First Funders

By Shaherose Charania

How first checks get written. What it takes to earn them.

First Funders goes inside the minds of the investors who back founders before anyone else believes in them, and the founders bold enough to m... more

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FAQs about First Funders:

How many episodes does First Funders have?

The podcast currently has 23 episodes available.

First Funders episodes:

January 25, 202401: State of Venture Capital 2024 with Arjun Arora
We're all discussing current market conditions - valuations, AI hype, fundraising challenges... Before we kick off our planned interview series on First Funders, we sat down with our friend Arjun Arora to discuss the Trends in Venture Capital 2024. As investors, we always look ahead, making this a great way to start 2024.
Highlights from our discussion:
What to expect in round sizes and valuations
Anticipated returns from the AI hype
The significance of data-driven decision-making for VCs
The rise of hyper-specialized funds
You can read the full report here: https://www.arjundarora.com/trends-report

This is for information purposes only. This is not investment advice.

Topics

(00:00) - 01: State of Venture Capital 2024 - Arjun Arora
(00:49) - Guest: Arjun Arora on the State of Venture Capital 2024
(01:24) - Arjun's Founder Background
(03:03) - Format One and how they help founders
(04:41) - Are Mega-deals only happening in AI?
(06:07) - How should early-stage investors consider exit strategy?
(08:02) - Is AI coming for venture capitalists?
(10:36) - Social signals inform investors about founders AND teams
(11:51) - Later-stage investors use prior investors as a signal
(13:57) - Are crowd-funded companies legit investments?
(16:01) - Do funds focused on a niche limit returns and increase risk?
(22:25) - Don't go chasing Unicorns?
(26:41) - Where's crypto and blockchain?
(27:27) - Do founders want to do one-and-done raises?
(29:17) - Can seed funds less power law, higher average outcomes?
(31:45) - Will AI generate returns for investors?
(33:35) - Advice for founders in this market environment
(35:21) - Key Take aways: What we learned from Arjun's report for our own seed investing strategies
(43:00) - Outro

Connect with Us

Follow the First Funders Podcast
Newsletter with behind-the-scenes access and key takeaways
Twitter/X @shaherose
Twitter/X @avirani
Email us with feedback and suggestions on topics and guests
...more
44min
January 23, 2024About the Hosts: How they got into Seed and Angel Investing
Before you dive into our archives or the next episode, learn about First Funders and its hosts, Shaherose Charania and Aamir Virani.
You'll hear about Shaherose's background as a startup builder turned VC who started as a product marketer and how she started Women 2.0, a startup ecosystem, and Founder Labs, a tech incubator. She also reviews her time at Nike, where she built their first incubator, and her role as an angel investor and now Venture Partner at Cake Ventures.
Aamir then shares his experience as an engineer turned product management leader at Dropcam, which was acquired by Google/Nest, and then his turn as a venture capitalist at Felicis Ventures. Why did he end up back as an angel investor and operator? What types of investments does he look for now?
This is for information purposes only. This is not investment advice.

Topics
(00:00) - About the Hosts and their Angel and Seed Investing backgrounds
(01:13) - How Shaherose went from operating to building Women 2.0 to funding startups
(03:26) - Aamir's Journey from Founder to VC to Angel Investor
(06:06) - Outro

Connect with Us

Follow the First Funders Podcast
Newsletter with behind-the-scenes access and key takeaways
Twitter/X @shaherose
Twitter/X @avirani
Email us with feedback and suggestions on topics and guests
...more
7min
January 12, 2024Coming Soon - a podcast for Angels and Venture Capitalists who write first checks
Coming soon.
First Funders is a podcast for the Angels and Venture Capitalists who write first checks.
Co-hosted by Shaherose Charania, startup builder turned VC.
And Aamir Virani, founder turned angel investor.
In each episode, you'll hear from angel and seed-stage VCs who wrote the first checks into startups that made it.
How did these investors find these opportunities?
How did they gain conviction?
How did they decide to make a bet?
And what can you learn from their journey?
Sharpen your theses and make better investments by hearing from the First Funders about their successful investments.
This is for information purposes only. This is not investment advice.

Connect with Us

Follow the First Funders Podcast
Newsletter with behind-the-scenes access and key takeaways
Twitter/X @shaherose
Twitter/X @avirani
Email us with feedback and suggestions on topics and guests
...more
1min

FAQs about First Funders:

How many episodes does First Funders have?

The podcast currently has 23 episodes available.