logo
episode-header-image
About this episode

This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single topic and dive deep. This week Natasha and Mary Ann and Alex came together to talk about the changing nature of due diligence in the startup market.

The chat was loosely centered around a piece that the three of us wrote as 2021 was coming to a close, but the conversation quickly broadened to include a host of factors that are impacting how startups fundraise, and build today.

Mary Ann talked about the power of FOMO, and how that particular social factor is impacting how startups raise. Natasha brought up the importance of back-channeling, and how founders talk to one another. And Alex tried to tease out the difference in how funds of various sizes will approach doing their own diligence, or letting others take on the work.

It was all very good fun! You can read the original backing piece on TC+ here, and we're back Friday!

Up next
Jul 23
AI’s talent arms race is starting to look like pro sports
AI is entering a new phase where access to top talent is becoming as important as, if not more important than, compute or data. The market for AI researchers is so overheated, it’s starting to look a lot like pro sports — complete with outsized contracts and unprecedented infrast ... Show More
27m 57s
Jul 19
OpenAI, Thinking Machines Lab, and the built-in chaos of a $2B seed round
OpenAI’s former chief technology officer, Mira Murati, just raised one of the largest seed rounds in history. Murati secured $2 billion in that seed round for Thinking Machines Lab — a startup so early, it hasn’t even revealed what it’s working on yet. The move is raising eyebrow ... Show More
30m 30s
Jul 16
Hugging Face’s co-founder on bringing open-source AI to life with cute robots
Hugging Face’s new AI robot, the Reachy Mini, has already racked up $1 million in sales just five days after launch. But the company isn’t trying to build a chore-doing humanoid just yet. Instead, Hugging Face sees the Reachy Mini as a hackable, desk-friendly device that's part e ... Show More
27m 58s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
Summer Special - Part 1 of 3: Why should I care about startups in MENA?
I hope you’re all enjoying the summer! In this 3 part episode, I will be sharing with you a bit of my raison d’être for doing the podcast. As an entrepreneur and investor living in Dubai, I am heavily invested in our regional startup ecosystem and my wish is to get as many of you ... Show More
10m 9s
Aug 2024
Redefining Success | Daymond John
Today's episode of the podcast is an interview I did with Daymond John, Shark Tank investor and the Founder of FUBU. We dive deep into very important topics most entrepreneurs don't talk about, such as the importance of prioritizing joy, impact, purpose, and the power of ... Show More
29m 55s
Apr 2025
Microsoft for Startups: The benefits of the cyber startup ecosystem. [Special Edition]
Welcome to the Microsoft for Startups Spotlight, brought to you by N2K CyberWire and Microsoft. In this episode, we are shining a light on innovation, ambition, and the tech trailblazers building the future right from the startup trenches. This episode is part of our exclusive RS ... Show More
1h 15m
Aug 2024
Venture returns, recovering startups, and VC conflicts | E1995
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Coda. Coda empowers your startup by bringing words, tables, and teams together. Strategize, plan, and track goals effectively with all your valuable data in one place. Go to https://www.Coda.io/twist to get started for FREE and get 6 fr ... Show More
1h 27m
Oct 2022
Block Venture Studio: Building start-ups that meet corporate demand
One of the biggest challenges for companies looking to start out on their own can be a lack of demand for a product or service and this is what the Block Venture Studio has been created to solve.  Venture studios are organisations which help founders build start-ups based on what ... Show More
18 m
Aug 2024
A Playbook for First-Time Founders with Nancy Twine
If you’re in the thick of building, scaling, your pivoting your business or your career: LISTEN UP! (Yes, in all caps!)This episode is for you.Today’s guest is sharing a blueprint on how to grow, pivot, and scale successfully (even if you’re literally starting from scratch.)Nancy ... Show More
44m 19s
Oct 2024
Interview: Shannon and Priyanka of Volv
"Find your community. If you're building in clean tech or, you know, agritech, it doesn't matter. Like news or whatever, find where your people are. Find that community. Talk to them. Peers are so important, it doesn't matter. Even if they're competitors to you. You know, people ... Show More
1h 3m
Jan 2023
Base10’s Ade Ajao: A data-driven approach to funding more diverse founders
On today’s episode of McKinsey on Startups, we talk to Adeyemi Ajao, the cofounder and Managing Partner at Base 10 Partners. The San Francisco-based VC firm focuses on startups bringing automation technology to a variety of sectors in what it calls the Real Economy, including log ... Show More
33m 8s
Nov 2019
Recode Decode: Jana Messerschmidt
Venture capitalist Jana Messerschmidt, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how she became a partner at Lightspeed and the co-founder of an all-female group of angel investors called #ANGELS. Messerschmidt previously worked at DivX, Netflix, and Twitter, and also discusses the ... Show More
1h 1m
Dec 2023
THE BIGGEST STARTUP OPPORTUNITIES IN 2024 BY LEAN STARTUP GUY ERIC RIES
Greg interviews Eric Ries, author of "The Lean Startup" and founder of The Long Term Stock Exchange.They talk about how to test business ideas, why businesses with a social mission will outperform, and opportunities in AI.►►Subscribe to Greg's weekly newsletter for insights on co ... Show More
46m 41s