The Full Ratchet (TFR): Venture Capital and Startup Investing Demystified
The Full Ratchet (TFR) is a podcast that demystifies venture capital and startup investing. Hosts Nick Moran and Nate Pierotti interview venture capitalists and startup founders to explore how they build successful technology startups. The show provides insights into the world of VC funding and entrepreneurship.
Episodes
511. The Future of Military Planning: Defense Tech Beyond the Bubble, AI Software as Combat Power, and the Rise of AI Wargaming (Grant Demaree)
Grant Demaree of Onebrief joins Nick to discuss The Future of Military Planning: Defense Tech Beyond the Bubble, AI Software as Combat Power, and the Rise of AI Wargaming. In this episode we cover: West Point and Army Background's Impact on Founding One Brief Challenges and Insights in Military Planning Co-Founder Relationships and Founder Mode Future of One Brief and Defense Tech Defense T
Investor Stories 480: The Traits of Visionary Founders: Customer Obsession, Self Disruption, and Why Love Can Be a Competitive Advantage (Dillon, Patnam, Ries)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Natalie Dillon of Maveron Sandesh Patnam of Premji Invest Eric Ries Author of The Lean Startup We asked guests to discuss the most visionary founder that they've worked with and what makes them so special. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to
Investor Stories 479: Startup Lessons from Steve Blank, Seth Levine, and Ben Orthlieb: Hubris, Influence, and Founder Selection (Orthlieb, Levine, Blank)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Ben Orthlieb of Blue Moon Seth Levine of Foundry Steve Blank is an Adjunct Professor at Stanford We asked guests to tell the most important lesson they've learned in their career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outs
510. The Hyper-Scaler CEO Whisperer and Founder of the Lean Startup Movement on Incorruptible Startups, Building to Thrive and Survive, and Creating a Governance Fortress (Eric Ries)
Eric Ries of the Lean Startup joins Nick to discuss The Hyper-Scaler CEO Whisperer and Founder of the Lean Startup Movement on Incorruptible Startups, Building to Thrive and Survive, and Creating a Governance Fortress. In this episode we cover: The Concept Behind "Incorruptible" The Story of Saul Price and FedMart The Governance Fortress and Legal Structures The Role of Mission-Driven Compan
Investor Stories 478: Visionary Founder Lessons from Poshmark, Centana, and EquipmentShare: Love, Listening, and Leadership (Chaddha, Byunn, Schlacks)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Navin Chaddha of Mayfield Eric Byunn of Centana Growth Willy Schlacks of EquipmentShare We asked guests to discuss the most visionary founder that they've worked with and what makes them so special. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investi
Investor Stories 477: Why VCs Passed on Figma, ClickUp, Uber, Pinterest, Okta, DoorDash, and Anthropic: Lessons from Investor Anti Portfolios (Ulevitch, Saper, Patnam)
n this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: David Ulevitch of Andreessen Horowitz Jake Saper of Emergence Capital Sandesh Patnam of Premji Invest Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committ
509. The Downstream Effects of SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic Soaking Up $3T in the Public Market, Who Is Netscape and Who Is Google in the AI Era, and the Impact of Private Credit Redemption Requests on PE and VC (Sandesh Patnam)
Sandesh Patnam of Premji Invest joins Nick to discuss The Downstream Effects of SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic Soaking Up $3T in the Public Market, Who Is Netscape and Who Is Google in the AI Era, and the Impact of Private Credit Redemption Requests on PE and VC. In this episode we cover: Themes and Dynamics of the Current AI Shift Investment Opportunities and Challenges Thesis and Focus at Pr
Investor Stories 476: Staying in Your Zone of Genius, Why People Change for Themselves, and The Hard Lessons of Founder Accountability (Callaghan, Schlacks, Dillon)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Jon Callaghan of True Ventures Willy Schlacks of EquipmentShare Natalie Dillon of Maveron We asked guests to tell the most important lesson they've learned in their career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of
Investor Stories 475: What Makes Founders Exceptional, Navigating Complex Ethical Issues, and Building with Intensity (Ortlieb, Ulevitch, Saper)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Ben Orthlieb of Blue Moon David Ulevitch of Andreessen Horowitz Jake Saper of Emergence Capital We asked guests to discuss the most visionary founder that they've worked with and what makes them so special. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to
508. Maintaining U.S. Dominance, Navigating Defense Tech, Prime Obsolence, and Why Your Startup is Likely DOA (Steve Blank)
Steve Blank of Adjunct Professor at Stanford joins Nick to discuss Maintaining U.S. Dominance, Navigating Defense Tech, Prime Obsolence, and Why Your Startup is Likely DOA. In this episode we cover: Changes in Product Development and MVPs Impact of AI on Startup Success and Founder Mindset Common Missteps and Digital Twins in Startups Disruption and Adoption in Enterprise Software Fundraisi
Investor Stories 474: Trusting Your Own Point of View, Why Conventional Wisdom Leads to Mediocrity, and Building a Personal Conviction Engine (Byunn, Levine, Dillon)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Eric Byunn of Centana Growth Seth Levine of Foundry Natalie Dillon of Maveron We asked guests for the most important piece of advice that they'd share with folks early in their venture career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in
Investor Stories 473: Speed at Legora, Intensity at Mysten, Mastery at Heights Labs — Why These Founders Stand Out (Effron, Austin, Simpson)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Jacob Effron of Redpoint Ethan Austin of Outside VC Arianna Simpson of Andreessen Horowitz We asked guests to discuss the most visionary founder that they've worked with and what makes them so special.on they've learned in their career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a ven
507. Consumer Retrenchment or Reallocation, AI Impact on GTM and Purchase Decisions, How to Balance Consumer Sentiment vs. Behavior, and Where Smaller Funds Win (Natalie Dillon)
Natalie Dillon of Maveron joins Nick to discuss Consumer Retrenchment or Reallocation, AI Impact on GTM and Purchase Decisions, How to Balance Consumer Sentiment vs. Behavior, and Where Smaller Funds Win. In this episode we cover: Investing in the Older Adult Category Challenges for Smaller Funds in Venture Capital Consumer Investing and Market Trends Participation as a Product and Consumer
Investor Stories 472: Think Big, Stay Patient, Earn Access — Venture Advice from Foresite, Mayfield, and Blue Moon (Tananbaum, Chaddha, Orthlieb)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Jim Tananbaum of Foresite Capital Navin Chaddha of Mayfield Ben Orthlieb of Blue Moon We asked guests for the most important piece of advice that they'd share with folks early in their venture career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to inves
Investor Stories 471: Missing Great AI Bets, Losing Conviction, and Overweighting Founders — Lessons from Redpoint, a16z, and Outside VC (Effron, Austin, Simpson)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Jacob Effron of Redpoint Ethan Austin of Outside VC Arianna Simpson of Andreessen Horowitz We asked guests to tell the most important lesson they've learned in their career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of
506. Mirage PMF, What LLMs Will Take On and What They Will Avoid, Why Outcomes Will Shift Models from Software to Services, and How Pricing Playbooks Are Being Rewritten (Jake Saper)
Jake Saper of Emergence Capital joins Nick to discuss Mirage PMF, What LLMs Will Take On and What They Will Avoid, Why Outcomes Will Shift Models from Software to Services, and How Pricing Playbooks Are Being Rewritten. In this episode we cover: SaaS Market Sell-Off and Future of Software Impact of AI on Established Brands like Salesforce Mirage Product Market Fit and AI Native Services Busi
Investor Stories 470: Passing on Uber, Perplexity, and Fintech's Breakout Winners — The Stories Behind the Misses (Orthlieb, Callaghan, Byunn)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Ben Orthlieb of Blue Moon Jon Callaghan of True Ventures Eric Byunn of Centana Growth Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing
Investor Stories 469: What Visionary Leaders at Pixxel, eToro, and Founders Fund Do Differently (Mohapatra, Banks, Orlovski)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Hemant Mohapatra of Lightspeed India Lara Banks of Makena Capital Management Victor Orlovski of R136 Ventures We asked guests to discuss the most visionary founder that they've worked with and what makes them so special. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital fir
505. The Ins and Outs of EquipmentShare's $6B IPO, The Construction Job Site in 10 Years, Where AI Thrives and Struggles to Solve Complex Problems, and Roll Ups in the VC Space (Willy Schlacks)
Willy Schlacks of EquipmentShare joins Nick to discuss The Ins and Outs of EquipmentShare's $6B IPO, The Construction Job Site in 10 Years, Where AI Thrives and Struggles to Solve Complex Problems, and Roll Ups in the VC Space. In this episode we cover: The IPO Process and Preparation Differences Between Public and Private Market Investors Stock Performance and Direct Listing Considerations
Investor Stories 468: Selling Too Early, LP Pressure, and Investor Tension — Lessons from Investors at Foundry Group, Centana Growth, and Andreessen Horowitz (Levine, Byunn, Ulevitch)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Seth Levine of Foundry Eric Byunn of Centana Growth David Ulevitch of Andreessen Horowitz We discuss major conflicts that guests have faced and how they resolved them. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the B
Investor Stories 467: Investors from Techstars, Redpoint, and Andreessen Horowitz on Strategy, Writing, and Building an Edge in Venture (Cohen, Effron, Simpson)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: David Cohen of Techstars Jacob Effron of Redpoint Arianna Simpson of Andreessen Horowitz We asked guests for the most important piece of advice that they'd share with folks early in their venture career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to in
Investor Stories 466: Jim Tananbaum, Eric Byunn, and Ben Orthlieb on the Questions LPs Should Be Asking (Tananbaum, Orthlieb, Byunn)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Jim Tananbaum of Foresite Capital Ben Orthlieb of Blue Moon Eric Byunn of Centana Growth We asked guests to share the best question they've ever been asked by an allocator. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of
504. American Dynamism: The Future of U.S. Industrials, Backing Companies with Major Production Components, Manufacturing Sovereignty, and Why Space Dominance is Critical (David Ulevitch)
David Ulevitch of Andreessen Horowitz joins Nick to discuss American Dynamism: The Future of U.S. Industrials, Backing Companies with Major Production Components, Manufacturing Sovereignty, and Why Space Dominance is Critical. In this episode we cover: Challenges in Venture Capital and Investment Philosophy Handling Startups and Market Pivots Navigating Dual-Use Startups Government Sales and
Investor Stories 465: Pricing Too Late, Selling Too Early, Investing Too Fast — Hard Lessons from Top VCs (Ramanujam, Cohen, Orlovski)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Madhavan Ramanujam of 49 Palms Ventures David Cohen of Techstars Victor Orlovski of R136 Ventures We asked guests to tell the most important lesson they've learned in their career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders out
Investor Stories 464: Anti Portfolio Confessions: Missing Twilio, Zoom, DocuSign, MongoDB, and Solana (Austin, Simpson, Chaddha)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Ethan Austin of Outside VC Arianna Simpson of Andreessen Horowitz Navin Chaddha of Mayfield Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to inv
Investor Stories 463: Selling Transformation Not Software, Managing Through Activists and Mergers, and Scaling Culture with Intent (Agarwal, Tananbaum, Cohen)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Medha Agarwal of Defy Jim Tananbaum of Foresite Capital David Cohen of Techstars We asked guests to discuss the most visionary founder that they've worked with and what makes them so special. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in f
503. The Future of Fintech, If VC Growth Has Become a New Asset Class, and the Case For and Against Vertical Integration in the AI Age (Eric Byunn)
Eric Byunn of Centana Growth joins Nick to discuss The Future of Fintech, If VC Growth Has Become a New Asset Class, and the Case For and Against Vertical Integration in the AI Age. In this episode we cover: Due Diligence and Value Creation Investment in Jumio and Identity Verification Growth Expectations and Market Realities Lessons from Netscape and Industry Evolution Investor Responsiven
Investor Stories 462: Study the Masters, Develop Your Own Eye, and Stop Outsourcing Conviction (Wang, Mohapatra, Banks)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Casber Wang of Sapphire Ventures Hemant Mohapatra of Lightspeed India Lara Banks of Makena Capital Management We asked guests for the most important piece of advice that they'd share with folks early in their venture career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital
Investor Stories 461: Feast and Famine in Crypto, When to Take the Off Ramp, and Evaluating Founder Temperament (Simpson, Chaddha, Orthlieb)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Arianna Simpson of Andreessen Horowitz Navin Chaddha of Mayfield Ben Orthlieb of Blue Moon We discuss major conflicts that guests have faced and how they resolved them. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the
Investor Stories 460: The Math Behind Venture Returns, When Sizing Matters More Than Selection, and Growth Over Discounts (Wallach, Okike, Banks)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: D.A. Wallach of Time BioVentures Nnamdi Okike of 645 Ventures Lara Banks of Makena Capital Management We asked guests to tell the most important lesson they've learned in their career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders
502. A New Era For Venture: Dynamic Capitalism, Finding Alpha in the AI Cycle, Are Bubbles a Feature or a Bug, and Why the Future for America is Still Bright (Seth Levine)
Seth Levine of Foundry joins Nick to discuss A New Era For Venture: Dynamic Capitalism, Finding Alpha in the AI Cycle, Are Bubbles a Feature or a Bug, and Why the Future for America is Still Bright. In this episode we cover: State of Venture Capital and Investment Trends Challenges and Opportunities in Venture Capital Dynamic Capitalism and Its Principles The Role of Government and Market Dy
Investor Stories 459: Inside the Best LP Questions: Getting Better Over Time, Building Networks, and Driving Outcomes (Effron, Austin, Simpson)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Jacob Effron of Redpoint Ethan Austin of Outside VC Arianna Simpson of Andreessen Horowitz We asked guests to share the best question they've ever been asked by an allocator. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside o
Investor Stories 458: Anti Portfolio Lessons: Netflix by Mail, Palantir at the Wrong Price, and the Cost of Price Sensitivity (Madera, Bussgang, Orlovski)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Paul Madera of Meritech Capital Jeff Bussgang of Flybridge Capital Victor Orlovski of R136 Ventures Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committe
Investor Stories 457: Lessons for Early Career VCs: Fiduciary Mindset, Power Law Discipline, and Personal Edge (Dash, Okike, Hudson)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Somesh Dash of IVP Nnamdi Okike of 645 Ventures Charles Hudson of Precursor Ventures We asked guests for the most important piece of advice that they'd share with folks early in their venture career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to invest
501. Spotting the Next Big Thing, Why This Cycle Is Different, Acceptable vs Unacceptable Risk, and Why Duration Is a Feature Not a Bug (Jon Callaghan)
Jon Callaghan of True Ventures joins Nick to discuss Spotting the Next Big Thing, Why This Cycle Is Different, Acceptable vs Unacceptable Risk, and Why Duration Is a Feature Not a Bug. In this episode we cover: Spotting the Next Big Market and Reverse Engineering Success The Role of Curiosity and Risk in Venture Capital Duration as a Feature in Early-Stage Ventures The Importance of Repeat F
Investor Stories 456: Inside Visionary Leadership: Platform Leverage, Founder Adaptability, and Market Timing (Rizik, Wang, Wallach)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Chris Rizik of Renaissance Venture Capital Casber Wang of Sapphire Ventures D.A. Wallach of Time BioVentures We asked guests to discuss the most visionary founder that they've worked with and what makes them so special. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm
Investor Stories 455: Lessons Learned: Building Investment Criteria, Missing HubSpot, and Staying True to Your Model (Madera, Agarwal, Bussgang)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Paul Madera of Meritech Capital Medha Agarwal of Defy Jeff Bussgang of Flybridge Capital We asked guests to tell the most important lesson they've learned in their career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of t
Investor Stories 454: When There Are No Good Choices: Navigating Ethical Dilemmas, Founder Splits, and Existential Company Threats (Cohen, Effron, Austin)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: David Cohen of Techstars Jacob Effron of Redpoint Ethan Austin of Outside VC We discuss major conflicts that guests have faced and how they resolved them. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We'
500. AI Native VC, Achieving 50%+ Graduation from Seed to Series A, Why Access Is the Key to Success, and Why Network Driven Firms Can No Longer Compete (Ben Orthlieb)
Ben Orthlieb of Blue Moon joins Nick to discuss AI Native VC, Achieving 50%+ Graduation from Seed to Series A, Why Access Is the Key to Success, and Why Network Driven Firms Can No Longer Compete. In this episode we cover: Challenges of the Traditional Venture Model Blue Moon's AI-Assisted Human Judgment Evaluating Exceptional Founders Access vs. Picking in Venture Capital Blue Moon's Sourc
Investor Stories 453: Founder Led Capital Flywheels, Thoughtful Reserve Strategies, and Long Term Fund Design (York, Hsieh, Ramanujam)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Kyle York of York IE Vince Hsieh of Cypress Growth Capital Madhavan Ramanujam of 49 Palms Ventures We asked guests to share the best question they've ever been asked by an allocator. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders o
Investor Stories 452: Raising the Bar on Founders, What 100x Looks Like in Practice, and Why People Matter More Than Ever (Bussgang, Okike, Hudson)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Jeff Bussgang of Flybridge Capital Nnamdi Okike of 645 Ventures Charles Hudson of Precursor Ventures We asked guests to describe the biggest change to their investment philosophy over the course of their career The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committ
Investor Stories 451: Why I Passed: Moving Too Slowly, Misreading Return Drivers, and Passing on Lyft (Banks, Tananbaum, Cohen)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Lara Banks of Makena Capital Management Jim Tananbaum of Foresite Capital David Cohen of Techstars Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed
499. A 17 Time Midas Lister on Greatness, the $6T AI Teammate Market, Why AI Sovereignty Is Critical, and Who Wins the Battle Between Incumbents and Startups (Navin Chaddha)
Navin Chaddha of Mayfield joins Nick to discuss A 17 Time Midas Lister on Greatness, the $6T AI Teammate Market, Why AI Sovereignty Is Critical, and Who Wins the Battle Between Incumbents and Startups. In this episode we cover: Challenges in Early Internet Video Lessons from Interacting with Tech Luminaries Investment Philosophy and Evaluation Process The Role of Psychology in Venture Capita
Investor Stories 450. How to Succeed Early in VC: Slow Down, Commit to Relationships, and Become an Active Listener (Niehenke, York, Hilaly)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Alexander Niehenke of Scale Venture Partners Kyle York of York IE Aaref Hilaly of Bain Capital Ventures We asked guests for the most important piece of advice that they'd share with folks early in their venture career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm
Replay - The Biggest Misconceptions About AI Agents, Why Defensibility Doesn't Matter at Seed, and Whether the AI Center of Gravity Is Shifting to China (Aaref Hilaly)
In this special replay episode Aaref Hilaly of Bain Capital Ventures joins Nick to discuss The Biggest Misconceptions About AI Agents, Why Defensibility Doesn't Matter at Seed, and Whether the AI Center of Gravity Is Shifting to China. In this episode we cover: AI Investment Strategy and Market Utility Impact of AI on Jobs and Early Instances of Reasoning Open vs. Closed Source Models and Data
Investor Stories 449: Exceptional Founders Up Close: Listening Over Posturing, Integrity Over Ease, and Deliberate Execution from Day One (Hsieh, Delk, Maples Jr.)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Vince Hsieh of Cypress Growth Capital Ryan Delk of Primer Mike Maples Jr. of Floodgate We asked guests to discuss the most visionary founder that they've worked with and what makes them so special. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investin
Investor Stories 448: Hard Lessons in Investing: Mistiming Trends, Relying on Partnership Debate, and Avoiding Good Money After Bad (Hilaly, Dash, Rizik)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Aaref Hilaly of Bain Capital Ventures Somesh Dash of IVP Chris Rizik of Renaissance Venture Capital We asked guests to tell the most important lesson they've learned in their career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders o
Investor Stories 447: Choosing the Right VC: Understanding Value Add, Assessing Alignment, and Identifying the Best Board Partner (Jiang, Walsh, Saxena)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Kevin Jiang of Mangusta Capital Shamin Walsh of BAM Ventures Shashank Saxena of Sierra Ventures We asked guests to share the best question they've ever been asked by an allocator. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outs
498. The Crypto x AI Convergence, the Truth About Stablecoins, Tokens vs Equity, and Whether NFTs Will Make a Comeback (Arianna Simpson)
Arianna Simpson of Andreessen Horowitz joins Nick to discuss The Crypto x AI Convergence, the Truth About Stablecoins, Tokens vs Equity, and Whether NFTs Will Make a Comeback. In this episode we cover: Stable Coins and Their Impact on Crypto Geopolitical and Regulatory Risks for Stable Coins Crypto's Role in the Financial System and Emerging Use Cases Investing in Tokens and Equity Institut
Investor Stories 446: What Experience Teaches Investors: When to Trust Conviction, How to Read Founders, and Why Coachability Matters (Rizik, Wang, Agarwal)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Chris Rizik of Renaissance Venture Capital Casber Wang of Sapphire Ventures Medha Agarwal of Defy We asked guests to describe the biggest change to their investment philosophy over the course of their career The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed t
Investor Stories 445: Navigating High Stakes Conflicts: Partnership Tension, Capital Inflection Points, and the Risks of Underfunding (Terbell and Clark, Banks, Tananbaum)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Jon Terbell and Ted Clark of FourBridge Partners Lara Banks of Makena Capital Management Jim Tananbaum of Foresite Capital We discuss major conflicts that guests have faced and how they resolved them. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to inves
Investor Stories 444. The Biggest Misses in VC: Passing on Airbnb, Overlooking Skype, and Arriving Hours After Postman Closed (Maples, Okike, Mohapatra)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Mike Maples Jr. of Floodgate Nnamdi Okike of 645 Ventures Hemant Mohapatra of Lightspeed India Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to
497. Investing in Outsiders, Why Extreme Personalities Win, Weighing Timing versus Trends, and Rethinking Liquidity and Option Exercise Windows (Ethan Austin)
Ethan Austin of Outside VC joins Nick to discuss Investing in Outsiders, Why Extreme Personalities Win, Weighing Timing versus Trends, and Rethinking Liquidity and Option Exercise Windows. In this episode we cover: Lessons from Founding Give Forward Investment Philosophy and Timing Founding Outside VC Characteristics of Strong Investment Candidates Supporting Founders and Building Knowledge
Investor Stories 443. Why Great Investors Move Slowly, Go Deep, and Surround Themselves with the Right People (Hsieh, Madera, Bussgang)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Vince Hsieh of Cypress Growth Capital Paul Madera of Meritech Capital Jeff Bussgang of Flybridge Capital We asked guests for the most important piece of advice that they'd share with folks early in their venture career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm
Investor Stories 442. The Habits of Exceptional Founders, From Recruiting Great Teams to Understanding Customers (Walsh, Niehenke, Hilaly)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Shamin Walsh of BAM Ventures Alexander Niehenke of Scale Venture Partners Aaref Hilaly of Bain Capital Ventures We asked guests to discuss the most visionary founder that they've worked with and what makes them so special. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital f
Investor Stories 441. How Great Leaders Build Alignment, Set the Bar High, and Learn When to Let Go (Schroepfer, Saxena, Delk)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Mike Schroepfer of Gigascale Capital Shashank Saxena of Sierra Ventures Ryan Delk of Primer We asked guests to tell the most important lesson they've learned in their career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside o
496. How Model Progress Shifts the Goalposts, Why The Death of Software Is Overstated, and How to Diligence Hypergrowth Without Getting Burned (Jacob Effron)
Jacob Effron of Redpoint joins Nick to discuss How Model Progress Shifts the Goalposts, Why The Death of Software Is Overstated, and How to Diligence Hypergrowth Without Getting Burned. In this episode we cover: Investing in AI and Vertical Applications Model Layer Advancements and Future Milestones Challenges and Opportunities in Agentic AI Investing in Tooling and Middleware Product Marke
Investor Stories 440. The Questions That Expose True Alignment, How Founders Test Investors, and Why the Hard Ones Matter Most (Wang, Banks, Cohen)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Casber Wang of Sapphire Ventures Lara Banks of Makena Capital Management David Cohen of Techstars We asked guests to share the best question they've ever been asked by an allocator. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders ou
Investor Stories 439. From Angel Bets to Scalable Platforms, The Power of Listening, and Doing the Work Yourself (York, Dash, Madera)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Kyle York of York IE Somesh Dash of IVP Paul Madera of Meritech Capital We asked guests for the most important piece of advice that they'd share with folks early in their venture career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founde
Investor Stories 438. The Deals That Got Away: LinkedIn, Snowflake, and Zeitview (Jiang, Schuler, Rizik)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Kevin Jiang of Mangusta Capital Barry Schuler of DFJ Growth Ventures Chris Rizik of Renaissance Venture Capital We asked guests for the most important piece of advice that they'd share with folks early in their venture career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capit
495. From CTO to $500M AUM: Entry Point Discipline, Why People Matter at Every Stage, and the AI-Driven Future of Banking (Victor Orlovski)
Victor Orlovski of R136 Ventures joins Nick to discuss From CTO to $500M AUM: Entry Point Discipline, Why People Matter at Every Stage, and the AI-Driven Future of Banking. In this episode we cover: Exit Strategies and Market Challenges Risks and Opportunities in Late-Stage Investments Banking and FinTech Challenges Future of Financial Markets and AI in Banking Impact of AI on Financial Ins
Investor Stories 437. Why Founders Must Hold Their Ground, Why Investors Must Break Their Rules, and How Both Survive the Chaos (Binatti, Schroepfer, Ruscio)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Daniela Binatti of Pismo Mike Schroepfer of Gigascale Capital Joseph Ruscio of Heavybit We asked guests for the most important piece of advice that they'd share with folks early in their venture career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to inv
Investor Stories 436. Visionary Founders, From Steve Jobs to Brian Armstrong, and the Leaders Blending Life Sciences and Technology (Schuler, Saxena, Bussgang)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Barry Schuler of DFJ Growth Ventures Shashank Saxena of Sierra Ventures Jeff Bussgang of Flybridge Capital We asked guests to discuss the most visionary founder that they've worked with and what makes them so special. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm c
Investor Stories 435. Why Complacency Kills Momentum, The Cost of Over-Diligence, and Accepting the Limits of Control (Walsh, Wang, Hudson)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Shamin Walsh of BAM Ventures Casber Wang of Sapphire Ventures Charles Hudson of Precursor Ventures We asked guests to tell the most important lesson they've learned in their career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders ou
494. The Techstars Refresh, Why Bigger Isn't Better, Investing in the Seed-Strapping Era, and Why Quantum May Dwarf Every Tech Shift (David Cohen)
David Cohen of Techstars joins Nick to discuss The Techstars Refresh, Why Bigger Isn't Better, Investing in the Seed-Strapping Era, and Why Quantum May Dwarf Every Tech Shift. In this episode we cover: Refocusing TechStars Programs and Deal Structure Selection Process and Follow-On Investments Successful Programs and Founder Network Geographic Distribution and AI-First Companies Seed Strap
Investor Stories 434. How LPs Judge Performance, Managing Founder Conflict, and The Blind Spots Investors Must Confront (Schuler, Niehenke, Agarwal)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Barry Schuler of DFJ Growth Ventures Alexander Niehenke of Scale Venture Partners Medha Agarwal of Defy We asked guests to share the best question they've ever been asked by an allocator. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in found
Investor Stories 433. The Art of Sensing Greatness, From Analytical to Intuitive Investing, and the Case for Industry Outsiders (Hsieh, Hilaly, Maples)
n this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Vince Hsieh of Cypress Growth Capital Aaref Hilaly of Bain Capital Ventures Mike Maples of Floodgate We asked guests to describe the biggest change to their investment philosophy over the course of their career The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed
Investor Stories 432. The Pain of Passing: Missed Bets on Uber, DoorDash, and Great Founders Who Proved Them Wrong (Shapiro, York, Dash)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Craig Shapiro of Collaborative Fund Kyle York of York IE Somesh Dash of IVP Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founde
493. From Data Science to Drug Design: How AI Shifts Discovery, Target Validation, and Portfolio Construction (Jim Tananbaum)
Jim Tananbaum of Foresite Capital joins Nick to discuss From Data Science to Drug Design: How AI Shifts Discovery, Target Validation, and Portfolio Construction. In this episode we cover: Data Science and Investment Approach Investment Practices and Market Conditions China's Role in Biotech and Regulatory Considerations Impact of AI on Biotech and Healthcare Healthcare Adoption of AI and Pr
Investor Stories 431. Level Heads Build Enduring Companies, The Power of Persistence, and Why Conviction is Everything (Saxena, Delk, Rizik)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Shashank Saxena of Sierra Ventures Ryan Delk of Primer Chris Rizik of Renaissance Venture Capital We asked guests for the most important piece of advice that they'd share with folks early in their venture career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm commit
Investor Stories 430. Focus and Execution at Nubank, How Storytelling Wins Customers, and How Creative Partnerships Unlock Growth (Binatti, Madera, Okike)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Daniela Binatti of Pismo Paul Madera of Meritech Capital Nnamdi Okike of 645 Ventures We asked guests to discuss the most visionary founder that they've worked with and what makes them so special. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing
Investor Stories 429. Focus and Discipline in Growth, The Dangers of Rules of Thumb, and Fighting Cynicism in Venture (Stevens, Patel, Shapiro)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Kevin Stevens of Energize Capital Manish Patel of Nava Ventures Craig Shapiro of Collaborative Fund We asked guests to tell the most important lesson they've learned in their career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders o
492. Prioritizing Monetization: Beautifully Simple Pricing, AI Models for Profitable Growth, and Guardrails for Freemium and Expansion Tiers (Madhavan Ramanujam)
Madhavan Ramanujam of 49 Palms Ventures joins Nick to discuss Prioritizing Monetization: Beautifully Simple Pricing, AI Models for Profitable Growth, and Guardrails for Freemium and Expansion Tiers. In this episode we cover: Scaling Innovation: A Sequel to Monetizing Innovation Balancing Value and Price Enterprise Adoption of Outcome-Based Models Usage-Based Pricing and Cost Management Stra
Investor Stories 428. Trust and Integrity with LPs, What Churn Reveals About Founders, and Building True Differentiation (Ralston, Abel, Shen)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Rusty Ralston of Swell VC Godard Abel of G2 Han Shen of iFly.vc We asked guests to share the best question they've ever been asked by an allocator. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're prou
Investor Stories 427. Balancing Growth with Profitability, Why the Customer's Pain Matters Most, and Lessons from Film Financing to Supply Chain (Jiang, Ruscio, Niehenke)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Kevin Jiang of Mangusta Capital Joseph Ruscio of Heavybit Alexander Niehenke of Scale Venture Partners We asked guests to describe the biggest change to their investment philosophy over the course of their career The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm commit
Investor Stories 426. Investor Regrets and Hard Calls: From Tax Credit Dependence to Saying No to Zoom (Hsieh, Delk, Hilaly)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Vince Hsieh Ryan Delk Aaref Hilaly Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. Want to keep
491. How AI Reshapes LP Allocation Strategy, The Convergence of Venture and Buyout, and Permanent Shifts to Liquidity (Lara Banks)
Lara Banks of Makena Capital Management joins Nick to discuss How AI Reshapes LP Allocation Strategy, The Convergence of Venture and Buyout, and Permanent Shifts to Liquidity. In this episode we cover: Underwriting New Funds and Long-Term Partnerships Criteria for Investment and Deal Breakers Persistence in Venture and Brand Building CO-Investments and Prepared Minds Alignment and Strategy
Investor Stories 425. Don't Rush the Process: Building Insights, Networks, and Patience Early in Your VC Career (Shen, Shapiro, Jiang)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Han Shen Craig Shapiro Kevin Jiang We asked guests for the most important piece of advice that they'd share with folks early in their venture career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. Want
Investor Stories 424. The Unique Traits of Visionary Founders Backed by Gigascale, Heavybit & York IE (Schroepfer, Ruscio, York)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Mike Schroepfer Joseph Ruscio Kyle York We asked guests to discuss the most visionary founder that they've worked with and what makes them so special. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. Wan
Investor Stories 423. From Checklists to Leadership: Lessons from iFLY, DFJ Growth & Pismo Leaders (Shen, Schuler, Binatti)
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Han Shen Barry Schuler Daniela Binatti We asked guests to tell the most important lesson they've learned in their career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. Want to keep up to date with The
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