Welcome to The AFT Podcast!

Episodes

Scale and Exit - by Brett Lewis, Co-Founder at SkillBridge.
Aug. 29, 2020

Scale and Exit - by Brett Lewis, Co-Founder at SkillBridge.

Brett Lewis, Co-founder and Co-CEO at SkillBridge acquired by TopTal, talks about the acquisition, the major mistakes they've done with SkillBridge and the major successes they had. We also talked about business development - what does one actually do and how is business development at google diffe…
Guest: Brett Lewis
No investor wants to be "just money" - how to work with investors, by Tim Lozott.
Aug. 27, 2020

No investor wants to be "just money" - how to work with investors, by Tim Lozott.

Tim Lozott, CEO and Managing Director at Green Life Capital explains what the phrase "No investor wants to be just money" means and how to apply it to your fundraising process. We've also touched onto the Linked ventures (and their upcoming summit) and how Linked Ventures cooperate with the Green L…
Guest: Tim Lozott
NY Super Angel - how to find fundraising support for your startup? By Jack Greco.
Aug. 26, 2020

NY Super Angel - how to find fundraising support for your startup? By Jack Greco.

Jack Greco, founder at One Link Ventures who is also a very active angel investor and strongly believes in the power of community. And in this episode we've discussed what is going on the early-stage fundraising world right now, what is Jack's advice for founders who are trying to find best advisor…
Guest: Jack Greco
Mucker Capital's focus on LA ecosystem by Kiyan Yazdi, Investor at Mucker Capital.
Aug. 25, 2020

Mucker Capital's focus on LA ecosystem by Kiyan Yazdi, Investor at Mucker Capital.

Kiyan Yazdi, Investor at Mucker Capital explains what is going on in the LA ecosystem, why Mucker Capital is so focused on SoCal startups and how it operates during COVID-19. We also discussed two different arms of Mucker and...
Acquired by Chegg - lessons learned from raising $5.1 mil and getting acquired - by Dan Johnston.
Aug. 24, 2020

Acquired by Chegg - lessons learned from raising $5.1 mil and getting acquired - by Dan Johnston.

Dan Johnston, currently the Co-founder & CEO at WorkStep and the Co-Founder at InstaEDU explains what major lessons he had learned from building InstaEDU and raising $5.1 million for it. We also talked about what he would do if he can go back in time and change one thing in the process. Super helpf…
Guest: Dan Johnston
Venture Studio VS Accelerators - how to chose the right start for your startup? By Carey Ransom.
Aug. 23, 2020

Venture Studio VS Accelerators - how to chose the right start for your startup? By Carey Ransom.

Carey Ransom, Founder and President at OC4 Venture Studio in this episode talks about the differences between venture studios, incubators and accelerators and explains how to choose the right program for your startup (hint: know your 3-month goal really well). We also discussed major downsides of v…
Guest: Carey Ransom
Product managers as champions in your sales to businesses - SC Moatti on selling through product managers.
Aug. 22, 2020

Product managers as champions in your sales to businesses - SC Moatti on selling through product managers.

SC Moatti, Managing partner at Mighty Capital and a founder at Products That Count in this episode of Fundraising Radio explains how to make sales through product managers, when should startups start working on content generation and how long it might take to pay off.We also discussed differe…
Guest: SC Moatti
Double exit founder's thoughts on early user acquisition - by Dan Held.
Aug. 21, 2020

Double exit founder's thoughts on early user acquisition - by Dan Held.

Dan Held, Growth Lead at Kraken Digital Asset Exchange with two companies sold explains how to acquire your first customers and why paying for your first customers might be a bad idea. We discuss few particular ways of being "cheap and scrappy" in user acquisition and talk about low-budget startups…
Guest: Dan Held
Investing in immigrant founders and when do people really become entrepreneurs - by Nitin Pachisia.
Aug. 20, 2020

Investing in immigrant founders and when do people really become entrepreneurs - by Nitin Pachisia.

Nitin Pachisia, Founding Partner at Unshackled Ventures explains how does immigrant-focused investing work, how does Unshackled Ventures source its deals and how should immigrant (and local) founders start building their network during COVID-19. We also discuss the best ways to identify if the inve…
Building remote teams and living the COVID - Michael Dunn, the CTO at Ultra on current events.
Aug. 19, 2020

Building remote teams and living the COVID - Michael Dunn, the CTO at Ultra on current events.

In this episode of Fundraising Radio Michael Dunn, the CTO at Ultra explains how he sees the future of team building, networking and fundraising and he also talks about the current situation and how early stage startups can use it to their advantage. We also touch onto what value Techstars and simi…
Guest: Michael Dunn
What is product-led growth and how to acquire customers in B2B? By Arthur Nobel - B2B SaaS Investor.
Aug. 18, 2020

What is product-led growth and how to acquire customers in B2B? By Arthur Nobel - B2B SaaS Investor.

Arthur Nobel - B2B SaaS Investor, Associate at Knight Venture Capital explains how to acquire your first customers in B2B field and how to present those customers to investors. We discuss B2B fundraising and international sales for B2B SaaS startups.
Guest: Arthur Nobel
What KPIs should founders in consumer space track the most? By Kofi Ampadu.
Aug. 17, 2020

What KPIs should founders in consumer space track the most? By Kofi Ampadu.

Kofi Ampadu, Founder and General Partner at SKU'D ventures explains how should founders in consumer space fundraise and specifically those who are in CPG (consumer packaged goods) fundraise.
Guest: Kofi Ampadu
Selling Esgut for millions and building a top 5 Facebook app company, by Jamal Ashraf.
Aug. 16, 2020

Selling Esgut for millions and building a top 5 Facebook app company, by Jamal Ashraf.

Jamal Ashraf, the founder of Esgut, talks about how he turned down funding from Naval Ravikant and how the company was acquired by Shervin Pishevar's Social Gaming Network (now Jam City) after a 2 hour conversation at a conference. We also discuss growing to 1 million users just 4 weeks after start…
Guest: Jamal Ashraf
Capital strategies - what is it and how to develop one? By Jeffrey Silverman.
Aug. 15, 2020

Capital strategies - what is it and how to develop one? By Jeffrey Silverman.

Jeffrey Silverman, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Laconia explains the meaning of having a capital strategy and explains how to develop one. We also talk about how much money should founders raise, how long should that money last and how to calculate the ideal amount of funding.
Fundraising after two exits - Christopher Hussain about his lessons learned from previous fundraising experiences.
Aug. 14, 2020

Fundraising after two exits - Christopher Hussain about his lessons learned from previous fundraising experiences.

Christopher Hussain, the Co-Founder and CEO at RealKey in this episode talks about what he learned from his past fundraising experiences and how it affected his approach of raising money for his current company - RealKey. We also discussed what should early stage founders do to raise money now and …
Going through first stages of building a product without fundraising, and getting acquired - Mayur Motgi on Propl's acquisition.
Aug. 13, 2020

Going through first stages of building a product without fundraising, and getting acquired - Mayur Motgi on Propl's acquisition.

Mayur Motgi, the Co-Founder and CEO at Propl, acquired by Jobox.ai explains how he managed to bring his company to an acquisition with no funding raised and he also talked about who should consider fundraising versus bootstrapping.
Guest: Mayur Motgi
Cross-border investing and global expansion, discussing Asian markets with Sungjoon Cho.
Aug. 12, 2020

Cross-border investing and global expansion, discussing Asian markets with Sungjoon Cho.

Sungjoon Cho, General Partner at D20 Capital explains who should try to expand globally and how to prepare for an abroad expansion. We specifically focused on Asian markets expansion and talked how founders can benefit from working with cross-border investors.
Guest: Sungjoon Cho
B2B customer acquisition during pandemic and how to hire sales people, by Sid Trivedi.
Aug. 11, 2020

B2B customer acquisition during pandemic and how to hire sales people, by Sid Trivedi.

Partner at Foundation Capital, Sid Trivedi explains how he sees startups making B2B sales in the enterprise sectors. We also discussed hiring commission-only salesman and full time account executives. If you are an early stage startup in B2B field this episode is right for you.
Guest: Sid Trivedi
$5B in M&A transactions and sale of auto tech company - RideKleen, Mars Shah on M&A now.
Aug. 10, 2020

$5B in M&A transactions and sale of auto tech company - RideKleen, Mars Shah on M&A now.

The CEO and Founder of Red Rock Capital and former JP Morgan Global Innovation & Digital Strategy, Mars Shah explains how M&A works now and how he personally sold RideKleen Inc, to Cox Automotive.
Guest: Mars Shah
Why you should NOT raise and how to work in retail - by Artem Mashkov.
Aug. 9, 2020

Why you should NOT raise and how to work in retail - by Artem Mashkov.

Artem Mashkov, COO at SwagUp and Founder and President at Intelligent Ventures explains why founders shouldn't hunt for VC or angel funding and instead should try thinking more traditional and work on your credit line. We also discuss current situation and how founders can survive this pandemic.
Sport-focused startups during COVID - how are they doing? By Steve Gera.
Aug. 8, 2020

Sport-focused startups during COVID - how are they doing? By Steve Gera.

In this episode of Fundraising Radio Steve Gera, Partner at Hickory VC explains what's going on in the sport-focused startup world right now and what he sees coming. This episode is for anyone in the sports field who thinks/currently works on creation their own startup.
Guest: Steve Gera
Drafting financial projections and getting early traction - by Jesse Randall.
Aug. 7, 2020

Drafting financial projections and getting early traction - by Jesse Randall.

Jesse Randall, Partner at Citrine Capital Partners explains who should take time to draw financial projections and at which stage one should do that. We also talk about what should go into those projections and how to get the first traction for those projections.
Who gets acquired during covid and what are the major issues in the M&A field now? By Deven Soni.
Aug. 6, 2020

Who gets acquired during covid and what are the major issues in the M&A field now? By Deven Soni.

Deven Soni, the Co-Founder of Kingmakers explains how the acquisitions of small-cap business is going now, who can expect to get acquired and what are the major problems associated with it. He also gives a brief overview of the M&A field and gives his opinion on where the market will go.
Guest: Deven Soni
Covid unfolding for founders - how to react and where to go during these times, by Brandon Maier.
Aug. 5, 2020

Covid unfolding for founders - how to react and where to go during these times, by Brandon Maier.

Brandon Maier, Founder at LVLup Ventures explains how he sees coronavirus unfolding for founders (hint: according to Brandon - not too well, the inflation is coming). We also talked about acceleration programs and where should early stage founders go now.