Author: Kent Lindstrom

Cyan Banister of Long Journey Ventures is truly one of the most successful and interesting early stage venture investors. And by ‘successful investor’, I mean “invested early in Uber and Space-X” kind of successful.

She overcame a challenging childhood that included periods of homelessness (a surprisingly uplifting story, covered deeply in Tim Ferriss’ interview with Cyan).

Here we discuss Cyan’s journey from these early struggles to becoming a prominent figure in Silicon Valley. Along the way she learns to program computers, and co-founds Zivity – an early social networking site one might compare to Onlyfans.  She was a partner at VC juggernaut Founders Fund (the VC fund founded by Peter Thiel, that invested in AirBnB, Spotify and OpenAI among others).  She also is author of “The Ugly Duckling” substack.

This episode also includes her brush with Star Wars’ “Lucasfilm” (the singular matters), her meeting with Marc Andreesen and her (incredible) plans for the future.

Listen on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Ugly Duckling

Long Journey Ventures

Comments closed

Roger Ehrenberg’s career spans three remarkable acts, each of which would be impressive on its own.  He founded IA Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital firm, in 2010.  IA Ventures invested in numerous successful startups, including Datadog, Digital Ocean, The Trade Desk, and Wise. His work with IA Ventures has earned him recognition as a three-time winner of the “Midas Award” – the coveted ranking of venture capitalists by Forbes.

Before founding IA Ventures, Roger spent 17 years on Wall Street at Citibank and Deutsche Bank, specializing in derivatives and quantitative trading, managing over $10 billion in investor assets at its peak

In 2021, Roger stepped back from day-to-day operations at IA Ventures to focus on Eberg Capital, which he founded with his two sons to invest in sports franchises, sports betting, media, and entertainment. Through Eberg Capital, he has made strategic investments in sports teams like the Miami Marlins, Real Salt Lake, and the Utah Royals, as well as in the Alpine Formula 1 Racing Team.

In this episode he discusses building IA Ventures as well as why he thinks sports is the next great investing opportunity.

Listen on Spotify or iTunes

Eberg Capital

8-Bit Capital

Comments closed

Mark Scianna, the founder of venture firm “Forward Deployed,” which targets sectors like Defense, Energy, and A.I., was spotlighted as a ‘top emerging manager’ in 2022. Starting his journey as an engineer and an early investor at Palantir, Scianna offers an insider’s perspective in this episode, unraveling the enigma of Palantir’s inception and meteoric rise.

Scianna delves into what makes Palantir so unique, shedding light on how its unconventional management style has been a cornerstone of its success. He doesn’t shy away from the intense realities of being ‘forward deployed’—a term that for him meant being physically stationed in war zones to deploy Palantir’s groundbreaking solutions firsthand.

Scianna also talks about the newly popular trend of investing in ‘defense tech’ – and who should (or shouldn’t) be doing it.

Listen on: iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts

Links:

Forward Deployed

8-Bit Capital

Comments closed

Winter Mead:  How to Raise a Venture Capital Fund (and more!), From Coolwater Capital’s Founder

Winter Mead is the author of How to Raise a Venture Capital Fund: The Essential Guide on Fundraising and Understanding Limited Partners.  He is also founder of Coolwater Capital, a new model that helps launch, build, and scale emerging fund managers

While there are a lot of investors (known in the parlance as “LPs”), and certainly a lot of funds – the set of people who sit at the intersection of these two is much smaller. So Winter has an unusual perspective and point of view to share.

Winter shares his journey from Harvard and Hall Capital to Sapphire Ventures and ultimately to founding Coolwater. He explains the complex and often overlooked challenges new fund managers face in securing funding, managing portfolios, and building effective business strategies. With insights on the evolving venture ecosystem, the role of emerging managers in fueling innovation, and the rising focus on sectors like AI, climate tech, and longevity, Winter offers a compelling look at how Coolwater helps guide and co-build alongside new managers.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of venture capital and the critical role of emerging fund managers in driving technological innovation.

Listen on Spotify, iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

Coolwater Capital

Something Ventured

8-Bit Capital

Comments closed

Max Altman and Ben Braverman were both pretty close to Silicon Valley royalty before they started Saga Ventures.  Max had built Alt Capital with his brothers Sam and Jack.  Ben had helped Ryan Peterson build Flexport as its Chief Revenue Officer. 

Recently, they came together with a 3rd partner (Thomson Nguyen, who does not appear in this episode) to form Saga Ventures.

In this episode, Max and Ben talk about building their new fund.  They discuss its structure, goals, and the nature of VC partnerships.  They continue with a look at the Silicon Valley Ecosystem: The focus on people, the interconnected nature of Silicon Valley, and how certain patterns of behavior and community dynamics influence the startup and venture capital space.

We finish by covering a range of other topics: 

• How venture capital lost its way
• The rise of VC podcasting
• Billionaire VCs fighting over politics

Join us as Max Altman and Ben Braverman discuss building Saga Ventures.

Listen on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you find your podcasts.

Saga Ventures

8-Bit Capital

Comments closed

If you don’t already know about Alexis Gay, you’re about to. Alexis is the creator and star of her solo comedy show, “Unprofessional”. Recently, her show was a hit at the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and she’s now touring the show for audiences across the United States. 

Alexis previously worked in the tech industry running Business Operations and Creator Partnerships at Patreon.   Outside of work, she started creating videos featuring dead-on takes on tech culture — and everyday life.   These soon went viral, racking up more than 24 million views across social media. Her sharp insights into startup life and its absurdities resonated far and wide, transforming her into a favorite amongst both tech insiders and comedy fans alike.

From viral videos to her successful podcast, Alexis has kept audiences hooked. She’s been profiled by Fast Company, Nightline, Business Insider, SFGate, and CNBC.  And now, she’s stepping onto the stage as a standup comedian.

Now comes her debut solo show, “Unprofessional”.  It has received numerous four-star reviews and played to sold out audiences. Chortle, the leading UK comedy publication, called it “an entertaining and – ironically/appropriately – professional hour set in a world that’s rarely covered in stand-up.”

Whether you’re a startup founder or someone who’s never heard of venture capital, her observations land with a sharp, comedic edge. Catch her live and see why she’s bound to be way bigger than…John Mulaney. 

Listen on Spotify

Listen on iTunes

Alexis Gay “Unprofessional”

8-Bit Capital

Comments closed

In this episode of Something Ventured, I talk to Adeyemi “Ade” Ajao, co-founder of Base10 Partners, one of the largest Black-led venture capital firms in the world.

Ade shares his journey from growing up in Nigeria and Spain to building multiple successful companies, including Tuenti, which was sold to Telefonica. He also discusses his transition into venture capital, his mission to empower underrepresented founders, and the impact of Base10’s Advancement Initiative, which partners with top universities to support a diverse new generation of entrepreneurs.

Other topics include: 

• Sci-Fi Inspiration: Adi and his brother are avid readers of science fiction, which shaped their belief in the power of human imagination and technology.
• Global Entrepreneurship: Adi reflects on the scarcity mindset found in some parts of the world, like Spain and Mexico, and contrasts it with the abundance mindset in Silicon Valley, where entrepreneurs help each other succeed.
• Technological Evolution: The conversation touches on how social networking emerged due to advancements in technology, and the broader impact of automation on traditional industries.
• Philosophy on Venture Capital: Adi shares how Base10 gives back by donating 50% of their carry to fund scholarships for underrepresented students in STEM, and emphasizes the importance of mission-driven work.

Listen on iTunes or Spotify

Base10 Partners

8-Bit Capital

Comments closed

Nick Sturiale is a seasoned venture capitalist with over two decades of experience in the technology and startup ecosystem. Currently a Managing Partner at Ignition Partners, Nick has been instrumental in guiding numerous early-stage companies to successful outcomes. His investment focus includes enterprise software, cloud infrastructure, and cybersecurity, and he has a strong track record of identifying and nurturing high-potential startups. He previously worked at Icon Ventures, Sevin Rosen Funds and Carlyle Group.

Among many of his great investments are Bill.com, Reputation.com and Splunk.

Nick has seen a few cycles in venture, and here he shares a unique perspective on the industry.

He discussed a number of topics including:

• Why finding ‘product-market fit” is non-obvious
• When to take advice from investors (and when not to)
• The real job of a startup CEO

You can listen on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Ignition Partners

8-Bit Capital

Comments closed

Listen on Spotify

Listen on iTunes

Eric Paley is a General Partner at Founder Collective, one of the great seed-stage venture capital brands – and one of the relatively few venture firms led by startup founders. As the name suggests, Founder Collective is a “founder stage” venture capital fund that focuses on providing the first professional round of capital to “entrepreneurs with compelling business concepts”. Eric himself also founded several companies before becoming a VC.  Founder Collective’s investments include:  Coupang, Cruise, Kaggle, Pill Pak, The Trade Desk, Uber and Venmo.

In this episode we discuss the importance of Founder-led VC firms, and the evolution of seed VC firms – which barely existed when he started, and now number in the hundreds.

We also discuss:

• Why the unique name “Collective”
• Fuzzy VC math
• VC ‘revisionist history”     
• What’s next for Founder Collective

Eric Paley on X (Twitter)

Founder Collective

8-Bit Capital

Comments closed

Listen on iTunes

Listen on Spotify

Homebrew is one of the great venture firm names.  It hearkens back to the 1970s era computer hobbyist group that included people like Steve Jobs.  Hunter Walk and Satya Patel are the partners who founded and built Homebrew (the venture capital firm).

Nevertheless, if you say “Hunter and Satya” in Silicon Valley, people will know exactly who you are talking about. 

Hunter Walk came to homebrew with experience as a product leader at YouTube and Google.  Meanwhile, Satya Patel’s background was as a seasoned investor at Battery Ventures and product leader at Twitter.

In this episode we discuss the power of partnerships in Silicon Valley.  In particular we talk about the power of the 2 -person partnership (see also:  Andreessen Horowitz), why the alchemy has to be right, and why some don’t make it.

We also discuss the evolution of Homebrew from a firm backed by outside capital (from Limited Partners or “LPs”) to one in which the two founders deploy their own capital.

Finally, we cover Hunter and Satya’s newest fund:  Screendoor.  Screendoor has a mission of supporting underrepresented General Partners of emerging venture capital funds by providing capital, access and mentorship.

Homebrew https://homebrew.co/

Screendoor https://www.screendoor.co/

Comments closed