October 21, 2021 Some portions were taken out to preserve privacy of audience members. Speakers in the recording include Lara Druyan (Managing Director at Silicon Valley Data Capital), Aakash Shah (Co-Founder of NeonVest) and Surya Viswanathan (Co-Founder of NeonVest). 0:01 — Aakash Shah I think now is a good time…

September 23, 2021 Some portions were taken out to preserve privacy of audience members. Speakers in the recording include Dan Ciporin (ex-General Partner at Canaan Partners), Aakash Shah (Co-Founder of NeonVest), Surya Viswanathan (Co-Founder of NeonVest) and Guest Speaker Mark Brooks (Investment Manager at Syngenta Group Ventures). Aakash Shah —…

All of a sudden, virtual-first social platforms have taken the tech world by storm. I’m pointing to two in particular — Clubhouse and Lunchclub — but there’s many, many more under the surface. Why? Let’s start with the obvious, first. For over a year and a quarter…

All of a sudden, virtual-first social platforms have taken the tech world by storm. I’m pointing to two in particular — Clubhouse and Lunchclub — but there’s many, many more under the surface. Why? Let’s start with the obvious, first. For over a year and a quarter, Covid has prevented…

It’s unintentional, but we end up providing asymmetric value to founders that don’t benefit from the same advantages that other founders might. Be it due to location, race, gender, age, social class, income bracket or something else, every founder has a unique circumstance. That shouldn’t change who they can access…

“The Paradox of Skill: Why Greater Skill Leads to More Luck” — Michael Mauboussin People often wonder how successful people become successful. While success is both relative and absolute, we tend to agree on which individuals are “successful” or not. Elon Musk, Leonardo DiCaprio, Oprah Winfrey, Jack Ma, Tiger Woods…

If you’re raising capital in six months from now, that means you start now. Not in six months. Start early. Always. It’s always easier said than done, and founders know this. Most people don’t want to spend resources completing a particular task, until they have to. The same goes for…

Great startups sell themselves. If investors are interested, they’ll be the ones making the pitch to you. Sell, just don’t “sell”. Have you ever tried selling something to someone? Most of the time, the buyer can guess your agenda. They know you’re trying to sell them something, and they know…

Good advice, at the right time, goes a long way. — The lifeblood of every startup is the team behind it. The vitality, the culture, the execution, and the rest of it, all stems from the people behind the idea. Full-timers, Part-timers, Interns, Advisors, Mentors — every stakeholder, or every person that has influenced the trajectory of a startup, has officially…