In this episode of Founded & Funded, Madrona Digital Editor Coral Garnick Ducken sits down with Investor Rasik Parikh to unpack his journey from public markets to venture capital and what makes a founder stand out.

Rasik shares how working across institutional investing, M&A, and now enterprise AI at Madrona has shaped his analytical mindset and founder-first approach. They dive into how to build information asymmetry as an early-stage investor, why storytelling matters more than metrics in early fundraising, and what Rasik looks for in founders.

Founders building in security, agentic software, or enterprise AI — this one's for you.

Watch/listen to learn: How Rasik evaluates founders and opportunities The value of tribal vs. common knowledge in startup ecosystems How early-stage fundraising and M&A share a key ingredient: Storytelling What's exciting in enterprise AI and security

Chapters: (00:00) – Introduction (02:00) – Early career: Institutional investing & M&A (04:30) – Lessons from the UW Endowment (06:00) – Public vs. private markets & long-term thinking (08:50) – Applying an analyst mindset to venture (10:00) – The role of founders in early-stage investing (12:00) – Storytelling in fundraising & exits (14:00) – Rasik's connection to Madrona & Seattle's tech growth (16:00) – What Rasik looks for in founders: curiosity, awareness, urgency (18:20) – Security, enterprise AI, and what excites Rasik in tech (20:00) – Quick hits: How Rasik recharges & Seattle restaurant picks