New Wave.

Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

Thank you for tuning in - I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn and I wanted to let you know that the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast on Spotify/Apple podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏

Thank you OpenVC for keeping this content free for our listeners.

What is OpenVC? It’s a free fundraising platform used by 10,000 founders and 5,000 investors (VCs, angels, family offices). OpenVC provides a fundraising CRM, AI pitch deck analytics and open rate tracking. Use the code: "EXPLORE” to upgrade to OpenVC Premium and get a 20% discount. 📈🔥

In this episode I sat down with Guillermo Flor, a venture capital at GoHub Ventures, a venture capital fund based in Spain that focused on B2B seed and Series A.

In this episode Guillermo shares his journey from studying law and working in consulting firms to founding a startup called Tueri, a legal tech company. He discusses the challenges and lessons learned from his entrepreneurial experience, including the importance of building a must-have product, having patience, and making sure to have a strong team. Guillermo also provides insights into his current role in venture capital, the criteria he uses for investments, and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. The discussion covers the venture capital market, the significance of product-market fit, and the importance of coming well-prepared when seeking investment. 🚀

If you’re an entrepreneur, this will boost your chance of getting funded. 📈

Have a great episode! 

Listen on 🟢Spotify.

Listen on 🟣Apple Podcast.

Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠. 

Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Guillermo, GoHub, and Product-market fit.

Timestamps: 

00:00 Introduction

01:00 Guillermo's Early Education and Career

03:03 Transition to Entrepreneurship

03:45 Founding Tueri: The Legal Tech Startup

06:02 Challenges and Learnings from Tueri

08:43 Finding Co-Founders and Building the Team

11:03 Business Model and Market Fit

14:50 Lessons from Startup Failure

18:30 Would You Do It Again?

19:45 Closing the Startup and Investor Relations

21:03 Launching the Product Market Fit Newsletter

23:09 Journey into Venture Capital

25:30 Understanding Venture Capital

38:05 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Closing

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateventuresvco2.substack.com

Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

Thank you for tuning in - I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn and I wanted to let you know that the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏

Thank you to OpenVC for support this podcast. 🤝

What is OpenVC? It’s a free fundraising platform used by 10,000 founders and 5,000 investors (VCs, angels, family offices). The platform provides features such as a fundraising CRM, AI pitch deck analytics and open rate tracking.

Through the premium membership, you can raise 5 times faster. With the code: "EXPLORE” you can upgrade to OpenVC Premium and get a 20% discount. 📈🔥

In this episode I sit down with Paul Barnes-Hoggett, a repeat fintech founder and multiple times CTO that became a startup mentor.

Paul shares his journey, from his early days studying architecture to his role at Adobe and his ventures into entrepreneurship. He discusses his transition from technology to starting a meal kit service, the journey of developing Alice Financial, and his recent mentorship roles. Paul provides insights on building and scaling startups, understanding product-market fit, the CTO's role in fundraising and how to approach product partnerships. 🚀

If you’re an entrepreneur, listen to this to increase your chances of raising money. 📈

Have a great episode! 

Listen on 🟢Spotify.

Listen on 🟣Apple Podcast.

Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠. 

Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Paul.

Timestamps: 

00:00 Introduction

01:35 Paul's Early Career and Education

03:44 Transition to Freelancing

06:58 Joining Adobe and Key Learnings

11:16 First Entrepreneurial Venture: Meal Kit Subscription

18:05 Founding Alice Financial

25:30 Role of CTO in Fundraising

32:54 Life After Daylight

34:41 Advice for Startup Founders

41:45 Conclusion and Farewell

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateventuresvco2.substack.com

Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

Thank you for tuning in - I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn and I wanted to let you know that the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏

Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership. 🔥

In this episode I sat down with Lauri Kokkila, a partner at Inventure, a venture capital fund focused on seed and Series A investments across the Nordics and Baltics.

In this episode we discussed Lauri’s journey from an intern to partner at Inventure. Lauri details the various stages of his role, from sourcing and evaluating new deals to portfolio management and internal fund operations. He provides valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and investors on building relationships, the importance of trust and transparency, and understanding market timing. Lauri also discusses the unique characteristics of Baltic founders, the significance of sustainability in investments, and his outlook for the 2024 market. 🚀

If you’re an entrepreneur, listen to this to increase your chances of raising money. 📈

Have a great episode! 

Listen on 🟢Spotify.

Listen on 🟣Apple Podcast.

Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠. 

Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Lauri and Inventure.

Timestamps: 

00:00 Introduction

01:10 Meet Lauri Kokkila: From Student to Venture Capital Partner

03:47 The Journey from Sales to Supporting World-Changing Entrepreneurs

06:09 Climbing the VC Ladder: From Intern to Partner

08:18 The Intricacies of Venture Capital Work

10:32 Decoding the VC Investment Process

12:55 Inventure's Investment Focus and Process

21:09 The Baltic Market: A Hub for Resourceful Founders

23:01 Investment Success Stories and Market Timing

25:39 Looking Ahead: Investment Trends for 2024

27:38 Sustainability in Startups: A Growing Focus

29:24 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Investors

31:52 Closing Thoughts and Resources

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateventuresvco2.substack.com

Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

Thank you for tuning in - I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn and I wanted to let you know that the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏

Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership. 🔥

In this episode I sat down with Alex Brees, the co-founder and CEO at un:hurd, a music marketing startup supporting artists with their music promotion

We discussed Alex’s journey from tech to Universal Music and launching un:hurd. We covered everything from how he came up with the idea, to his initial revenue-led model as a consultant, and developing the iOS app to be ahead of competitors while supporting artists on their existing devices. We discussed un:hurd’s business model from adopting a membership model for monetization to developing partnerships and integrating AI into their product. Alex shares the impact un:hurd already has on the music industry as well as some advices for entrepreneurs! 🚀

Have a great episode! 

Listen on Spotify.

Listen on Apple Podcast.

Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠. 

Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Alex and un:hurd.

Timestamps: 

00:00 Introduction

01:15 Sponsor Spotlight: OpenVC

02:00 Alex Brees: From Science Student to Music Marketing

05:09 The Birth of Breezebox and Picasso Events

06:42 A Brief Stint at Universal Music

10:48 Embracing Entrepreneurship with Keakie

12:14 Launching Un:hurd - The Mission and Vision

14:27 Data-Driven Music Marketing: A Game Changer

22:40 Building Relationships in the Music Industry

25:24 Bootstrapping and Fundraising Journey

28:30 Strategic Investments and Market Expansion

31:06 Product Evolution: From iOS to Desktop

34:19 Crafting the Product Roadmap

36:15 Technical Challenges and Team Dynamics

38:04 Leveraging Partnerships for Growth

39:49 Measuring Impact in the Music Ecosystem

41:53 Unveiling the Business Model

46:01 Future Aspirations and AI Integration

47:58 Entrepreneurial Advice: Patience and Personal Growth

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateventuresvco2.substack.com

Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

Thank you for tuning in and for the amazing support. I wanted to let you know that the best way to support this show is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars on your podcast platform. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏

This episode is unique and does not fit our series of founders interview.

Today, I sit down with Peter Walker the head of insights at Carta, a cap table management software providing unique features. Carta has more than 43k startups on its platform which makes it uniquely positioned to gather insights.

In this episode, we are talking about data driven insights in the fundraising market such as fundraising trends, valuations, shutdowns, equity splits, compensations, revenue-lead versus venture backed startups, AI companies.. the list is long!

This is “Fundraising 101” - everything the data tell us to help you get started! 📈

Have a great episode! 

Listen on 🟢Spotify.

Listen on 🟣Apple Podcast.

***** 

Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! 🔥Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership.

Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠. 

Learn more about Peter and Carta⁠⁠⁠, sign up for Carta’s free offer.

*****

Timestamps: 

00:00 Introduction and Background

02:00 Transition from Health to Startup

04:04 Experience at Carta

08:39 Carta's Product and Role in the Ecosystem

12:09 State of the Fundraising Market

16:21 Startup Shutdowns and Valuations

21:10 Bootstrapping vs Venture-backed Startups

23:26 Considerations for Fundraising

24:47 The Gap in Funding for Growing Companies

26:04 Fundraising for the First Time

29:30 Angel Round and Equity Distribution

32:06 Valuation and Funding Trends

36:41 AI Companies and Industry Trends

40:06 Timeline Between Fundraising Rounds

42:39 Headcounts and Employment in Startups

46:02 Forecast for 2024

49:08 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateventuresvco2.substack.com

Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

Thank you for tuning in and for the amazing support. I wanted to let you know that the best way to support this show is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars on your podcast platform. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏

This episode is unique and does not fit our series of founders interview.

Today, I sit down with Dallas Price from Forum Ventures, a venture studio based in North America and focusing on B2B SaaS companies.

In this episode, we are exploring the concept of venture studio. We cover everything from defining what a studio is, why it is different from accelerators and incubators, understanding the financial model for GP and for founders, the role of the founder and the relationship with the studio, the startup life cycle, the equity split structure, the investment amount and support from the studio, product development, sales cycle, defining ICP, benefits and drawbacks for founders.. the list is long!

This episode is venture studio 101 - everything you need to know to get started! 📈

Want to become an entrepreneur but don’t know to start? This episode is for you! Want to join a studio as an employee? This is also for you!

Have a great episode! 

Listen on 🟢Spotify.

Listen on 🟣Apple Podcast.

***** 

Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! 🔥

Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership.

Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠. 

Learn more about Dallas and Forum Ventures⁠⁠⁠.

*****

Timestamps: 

00:00 Introduction to Venture Studios

03:45 Defining Venture Studios

08:27 Founder's Role and Equity

10:35 Venture Studios and External Programs

13:27 Venture Studio Life Cycle

21:02 Generating Ideas

23:39 Market Research and Validation

26:27 Venture Studio Thesis

28:54 Finding a Founder

31:36 Geographic Location of Founders

33:06 Office Space for Portfolio Companies

34:09 Defining the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

36:35 Timeline for Product Development

38:03 Roles and People in a Venture Studio

42:19 Business Model of a Venture Studio

44:47 Success Rate of Venture Studio-backed Startups

47:49 Compensation for Venture Builders

49:42 Ventures Built and Launched by Dallas

51:20 Advice for Entrepreneurs

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateventuresvco2.substack.com

Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

Thank you for tuning in - I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn and I wanted to let you know that the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏

In this episode I sat down with Nate Matherson, the co-founder and CEO at Positional, a startup that provides a modern toolset for SEO and content teams.

We discussed Nate’s early interest in finance, his decision to start LendEDU as a tutoring app, and the subsequent pivot to a marketplace for student loans. Nate shares the challenges of raising capital and the pivotal role Y Combinator played in the growth of LendEDU. We also talked about the decision to exit in March 2020, becoming an angel investor, and starting a new company. Nate provides insights into building an SEO toolset and offers advice for startups looking to leverage SEO as a growth channel and much more! 🚀

Founders looking to grow a content channel, this episode is for you.

Have a great episode! 

Listen on Spotify.

Listen on Apple Podcast.

***** 

Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! 🔥

Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership.

Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠. 

Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Nate and Positional.

*****

Timestamps: 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

02:25 Starting LendEDU

09:23 Pivoting to a Marketplace for Student Loans

16:14 Getting into Y Combinator

23:08 Selling the Company

25:04 Transitioning Out and Becoming an Angel Investor

29:18 Starting a New Company

31:31 Pivoting from ContainIQ to Positional

36:13 Building an SEO Toolset

41:46 SEO Tips for Startups

46:36 Positional Today and Future Plans

48:43 Advice for Starting a Business

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateventuresvco2.substack.com

Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

Thank you for tuning in - I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn and I wanted to let you know that the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏

In this episode I sat down with Martin Habfast, the co-founder and sales director of Umiami, a food startup that provides plant-based filet experience without compromising the taste and the texture.

We discussed Martin’s unique journey from building a tutoring startup to raising $100M to grow a plant-based meat company in France. Martin shares his strategy for fundraising, the challenges of a Food Tech startup, the strategic selection of ingredients, Umiami’s collaboration with a Michelin Star Chef and much more! 🚀

Ambitious founders, this episode is for you.

Have a great episode! 

****

Listen on Spotify.

Listen on Apple Podcast.

****

Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! 🔥

Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership.

****

Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠. 

Learn more about Martin and Umiami.

****

Timestamps: 

00:31 Introduction

02:19 The Journey from Student to Entrepreneur

12:09 The Genesis of a Plant-Based Meat Startup

21:45 Navigating the Challenges of a Food Tech Startup

28:07 From Kitchen Experiments to Lab Innovations

29:43 The Strategic Decision Against Co-Manufacturing

31:11 Becoming a Mission-Driven Company

32:29 Simplifying Ingredients for Superior Products

35:11 NutriScore A: A Testament to Quality

36:47 Producing 100% in France: A Strategic Choice

39:23 Continuous Product Improvement Through R&D

41:58 Targeting the Flexitarian Market

45:21 Innovative Technology Behind Plant-Based Chicken

46:55 Navigating the Competitive Landscape

48:32 Challenges and Opportunities in the Plant-Based Industry

51:13 Collaboration with Michelin Star Chefs and Future Goals

55:34 Contributing to Entrepreneurship as a MassChallenge Judge

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateventuresvco2.substack.com

Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

For those of you that have been here since the beginning, 1000 thanks, and welcome to the newcomers who have joined us in recent weeks. I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn, the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏

In this episode I sat down with Jas Jaiswal, the founder and CEO at SmartHaul, a software company that provides a relay model with the focus on bringing truck drivers back home more often while moving freight 2x faster. We discussed Jas’s unique journey from moving to the US from India, developing a business to $1BN EBIDTA before jumping into the unknown and building SmartHaul with the help of Platform Venture Studio. Jas shares the challenges of building a company, the reasons why he is planning to fundraise, the benefit of the venture studio model and much more! 🚀

Have a great episode! 

Listen on Spotify.

Listen on Apple Podcast.

***** 

Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! 🔥

Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership.

Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠. 

Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Jas and ⁠⁠⁠SmartHaul⁠⁠⁠.

*****

Timestamps: 

00:00 Introduction

05:24 Realizing the Desire to Become an Entrepreneur

07:30 Joining Platform Venture Studio

11:45 The Idea for SmartHaul

24:28 Building the Algorithm and MVP

26:38 Challenges and Opportunities

31:16 Business Model and Market Size

37:21 Advice for Future Entrepreneurs

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateventuresvco2.substack.com

Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

For those of you that have been here since the beginning, 1000 thanks, and welcome to the newcomers who have joined us in recent weeks. I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn, the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏

In this episode I sat down with Ana Pricop, the co-founder and COO of Outdid.io, a startup that provides zero knowledge identification solutions to improve online safety. We discussed Ana’s unique journey from dropping out of a top school, to surviving in London with little to no money and raising $2.5M in 3 days after struggling for 2 years. Ana shares the challenges of fundraising, the strategic pivot from Web3 to targeting broader industries, the importance of the people around you, the necessity to maintain a balance between work and personal life and much more! 🚀

Early-stage founders and young entrepreneurs, this episode is for you.

Have a great episode! 

Listen on Spotify.

Listen on Apple Podcast.

***** 

Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! 🔥

Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership.

Learn more about Explore on: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠. 

Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Ana ⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠Outdid.io⁠⁠⁠.

*****

Timestamps: 

00:00 Introduction and Background

01:00 Ana Maria's Love for School

06:20 Starting Outdid.io

10:08 Technical Challenges

12:01 UC London Innovation and Enterprise Startup Program

22:27 Seed Round Fundraising

29:38 Explaining the Solution

31:08 Fast Term Sheets

32:13 Growing the Team

36:48 Differentiation from Competitors

42:23 Managing Relationships with Investors

44:58 Finding Your Role in the Company

46:10 Current State and Future Vision

49:37 Sigma Squared Society

53:21 Advice to Past Self

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateventuresvco2.substack.com