In our third episode, Venu is joined by Shuly Galili of UpWest  to discuss her successes building Israeli startups, breaking into the U.S. market and the intricacies of early stage investment. Topics include UpWest's mission (0:50); Shuly’s founding of the California Israel Chamber of Commerce (1:20); changes in the early seed funding investment (2:45); Shuly’s investment decision criteria (7:03); Israel’s diverse startup landscape (10:26); distinguishing successful companies at an early stage (13:45); the growing demand for healthcare investment (17:35); Shuly’s advice to founders based outside the U.S. (19:45); and the future of UpWest (24:50).

In our second episode, Biplab sits down with Jake Flomenberg of Wing to discuss the AI investment thesis that helped him build companies like Demisto, Oasis Labs and Radar. Topics include Wing’s mission (1:00); how to distinguish good investments from bad investments (1:54); approaching AI investment in a crowded marketplace (3:20); asking founders ‘why’ over ‘how’ (6:27);  the importance of a strong vision (12:00); the difference between revolutionary vs. evolutionary AI (13:03); Jake’s investment decision criteria (16:37); prioritizing transparency when a partnership doesn’t go as planned (18:20); differentiating optimism from misrepresentation (20:00); what investment has surprised Jake most (20:50); and his biggest investment regrets (21:56).

In our first episode, Venu interviews Ed Sim from Boldstart  to learn about the investment strategies that helped him build companies like Kustomer, SecurityScorecard and Big ID. Topics include what entrepreneurs should know about Boldstart (1:14); how Ed makes investment decisions (3:30); how to inspire passion, conviction and flexibility in entrepreneurs (6:17); first time entrepreneurs vs. those with experience (11:30); do’s and don’ts of a first time founder (15:06); how to approach advising a Founder to hire a CEO (17:12); when an early stage company should hire their first salesperson (26:49);  the importance of culture at software startups (30:21).