https://simplecast.com Series Tea This is Series Tea, a podcast where we find the greatest entrepreneurs and investors, and force them to have tea with us — live on air. Brought to you by Mercury - banking for startups. 2020 Mercury Series Tea en Thu, 16 Sep 2021 14:00:00 +0000 Thu, 17 Nov 2022 16:54:04 +0000 https://mercury.com/ Series Tea https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/d4e19474-2aa7-4981-86ba-79e51dacb238/151cba0f-43bc-4b8c-ac8f-98d02d759254/3000x3000/series-tea-3000px.jpg?aid=rss_feed https://mercury.com/ episodic This is Series Tea, a podcast where we find the greatest entrepreneurs and investors, and force them to have tea with us — live on air. Brought to you by Mercury - banking for startups. Mercury no https://feeds.simplecast.com/VPh1fV0H e-commerce, management, entrepreneurship, startups, founders, fundraising, investing Mercury seriestea@mercury.com f02d6e92-aacd-4c9e-8378-3536e39f6ff7 Nick Tommarello: Learn to Crowdfund Like Wefunder This week we’re having tea with Nick Tommarello, founder and CEO at Wefunder, a crowdfunding platform that allows anyone—customers, users, fans—to invest as little as $100 in companies they love. Nick is an alumni of Y Combinator (W13) and Techstars (Boston '10). 

In this episode, Nick and Immad discuss:

  • How the law changed on crowdfunding options
  • Why founders might choose to raise funds on Wefunder
  • The benefits of having distributed ownership
  • The future of Wefunder and crowdfunding

Links:

]]> Thu, 16 Sep 2021 14:00:00 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Nick Tommarello, Mercury, Immad Akhund) https://mercury.com/ This week we’re having tea with Nick Tommarello, founder and CEO at Wefunder, a crowdfunding platform that allows anyone—customers, users, fans—to invest as little as $100 in companies they love. Nick is an alumni of Y Combinator (W13) and Techstars (Boston '10). 

In this episode, Nick and Immad discuss:

  • How the law changed on crowdfunding options
  • Why founders might choose to raise funds on Wefunder
  • The benefits of having distributed ownership
  • The future of Wefunder and crowdfunding

Links:

]]> Nick Tommarello: Learn to Crowdfund Like Wefunder Nick Tommarello, Mercury, Immad Akhund 00:30:53 This week we’re having tea with Nick Tommarello, founder and CEO at Wefunder, a crowdfunding platform that allows anyone—customers, users, fans—to invest as little as $100 in companies they love. Nick is an alumni of Y Combinator (W13) and Techstars (Boston '10). In this episode, Nick and Immad discuss: How the law changed on crowdfunding options Why founders might choose to raise funds on Wefunder The benefits of having distributed ownership The future of Wefunder and crowdfunding This week we’re having tea with Nick Tommarello, founder and CEO at Wefunder, a crowdfunding platform that allows anyone—customers, users, fans—to invest as little as $100 in companies they love. Nick is an alumni of Y Combinator (W13) and Techstars (Boston '10). In this episode, Nick and Immad discuss: How the law changed on crowdfunding options Why founders might choose to raise funds on Wefunder The benefits of having distributed ownership The future of Wefunder and crowdfunding technology startup, wefunder, fundraising, seed funding, crowdfunding, unaccredited investors, everyday investors, distributed ownership, entrepreneur, founder, angel investor, platform, nick tommarello, funding no full 23 c1b740b6-656a-4104-8a9a-6187fd4e085b What They Don't Tell You About Acquisitions Wed, 12 May 2021 16:11:11 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ What They Don't Tell You About Acquisitions Mercury 00:52:52 Join Immad Akhund with Pilot CEO and Co-founder, Waseem Daher, and Ramp's Chief Business Officer, Colin Kennedy, as they discuss the acquisition process for startups. Join Immad Akhund with Pilot CEO and Co-founder, Waseem Daher, and Ramp's Chief Business Officer, Colin Kennedy, as they discuss the acquisition process for startups. no full 22 d3f2ad72-5c56-4ebb-ab07-5e75ed64441a Think Seed Like Liquid 2 Ventures Wed, 5 May 2021 15:50:46 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ Think Seed Like Liquid 2 Ventures Mercury 00:45:44 This week we’re having tea with Mike Miller and Michael Ma, Partners at Liquid 2 Ventures. Before joining Liquid 2, Mike founded Cloudant (now IBM’s Cloud Data Services) and raised $18M before getting acquired by IBM. Michael Ma was the COO & Founder of TalkBin, acquired by Google, and then served as a Product Manager for Google. In this episode, Mike and Michael share: - Areas they’re excited about investing in - What Liquid 2 looks for in a great team - The most common mistakes founders make when pitching This week we’re having tea with Mike Miller and Michael Ma, Partners at Liquid 2 Ventures. Before joining Liquid 2, Mike founded Cloudant (now IBM’s Cloud Data Services) and raised $18M before getting acquired by IBM. Michael Ma was the COO & Founder of TalkBin, acquired by Google, and then served as a Product Manager for Google. In this episode, Mike and Michael share: - Areas they’re excited about investing in - What Liquid 2 looks for in a great team - The most common mistakes founders make when pitching no full 21 d50fe669-4558-4ace-9224-c6bf0b25a757 Leo Polovets: Think Seed Like Susa Ventures Wed, 28 Apr 2021 16:28:01 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ Leo Polovets: Think Seed Like Susa Ventures Mercury 01:01:44 This week we’re having tea with Leo Polovets, co-founder and General Partner at Susa Ventures. Before joining Susa Ventures, Leo was the second engineering hire at LinkedIn and built the first versions of products like LinkedIn Jobs and LinkedIn Groups. In this episode, Leo shares: 06:50: Tips for sending a cold intro 18:44: How founders can think about and pitch valuations 50:29: If seed-stage founders should pay themselves a salary This week we’re having tea with Leo Polovets, co-founder and General Partner at Susa Ventures. Before joining Susa Ventures, Leo was the second engineering hire at LinkedIn and built the first versions of products like LinkedIn Jobs and LinkedIn Groups. In this episode, Leo shares: 06:50: Tips for sending a cold intro 18:44: How founders can think about and pitch valuations 50:29: If seed-stage founders should pay themselves a salary no full 20 ea56a271-7e87-4e55-b6ad-5e22da096368 Scott Orn: Manage Your Finances Like Kruze Consulting Wed, 21 Apr 2021 14:17:48 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ Scott Orn: Manage Your Finances Like Kruze Consulting Mercury 00:52:38 This week we’re having tea with Scott Orn, COO at Kruze Consulting, a startup CFO consulting firm. Prior to joining Kruze, where he runs the Venture Debt consulting practice, Scott was a Partner at Lighthouse Capital and has been part of deals like Upwork, Impossible Foods, and Freshbooks. This week we’re having tea with Scott Orn, COO at Kruze Consulting, a startup CFO consulting firm. Prior to joining Kruze, where he runs the Venture Debt consulting practice, Scott was a Partner at Lighthouse Capital and has been part of deals like Upwork, Impossible Foods, and Freshbooks. no full 19 8f43760f-abd3-4491-af1c-0fb03ac5d214 Alex Bouaziz: Build a Remote Team Like Deel Wed, 14 Apr 2021 15:29:34 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ Alex Bouaziz: Build a Remote Team Like Deel Mercury 00:46:14 This week we’re having tea with Alex Bouaziz, Founder of Deel. Prior to founding Deel, Alex Bouaziz was Founding Partner at Sarona Ventures and Co-founder at Lifeslice, a mobile app for creating collaborative videos. In this episode, Alex shares: 03:50: How to create serendipity between remote employees 14:20: Choosing between independent contractors vs. salaried employees 18:40: How to think about cost-of-living and salary adjustments Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com. This week we’re having tea with Alex Bouaziz, Founder of Deel. Prior to founding Deel, Alex Bouaziz was Founding Partner at Sarona Ventures and Co-founder at Lifeslice, a mobile app for creating collaborative videos. In this episode, Alex shares: 03:50: How to create serendipity between remote employees 14:20: Choosing between independent contractors vs. salaried employees 18:40: How to think about cost-of-living and salary adjustments Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com. no full 18 9ffa2400-a052-496f-8c76-895ef9ce8002 Kanyi Maqubela and Steve Jang: Think Seed Like Kindred Ventures This conversation was recorded live on Clubhouse. In this episode, Kanyi and Steve share:

- How many companies Kindred invests in per year

- What makes a cold email stand out

- If Kindred invests in companies from other countries

 

Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com.

]]> Wed, 31 Mar 2021 14:17:43 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ This conversation was recorded live on Clubhouse. In this episode, Kanyi and Steve share:

- How many companies Kindred invests in per year

- What makes a cold email stand out

- If Kindred invests in companies from other countries

 

Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com.

]]> Kanyi Maqubela and Steve Jang: Think Seed Like Kindred Ventures Mercury 00:59:28 This week we’re having tea with Kanyi Maqubela and Steve Jang, Managing Partners at Kindred Ventures, which has invested in 80+ startups including Uber, Postmates, and Coinbase. Prior to Kindred, Kanyi was a Partner at Collaborative Fund, where he invested in Tala and Walker & Co. As an entrepreneur, Steve was a co-founder at Bitski, a cryptoasset wallet SDK provider, and SoundTracking (acquired by Rhapsody). This week we’re having tea with Kanyi Maqubela and Steve Jang, Managing Partners at Kindred Ventures, which has invested in 80+ startups including Uber, Postmates, and Coinbase. Prior to Kindred, Kanyi was a Partner at Collaborative Fund, where he invested in Tala and Walker & Co. As an entrepreneur, Steve was a co-founder at Bitski, a cryptoasset wallet SDK provider, and SoundTracking (acquired by Rhapsody). no full 17 7afc538a-1800-4b76-a9d2-87d3f5249768 Sahil Lavingia: Roll a Rolling Fund This conversation was recorded live on Zoom. In this episode, Sahil shares:

- Should CEOs be running funds on the side?

- Is there a base level qualification you need before you’re ready to start a rolling fund?

- What is a syndicate? Do they work alongside rolling funds?

-  How Sahil thinks about warm intros vs cold outreach

Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com.

]]> Wed, 24 Mar 2021 15:50:20 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ This conversation was recorded live on Zoom. In this episode, Sahil shares:

- Should CEOs be running funds on the side?

- Is there a base level qualification you need before you’re ready to start a rolling fund?

- What is a syndicate? Do they work alongside rolling funds?

-  How Sahil thinks about warm intros vs cold outreach

Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com.

]]> Sahil Lavingia: Roll a Rolling Fund Mercury 00:50:55 This week we’re having tea with Sahil Lavingia, the founder & CEO at Gumroad, an online platform that enables creators to sell products directly to consumers. Prior to Gumroad, Sahil was the second employee at Pinterest. He recently launched a $5m rolling fund using Twitter and a Notion memo; his limited partners include Arlan Hamilton, Tim Ferris, and Naval Ravikant. This week we’re having tea with Sahil Lavingia, the founder & CEO at Gumroad, an online platform that enables creators to sell products directly to consumers. Prior to Gumroad, Sahil was the second employee at Pinterest. He recently launched a $5m rolling fund using Twitter and a Notion memo; his limited partners include Arlan Hamilton, Tim Ferris, and Naval Ravikant. no full 16 dccd6f8c-bc02-4a52-ad00-b5b4ca8d9c2d Jamie Quint: Building Your Growth Stack This conversation was recorded live on Zoom. In this episode, Jamie shares:

- Mistakes founders make when thinking about growth

- The best process for experimenting with a new channel

- How to approach growth for products with a high learning curve

- Attributes to look for in a good growth hire

Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com.

]]> Wed, 17 Mar 2021 15:38:22 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ This conversation was recorded live on Zoom. In this episode, Jamie shares:

- Mistakes founders make when thinking about growth

- The best process for experimenting with a new channel

- How to approach growth for products with a high learning curve

- Attributes to look for in a good growth hire

Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com.

]]> Jamie Quint: Building Your Growth Stack Mercury 00:40:22 This week we’re having tea with Jamie Quint, former Head of Growth at Notion. Before joining Notion, Jamie was the Senior Director of Product - Monetization at Reddit, building out the revenue product org from scratch and leading it to 3x revenue growth. He's also a growth advisor and has consulted for companies including Twitch, Everlane, and Credit Sesame. This week we’re having tea with Jamie Quint, former Head of Growth at Notion. Before joining Notion, Jamie was the Senior Director of Product - Monetization at Reddit, building out the revenue product org from scratch and leading it to 3x revenue growth. He's also a growth advisor and has consulted for companies including Twitch, Everlane, and Credit Sesame. no full 15 a30df64b-b91a-4a2e-9026-b8249734af73 Hunter Walk and Satya Patel: Think Seed Like Homebrew This conversation was recorded live on Clubhouse. In this episode, Hunter and Satya share:

20:14: Should entrepreneurs favor more involved lead investors?
29:01: How to pitch Homebrew: cold emails vs lukewarm intros 
49:33: Is equity crowdfunding a turnoff to future investors? 

Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com.

]]> Wed, 10 Mar 2021 14:57:21 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ This conversation was recorded live on Clubhouse. In this episode, Hunter and Satya share:

20:14: Should entrepreneurs favor more involved lead investors?
29:01: How to pitch Homebrew: cold emails vs lukewarm intros 
49:33: Is equity crowdfunding a turnoff to future investors? 

Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com.

]]> Hunter Walk and Satya Patel: Think Seed Like Homebrew Mercury 00:58:00 This week we’re having tea with Hunter Walk and Satya Patel, Partners at Homebrew. Prior to Homebrew, Hunter led consumer product management at YouTube and managed product and sales for Google’s AdSense. Satya was previously VP Product at Twitter and joined Google in 2003 to work on AdSense. This week we’re having tea with Hunter Walk and Satya Patel, Partners at Homebrew. Prior to Homebrew, Hunter led consumer product management at YouTube and managed product and sales for Google’s AdSense. Satya was previously VP Product at Twitter and joined Google in 2003 to work on AdSense. no full 14 8644fdee-1a05-4312-8957-5f718618d240 John Bautista: Structure Your Startup Like a Serial Founder This conversation was filmed live on Zoom with questions from the audience. In this episode, John shares:

- Founders Preferred - what is it and when to set it up

- Is there a correct ratio for converting stock into Founders Preferred?

- Ideal pre-Series A board composition

- Avoiding dilution and pushing for equity refreshers

Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com.

]]> Wed, 3 Mar 2021 15:46:06 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ This conversation was filmed live on Zoom with questions from the audience. In this episode, John shares:

- Founders Preferred - what is it and when to set it up

- Is there a correct ratio for converting stock into Founders Preferred?

- Ideal pre-Series A board composition

- Avoiding dilution and pushing for equity refreshers

Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com.

]]> John Bautista: Structure Your Startup Like a Serial Founder Mercury 00:58:15 This week we’re having tea with John Bautista, Partner and Board Director at Orrick. As a partner in the Silicon Valley office, he co-leads the Emerging Companies Group, which advises emerging companies and venture capital firms. He is also a board member and co-founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange, as well as an advisor and co-founder of Clerky.com. This week we’re having tea with John Bautista, Partner and Board Director at Orrick. As a partner in the Silicon Valley office, he co-leads the Emerging Companies Group, which advises emerging companies and venture capital firms. He is also a board member and co-founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange, as well as an advisor and co-founder of Clerky.com. no full 13 7f889aa7-c35d-456f-b7c3-a99165152f74 Elizabeth Yin: Think Seed Like Hustle Fund This conversation was filmed live on Zoom with questions from the audience. In this episode, Elizabeth shares:

- How Hustle Fund defines pre-seed

- Check sizes and valuations at Hustle Fund

- Assessing for scrappiness in founders

- How to  pitch Hustle Fund

Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com.

]]> Wed, 24 Feb 2021 15:51:40 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ This conversation was filmed live on Zoom with questions from the audience. In this episode, Elizabeth shares:

- How Hustle Fund defines pre-seed

- Check sizes and valuations at Hustle Fund

- Assessing for scrappiness in founders

- How to  pitch Hustle Fund

Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com.

]]> Elizabeth Yin: Think Seed Like Hustle Fund Mercury 00:48:07 This week we're having tea with Elizabeth Yin, Co-founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund, a pre-seed fund for software entrepreneurs. Previously, Elizabeth was a partner at 500 Startups where she invested in seed stage companies and ran the Mountain View accelerator. In a prior life, Elizabeth co-founded and ran an adtech company called LaunchBit (acq 2014). Elizabeth has a BSEE from Stanford and an MBA from MIT Sloan. This week we're having tea with Elizabeth Yin, Co-founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund, a pre-seed fund for software entrepreneurs. Previously, Elizabeth was a partner at 500 Startups where she invested in seed stage companies and ran the Mountain View accelerator. In a prior life, Elizabeth co-founded and ran an adtech company called LaunchBit (acq 2014). Elizabeth has a BSEE from Stanford and an MBA from MIT Sloan. no full 12 c6515558-9597-41d1-bb9f-84731f42ee43 Kevin Hartz: Explaining SPACs Wed, 14 Oct 2020 13:23:13 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ Kevin Hartz: Explaining SPACs Mercury 00:42:15 This week we’re having tea with Kevin Hartz, co-founder and chairman of Eventbrite. He's an early investor in startups like PayPal, Airbnb, and Pinterest. Most recently, he founded A-*, a new special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) which raised $200 million to acquire A-One and take it public. In this episode, Kevin shares: 0:55: What a SPAC is and why he chose to start one 04:44: How he launched a SPAC in 60 days 15:45: The revenue number at which startups should go public 19:21: The difference between SPACs and direct listings 28:23: How SPACs work in practice Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com. This week we’re having tea with Kevin Hartz, co-founder and chairman of Eventbrite. He's an early investor in startups like PayPal, Airbnb, and Pinterest. Most recently, he founded A-*, a new special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) which raised $200 million to acquire A-One and take it public. In this episode, Kevin shares: 0:55: What a SPAC is and why he chose to start one 04:44: How he launched a SPAC in 60 days 15:45: The revenue number at which startups should go public 19:21: The difference between SPACs and direct listings 28:23: How SPACs work in practice Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com. no full 11 9e20b421-0c51-4d2f-83fc-58a3577b1f74 Andrew Ofstad: Getting your product to market Fri, 4 Sep 2020 15:33:40 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ Andrew Ofstad: Getting your product to market Mercury 00:23:57 This week we’re having tea with Andrew Ofstad, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Airtable. Andrew previously led the redesign of Google Maps and worked as a PM on Android. In this episode, Andrew shares: 0:39: The timeline of getting Airtable to market 9:10: Tradeoffs between going after a narrow use case and building a horizontal product 17:05: How Airtable thought about pricing their pro account Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com. This week we’re having tea with Andrew Ofstad, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Airtable. Andrew previously led the redesign of Google Maps and worked as a PM on Android. In this episode, Andrew shares: 0:39: The timeline of getting Airtable to market 9:10: Tradeoffs between going after a narrow use case and building a horizontal product 17:05: How Airtable thought about pricing their pro account Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com. no full 10 a7b86498-1167-492c-9f5f-95d245adffad Chris Lyons: Diversity on the cap table Wed, 15 Jul 2020 15:07:30 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ Chris Lyons: Diversity on the cap table Mercury 00:22:44 This week we’re having tea with Chris Lyons who leads the Cultural Leadership Fund at Andreessen Horowitz. The goal of the CLF is to connect great cultural leaders to the best new technology companies and enable more African Americans to get into tech. Chris previously served as Chief of Staff at Andreessen Horowitz and worked with Jermaine Dupri as a music producer and engineer. In this episode, Chris shares: 0:45: How Chris’ journey led him to A16Z and the CLF 5:10: Why CLF is tackling diversity on the cap table 14:07: What entrepreneurs can do to increase diversity in their own startups Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com. This week we’re having tea with Chris Lyons who leads the Cultural Leadership Fund at Andreessen Horowitz. The goal of the CLF is to connect great cultural leaders to the best new technology companies and enable more African Americans to get into tech. Chris previously served as Chief of Staff at Andreessen Horowitz and worked with Jermaine Dupri as a music producer and engineer. In this episode, Chris shares: 0:45: How Chris’ journey led him to A16Z and the CLF 5:10: Why CLF is tackling diversity on the cap table 14:07: What entrepreneurs can do to increase diversity in their own startups Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com. no full 9 a6095303-603e-4392-a9ea-20abcd1c90be Allison Barr Allen: Designing fintech Wed, 1 Jul 2020 14:39:12 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ Allison Barr Allen: Designing fintech Mercury 00:19:07 This week we’re having tea with Allison Barr Allen. Allison is the COO and co-founder of Fast, a one-click login and check out startup. They recently raised a $20m Series A from Stripe and Index Ventures. Previously, she was Head of Product Operations for the Money team at Uber. She is also an angel investor with Trail Run Capital. In this episode, Allison shares: 3:50: Why existing financial tools don’t serve customers well 5:30: Where she sees opportunities in fintech and payments 12:10: Why designing simple products is so challenging 14:00: How Fast thinks about brand and content Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com. This week we’re having tea with Allison Barr Allen. Allison is the COO and co-founder of Fast, a one-click login and check out startup. They recently raised a $20m Series A from Stripe and Index Ventures. Previously, she was Head of Product Operations for the Money team at Uber. She is also an angel investor with Trail Run Capital. In this episode, Allison shares: 3:50: Why existing financial tools don’t serve customers well 5:30: Where she sees opportunities in fintech and payments 12:10: Why designing simple products is so challenging 14:00: How Fast thinks about brand and content Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com. no full 8 9500ee7d-9cd8-43e0-8172-6ed412d152aa Semil Shah: Raising a seed round in a recession Tue, 16 Jun 2020 17:45:23 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ Semil Shah: Raising a seed round in a recession Mercury 00:25:43 This week we’re having tea with Semil Shah. Through his seed fund, Haystack, he's invested in 70+ startups including Instacart, DoorDash, and Opendoor. He's also a venture partner at Lightspeed. In this episode, Semil shares: - 2:48: What entrepreneurs need to know about portfolio construction - 10:08: Why public markets aren't matching the private investment sector - 19:30: How entrepreneurs can use valuation as a lever when fundraising - 22:28: Why he passed on investing in Clubhouse Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com. This week we’re having tea with Semil Shah. Through his seed fund, Haystack, he's invested in 70+ startups including Instacart, DoorDash, and Opendoor. He's also a venture partner at Lightspeed. In this episode, Semil shares: - 2:48: What entrepreneurs need to know about portfolio construction - 10:08: Why public markets aren't matching the private investment sector - 19:30: How entrepreneurs can use valuation as a lever when fundraising - 22:28: Why he passed on investing in Clubhouse Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com. no full 7 f1ac9b65-6590-4e52-a79f-fbfd79855ad5 Brianne Kimmel: The future of remote work Tue, 19 May 2020 21:08:46 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ Brianne Kimmel: The future of remote work Mercury 00:19:47 This week we’re having tea with Brianne Kimmel, founder and managing partner of Work Life Ventures. She’s an investor in Webflow, Voiceflow, Tandem, and 20+ startups focused on the future of work. Business Insider recently named Brianne a top angel investor that every startup should know. In this episode, Brianne shares: 3:25: Why productivity tools blur lines between consumer and enterprise 6:12: Tools to help remote teams stay connected 9:30: How companies can reimagine benefits for remote teams 13:30: Advice for startups to extend runway and limit churn Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com. This week we’re having tea with Brianne Kimmel, founder and managing partner of Work Life Ventures. She’s an investor in Webflow, Voiceflow, Tandem, and 20+ startups focused on the future of work. Business Insider recently named Brianne a top angel investor that every startup should know. In this episode, Brianne shares: 3:25: Why productivity tools blur lines between consumer and enterprise 6:12: Tools to help remote teams stay connected 9:30: How companies can reimagine benefits for remote teams 13:30: Advice for startups to extend runway and limit churn Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com. no full 6 4b9f0d45-d208-48c9-ae85-c20422436ed0 Brad Flora: Angel investing in global markets Tue, 5 May 2020 17:56:34 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ Brad Flora: Angel investing in global markets Mercury 00:20:13 This week we're having tea with Brad Flora, a Visiting Partner at Y Combinator. Prior to YC, Brad founded and sold Perfect Audience, an online advertising startup. He's an active angel investor and has invested in 150 startups around the globe. In this episode, Brad shares: 4:08: How he broke into investing  5:26: Why he bets big on international markets 13:16: Where he sees investment opportunities  15:33: Why raising in Silicon Valley is harder for international startups This week we're having tea with Brad Flora, a Visiting Partner at Y Combinator. Prior to YC, Brad founded and sold Perfect Audience, an online advertising startup. He's an active angel investor and has invested in 150 startups around the globe. In this episode, Brad shares: 4:08: How he broke into investing  5:26: Why he bets big on international markets 13:16: Where he sees investment opportunities  15:33: Why raising in Silicon Valley is harder for international startups no full 5 5628d9a8-49ca-4df0-a743-73339500fbaa Elad Gil: Leading your startup through a recession Fri, 17 Apr 2020 17:07:38 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ Elad Gil: Leading your startup through a recession Mercury 00:23:38 This week, we're having tea with serial entrepreneur and investor, Elad Gil. In a past life, Elad started the Mobile team at Google and co-founded Color Genomics. Now, he's an investor and advisor to companies including Airbnb, Pinterest, and Stripe. He's also the author of the High Growth Handbook.  In this episode, Elad shares: 1:27: How both early and late stage companies can adjust to a downturn  6:52: The amount of runway you should aim for  13:05: How to position decelerated growth to investors 18:07: Why now is a great time to start a new company Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com. This week, we're having tea with serial entrepreneur and investor, Elad Gil. In a past life, Elad started the Mobile team at Google and co-founded Color Genomics. Now, he's an investor and advisor to companies including Airbnb, Pinterest, and Stripe. He's also the author of the High Growth Handbook.  In this episode, Elad shares: 1:27: How both early and late stage companies can adjust to a downturn  6:52: The amount of runway you should aim for  13:05: How to position decelerated growth to investors 18:07: Why now is a great time to start a new company Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com. no full 3 946816ea-9da2-4533-a4c6-e497de980d19 Seth Bannon: Combating Pandemics with Technology Wed, 8 Apr 2020 21:03:54 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ Seth Bannon: Combating Pandemics with Technology Mercury 00:29:42 This week we're having tea with Seth Bannon, a founding partner at Fifty Years. Fifty Years, a seed fund backing socially impactful startups, has invested in companies including Memphis Meats, Solugen, and Astranis. Previously, Seth was founder/CEO of Amicus, a Y Combinator-backed fundraising tool for non-profits. In this episode, Seth shares: 2:00: The technological advancements that came out of WWII efforts, and how COVID-19 can help us prepare for future pandemics 4:45: Where technologists can go to get involved in COVID-19 efforts 24:40: How Fifty Years portfolio companies are tackling the COVID-19 pandemic 27:00: The one biotech startup Seth wishes someone would build Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com. This week we're having tea with Seth Bannon, a founding partner at Fifty Years. Fifty Years, a seed fund backing socially impactful startups, has invested in companies including Memphis Meats, Solugen, and Astranis. Previously, Seth was founder/CEO of Amicus, a Y Combinator-backed fundraising tool for non-profits. In this episode, Seth shares: 2:00: The technological advancements that came out of WWII efforts, and how COVID-19 can help us prepare for future pandemics 4:45: Where technologists can go to get involved in COVID-19 efforts 24:40: How Fifty Years portfolio companies are tackling the COVID-19 pandemic 27:00: The one biotech startup Seth wishes someone would build Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com. no full 2 f3a2103e-3deb-495f-b013-c8b59abf876b James Beshara: How to build a DTC brand Thu, 26 Mar 2020 16:43:35 +0000 seriestea@mercury.com (Mercury) https://mercury.com/ James Beshara: How to build a DTC brand Mercury 00:21:28 This week, we’re having tea with James Beshara, an angel investor in companies like Gusto, ThirdLove and Halo Top. James was also the CEO/Founder of Tilt, a crowdfunding platform that was acquired by Airbnb. In this episode, James shares: 0:35: How a very early bet on Gusto got James into investing 6:30: A 5-step framework for evaluating D2C brands 15:45: How D2C brands can think about valuations and fundraising Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com. This week, we’re having tea with James Beshara, an angel investor in companies like Gusto, ThirdLove and Halo Top. James was also the CEO/Founder of Tilt, a crowdfunding platform that was acquired by Airbnb. In this episode, James shares: 0:35: How a very early bet on Gusto got James into investing 6:30: A 5-step framework for evaluating D2C brands 15:45: How D2C brands can think about valuations and fundraising Want to hear more? Like the episode? Send us a note at seriestea@mercury.com. d2c, investing, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, startups no full 1