a founding team? Joe describes what the main red flags are when startups pitch? When Joe thinks of success, who is the first person that comes to mind? What business books have been the most transformative to Joe? We then delve into a quick fire round where Joe gives his immediate thoughts on the future of Amazon and Tesla and whether we really are in a tech bubble or not?  As always thank you so much for listening to today's show, for furthr details and resources, head on over to www.thetwentyminutevc.com. Likewise we would love to hear who you would like to have on the show, if you have any suggestions please do email [email protected] with your suggestions.

Mark Peter Davis is a serial founder and investor. He is the founder of Interplay Ventures with investments in the likes of Venwise and Warby Parker, just to name a few. Mark is also author of 'The Fundraising Rules', which clearly outlines the funding process of startups. If that wasn't enough Mark is Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Singularity University. Business Insider has listed Mark as one of the most influential Digital NYers and is included in a list of the 30 most interesting members of the Columbia University Startup Community by CVC30. Items Mentioned in Todays Show: The Fundraising Rules FounderShield Nomad Financial In this episode you will learn: How Mark got into the VC industry? How startup founders can increase their network and gain influential mentors? When looking at startups what makes Mark want to get involved? What are the biggest mistakes made by startup founders? What are the key characteristics for a founder to have, in order to be successful? How does an individual or startup get a meeting with a VC? What Mark would advise graduates wanting to get into the Venture Capital Industry. We end todays show with The Ultimate Quick Fire Round. Here Marks explains his views on startup valuations and how much equity the traditional VC looks for when investing. Thank you so much for listening, if you are loving the show please do subscribe on iTunes and I would be so grateful if you would leave a review. If you do, you will be entered into the competition to win a meeting with one of the VCs and all the books mentioned in the first 10 episodes. 

I am hugely excited to welcome Peter Csathy for Session 7 of The Twenty Minute VC. Peter has had an astonishing career in the media industry with an unbroken track record of success in startups and emerging growth companies. Peter is currently CEO of Manatt Digital Media, which not only offers Venture Capital but is unique in also providing legal services and business consulting. Prior to Manatt, Peter was CEO of Sorensen Media, which serves 70 of the Fortune 100 and CEO of SightSpeed, Inc in which Peter oversaw their acquisition by Logitech.  Items Mentioned in Todays Show: Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage to the Antarctic In this episode you will learn: Why Peter decided to enter into the Venture Capital Industry? What are the unique service that Manatt offer that other VCs do not provide? Why are these service necessary for startups to have access to? What is the most important thing for a startup to have in order for you to invest? Does an entrepreneur's track record of failure reduce the chance of you investing? Where do you see the disruption of content in 2015? What book would you give to an aspiring entrepreneur looking to attain funding? In the final few minutes, we delve into a quick fire round where we hear Peter's thoughts on: The importance of location for a startup, future of online video and the company Peter is most excited about. As always we absolutely love to hear from you. If you would like to get in contact email [email protected] or visit www.thetwentyminutevc.com    

Ifty Ahmed, General Partner at Oak Investment Partners. Ifty started his career with Goldman Sachs and Fidelity Ventures before joining Oak Investment Partners in 2003. He currently focuses on investing across the technology sector with an active interest in Consumer Internet companies.  *This episode was recorded before Google's anouncement to stop producing Google Glass prototypes, making Ifty's prediction even more impressive. Items mentioned in today's show: Super Crunchers: How Anything Can Be Predicted by Ian Ayers Blueprint to a Billion: 7 Essentials to Achieve Exponential Growth by David Thompson In this episode you will learn: How Ifty got into the Venture Capital industry? What does Ifty believe are the must haves for startups, in order for them to gain funding? Why Ifty prefers to invest in a founding team rather than a single founder? What Ifty would recommed to to an individual founder starting a company? What are the uncomfortable questions companies should ask VCs before they accept VC funding? What Ifty believes a startup should do before a pitch, in order to increase the chances of success? What book would Ifty give to an aspiring entrepreneur? What advice Ifty would give a graduate wanting to get into the VC industry? What tips Ifty would give to about where to network with VCs? We finish the episode with a quick fire round where we hear Ifty's views on the future of Google Glass, the valuation of Snapchat and the potential for Bitcoin.  

In episode 5 of The Twenty Minute VC, we are joined by Kent Godfrey, General Partner at Pond Ventures. Prior to entering into the VC industry Kent was Chairman and CEO of Andromedia before merging it with MacroMedia. Kent was also CEO of Frictionless Commerce concluding with the sale of the company to SAP in 2006. Kent has previously served on the board of numerous companies including LiveRail (acquired by Facebook), TRM Corporation (Nasdaq:TRMM), HipBone Communications (acquired by Kana) and Vocal Point Inc (acquired by Telecom Italia). In this session you will learn:  What is the most challenging aspect of being a CEO? Should CEO's have a clear and precise strategy for the future? What can a CEO do to position themselves to be more successful? How can an individual develop the skills to be a successful CEO? What Kent learnt from his meetings with Steve Jobs? What is the most challenging aspect of transitioning from CEO to VC? What do VCs do when concerned about an investment? What is the best aspect of being a Venture Capitalist? Is it possible to go straight into the Venture Capital industry from University? We end the episode with a quick fire round where Ken describes the future of the Internet Of Things (IOT). Why Founders are better than a Founder? Plus, what the biggest misunderstanding of the Venture Capital industry is? For all the resources mentioned in today's show heav on over to www.thetwentyminutevc.com

Welcome to Session 4 of The Twenty Minute VC, on today's incredible show, I am hugely excited to present David Hornik. David started his career as legal attorney to some of the hottest startups in Silicon Valley before making his foray into the Venture Capital Industry with August Capital in 2000. If that wasn't enough, David created the 1st Venture Capital blog, VentureBlog and is also the presenter of VentureCast. In today's episode you will learn: Why David made the transition from the legal world into the VC industry? What is so special about Stanford that enables a continuous flow of revlolutionary companies? Whether legal skills are attributable to the funding industry? What David looks for when investing in a company? Does it always have to be a big market opportunity for VCs to invest? What the best piece of business advice David has ever received? What book David would recommend to a Startup Founder? We then progress into a quick fire round where we hear David's views on Peter Thiel's 20 Under 20 and the 1st $Trillion business.

On today's episode I am thrilled to welcome Bob Ghoorah, Managing Director at Columubus Nova Technology Partners. Bob has experienced both sides of the table having been an early employee at three technology companies in Silicon Valley; LoudCloud (Nasdaq: LDCL), Opsware (Nasdaq: OPSW) and Ning, a privately-held software platform (sold to Glam Media in 2011).  In this episode we find out: The benefits of having a legal knowledge in the Startup community. What characteristics make the best entrepreneurs? Who does Bob think of, when the word 'success' is mentioned and why? Where Bob sees the future of Uber? What aspects of a Startup are essential in order to obtain VC funding? Is it important for Startups to be located in Silicon Valley? What books Bob woulg give to an aspring entrepreneur and startup founder? What advice Bob would give to anyone looking to get into the Venture Capital Industry? Finally, we head to the quick fire round. Here, we get Bob's immediate reactions to the latests tech topics including tech bubble, company valuations and the first trillion dollar company. For all the resources mentioned in todays show head over to The Twenty Minute VC.

In this session of The Twenty Minute VC, I'm so excited to have the opportunity to interview Kris Jones. Kris has enjoyed an amazing career in the technology industry, founding PepperJam, an internet marketing agency in 1999 and later selling it to Ebay in April of 2010. More recently, Kris has made his transition into the Venture Capital Industry through the founding of an early stage technology investment fund, KBJ Capital, which includes portfolio companies Highlighter.com, French Girls App, ReferLocal.com, LSEO.com and many more incredible companies.  In this session you'll learn:  Why Kris decided to make the transition from the Startup ecosystem to the world of Venture Capital. How did it feel for Kris, selling his company to Ebay? What was the most important lesson Kris learnt in the journey from having the idea for PepperJam to being acquired by Ebay? What is the key characteristic a Founder must have? What can an individual do to get employed in the Venture Capital industry. Kris is also a prolific writer here are some of his articles, you can check out! Forbes: 15 Steps to Set Your Company Up for a Successful M&A Mashable: 9 Ways Social Media Marketing Will Change in 2014 Citibank: How to Impress a Potential Investor