RedCircle VERIFY_TOKEN_6212d676-0f43-44d3-892f-c3a73795d262 -- Rendered At Fri, 22 May 2026 18:00:22 +0000 The Inquisitive VC https://redcircle.com/shows/the-inquisitive-vc en-US All rights reserved. Nawaz Ahmed Speaking to leading Investors and Entrepreneurs around the world - Check out our Substack ( https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ ) for the previous conversations! 6212d676-0f43-44d3-892f-c3a73795d262 Speaking to leading Investors and Entrepreneurs around the world - Check out our Substack for the previous conversations!

]]> episodic no Nawaz Ahmed mnawaz.ahmed95@gmail.com no full The Debrief | Allbirds: From $4BN to $68M | Halter's Raise at $3.4BN | The Truth About Startup Boards The Debrief | Allbirds: From $4BN to $68M | Halter's Raise at $3.4BN | The Truth About Startup Boards Nawaz Ahmed Introduction In this first episode of The Debrief, Nawaz and Vignesh launch a new podcast focused on venture, technology, and startup conversations that are more relevant to the New Zealand ecosystem. They unpack the collapse of Allbirds from a heavily hyped public company to a distressed acquisition, debate whether direct-to-consumer brands really fit venture economics, and explore why companies like Halter are changing how global investors view New Zealand tech. The conversation also moves into founder fears around venture capital and boards, with both hosts arguing that strong governance is usually less about control and more about helping founders scale responsibly. Key Moments · [00:00:34] Show launch: Nawaz introduces The Debrief and Vignesh explains why a local NZ-focused venture conversation matters. · [00:02:52] Allbirds acquisition: The hosts react to Allbirds being acquired for around $68 million after once peaking near $4 billion. · [00:06:14] D2C and venture fit: They question whether consumer brands should raise venture capital or build sustainable businesses through revenue and profit. · [00:13:40] Venture as a tool: Vignesh argues founders do not need venture money to pursue their vision, but it can accelerate scale when the business model fits. · [00:14:57] Eucalyptus and healthcare D2C: The discussion shifts to why some consumer companies win by solving real needs rather than selling discretionary products. · [00:17:36] Halter’s rise: Nawaz and Vignesh discuss Halter as a defining New Zealand venture success story with real local investor participation. · [00:21:39] Compounding in venture: Vignesh explains how Halter’s long fundraising arc shows that scale, strong investors, and time can create a flywheel. · [00:25:32] Founder control and boards: The episode closes with a candid discussion on why boards exist, what founders get wrong about investor control, and how governance evolves as companies grow. Introduction

In this first episode of The Debrief, Nawaz and Vignesh launch a new podcast focused on venture, technology, and startup conversations that are more relevant to the New Zealand ecosystem. They unpack the collapse of Allbirds from a heavily hyped public company to a distressed acquisition, debate whether direct-to-consumer brands really fit venture economics, and explore why companies like Halter are changing how global investors view New Zealand tech. The conversation also moves into founder fears around venture capital and boards, with both hosts arguing that strong governance is usually less about control and more about helping founders scale responsibly.

Key Moments

·      [00:00:34] Show launch: Nawaz introduces The Debrief and Vignesh explains why a local NZ-focused venture conversation matters.

·      [00:02:52] Allbirds acquisition: The hosts react to Allbirds being acquired for around $68 million after once peaking near $4 billion.

·      [00:06:14] D2C and venture fit: They question whether consumer brands should raise venture capital or build sustainable businesses through revenue and profit.

·      [00:13:40] Venture as a tool: Vignesh argues founders do not need venture money to pursue their vision, but it can accelerate scale when the business model fits.

·      [00:14:57] Eucalyptus and healthcare D2C: The discussion shifts to why some consumer companies win by solving real needs rather than selling discretionary products.

·      [00:17:36] Halter’s rise: Nawaz and Vignesh discuss Halter as a defining New Zealand venture success story with real local investor participation.

·      [00:21:39] Compounding in venture: Vignesh explains how Halter’s long fundraising arc shows that scale, strong investors, and time can create a flywheel.

·      [00:25:32] Founder control and boards: The episode closes with a candid discussion on why boards exist, what founders get wrong about investor control, and how governance evolves as companies grow.

]]> <p><strong>Introduction</strong></p><p> In this first episode of <em>The Debrief</em>, Nawaz and Vignesh launch a new podcast focused on venture, technology, and startup conversations that are more relevant to the New Zealand ecosystem. They unpack the collapse of Allbirds from a heavily hyped public company to a distressed acquisition, debate whether direct-to-consumer brands really fit venture economics, and explore why companies like Halter are changing how global investors view New Zealand tech. The conversation also moves into founder fears around venture capital and boards, with both hosts arguing that strong governance is usually less about control and more about helping founders scale responsibly.</p><p><strong>Key Moments</strong></p><p>·      [00:00:34] Show launch: Nawaz introduces <em>The Debrief</em> and Vignesh explains why a local NZ-focused venture conversation matters.</p><p>·      [00:02:52] Allbirds acquisition: The hosts react to Allbirds being acquired for around $68 million after once peaking near $4 billion.</p><p>·      [00:06:14] D2C and venture fit: They question whether consumer brands should raise venture capital or build sustainable businesses through revenue and profit.</p><p>·      [00:13:40] Venture as a tool: Vignesh argues founders do not need venture money to pursue their vision, but it can accelerate scale when the business model fits.</p><p>·      [00:14:57] Eucalyptus and healthcare D2C: The discussion shifts to why some consumer companies win by solving real needs rather than selling discretionary products.</p><p>·      [00:17:36] Halter’s rise: Nawaz and Vignesh discuss Halter as a defining New Zealand venture success story with real local investor participation.</p><p>·      [00:21:39] Compounding in venture: Vignesh explains how Halter’s long fundraising arc shows that scale, strong investors, and time can create a flywheel.</p><p>·      [00:25:32] Founder control and boards: The episode closes with a candid discussion on why boards exist, what founders get wrong about investor control, and how governance evolves as companies grow.</p> 367ea59c-9531-4df5-ab4d-8bad40465cc3 https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Wed, 22 Apr 2026 23:35:30 +0000 2036 no full S1, Bonus: The Infrastructure Behind $1 Trillion in Equity - Bhavik Vashi, Carta S1, Bonus: The Infrastructure Behind $1 Trillion in Equity - Bhavik Vashi, Carta 1 Nawaz Ahmed S1, Bonus: The Infrastructure Behind $1 Trillion in Equity - Bhavik Vashi, Carta In this episode of Inquisitive VC, host Nawaz Ahmed speaks with Bhavik Vashi serves as Managing Director for APAC at Carta, the platform powering over 9,000 fund managers worldwide. We talk about Bhavik's unique perspective on the venture ecosystem, overseeing Carta's expansion across the Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa regions, which represent some of the most dynamic and rapidly evolving venture landscapes globally. From his vantage point supporting thousands of fund managers across diverse markets, Bhavik has unparalleled insights into emerging manager trends, regional differences in venture capital, and the operational challenges facing today's fund managers. In this episode, the conversation explores the data-driven insights Carta sees across its platform, the unique characteristics of venture markets in APAC and MENA, and how technology is reshaping the infrastructure that powers modern venture capital. ---- The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube! Check out the Substack for show notes and transcript! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com In this episode of Inquisitive VC, host Nawaz Ahmed speaks with Bhavik Vashi serves as Managing Director for APAC at Carta, the platform powering over 9,000 fund managers worldwide.

We talk about Bhavik's unique perspective on the venture ecosystem, overseeing Carta's expansion across the Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa regions, which represent some of the most dynamic and rapidly evolving venture landscapes globally. From his vantage point supporting thousands of fund managers across diverse markets, Bhavik has unparalleled insights into emerging manager trends, regional differences in venture capital, and the operational challenges facing today's fund managers. In this episode, the conversation explores the data-driven insights Carta sees across its platform, the unique characteristics of venture markets in APAC and MENA, and how technology is reshaping the infrastructure that powers modern venture capital.

----

The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!

Check out the Substack for show notes and transcript!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p>In this episode of <em>Inquisitive VC</em>, host <strong>Nawaz Ahmed</strong> speaks with Bhavik Vashi serves as Managing Director for APAC at Carta, the platform powering over 9,000 fund managers worldwide.</p><p>We talk about Bhavik&#39;s unique perspective on the venture ecosystem, overseeing Carta&#39;s expansion across the Asia-Pacific and Middle East &amp; Africa regions, which represent some of the most dynamic and rapidly evolving venture landscapes globally. From his vantage point supporting thousands of fund managers across diverse markets, Bhavik has unparalleled insights into emerging manager trends, regional differences in venture capital, and the operational challenges facing today&#39;s fund managers. In this episode, the conversation explores the data-driven insights Carta sees across its platform, the unique characteristics of venture markets in APAC and MENA, and how technology is reshaping the infrastructure that powers modern venture capital.</p><p>----</p><p><strong>The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!</strong></p><p><strong>Check out the </strong><a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Substack</strong></a><strong> for show notes and transcript!</strong></p><p><strong>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com</strong></p> d55ae4f1-cb65-46cc-b3c9-83d1389de3ce https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Wed, 04 Mar 2026 23:37:00 +0000 2724 no full S1, E6: Investing In Crypto With Learnings From Iran - Hootie Rashidifard, Hash3 S1, E6: Investing In Crypto With Learnings From Iran - Hootie Rashidifard, Hash3 6 1 Nawaz Ahmed In this episode of Inquisitive VC, host Nawaz Ahmed speaks with Hootie Rashidifard, Founder and General Partner of Hash3, a $30M crypto venture fund built on a mission to bring self-sovereignty to all end users. Hootie shares how his Iranian upbringing—watching his father’s bank accounts frozen after the 1979 revolution—instilled a deep mistrust of centralized systems and shaped his belief in Bitcoin’s promise. From investment banking to five years at Canaan Partners, and now leading Hash3, he reveals what it takes to raise and run a crypto fund through market chaos. ---- The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube! Check out the Substack for show notes and transcript! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com In this episode of Inquisitive VC, host Nawaz Ahmed speaks with Hootie Rashidifard, Founder and General Partner of Hash3, a $30M crypto venture fund built on a mission to bring self-sovereignty to all end users.

Hootie shares how his Iranian upbringing—watching his father’s bank accounts frozen after the 1979 revolution—instilled a deep mistrust of centralized systems and shaped his belief in Bitcoin’s promise. From investment banking to five years at Canaan Partners, and now leading Hash3, he reveals what it takes to raise and run a crypto fund through market chaos.

----

The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!

Check out the Substack for show notes and transcript!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p><span>In this episode of </span><em>Inquisitive VC</em><span>, host </span><strong>Nawaz Ahmed</strong><span> speaks with </span><strong>Hootie Rashidifard</strong><span>, Founder and General Partner of </span><strong>Hash3</strong><span>, a $30M crypto venture fund built on a mission to bring </span><em>self-sovereignty to all end users</em><span>.</span></p><p><span>Hootie shares how his Iranian upbringing—watching his father’s bank accounts frozen after the 1979 revolution—instilled a deep mistrust of centralized systems and shaped his belief in Bitcoin’s promise. From investment banking to five years at </span><strong>Canaan Partners</strong><span>, and now leading Hash3, he reveals what it takes to raise and run a crypto fund through market chaos.</span></p><p><span>----</span></p><p><strong>The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!</strong></p><p><strong>Check out the </strong><a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Substack</strong></a><strong> for show notes and transcript!</strong></p><p><strong>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com</strong></p> 3ba2e8a5-ff30-40f2-9888-00587d770b65 https://redcircle.com/shows/6212d676-0f43-44d3-892f-c3a73795d262/episodes/54a7ad16-a5bb-4624-a95e-88f37c2539f5 Wed, 12 Nov 2025 20:00:35 +0000 2213 no full S1, E5: From Two Sigma to Twenty-Five Million Fund 1 - Andy Kangpan, Metalayer Ventures S1, E5: From Two Sigma to Twenty-Five Million Fund 1 - Andy Kangpan, Metalayer Ventures 5 1 Nawaz Ahmed In this episode of Inquisitive VC, host Nawaz Ahmed sits down with Andy Kangpan, Founder and General Partner of Metalayer Ventures, a $25M crypto venture fund focused on blockchain adoption in financial services. Andy shares his journey from investing at Two Sigma during the 2017 ICO boom to founding Metalayer after the FTX collapse—driven by the belief that crypto’s next chapter lies in real-world deployment, not speculation. He opens up about the emotional rollercoaster of raising a first fund, the key lessons learned from rejection, and how Metalayers balanced 50/50 approach to equity and token investments positions them for the evolving crypto landscape. ---- The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube! Check out the Substack for show notes and transcript! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com In this episode of Inquisitive VC, host Nawaz Ahmed sits down with Andy Kangpan, Founder and General Partner of Metalayer Ventures, a $25M crypto venture fund focused on blockchain adoption in financial services.

Andy shares his journey from investing at Two Sigma during the 2017 ICO boom to founding Metalayer after the FTX collapse—driven by the belief that crypto’s next chapter lies in real-world deployment, not speculation.

He opens up about the emotional rollercoaster of raising a first fund, the key lessons learned from rejection, and how Metalayers balanced 50/50 approach to equity and token investments positions them for the evolving crypto landscape.

----

The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!

Check out the Substack for show notes and transcript!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p>In this episode of <em>Inquisitive VC</em>, host <strong>Nawaz Ahmed</strong> sits down with <strong>Andy Kangpan</strong>, Founder and General Partner of <strong>Metalayer Ventures</strong>, a $25M crypto venture fund focused on blockchain adoption in financial services.</p><p>Andy shares his journey from investing at <strong>Two Sigma</strong> during the 2017 ICO boom to founding Metalayer after the FTX collapse—driven by the belief that crypto’s next chapter lies in <em>real-world deployment, not speculation.</em></p><p>He opens up about the emotional rollercoaster of raising a first fund, the key lessons learned from rejection, and how Metalayers balanced 50/50 approach to equity and token investments positions them for the evolving crypto landscape.</p><p><em>----</em></p><p><strong>The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!</strong></p><p><strong>Check out the </strong><a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Substack</strong></a><strong> for show notes and transcript!</strong></p><p><strong>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com</strong></p> c975ebb0-3dca-4a75-932a-769b6075582f https://redcircle.com/shows/6212d676-0f43-44d3-892f-c3a73795d262/episodes/afd35caf-9b6d-41d6-9e03-e51cfeb734b0 Tue, 04 Nov 2025 20:00:26 +0000 2354 no full S1, E4: From RuneScape Bots to Raising For Reforge - Alex Lin, Reforge VC S1, E4: From RuneScape Bots to Raising For Reforge - Alex Lin, Reforge VC 4 1 Nawaz Ahmed In this episode of Inquisitive VC, host Nawaz Ahmed sits down with Alex Lin, Founder and General Partner of Reforge, a crypto venture fund investing in coordination infrastructure across capital markets, AI, and compute systems. Alex shares his journey from running a gaming bot farm that led him to Bitcoin, to becoming a venture capitalist with a mission to rebuild trust in failing institutions. He talks about leaving Shima Capital to launch Reforge, the brutal realities of fundraising, and why early-stage venture—not speculative liquid markets—will define the next decade of crypto ---- The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube! Check out the Substack for show notes and transcript! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com In this episode of Inquisitive VC, host Nawaz Ahmed sits down with Alex Lin, Founder and General Partner of Reforge, a crypto venture fund investing in coordination infrastructure across capital markets, AI, and compute systems.

Alex shares his journey from running a gaming bot farm that led him to Bitcoin, to becoming a venture capitalist with a mission to rebuild trust in failing institutions. He talks about leaving Shima Capital to launch Reforge, the brutal realities of fundraising, and why early-stage venture—not speculative liquid markets—will define the next decade of crypto

----

The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!

Check out the Substack for show notes and transcript!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p>In this episode of <em>Inquisitive VC</em>, host <strong>Nawaz Ahmed</strong> sits down with <strong>Alex Lin</strong>, Founder and General Partner of <strong>Reforge</strong>, a crypto venture fund investing in coordination infrastructure across capital markets, AI, and compute systems.</p><p>Alex shares his journey from running a gaming bot farm that led him to Bitcoin, to becoming a venture capitalist with a mission to rebuild trust in failing institutions. He talks about leaving Shima Capital to launch Reforge, the brutal realities of fundraising, and why early-stage venture—not speculative liquid markets—will define the next decade of crypto</p><p><em>----</em></p><p><strong>The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!</strong></p><p><strong>Check out the </strong><a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Substack</strong></a><strong> for show notes and transcript!</strong></p><p><strong>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com</strong></p> 46678592-78f7-472a-a8dc-3f2d8b6d9bd4 https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Tue, 28 Oct 2025 20:00:21 +0000 2506 no full S1, E3: Building for the Crypto Infrastructure Mission - Travis Scher, North Island Ventures S1, E3: Building for the Crypto Infrastructure Mission - Travis Scher, North Island Ventures 3 1 Nawaz Ahmed S1, E3: Building for the Crypto Infrastructure Mission - Travis Scher, North Island Ventures In this episode of Inquisitive VC, host Nawaz Ahmed interviews Travis Scher, co-founder of North Island Ventures, to explore crypto investing and venture capital. Travis shares his journey from a disgruntled lawyer discovering Bitcoin in 2014 to becoming a seasoned crypto VC at Digital Currency Group and launching his own fund. He discusses North Island’s thesis on crypto as an enabling technology, the challenges of fundraising during COVID, and building a values-driven firm. Travis offers actionable insights on selecting partners, diversifying investments, and backing entrepreneurs solving real-world financial problems with blockchain, making this a must-listen for crypto investing enthusiasts. ---- The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube! Check out the Substack for show notes and transcript! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com In this episode of Inquisitive VC, host Nawaz Ahmed interviews Travis Scher, co-founder of North Island Ventures, to explore crypto investing and venture capital. Travis shares his journey from a disgruntled lawyer discovering Bitcoin in 2014 to becoming a seasoned crypto VC at Digital Currency Group and launching his own fund. He discusses North Island’s thesis on crypto as an enabling technology, the challenges of fundraising during COVID, and building a values-driven firm. Travis offers actionable insights on selecting partners, diversifying investments, and backing entrepreneurs solving real-world financial problems with blockchain, making this a must-listen for crypto investing enthusiasts.

----

The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!

Check out the Substack for show notes and transcript!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p><span>In this episode of </span><em>Inquisitive VC</em><span>, host Nawaz Ahmed interviews Travis Scher, co-founder of North Island Ventures, to explore </span><em>crypto investing</em><span> and </span><em>venture capital</em><span>. Travis shares his journey from a disgruntled lawyer discovering Bitcoin in 2014 to becoming a seasoned </span><em>crypto VC</em><span> at Digital Currency Group and launching his own fund. He discusses North Island’s thesis on crypto as an enabling technology, the challenges of fundraising during COVID, and building a values-driven firm. Travis offers actionable insights on selecting partners, diversifying investments, and backing entrepreneurs solving real-world financial problems with blockchain, making this a must-listen for </span><em>crypto investing</em><span> enthusiasts.</span></p><p><em>----</em></p><p><strong>The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!</strong></p><p><strong>Check out the </strong><a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Substack</strong></a><strong> for show notes and transcript!</strong></p><p><strong>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com</strong></p> 2d5ce1f0-b79e-4692-862e-a184fe38dd67 https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Tue, 07 Oct 2025 21:35:50 +0000 1787 no full S1, E2: The Quest for Real Crypto Adoption - Lucas He, Tomorrow Ventures S1, E2: The Quest for Real Crypto Adoption - Lucas He, Tomorrow Ventures 2 1 Nawaz Ahmed In this episode of Inquisitive VC, host Nawaz Ahmed interviews Lucas He, founder of Tomorrow Ventures, to dive into crypto investing and venture capital. Lucas shares his journey from buying Bitcoin in 2013 to building a crypto fund focused on real-world adoption. With experience at State Street and OP Crypto, he discusses bridging crypto to industries like healthcare and AI, navigating fundraising challenges, and crafting a portfolio for institutional adoption. Lucas’s insights on real-world crypto use cases and portfolio exits offer actionable strategies for investors and founders aiming to drive crypto adoption beyond speculation. ---- The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube! Check out the Substack for show notes and transcript! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com In this episode of Inquisitive VC, host Nawaz Ahmed interviews Lucas He, founder of Tomorrow Ventures, to dive into crypto investing and venture capital. Lucas shares his journey from buying Bitcoin in 2013 to building a crypto fund focused on real-world adoption. With experience at State Street and OP Crypto, he discusses bridging crypto to industries like healthcare and AI, navigating fundraising challenges, and crafting a portfolio for institutional adoption. Lucas’s insights on real-world crypto use cases and portfolio exits offer actionable strategies for investors and founders aiming to drive crypto adoption beyond speculation.

----

The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!

Check out the Substack for show notes and transcript!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p>In this episode of <em>Inquisitive VC</em>, host Nawaz Ahmed interviews Lucas He, founder of Tomorrow Ventures, to dive into <em>crypto investing</em> and <em>venture capital</em>. Lucas shares his journey from buying Bitcoin in 2013 to building a <em>crypto fund</em> focused on real-world adoption. With experience at State Street and OP Crypto, he discusses bridging crypto to industries like healthcare and AI, navigating <em>fundraising challenges</em>, and crafting a portfolio for institutional adoption. Lucas’s insights on <em>real-world crypto</em> use cases and portfolio exits offer actionable strategies for investors and founders aiming to drive <em>crypto adoption</em> beyond speculation.</p><p><em>----</em></p><p><strong>The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!</strong></p><p><strong>Check out the </strong><a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Substack</strong></a><strong> for show notes and transcript!</strong></p><p><strong>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com</strong></p> e0aeea9d-62f0-48e0-86d5-568e5df95049 https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Tue, 30 Sep 2025 19:30:12 +0000 2346 no full S1, E1: Raising A $20M Fund 1 At 27 - Sal Gal, Escape Velocity S1, E1: Raising A $20M Fund 1 At 27 - Sal Gal, Escape Velocity 1 1 Nawaz Ahmed In the premiere episode of Inquisitive VC, host Nawaz Ahmed interviews Sal Gala, co-founder of EV3, to explore venture capital and crypto investing. Sal shares his journey from discovering Bitcoin during Venezuela’s hyperinflation to launching a venture fund focused on DePin (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) and real-world crypto use cases like zkTLS. He offers insights on overcoming fundraising challenges, embracing non-consensus investing, and driving escape velocity for startups. From his Ribbit Capital experience to EV3’s bold bets on crypto innovation, Sal provides actionable strategies for founders and investors navigating crypto markets.

----

The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!

Check out the Substack for show notes and transcript!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p><span>In the premiere episode of </span><em>Inquisitive VC</em><span>, host Nawaz Ahmed interviews Sal Gala, co-founder of EV3, to explore </span><em>venture capital</em><span> and </span><em>crypto investing</em><span>. Sal shares his journey from discovering Bitcoin during Venezuela’s hyperinflation to launching a </span><em>venture fund</em><span> focused on </span><em>DePin</em><span> (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) and real-world crypto use cases like zkTLS. He offers insights on overcoming </span><em>fundraising challenges</em><span>, embracing </span><em>non-consensus investing</em><span>, and driving </span><em>escape velocity</em><span> for startups. From his Ribbit Capital experience to EV3’s bold bets on </span><em>crypto innovation</em><span>, Sal provides actionable strategies for founders and investors navigating </span><em>crypto markets.</em></p><p><em>----</em></p><p><strong>The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!</strong></p><p><strong>Check out the </strong><a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Substack</strong></a><strong> for show notes and transcript!</strong></p><p><strong>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com</strong></p> 0a98a8a3-5950-4dad-a38a-a9144f627e98 https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Tue, 23 Sep 2025 21:00:27 +0000 1699 no full Boris Revsin - Tribe Capital Boris Revsin - Tribe Capital Nawaz Ahmed Welcome to The Inquisitive VC. Today I am speaking to Boris Revsin, the Managing Director of Tribe Capital. We speak about his journey to crypto, how Tribe invests, crypto cycles and narratives, airdrops and more! I hope you enjoy this episode. The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube! Check out the Substack for show notes and transcript! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com Welcome to The Inquisitive VC. Today I am speaking to Boris Revsin, the Managing Director of Tribe Capital.

We speak about his journey to crypto, how Tribe invests, crypto cycles and narratives, airdrops and more! I hope you enjoy this episode.

The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!

Check out the Substack for show notes and transcript!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p><strong>Welcome to The Inquisitive VC. Today I am speaking to Boris Revsin, the Managing Director of Tribe Capital. </strong></p><p><strong>We speak about his journey to crypto, how Tribe invests, crypto cycles and narratives, airdrops and more! I hope you enjoy this episode.</strong></p><p><strong>The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!</strong></p><p><strong>Check out the </strong><a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Substack</strong></a><strong> for show notes and transcript!</strong></p><p><strong>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com</strong></p> 51be61c6-7dee-4313-b816-38497ddfffa0 https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:30:00 +0000 1965 no full Richard Chen - 1confirmation Richard Chen - 1confirmation Nawaz Ahmed Welcome to the Inquisitive VC, today I am speaking to Richard Chen a General Partner at 1confirmation, a seed-focused crypto venture fund. We talk about Richards's prediction of underrated product trends for 2024, the function of airdrop and points, difficult questions asked by LPs and much more. I hope you enjoy the episode! The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube! Check out the Substack Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com Welcome to the Inquisitive VC, today I am speaking to Richard Chen a General Partner at 1confirmation, a seed-focused crypto venture fund.

We talk about Richards's prediction of underrated product trends for 2024, the function of airdrop and points, difficult questions asked by LPs and much more. I hope you enjoy the episode!

The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!

Check out the Substack for show notes and transcript!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p><strong>Welcome to the Inquisitive VC, today I am speaking to Richard Chen a General Partner at 1confirmation, a seed-focused crypto venture fund. </strong></p><p><strong>We talk about Richards&#39;s prediction of underrated product trends for 2024, the function of airdrop and points, difficult questions asked by LPs and much more. I hope you enjoy the episode!</strong></p><p><strong>The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!</strong></p><p><strong>Check out the </strong><a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Substack</strong></a><strong> for show notes and transcript!</strong></p><p><strong>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com</strong></p> 7d061278-4a66-4c49-a23d-58bac4bb92fc https://redcircle.com/shows/6212d676-0f43-44d3-892f-c3a73795d262/episodes/2cde105a-9469-49e6-b0e7-866514da39f8 Mon, 12 Feb 2024 20:00:00 +0000 1824 no full Founders Funds Joey Krug on building crypto native vs building general products, his anti-portfolio and more! Founders Funds Joey Krug on building crypto native vs building general products, his anti-portfolio and more! Nawaz Ahmed Joey Krug is a Partner at Founders Fund (FF) and leads their crypto investments. Joey is also a co-founder of Augur, one of the first projects on Ethereum, and of Eco. Prior to FF, Joey was the Co-CIO of Pantera Capital. We speak about practical use cases of crypto, challenges crypto founders face, building crypto native vs building general products, Joey’s anti-portfolio and much more. The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube! Check out the Substack Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com Joey Krug is a Partner at Founders Fund (FF) and leads their crypto investments. Joey is also a co-founder of Augur, one of the first projects on Ethereum, and of Eco. Prior to FF, Joey was the Co-CIO of Pantera Capital.

We speak about practical use cases of crypto, challenges crypto founders face, building crypto native vs building general products, Joey’s anti-portfolio and much more.

The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!

Check out the Substack 

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p><strong>Joey Krug is a Partner at Founders Fund (FF) and leads their crypto investments. Joey is also a co-founder of Augur, one of the first projects on Ethereum, and of Eco. Prior to FF, Joey was the Co-CIO of Pantera Capital.</strong></p><p><strong>We speak about practical use cases of crypto, challenges crypto founders face, building crypto native vs building general products, Joey’s anti-portfolio and much more.</strong></p><p><strong>The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!</strong></p><p><strong>Check out the </strong><a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Substack</strong></a><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com</strong></p> 4fb3c3de-2a10-4b82-b8e9-d964caee5464 https://redcircle.com/shows/6212d676-0f43-44d3-892f-c3a73795d262/episodes/414bd9d0-781c-4437-814c-daa69b9cb78a Mon, 22 May 2023 20:00:00 +0000 1251 no full Polygons Sachi Kamiya on Polygons zkEVM, learning early stage investing & what interests her in this market! Polygons Sachi Kamiya on Polygons zkEVM, learning early stage investing & what interests her in this market! Nawaz Ahmed Sachi Kamiya does Investments at Polygon, one of the leading scaling solutions for Ethereum. Prior to Polygon, Sachi worked in the traditional finance world. We talk about her journey to crypto, Polygon zkEVM, the Polygon Ecosystem Fund, learning early-stage investing and a lot more! The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube! Check out the Substack Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com Sachi Kamiya does Investments at Polygon, one of the leading scaling solutions for Ethereum. Prior to Polygon, Sachi worked in the traditional finance world. We talk about her journey to crypto, Polygon zkEVM, the Polygon Ecosystem Fund, learning early-stage investing and a lot more!

The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!

Check out the Substack 

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p><strong>Sachi Kamiya does Investments at Polygon, one of the leading scaling solutions for Ethereum. Prior to Polygon, Sachi worked in the traditional finance world. We talk about her journey to crypto, Polygon zkEVM, the Polygon Ecosystem Fund, learning early-stage investing and a lot more!</strong></p><p><strong>The podcast is also available on your favourite podcast sources like Spotify, Apple and Youtube!</strong></p><p><strong>Check out the </strong><a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Substack</strong></a><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com</strong></p> fca5106b-be38-43d3-a9dc-5ff26c51bf9d https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Mon, 01 May 2023 18:00:00 +0000 1319 no full Hasheds' Baek Kim on going from AWS to crypto, being a crypto native VC & how the Asian market differs to the US Hasheds' Baek Kim on going from AWS to crypto, being a crypto native VC & how the Asian market differs to the US Nawaz Ahmed Baek Kim is a General Partner at Hashed, a crypto-native VC focused on bridging the ecosystem in US and Asia. Prior to this Baek was a software engineer at AWS working on IoT and Robotics. He was also the founder of a last-mile logistics startup. We talk about his entry into crypto VC, Hasheds’ thesis, crypto gaming, the Asian market and more! Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com Baek Kim is a General Partner at Hashed, a crypto-native VC focused on bridging the ecosystem in US and Asia. Prior to this Baek was a software engineer at AWS working on IoT and Robotics. He was also the founder of a last-mile logistics startup.

We talk about his entry into crypto VC, Hasheds’ thesis, crypto gaming, the Asian market and more!

Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p><strong>Baek Kim is a General Partner at Hashed, a crypto-native VC focused on bridging the ecosystem in US and Asia. Prior to this Baek was a software engineer at AWS working on IoT and Robotics. He was also the founder of a last-mile logistics startup.</strong></p><p><strong>We talk about his entry into crypto VC, Hasheds’ thesis, crypto gaming, the Asian market and more!</strong></p><p><strong>Check out the </strong><a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Substack</strong></a><strong> for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images!</strong></p><p><strong>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com</strong></p> 2134d003-f92d-454b-8260-809725c99b57 https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Mon, 22 Aug 2022 04:57:57 +0000 1235 no full FJ Lab's Jeff Weinstein on the marketplace thesis, investing in crypto & how they the invest in 100s of deals a year FJ Lab's Jeff Weinstein on the marketplace thesis, investing in crypto & how they the invest in 100s of deals a year Nawaz Ahmed Jeff Weinstein is a Partner at FJ Labs, a global marketplace investor also investing in crypto and Web3. Jeff was previously a Senior Associate at Lux Capital. We talk about his entry into VC, the FJ Labs thesis, why they are investing in crypto, problems marketplaces face and more! Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com Jeff Weinstein is a Partner at FJ Labs, a global marketplace investor also investing in crypto and Web3. Jeff was previously a Senior Associate at Lux Capital.

We talk about his entry into VC, the FJ Labs thesis, why they are investing in crypto, problems marketplaces face and more!

Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p><strong>Jeff Weinstein is a Partner at </strong><a href="https://fjlabs.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>FJ Labs</strong></a><strong>, a global marketplace investor also investing in crypto and Web3. Jeff was previously a Senior Associate at Lux Capital. </strong></p><p><strong>We talk about his entry into VC, the FJ Labs thesis, why they are investing in crypto, problems marketplaces face and more!</strong></p><p><strong>Check out the </strong><a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Substack</strong></a><strong> for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images!</strong></p><p><strong>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - </strong><a href="https://www.purple-planet.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://www.purple-planet.com</strong></a></p> 40f42038-a4a1-43a3-b9b2-08847d305b81 https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Mon, 11 Apr 2022 20:50:00 +0000 1524 no full Regan Bozman - Lattice Capital Regan Bozman - Lattice Capital Nawaz Ahmed Regan Bozman is a General Partner at Lattice Capital, an early-stage crypto fund that helps founders build defensible moats. He previously led growth initiatives at a number of crypto projects including C.R.E.A.M., Index Coop, and Maple. Prior to that, he was the first employee at CoinList and managed $100M+ of token launches. We talk about his journey from angel investing to a fund, state of the crypto VC market, valuations and more! Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com Regan Bozman is a General Partner at Lattice Capital, an early-stage crypto fund that helps founders build defensible moats. He previously led growth initiatives at a number of crypto projects including C.R.E.A.M., Index Coop, and Maple. Prior to that, he was the first employee at CoinList and managed $100M+ of token launches.

We talk about his journey from angel investing to a fund, state of the crypto VC market, valuations and more!

Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p>Regan Bozman is a General Partner at <a href="https://www.latticecap.co/" rel="nofollow">Lattice Capital</a>, an early-stage crypto fund that helps founders build defensible moats. He previously led growth initiatives at a number of crypto projects including C.R.E.A.M., Index Coop, and Maple. Prior to that, he was the first employee at CoinList and managed $100M+ of token launches.</p><p>We talk about his journey from angel investing to a fund, state of the crypto VC market, valuations and more!</p><p>Check out the <a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow">Substack</a> for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images!</p><p>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - <a href="https://www.purple-planet.com/" rel="nofollow">https://www.purple-planet.com</a></p> 36d00f10-c3fb-4273-b73c-f6864b41eded https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Thu, 24 Mar 2022 03:06:00 +0000 1914 no full Imran Khan - Alliance Imran Khan - Alliance Nawaz Ahmed Imran Khan is a Core Contributor and Pilot of AllianceDAO, previously known as DeFi Alliance, the leading accelerator program for crypto and web3 projects. Imran is also a Venture Partner at Volt Capital and was previously at Microsoft. We talk about his journey to crypto, how DeFi Alliance formed, Alliance DAO, what he is excited about in crypto, incentives for teams and more. Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com Imran Khan is a Core Contributor and Pilot of AllianceDAO, previously known as DeFi Alliance, the leading accelerator program for crypto and web3 projects. Imran is also a Venture Partner at Volt Capital and was previously at Microsoft.

We talk about his journey to crypto, how DeFi Alliance formed, Alliance DAO, what he is excited about in crypto, incentives for teams and more.

Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p>Imran Khan is a Core Contributor and Pilot of <a href="https://alliance.xyz/" rel="nofollow">AllianceDAO</a>, previously known as DeFi Alliance, the leading accelerator program for crypto and web3 projects. Imran is also a Venture Partner at <a href="https://volt.capital/" rel="nofollow">Volt Capital</a> and was previously at Microsoft.</p><p>We talk about his journey to crypto, how DeFi Alliance formed, Alliance DAO, what he is excited about in crypto, incentives for teams and more.</p><p>Check out the <a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow">Substack</a> for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images!</p><p>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - <a href="https://www.purple-planet.com/" rel="nofollow">https://www.purple-planet.com</a></p> c1108432-e3bc-4da7-b631-ec53899913cf https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Fri, 11 Mar 2022 19:20:00 +0000 2097 no full Dylan Olivia Hunzeker - Advanced Blockchain AG Dylan Olivia Hunzeker - Advanced Blockchain AG Nawaz Ahmed Dylan Olivia Hunzeker is the Head of Ventures at Advanced Blockchain AG, a publicly listed investor and incubator. Prior to this, she was an Investor at Struck Capital Crypto, also having worked at Iconic Holding and Eigen Capital. We talk about her journey in crypto, her time in China, investing in crypto and more! Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com Dylan Olivia Hunzeker is the Head of Ventures at Advanced Blockchain AG, a publicly listed investor and incubator. Prior to this, she was an Investor at Struck Capital Crypto, also having worked at Iconic Holding and Eigen Capital.

We talk about her journey in crypto, her time in China, investing in crypto and more!

Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/cryptovcdylan" rel="nofollow">Dylan Olivia Hunzeker</a> is the Head of Ventures at <a href="https://www.advancedblockchain.com/" rel="nofollow">Advanced Blockchain AG</a>, a publicly listed investor and incubator. Prior to this, she was an Investor at Struck Capital Crypto, also having worked at Iconic Holding and Eigen Capital.</p><p>We talk about her journey in crypto, her time in China, investing in crypto and more!</p><p>Check out the <a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow">Substack</a> for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images!</p><p>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - <a href="https://www.purple-planet.com/" rel="nofollow">https://www.purple-planet.com</a></p> 601d3cf6-5352-4968-bded-88099367ebe5 https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Mon, 10 Jan 2022 22:20:42 +0000 1848 no full Nick Grossman - Union Square Ventures Nick Grossman - Union Square Ventures Nawaz Ahmed Nick Grossman is a Partner at Union Square Ventures, a leading venture firm that has invested in companies like Twitter, Stripe, Coinbase and many more. Previously, he led an incubator for startups at the intersection of cities and data at OpenPlans. We talk about his journey to VC and crypto, investing in collector DAOs, the future of VC, the USV anti-portfolio and more. Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com Nick Grossman is a Partner at Union Square Ventures, a leading venture firm that has invested in companies like Twitter, Stripe, Coinbase and many more. Previously, he led an incubator for startups at the intersection of cities and data at OpenPlans.

We talk about his journey to VC and crypto, investing in collector DAOs, the future of VC, the USV anti-portfolio and more.

Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p>Nick Grossman is a Partner at <a href="https://www.usv.com/" rel="nofollow">Union Square Ventures</a>, a leading venture firm that has invested in companies like Twitter, Stripe, Coinbase and many more. Previously, he led an incubator for startups at the intersection of cities and data at OpenPlans. </p><p>We talk about his journey to VC and crypto, investing in collector DAOs, the future of VC, the USV anti-portfolio and more.</p><p>Check out the <a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow">Substack</a> for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images!</p><p>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - <a href="https://www.purple-planet.com/" rel="nofollow">https://www.purple-planet.com</a></p> 2691daa2-b780-433a-bbd4-dbcd2cf2eefb https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Mon, 06 Dec 2021 23:55:00 +0000 1660 no full Noah Gaynor - Parcel (Zillow for the Metaverse) Noah Gaynor - Parcel (Zillow for the Metaverse) Nawaz Ahmed Noah Gaynor is the Co-Founder of Parcel. Parcel is the “Zillow for the metaverse”, a metaverse-native platform building key infrastructure for the needs of virtual real estate users, builders, property managers, investors, developers, and service providers. We talk about his journey from tradfi to crypto, Parcel, fundraising, the future of virtual real estate, Meta and more! Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com Noah Gaynor is the Co-Founder of Parcel. Parcel is the “Zillow for the metaverse”, a metaverse-native platform building key infrastructure for the needs of virtual real estate users, builders, property managers, investors, developers, and service providers.

We talk about his journey from tradfi to crypto, Parcel, fundraising, the future of virtual real estate, Meta and more! 

Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p>Noah Gaynor is the Co-Founder of Parcel. Parcel is the “Zillow for the metaverse”, a metaverse-native platform building key infrastructure for the needs of virtual real estate users, builders, property managers, investors, developers, and service providers.</p><p>We talk about his journey from tradfi to crypto, Parcel, fundraising, the future of virtual real estate, Meta and more! </p><p>Check out the <a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow">Substack</a> for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images!</p><p>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - <a href="https://www.purple-planet.com/" rel="nofollow">https://www.purple-planet.com</a></p> 973aa484-cc09-4c7b-b97b-88eaef4af6f7 https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Wed, 01 Dec 2021 00:58:26 +0000 1517 no full John Henderson - AirTree John Henderson - AirTree Nawaz Ahmed John Henderson is a Partner at AirTree Ventures, an Australia and NZ focused venture firm. Prior to AirTree, John was the Founding Principal of White Star Capital. We talk about his journey to VC, investment biases, Olympus Finance, NFTs and more! Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com John Henderson is a Partner at AirTree Ventures, an Australia and NZ focused venture firm. Prior to AirTree, John was the Founding Principal of White Star Capital.

We talk about his journey to VC, investment biases, Olympus Finance, NFTs and more!

Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p>John Henderson is a Partner at <a href="https://www.airtree.vc/" rel="nofollow">AirTree Ventures</a>, an Australia and NZ focused venture firm. Prior to AirTree, John was the Founding Principal of White Star Capital.</p><p>We talk about his journey to VC, investment biases, Olympus Finance, NFTs and more!</p><p>Check out the <a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow">Substack</a> for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images!</p><p>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - <a href="https://www.purple-planet.com/" rel="nofollow">https://www.purple-planet.com</a></p> bd207d81-c3b9-4313-bd2a-b91acfb1b457 https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Tue, 09 Nov 2021 19:00:00 +0000 1519 no full Julia Lipton - Awesome People Ventures Julia Lipton - Awesome People Ventures Nawaz Ahmed Julia Lipton is the founder and GP of Awesome People Ventures, an early-stage fund focused on world positive investments. Prior to investing Julia led product and growth teams in Silicon Valley startups. We talk about her journey to investing, investing in Web 3.0, investment DAOs, raising a fund and more! Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com Julia Lipton is the founder and GP of Awesome People Ventures, an early-stage fund focused on world positive investments. Prior to investing Julia led product and growth teams in Silicon Valley startups.

We talk about her journey to investing, investing in Web 3.0, investment DAOs, raising a fund and more!

Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p>Julia Lipton is the founder and GP of <a href="https://www.awesomepeople.ventures/" rel="nofollow">Awesome People Ventures</a>, an early-stage fund focused on world positive investments. Prior to investing Julia led product and growth teams in Silicon Valley startups.</p><p>We talk about her journey to investing, investing in Web 3.0, investment DAOs, raising a fund and more!</p><p>Check out the <a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow">Substack</a> for a full transcript of the episode, with links!</p><p>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - <a href="https://www.purple-planet.com/" rel="nofollow">https://www.purple-planet.com</a></p> 1d140a3c-f53e-459a-941e-73c7c58c75bb https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Fri, 15 Oct 2021 01:06:02 +0000 1057 no full Brandon Kumar - Layer3 Brandon Kumar - Layer3 Nawaz Ahmed Brandon Kumar is a co-founder of Layer3, a platform that enables anyone to contribute to decentralized autonomous organisations (DAOs). Prior to this Brandon was a Vice President at Accolade Partners a fund of funds, where he focused on investments in crypto funds. We talk about Brandon’s journey from investing to founding a company, DAOs, Layer3, raising money and more! Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com Brandon Kumar is a co-founder of Layer3, a platform that enables anyone to contribute to decentralized autonomous organisations (DAOs). Prior to this Brandon was a Vice President at Accolade Partners a fund of funds, where he focused on investments in crypto funds.

We talk about Brandon’s journey from investing to founding a company, DAOs, Layer3, raising money and more!

Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p>Brandon Kumar is a co-founder of <a href="https://layer3.xyz?ref_id=XGII4QP87" rel="nofollow">Layer3</a>, a platform that enables anyone to contribute to decentralized autonomous organisations (DAOs). Prior to this Brandon was a Vice President at Accolade Partners a fund of funds, where he focused on investments in crypto funds.</p><p>We talk about Brandon’s journey from investing to founding a company, DAOs, Layer3, raising money and more!</p><p>Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links!</p><p>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com</p> 0995c4cb-eee8-4ccb-8b83-2ba38f358f8f https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Mon, 04 Oct 2021 21:05:50 +0000 1052 no full Chris McCann - Race Capital Chris McCann - Race Capital Nawaz Ahmed Chris McCann is a General Partner at Race Capital, an early-stage venture capital fund that leads investments in pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups. Prior to Race, Chris was the Community Lead at Greylock Partners and co-founder of Startup Digest, which was acquired by Techstars. We talk about his journey to investing, Solana, his anti-portfolio, art and more! Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com Chris McCann is a General Partner at Race Capital, an early-stage venture capital fund that leads investments in pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups. Prior to Race, Chris was the Community Lead at Greylock Partners and co-founder of Startup Digest, which was acquired by Techstars.

We talk about his journey to investing, Solana, his anti-portfolio, art and more!

Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p><a href="https://www.chrismccann.com/" rel="nofollow">Chris McCann </a>is a General Partner at <a href="https://race.capital/" rel="nofollow">Race Capital</a>, an early-stage venture capital fund that leads investments in pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups. Prior to Race, Chris was the Community Lead at Greylock Partners and co-founder of Startup Digest, which was acquired by Techstars.</p><p>We talk about his journey to investing, Solana, his anti-portfolio, art and more!</p><p>Check out the <a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow">Substack</a> for a full transcript of the episode, with links!</p><p>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com</p> 50acfbfb-2580-422f-8a99-f0ab9b4a342a https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Sun, 26 Sep 2021 23:32:59 +0000 1656 no full Hayden Hughes - Alpha Impact Hayden Hughes - Alpha Impact Nawaz Ahmed Hayden Hughes is the co-founder and CEO of Alpha Impact, a crypto copy-trading platform. Previous to this he worked at Crypto.com and Techemy and is an experienced founder. We talk about how he got into crypto, starting Alpha Impact, how to balance token and equity investors, DeFi and more! Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com Hayden Hughes is the co-founder and CEO of Alpha Impact, a crypto copy-trading platform. Previous to this he worked at Crypto.com and Techemy and is an experienced founder.

We talk about how he got into crypto, starting Alpha Impact, how to balance token and equity investors, DeFi and more!

Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p>Hayden Hughes is the co-founder and CEO of Alpha Impact, a crypto copy-trading platform. Previous to this he worked at Crypto.com and Techemy and is an experienced founder.</p><p>We talk about how he got into crypto, starting Alpha Impact, how to balance token and equity investors, DeFi and more!</p><p>Check out the <a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow">Substack</a> for a full transcript of the episode, with links!</p><p>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com</p> 709ff745-72f8-4add-a2a4-55a422b9d6b4 https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Wed, 15 Sep 2021 03:08:52 +0000 1431 no full Drew Austin - Red Beard Ventures Drew Austin - Red Beard Ventures Nawaz Ahmed Drew Austin is the Managing Partner of Red Beard Ventures, where he invests in Web 3.0 infrastructure and frontier technologies. He is also the former CEO & Founder of Wade & Wendy. We talk about how Drew got into crypto and NFTs, what he looks for when buying NFTs, the Loot Project, NFTs on other chains and much more! Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com Drew Austin is the Managing Partner of Red Beard Ventures, where he invests in Web 3.0 infrastructure and frontier technologies. He is also the former CEO & Founder of Wade & Wendy.

We talk about how Drew got into crypto and NFTs, what he looks for when buying NFTs, the Loot Project, NFTs on other chains and much more!

Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p>Drew Austin is the Managing Partner of <a href="https://angel.co/red-beard-ventures-drew-austin/syndicate" rel="nofollow">Red Beard Ventures</a>, where he invests in Web 3.0 infrastructure and frontier technologies. He is also the former CEO &amp; Founder of Wade &amp; Wendy.</p><p>We talk about how Drew got into crypto and NFTs, what he looks for when buying NFTs, the Loot Project, NFTs on other chains and much more!</p><p>Check out the <a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/" rel="nofollow">Substack</a> for a full transcript of the episode, with links!</p><p>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com</p> 25a8a5f1-1453-40f6-91ff-35708f2ad760 https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/ Thu, 09 Sep 2021 21:45:25 +0000 1120 no full Paige Finn Doherty - Behind Genius Ventures Paige Finn Doherty - Behind Genius Ventures Nawaz Ahmed Paige Finn Doherty is the Founding Partner at Behind Genius Ventures, a fund investing in early-stage product-led growth companies in the future of work & the future of play. Paige is also the author of Seed to Harvest, a book demystifying VC for children and adults. Until recently she was also a Developer Success Engineer at WorkOS. We talk about her interest in VC, Seed to Harvest, founding a venture fund, Pallet and more! Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and videos! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com Paige Finn Doherty is the Founding Partner at Behind Genius Ventures, a fund investing in early-stage product-led growth companies in the future of work & the future of play. Paige is also the author of Seed to Harvest, a book demystifying VC for children and adults. Until recently she was also a Developer Success Engineer at WorkOS.

We talk about her interest in VC, Seed to Harvest, founding a venture fund, Pallet and more!

Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and videos!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p>Paige Finn Doherty is the Founding Partner at Behind Genius Ventures, a fund investing in early-stage product-led growth companies in the future of work &amp; the future of play. Paige is also the author of Seed to Harvest, a book demystifying VC for children and adults. Until recently she was also a Developer Success Engineer at WorkOS.</p><p>We talk about her interest in VC, Seed to Harvest, founding a venture fund, Pallet and more!</p><p>Check out the <a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/p/paige-finn-doherty-behind-genius" rel="nofollow">Substack</a> for a full transcript of the episode, with links and videos!</p><p>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com</p> 7db40985-91b1-4dcf-bf2b-f1cb43704f88 https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/p/paige-finn-doherty-behind-genius Tue, 03 Aug 2021 00:30:00 +0000 1573 no full Jeff Morris Jr. - Chapter One Jeff Morris Jr. - Chapter One Nawaz Ahmed Jeff Morris Jr. is the founder and Managing Partner of Chapter One, an early-stage seed fund backed by Sequoia, Marc Andreessen, Kleiner Perkins and many other LPs. Jeff has invested in companies like Lyft, Dapper Labs, Pipe, Superhuman and many more. He was previously the VP of Product, Revenue at Tinder. We talk about his learning from deploying a fund, investing in crypto, how he determined his value add and more! Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and videos! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com Jeff Morris Jr. is the founder and Managing Partner of Chapter One, an early-stage seed fund backed by Sequoia, Marc Andreessen, Kleiner Perkins and many other LPs. Jeff has invested in companies like Lyft, Dapper Labs, Pipe, Superhuman and many more. He was previously the VP of Product, Revenue at Tinder. 

We talk about his learning from deploying a fund, investing in crypto, how he determined his value add and more!

Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and videos!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p>Jeff Morris Jr. is the founder and Managing Partner of <a href="http://www.chapterone.com" rel="nofollow">Chapter One</a>, an early-stage seed fund backed by Sequoia, Marc Andreessen, Kleiner Perkins and many other LPs. Jeff has invested in companies like Lyft, Dapper Labs, Pipe, Superhuman and many more. He was previously the VP of Product, Revenue at Tinder. </p><p>We talk about his learning from deploying a fund, investing in crypto, how he determined his value add and more!</p><p>Check out the <a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/p/jeff-morris-jr-chapter-one" rel="nofollow">Substack</a> for a full transcript of the episode, with links and videos!</p><p>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com</p> 086ab9ac-7050-46d9-8ab7-9f16fa29e28b https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/p/jeff-morris-jr-chapter-one Mon, 26 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000 1460 no full Kinjal Shah - Blockchain Capital Kinjal Shah - Blockchain Capital Nawaz Ahmed Kinjal is an early-stage investor at Blockchain Capital, working with founders building the future of crypto. She is also a founding member of Komorebi Collective, a DAO making investments exclusively in female and nonbinary crypto founders. Previously, she spent time at Fidelity Investments and Tufts University. We talk about Komorebi Collective, crypto consumer products, DAOs, access to information for new users and more! Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and videos! Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com Kinjal is an early-stage investor at Blockchain Capital, working with founders building the future of crypto. She is also a founding member of Komorebi Collective, a DAO making investments exclusively in female and nonbinary crypto founders. Previously, she spent time at Fidelity Investments and Tufts University.

We talk about Komorebi Collective, crypto consumer products, DAOs, access to information for new users and more!

Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and videos!

Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

]]> <p>Kinjal is an early-stage investor at <a href="https://blockchain.capital/" rel="nofollow">Blockchain Capital</a>, working with founders building the future of crypto. She is also a founding member of Komorebi Collective, a DAO making investments exclusively in female and nonbinary crypto founders. Previously, she spent time at Fidelity Investments and Tufts University.</p><p>We talk about Komorebi Collective, crypto consumer products, DAOs, access to information for new users and more!</p><p>Check out the <a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/p/kinjal-shah-blockchain-capital" rel="nofollow">Substack</a> for a full transcript of the episode, with links and videos! </p><p>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com</p> 700e2d53-99b4-4ba8-81b5-8183737c49cf https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/p/kinjal-shah-blockchain-capital Mon, 19 Jul 2021 23:35:00 +0000 1609 no full Madusha Adasooriya - Exponential Labs Madusha Adasooriya - Exponential Labs Nawaz Ahmed Madusha is the founder and CEO of Expo Labs, an Auckland-based venture studio. Currently, Expo Labs is building and scaling in-house brands but will soon invest in and help grow other products and technologies. Previously Madusha was a founder of EMGN.com, an entertainment, media and gaming site which in 2015 was the 15th most viewed mobile website in the USA. After successfully exiting EMGN, Madusha went on to grow a range of successful e-commerce businesses. We talk about his journey scaling EMGN, bootstrapping vs raising VC, crypto, e-commerce and more! Madusha is the founder and CEO of Expo Labs, an Auckland-based venture studio. Currently, Expo Labs is building and scaling in-house brands but will soon invest in and help grow other products and technologies.

Previously Madusha was a founder of EMGN.com, an entertainment, media and gaming site which in 2015 was the 15th most viewed mobile website in the USA. After successfully exiting EMGN, Madusha went on to grow a range of successful e-commerce businesses.

We talk about his journey scaling EMGN, bootstrapping vs raising VC, crypto, e-commerce and more!

Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and videos!


Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com  

]]> <p>Madusha is the founder and CEO of Expo Labs, an Auckland-based venture studio. Currently, Expo Labs is building and scaling in-house brands but will soon invest in and help grow other products and technologies.</p><p>Previously Madusha was a founder of EMGN.com, an entertainment, media and gaming site which in 2015 was the 15th most viewed mobile website in the USA. After successfully exiting EMGN, Madusha went on to grow a range of successful e-commerce businesses.</p><p>We talk about his journey scaling EMGN, bootstrapping vs raising VC, crypto, e-commerce and more!</p><p>Check out the <a href="https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/p/madusha-adasooriya-exponential-labs" rel="nofollow">Substack</a> for a full transcript of the episode, with links and videos!</p><p><br></p><p><em>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com  </em></p> af4a2d6e-ad50-4f2b-b02e-e87a162fc015 https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/p/madusha-adasooriya-exponential-labs Mon, 10 May 2021 21:30:00 +0000 1347 no trailer The Inquisitive VC - Trailer The Inquisitive VC - Trailer Nawaz Ahmed The Inquisitive VC - Trailer

Listen in to find out why I am hosting and producing this Podcast!


Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com  

]]> <p>The Inquisitive VC - Trailer</p><p>Listen in to find out why I am hosting and producing this Podcast!</p><p><br></p><p><em>Intro &amp; Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com  </em></p> 89715adb-3961-4629-b5a2-53a8a79adf4d https://redcircle.com/shows/6212d676-0f43-44d3-892f-c3a73795d262/episodes/53ba801c-38d3-4148-8f2d-ebc32b47e6f9 Thu, 25 Mar 2021 21:18:29 +0000 74 no