In this episode, Earnest Sweat and Santosh Sankar break down what it really takes to build and sustain a successful venture firm in the age of AI. They cover the shift in sourcing from tracking companies to tracking people years before they found, why winning allocation now matters more than having proprietary deal flow, and how trust is built simply by making promises and relentlessly following through. They explore the pros and cons of being a solo GP versus building a partnership, emphasizing self-awareness, conflict resolution, emotional resilience, and the “shock absorption” needed to support founders and LPs. The conversation also dives into how AI is reshaping junior roles, why unscalable relationship-building remains a core edge, and why the future belongs to curious, creative, and collaborative people who can tinker with new tools, build real networks, and treat their thinking and process as the true product. Additionally, Sam Heshmati of Citizens Private Bank explains how their team combines banking, industry, and venture expertise with deep relationships to solve complex client problems and slightly increase the probability of their success, rather than just selling commoditized financial products.

Topics in this conversation include: 

Venture has plenty of content. What it lacks is candor and curiosity about the craft. Hosted by Earnest Sweat and Santosh Sankar, Carry On is focused on what building a firm actually looks like, not the highlight reel. Each episode breaks down the X's and O's of venture capital, traded openly between two GPs and a small circle of friends who live this work. From first funds to franchise firms, specialists to generalists. Learn more and subscribe at www.carryonpodcast.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Earnest Sweat and Santosh Sankar unpack what it really takes to start and sustain a venture firm in today’s brutal fundraising environment, where the top 30 funds capture most LP capital. They compare spin-outs to de novo emerging managers, stress why a clear “why” and real differentiation (beyond generic websites and value-add claims) are essential, and explore how narrative, content, and staying visible matter more than ever. They argue that relationships and trust are a lasting edge in an AI-saturated world, discuss the tradeoffs between being a solo GP versus building a partnership, and highlight the importance of conflict resolution, emotional durability, and actually doing what you promise for founders. Finally, they examine the evolving role of junior talent, emphasizing curiosity, relationship-building, and the ability to tinker with new tools as core skills for the next generation in venture. Also, Sam Heshmati of Citizens Private Bank, shares how the team provides white glove private banking tailored to the innovation and venture ecosystem, with a strong focus on client experience and value-added partnership.

Topics in this conversation include: 

Venture has plenty of content. What it lacks is candor and curiosity about the craft. Hosted by Earnest Sweat and Santosh Sankar, Carry On is focused on what building a firm actually looks like, not the highlight reel. Each episode breaks down the X's and O's of venture capital, traded openly between two GPs and a small circle of friends who live this work. From first funds to franchise firms, specialists to generalists. Learn more and subscribe at www.carryonpodcast.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Earnest Sweat and Santosh Sankar unpack the tension between urgency and momentum in venture capital, contrasting real movement with superficial motion in a market where capital and attention are heavily concentrated in a narrow set of AI deals and mega funds. They discuss the erosion of intellectual honesty, the dangers of consensus thinking, and how kingmaking dynamics and low seed-to-Series A graduation rates are reshaping the landscape for founders, emerging managers, and established firms alike. They also explore the history and “eras” of venture, the pendulum between concentration and unbundling, and why conviction, independent thinking, and craft still matter in an increasingly irrational, growth-obsessed environment—framing the podcast as a candid, open exploration of how to practice better venture in public. Also, Abe Othman explains that AngelList’s fund benchmarks show successor funds grow mainly by adding new LPs rather than expanding commitments from existing ones, which was a surprising and important finding for emerging managers.

Topics in this conversation include: 

Venture has plenty of content. What it lacks is candor and curiosity about the craft. Hosted by Earnest Sweat and Santosh Sankar, Carry On is focused on what building a firm actually looks like, not the highlight reel. Each episode breaks down the X's and O's of venture capital, traded openly between two GPs and a small circle of friends who live this work. From first funds to franchise firms, specialists to generalists. Learn more and subscribe at www.carryonpodcast.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Venture has plenty of content. What it lacks is candor and curiosity about the craft. Hosted by Earnest Sweat and Santosh Sankar, Carry On is focused on what building a firm actually looks like, not the highlight reel. Each episode breaks down the X's and O's of venture capital, traded openly between two GPs and a small circle of friends who live this work. From first funds to franchise firms, specialists to generalists. Learn more and subscribe at www.carryonpodcast.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.