In this first Episode of Series 2 of FounderTech Decoded, where we talk to forward thinking and pioneering investors who are helping define the FounderTech space from a venture perspective, we are delighted to kick things off and talk with Jonathan Sun of Horizan VC.

We explore how Horizan is currently pairing two innovative investor instruments - the Future Earnings Agreement and the Advance Subscription Agreement - in order to now increase fluency and transparency in the early stage venture space.

Building on this, we also discuss about how zero sum mentalities might no longer be the best approach to now help develop and nurture the startup ecosystem as a whole and why ‘too early’ as a go-to pass from investors when a founder is pre-revenue, makes no sense when virtually all early stage investments by their very nature, will almost always be largely driven and informed by intangibles.

Finally, we talk about how it’s time to start celebrating, encouraging and backing founders employing and designing no code / low code solutions in order to rapidly and agilely demonstrate and prove high pain points that are not straightforward, in new market opportunities that are not yet saturated.

Connect with Jonathan and Explore Horizan:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-sun-652541131/

Twitter: @horizanvc 

Email: [email protected]

Widen your perspective with these APIs:

• https://horizanvc.substack.com/p/high-pain-points-not-straightforward-fd4?s=r 

In this episode we talk to Phil Wakefield founder of Oxogen.

We discuss how years ago, becoming a founder was a radical choice that required a huge leap of faith. A leap often involving great personal and financial risk and requiring huge amounts of capital just to even begin to get your startup off the ground.

We talk about about how it’s time to take an ecosystem that was traditionally completely unaffordable and inaccessible for 99% of the people and putting it within the range and means of 99% of people.

Where with the increasing rise of no code / low code tools and methodologies, before you even take a first step leaping into the unknown to launch your startup, you can and should now take the time validate, evaluate and iterate the essential dynamics and fundamental assumptions of your idea first.

Connect with Phil and Explore Oxogen:

• www.oxogen.io 

Widen your perspective with these APIs:

• https://a16z.com/book/the-cold-start-problem/

In this episode we talk to Martin Bryant founder of PreSeed Now.

We ask why in an age of social noise and startup content, he has returned back the simple but direct platform of a bi-weekly newsletter to create a fresh signal to hopefully cut through the early stage deal flow noise and create a more nuanced form of PreSeed evaluation.

How by taking a journalistic approach to identify and the time to properly profile exceptional founders early everyone wins. The founder is able to communicate their proposition more clearly and the investor can get a more nuanced sense of what strategically they are now looking to achieve and looking to target.

We also explore why the traditional pitch deck now often struggles to communicate these founder opportunities and tell these founder stories in a compelling and informative way.

Connect with Martin and explore PreSeed Now: 

• https://www.preseednow.com/

Widen your perspective with these APIs:

• https://www.getrevue.co/profile/geekout 

In this episode we talk to Luciana Gasser founder of Cheers Smart Contracts.

We navigate how founders can start reducing the static nature of their startup commercial agreements so they move from a multi-headed monster towards becoming much more dynamic and harmonised multi-faceted instruments.

How previously signed contracts and agreements that have now have become dormant in a shared Dropbox or Google Drive, can now be re-imagined so they are a real time dynamic indicator of strategic value, commercial progress and engagement across any startup KPI's and ongoing strategic feedback.

Connect with Luciana and Explore Cheers:

• https://cheerscontracts.com/

Widen your perspective with these APIs:

• https://www.amazon.com/Never-Split-Difference-Negotiating-Depended/dp/0062407805

In this episode we talk to Mike Stevens one of the co-founders of RightFounder.

We dive into why when the co-founder relationship is so integral and often critical to the success of a startup, very little analysis and evaluation is done up front looking at the base assumptions and fundamental dynamics that inform these relationships.

When the cost of getting this wrong is huge but the value of getting it right is equally potentially transformative, we explore why do startups often leave that risk on the table and that key relationship to just circumstance and chance?

Connect with Mike and explore RightFounder:

• https://www.rightfounder.com/ 

Widen your perspective with these APIs:

• https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1398605441/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk

In this episode we talk to Tania Diggory founder of Calmer.

We explore how perhaps if the way you nurture, stimulate and retain talent in your team is increasingly one of your biggest differentiators and assets, then perhaps you should encode that wellbeing into your business plan and projections from the get go.

This includes moving away from a bias towards a one size fits all approach to startup culture - such as is embodied in something like hustle and burnout culture -  and towards a more calibrated sense of mental health built around the individual’s particular needs and drivers.

Where each team member’s dynamics are properly understood, enabling them to aim at not only achieving but also sustaining their optimal performance in the organisation over time.

Connect with Tania and explore Calmer: 

• https://www.thisiscalmer.com/

Widen your perspective with these APIs:

• https://www.rescuetime.com/ 

In this Episode we talk to Ifty Nasir the founder of Vestd.

We explore why if equity is consistently the one thing that focuses and aligns everyone in a startup, how we can start to engage with it in a much more dynamic, active and fluid way.

How we can create tangible, measurable and specific goals within our milestones and KPIs, the value of which can be then reflected and rewarded to the recipient via equity in real time.

This in turn makes founder partnership conversations more agile and responsive and evolves the current cap table from its more often than not static form, towards a more vital and responsive tool within the startup.

Transforming the role of equity from what it has been into what it now could be going forward.

Connect with Ifty and Explore Vestd:

• https://www.vestd.com 

Widen your perspective with these APIs:

• https://slicingpie.com/mike-moyer-slicing-pie-equity-splits-startups/

In this episode we talk to Martin Barnes founder of Pitch Club.

Martin is an expert in preparing and honing the pitching techniques and frameworks that impact the presentation and communication of early stage founders as they try to attract investment for their startups.

Drawing on his extensive experience around understanding and practically evolving all aspects of pitching, via his bi-weekly and peer supported remote founder events, we explore how the way founders need to communicate their core proposition within a pitch is potentially shifting.

Away from an always on broadcasting of your ‘Call to Action’ towards a more nuanced conversation and sophisticated investor storytelling and engagement.

Connect with Martin and Explore PitchClub: 

• https://www.linkedin.com/company/pitchclublive/ 

Widen your perspective with these APIs:

• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ditch-Pitch-Steve-Yastrow/dp/1590791266 

In this episode we talk to Adam Barlow Head of Operations and Growth at Landscape.

We discuss his experience and role at accelerating the first ever “glassdoor for VCs” from the ground up.

We learn how this has also progressed into the more recent additional launch of scouting platform OpenScout.

How both platforms are bringing a much needed radical transparency to the early stage founder investor space. Additionally how that transparency, once in place and when it starts to increase equal accessibility of founder investor information, can help inform a more purpose driven capital rather than just investment with purpose.

Connect with Adam and explore Landscape:

• https://www.landscape.vc/

Widen your perspective with these APIs:

• https://openscout.landscape.vc/ 

The trailer for the forthcoming FounderTech Decoded podcast series from Propelia, featuring the entrepreneurs, investors and founders who are creating informing this new venture category.

www.propelia.com