Today's episode explores three ideas that caught my attention:

1. The university endowment mindset shift - Transition from the for-profit real estate world to Stanford's endowment revealed how different time horizons (centuries vs quarters) fundamentally change decision-making. 
2. Weak markets force better habits - Launching a career in Oklahoma during the energy crash of the 80s and jumping into Silicon Valley post-internet-bubble taught Curtis that downturns force rigor and prevent the development of bad habits. A counterintuitive advantage in the face of a “tough” market. 
3. Advisory board seats are earned - The Khan Academy progression from “informal advisor” to board member showed how the best board seats develop organically through proven value. The “give first” mentality seems to pay off. 

Curtis brings rare perspective from helping grow Stanford University's endowment from $1.5B to $10.5B, serving on over 35 corporate boards (including CBRE, Staples, Khan Academy, and more) and spending two decades as a venture investor at Voyager Capital. His unique journey from real estate operations to endowment management to venture capital provides him with an uncommonly broad view of how companies succeed and fail across multiple market cycles. 

During our conversation, Curtis shares: 

• Insights on the evolution of university endowment investing, including cautionary tales of concentration risk from NYU and Emory's experiences.
• Clear warnings about premature scaling, demonstrated through the story of Verari, a high-performance computing data center startup that reached $100M in revenue & raised growth capital at exactly the wrong time.
• Perspectives on emerging opportunities in nuclear power, cybersecurity, and deglobalization that suggest where future innovation may be needed. 
  
  

Connect with Curtis
LinkedIn

Curtis’ Bookshelf:
• Crossing the Chasm | Geoffrey Moore
• This is How They Tell Me the World Ends | Nicole Perlroth
• The End of the World is Just the Beginning | Peter Zeihan
• Nuclear War | Annie Jacobsen
• Zero to One | Peter Thiel
• The Hard Thing about Hard Things | Ben Horowitz

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All opinions are personal and may not reflect the views of The Diligent Observer. Not investment advice. 

Today's episode explores three ideas that caught my attention:

1. The most important tax provision you’ve never heard of: 1244 losses. Bryan made the case (and I agree 100%) that most angels will benefit as much or more from ordinary income deductions on losses than from capital gains exclusions on wins.
2. “We’re QSBS-eligible” is nice but not everything. Founders advertising QSBS eligibility can subtly distort investor judgment. Don’t let the tail wag the dog.
3. QSBS claims are low-hanging fruit for IRS audits. Claiming a zero-tax outcome on a big winner almost guarantees scrutiny. Make sure your documentation is in order.

I explore these ideas and more with Startup Wealth Strategist Bryan Hasling. Bryan Hasling is a Partner at Modern Financial Planning, a firm specializing in advanced tax and wealth management for families navigating the complexities of tech careers and startup equity. As both a practicing wealth advisor and an active angel investor with roots in Silicon Valley, Bryan brings a rare perspective: he lives on both sides of the table, helping clients extract maximum after-tax value from their investments while making those same bets himself. His work sits at the intersection of early-stage portfolio strategy and tax code fluency, giving him a uniquely practical lens on the tools many angels leave on the table. 

During our conversation, Bryan shares:

• A breakdown of the five qualifying criteria a startup must meet to be considered a Qualified Small Business, including why the $75 million gross asset threshold matters more than most investors realize and how easy it is to accidentally miss it.
• The case for why 1244 ordinary income losses are arguably the more relevant tax tool for most angel portfolios, offering up to $100,000 in deductions for married filers against regular income when a startup shuts down.
• A practical documentation protocol for angel groups, including which records to collect at the time of investment to build an audit-ready file long before a liquidity event forces the issue.

Connect with Bryan: 

LinkedIn | Website

Stuff We Reference

• Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) – Section 1202
• One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA)
• John Harbison
• What does the Big Beautiful Bill Mean for Angel Investors? –A special podcast episode 

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All opinions are personal and may not reflect the views of The Diligent Observer. Not investment advice. 

Today's episode explores three ideas that caught my attention:

1. “Old money” sitting on the sidelines – Solomon aims to convert Nigeria's legacy industrialists into venture investors. It made me wonder how much capital is waiting to be “activated” into the venture space, particularly in emerging capital markets.
2. Community norms shape investment behavior – Solomon noted Africa's communal culture affects how accountability around angel capital is understood. Great reminder that investment frameworks can't necessarily be copy-pasted across cultures.
3. A six-hour boat ride for a magazine – Solomon's early hustle to access business knowledge from remote Nigeria puts founder "resourcefulness" on a whole new level.

I explore these ideas and more with Dr. Solomon King, Executive Director of the Lagos Angel Network. Dr. King brings over 18 years of experience spanning behavioral finance, alternative investments, and fundraising – a combination that uniquely positions him to bridge the gap between capital and the founders who need it most. As Executive Director of the Lagos Angel Network, he has led the organization's growth from a small community of 12 to over 120 active angel investors, while pioneering structured education programs that are reshaping how Africa's next generation of investors learns to deploy capital. With a background across banking, consulting, academia, and impact finance, Solomon offers a ground-level yet globally-informed perspective on what it truly takes to build an early-stage investment ecosystem from the ground up.

During our conversation, Dr. King Shares:

• Why Africa's communal culture requires a fundamentally different accountability conversation with founders around angel capital, and how LAN has adapted Western angel frameworks to reflect that reality.
• His thesis that climate tech in Africa is poised to follow a similar trajectory FinTech did a decade ago – driven by infrastructure buildout, democratizing access, and investor attention finally catching up to the opportunity.
• How Lagos Angel Network grew from 12 to 120 members in two years by positioning angel investing as a portfolio strategy accessible to anyone with disposable investable income – not just institutional players.

Connect with Dr. Solomon King 

LinkedIn

Stuff We Reference 

• Ideas, Cheques & Capital
• New York Angels
• Seraf Investor

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All opinions are personal and may not reflect the views of The Diligent Observer. Not investment advice. 

Today's episode explores three ideas that caught my attention:

1. Green premium is a deal killer – Anthony won't touch deals where eco-friendliness costs more (end state). If the sustainable solution isn't also the economically superior one, it won't easily scale.
2. Tech transfer done right – Hearing Anthony describe how he’s seen universities claim 50% equity and “blow up” a cap table from day 1 highlights how critical doing tech transfer “right” is for the industrial sustainability ecosystem.
3. The “valley of death” is shrinking – Fascinating insight into where Anthony sees the next wave of hard tech financing coming from, including why the "valley of death" between VC and institutional debt is beginning to close.

I explore these ideas and more with a mechanical engineer-turned-COO-turned VC, Anthony Del Porto. He began his career as a mechanical engineer doing industrial process automation –  literally walking factory floors, building custom machines, and watching firsthand how the physical world gets made. After a pivot into fintech as COO of an early-stage startup, he developed a dual lens that's rare in early-stage investing: deep technical credibility in hard, physical systems combined with firsthand experience navigating the chaos of a high-growth software company. He now runs BetterWay, a pre-seed VC firm focused exclusively on industrial sustainability – funding startups that are both environmentally superior and economically compelling, a combination he argues is the only kind worth backing.

During our conversation, Anthony shares:

1. A framework for evaluating whether a sustainability startup can actually compete on price.
2. Why circular economy startups are uniquely insulated from tariff risk and supply chain volatility.
3. The specific reason he looks for startups that can be profitable at small scale before building a large plant.

Connect with Anthony

LinkedIn | Website

Stuff We Reference

• DexMat
• Ravel
• Third Sphere

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All opinions are personal and may not reflect the views of The Diligent Observer. Not investment advice. 

Today's episode explores three ideas that caught my attention:     

1. The “angel investor” imposter syndrome – Suresh’s admission of feeling “unworthy” of the title despite being accredited made me reconsider how much terminology matters, and how many “angels” just consider themselves “investors”. 
2. Time and talent > treasure – Suresh mentioned SWAN's clever “associate” model that welcomes non-investors and challenges the exclusivity that can often limit network growth and pipeline development for future investors. 
3. A provocation that angel networks will be disrupted if they don't disrupt themselves - detailing specific antiquated processes that prioritize member comfort over founder success and mission impact. 

I explore these ideas and more with Suresh Sundarababu, Executive Director of SWAN Impact Network, where he's leading an ambitious reimagining of how angel groups can serve both founders and investors. With nearly three decades scaling global organizations and a master's in electrical engineering, Suresh brings an unconventional background to angel investing - one that prioritizes purpose over pedigree. His guiding principle, "not trying to change the world, but the world I touch," has shaped SWAN's recent evolution into an experimental platform for democratizing impact investment and building comprehensive founder support ecosystems. 

During our conversation, Suresh shares:  

• A fascinating experiment in “fast-tracking” deals outside traditional angel group processes that tests whether trusted partner referrals can bypass more traditional committee-driven evaluation cycles. 
• The “ecosystem partner” framework that saved a wind turbine founder thousands in legal fees by connecting startups with fractional services, executive coaches, and specialized firms aligned with early-stage constraints. 
• A vision for “collective investment” structure where a hardened company pitches to multiple aligned angel groups simultaneously and closes their entire round in one coordinated effort rather than needing to hit 15-20 groups sequentially. 

Connect with Suresh 

LinkedIn | LinkedIn

Stuff We Reference 

• SWAN Impact Network
• Bob Bridge

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All opinions are personal and may not reflect the views of The Diligent Observer. Not investment advice. 

Today's episode explores three ideas that caught my attention:    

1. Execution defines greatness - Larry's conviction that the "best tech doesn't always win" challenges a LOT of assumptions we commonly hold – for example the Mars Rover example made me reconsider how often we confuse technical superiority with market dominance. 
2. The pivot paradox - Larry nearly passed on companies that became massive successes because he couldn't see the TAM evolution. This tension between betting on founders versus understanding how markets evolve is TOUGH.  
3. Cap table complexity kills deals - Hearing Larry describe VCs passing because unwinding angel side letters isn't worth the hassle was sobering. Angels often optimize for individual upside while inadvertently destroying company-wide value. 

Larry Warnock is the Founding Partner and current Partner Emeritus of Ring Ventures and a veteran investor with over 70 investments across early-stage technology companies. As a former CEO who led multiple successful startups to acquisition or IPO - including Gazzang (acquired by Cloudera) and Phurnace (acquired by BMC Software) - Larry brings rare operational perspective to venture investing. His experience spanning both sides of the table, from Silicon Valley to Texas, gives him unique insight into what separates winning investments from costly mistakes in the angel ecosystem.

During our conversation, Larry shares: 

• His 'Three T's' framework: TAM, Tech, and Team for evaluating investment opportunities 
• The importance of the team in the success of a venture 
• The stories of missed investment opportunities and lessons learned 
• Advises on the pitfalls of complicated cap tables and emphasizes the benefits of SAFE notes for angel investments 
• The conversation highlights the importance of building relationships with founders early 
• Current VC investment trends including the resurgence of hardware and AI applications 
• His insights on how angels can add value beyond financing 
• His advise for angel investors on leveraging research and trends to make informed investment decisions 
• The recounts of the more unusual pitches he's encountered, including one for recreating the woolly mammoth.

Connect with Larry 

LinkedIn

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All opinions are personal and may not reflect the views of The Diligent Observer. Not investment advice. 

Today's episode explores three ideas that caught my attention:

1. The math of representation – Loretta shared that having just one woman in a VC decision room doubles or triples funding odds for women-led companies.
2. The promotional pivot – Loretta & Angela often coach female entrepreneurs to treat negative questions (which are more commonly asked of women due to unintentional bias) as promotional opportunities. It's advice that can flip defensive energy into offensive positioning.
3. Relevance as retention driver – Members of Golden Seeds stick around because the work keeps them intellectually current. The group’s 84% renewal rate suggests that learning, not just returns, is a powerful motivator for angel engagement. 

Loretta McCarthy is the Co-CEO and Managing Partner of Golden Seeds, the largest angel network in the United States investing exclusively in women-led companies - having deployed nearly $200 million across 260+ companies since 2004. Angela Allen is a Managing Director and Founding Member of Golden Seeds' newly launched Chicago Chapter, bringing 30+ years of operating experience including a 10x exit from an all-female executive team. Together, they bring both the macro perspective of building a national movement and the ground-level insight of launching a new local chapter. 

During our Conversation, Loretta and Angela share:

• The specific bias patterns that disadvantages women founders
• Why sector-specific training matters for angel confidence
• How a chapter-based geographic model enables national deal flow while maintaining local relationships 

Connect with Loretta McCarthy & Angela Allen

Golden Seeds' LinkedIn | Loretta's LinkedIn | Angela's LinkedIn

Stuff We Reference

• Golden Seeds
• OppenheimerFunds
• NanoPattern
• Every Body Eat
• Loyola University
• DePaul University
• mHUB
• ACA’s Angel Funders Report

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All opinions are personal and may not reflect the views of The Diligent Observer. Not investment advice. 

Today's episode explores three ideas that caught my attention:     

1. It’s weird we measure data centers measured in gigawatts – John’s observation that we tend to discuss data centers based on their power consumption vs their computational output was fascinating – it’s like buying a car based on annual fuel consumption instead of its true utility. 
2. Geography drives energy politics – John’s "where you stand depends on where you sit" framework for understanding global energy policy made geopolitical tensions seem much more obvious. 
3. Focused & capital-light > Mega infrastructure projects – Great perspective from John on why angels prioritize focused efficiency plays over major infrastructure initiatives. 

John Jeffers brings a rare combination of operational depth and investment acumen to clean energy, forged over a 32-year career tackling the energy sector's most critical challenges across ExxonMobil, Schlumberger, and Southwestern Energy. Since transitioning from corporate leadership in 2020, he has become a leading voice in the early-stage clean tech ecosystem - co-founding Revolution Turbine Technologies, serving on the board of SWAN Impact Network, and currently acting as Entrepreneur-in-Residence for Rice Alliance's Clean Energy Accelerator.  

During our conversation, John shares:  

• Why the rollback of IRA provisions has introduced more nuance, but NOT catastrophe   
• Why energy startups should consider seeking strategic partnerships earlier 
• The evolution of SWAN Impact Network's investment thesis

Connect with John 

LinkedIn 

Stuff We Reference 

• SWAN Impact Network
• Daniel Yergin’s The Prize
• Daniel Yergin’s The New Map
• Bob Bridge
• Rice Clean Energy Accelerator
• AtmoSpark
• Skyden Technologies
• Capwell Energy Service
• Variablegrid

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All opinions are personal and may not reflect the views of The Diligent Observer. Not investment advice. 

Today's episode explores three ideas that caught my attention:    

1. Film investment isn't always about ROI maximization – Many of Catherine's investors measure success by impact and community, not returns.  
2. Fundraising is a community-driven exercise - "You're not asking for yourself" reframes the entire process as mission-driven rather than personal. This is a powerful shift in perspective that stood out to me. 
3. Connection-making is a superpower - Catherine's emphasis on being a connector as free value creation made me realize how undervalued this skill is, yet how often I see it on display in some of the best people I’ve interacted with.  

Catherine Gray is the Executive Producer of Show Her The Money, a documentary that has screened in over 200 cities worldwide, and CEO of She Angel Investors, where she's hosted over 400 podcast interviews with female founders and funders. A veteran media entrepreneur, Catherine brings storytelling expertise with thoughtful venture capital strategy to help address the 2% funding gap facing women entrepreneurs.

During our conversation, Catherine shares: 

• The three-part funding structure for independent film projects
• A practical approach to film investment evaluation 
• The "connector superpower" methodology 

Connect with Catherine 

LinkedIn

Stuff We Reference 

• Ky Dickens
• Dr. Silvia Mah
• Marcia Dawood
• Mel Robbins
• Andrea Quinn
• From The Heart Productions
• Fund Women – Save The World
• Millennials Are Killing Musicals
• Emily Ventures
• Stella Foundation
• The Angel Next Door

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All opinions are personal and may not reflect the views of The Diligent Observer. Not investment advice. 

 Today's episode explores three ideas that caught my attention: 

1. Angel investment dollar-cost averaging - The vintage year matters, and Amy's comments got me thinking about how traditional finance concepts like DCA can be applied effectively in the angel investing world.
2. Curation creates commitment - Amy's insight that showing fewer, highly-vetted deals can increase member engagement challenges a common assumption I see in the angel space that more deal flow equals more value.
3. The founder is everything - Amy's collaboration with clinical psychologist Marty Dubin to systematically assess founder DNA made me think about how tempting (at least, at the pre-seed and seed stage) it is to focus on evaluate a business when we really should be evaluating the person.

I explore these ideas and more with Amy Brandenburg, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Denver Ventures Seed Fund, which has grown from an informal angel group to managing $65M+ AUM in just five years. Amy brings an iterative mindset thanks to her time at GitLab, as well as a distinctive focus on "founder DNA", collaborating with clinical psychologist and serial entrepreneur Marty Dubin to develop proprietary psychological evaluation methods that go beyond traditional due diligence in early-stage investing.

During our conversation, Amy shares:

• Member activation strategies that helped Denver Ventures grow from informal group to 850+ investors including why partner skin-in-the-game was crucial for credibility.
• Lessons from GitLab's asynchronous culture including the "no agenda, no meeting" rule and iteration-over-perfection mindset that shaped her leadership approach.
• Why Colorado's 20-year ecosystem building strategy succeeded where others failed and how coastal capital migration during COVID accelerated regional growth opportunities.

Connect with Amy

LinkedIn | X

Stuff We Reference 

• Brad Feld
• Chris Petersen
• Brian Leach
• Ibotta
• Dan Caruso
• Secrets of Sand Hill Road

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All opinions are personal and may not reflect the views of The Diligent Observer. Not investment advice.