James Wise is Principal at Balderton Capital, one of Europe's most successful venture funds. At Balderton, James invests and advises early-stage technology start-ups, holding board member positions at Crowdcube.com, Surnrise.am, 3Dhubs.com and many more... Prior to Balderton, James helped build one of the UK's first social venture funds and was a consultant at McKinsey & Company, working with entrepreneurs in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Items Mentioned in Todays's Show:

• Crowdcube.com
• JustPark
• Sunrise.am
• Chilango
• MyTomorrows.com
• An Intimate History of Humanity by Theodore Zeldin

What you will learn in today's show:

• How James made his entry into the world of Venture Capital?
• How does James feel the VC model differs in the UK compared to the US?
• Does Silicon Valley deserve the plaudits it receives for producing revolutionary tech companies?
• Following Balderton's recent investment in Crowdcube.com, how does James believe the crowd will become more involved in the future?
• Is Crowdfunding not a competing method of financing to Venture Capital?
• What is Balderton's competitive advantage for winning deals?
• What James believes makes the perfect Series A round?
• Does James believe the mini-bond, introduced by Crowdcube.com have the potential to revolutionise funding for businesses?
• Which sector James is most excited about and why?
• When thinking of success who is the first person that comes to James' mind and why?

We then move into a rapid fire round where we hear James' thoughts on his latest investment and why he said yes? Does James experience a fear of missing out (FOMO) when passing on investments? Finally, James' favourite book and why?

Stefan Glaenzer is Founding Partner at Passion Capital an early stage VC fund who have invested in the likes of DueDil, GoCardless and CarThrottle. He is also Co-Founder of White Bear Yard, a co-working space in London's East End. Prior to Passion, Stefan was Chairman of Last.fm, an early investor in Wahanda and remains an active member of their board and founder of Ricardo, which went public in 1999.

Items Mentioned in Todays Show:

• Passion Capital: The First Two Years
• Lendable
• Smava

What you will learn in today's episode:

• How Stefan got into the technology industry and later pivoted into the VC world?
• What is Stefan's preferred stage to enter into an investment and what is the standard amount invested in a startup?
• How much equity Stefan would look for in an investment?
• What interaction is typical for VCs following investing in a startup?
• How individuals should pitch their idea to Stefan?
• How many startups does Passion typically invest in on an annual basis?
• Does Stefan encounter the fear on missing out on a startup?
• What is it about the Peer to Peer lending sector that excites Stefan so much?
• Does Peer to Peer have a brighter future than Crowdfunding?
• What sector is Stefan most excited about and why?
• How can an entrepreneur show their enthusiasm and make an awesome pitch?
• Is there a formula for making a successful pitch?
• What are Stefan's red flags when a startup pitches to him?

As the interview concludes we ask Stefan some quick fire questions where we hear his thoughts on the hardest decision of his life? The best piece of advice Stefan has been given and his most recent investment and why he said yes?

For all the resources mentioned in today's show head on over to www.thetwentyminutevc.com

Likewise, if you have a suggestion for a VC that you would like us to interview please do let me know by emailing harry@thetwentyminutevc.com

Nektarios Liolios is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Startupbootcamp Fintech, the leading innovation program in the financial industry providing access to a global network of investors and VCs for up to 10 lucky startups selected. Nektarios himself has more than 15 years in business, having spent the last three with InnoTribe, running the Innotribe Startup Challenge.

Items mentioned in today's show:

• 500 Startups: How to Pitch
• investUP: The Crowdfunding Supermarket

What you will learn in today's episode:

• How Nektarios got into the world of tech accelerators?
• How Startupbootcamp Fintech varies from the traditional VC model?
• What makes the best pitches at Demo Days?
• What is the selection process to get accepted at Startupbootcamp?
• What can startups prepare to do before pitching to Startupbootcamp?
• What is the most common reason Nektarios says no to startups?
• What would Nektarios advise someone who is looking to find a co-founder?
• What sector is Nektarios most excited about for the future?
• What Nektarios thinks about the future of bitcoin?

We then complete todays interview by having a quicker round where we hear Nektarios' thoughts on his favourite entrepreneur? The happiest moment Nektarios has enjoyed in his career? A day in the life of a Managing Director of a Startupbootcamp? What was Nektarios' most recent investment and why he said yes?

For all the resources mentioned in today's show, head on over to www.thetwentyminutevc.com

For any suggestions about future guests or questions you would like to hear, we would love to hear from you. If so email harry@thetwentyminutevc.com

Mike Seibel has enjoyed the most incredible career in the technology industry on both the Founder and the VC side of the table. He was Co-Founder and CEO of Justin.TV which was part of the Y Combinator Winter Class of 2007, and was later acquired as Twitch.TV by Amazon for $970 million. In that time Mike also created a spin off from Justin.TV, SocialCam, where he was Co-Founder and CEO, culminating in their acquisition in 2012 for $60 million by Autodesk. 

Items mentioned in Todays' Show:

• Twitch.TV
• SocialCam
• Y Combinator
• Dropbox

What you will learn in this episode?

• How Mike got into the technology industry and later the tech accelerator business with Y Combinator?
• Why Mike did not learn to code?
• Mike's own experiences in Y Combinator.
• What is it that Y Combinator does to produce such amazing and revolutionary companies?
• What does Demo Day look like at Y Combinator?
• What is the selection process for choosing which companies to back and which not to?
• What do you look for in the interviews with the Founders?
• Are top level University degrees necessary for entry into the Y Combinator class?
• What are Mike's biggest red flags when looking at startups?
• Why Mike would never outsource engineering?
• What can startups do to prepare themselves for the Y Combinator process?
• What sector is Mike really excited about and why?
• What is a day in the life of a Y Combinator partner?

We then finish todays episode with a rapid fire round where we hear Mike's thoughts on the best piece of advice Mike has received, the hardest decision Mike has had to make in his career, how can an individual start a company with no technical skills or experience?

For all the resources mentioned in today's show, check out www.thetwentyminutevc.com

Likewise, we would love to hear from you, so if you have any questions you would like asked or VCs you would like to have on the show, send an email to harry@thetwentyminutevc.com

Lisa is Vice President at Norwest Venture Partners (NVP), where she focuses on early to late stage investments with emphasis on consumer internet. Before joining NVP, Lisa worked in Amazon's Worldwide Corporate Development Team, in which she evaluated acquisition targets and identified strategies for potential expansion. Prior to Amazon, Lisa was at Bessemer Venture Partners. If that wasn't enough Lisa also founded her own startup, Banzaa! Fresh, providing high quality nutritious foods to schools and hospitals in Northern California.

Items Mentioned in Todays show:

Etsy

Lending Club

SkyBox

FireEye

Jet

DoubleClick

What you will learn in today's show:

• How Lisa got into the investing game?
• Why Lisa is investing in marketplaces?
• What Lisa's normal investment size is?
• Lisa's most recent investment and why Lisa said yes?
• Does Silicon Valley deserve the accolade it gets? Or is NYC fast approaching?
• Do VCs investment attitudes differ when comparing SF to NYC?
• How early is too early for Lisa to invest?
• What was the one thing that propelled Lisa's career? 

We then move into a quick fire round where we hear Lisa's thoughts on the best advice she has ever been given, the number 1 reason Lisa says no to startups and what Lisa would do if all she had was a laptop and $100!

Kyle Lui is Principal at DCM Ventures where he helps entrepreneurs scale their companies and advise on product development across IOT, consumer internet and mobile and enterperise Saas. Prior to DCM, Kyle was Co-Founder at ChoicePass, a enterprise perks and rewards Saas company backed by prominent angel investors, later acquired by Salesforce.com and Rypple. At Salesforce, Kyle served as Director of Product Management on the founding product team for Work.com, growing the business to over 1,000 enterprise customers.

Items mentioned in this episode:

• Learn Python the Hard Way
• AnyPerk
• Eaze

In this episode you will learn:

• How Kyle made the leap from Startup Founder to Venture Capitalist?
• How did Kyle learn to code?
• How did Kyle feel on selling ChoicePass to Salesforce?
• What was it like working in such a large company, such as Salesforce?
• How did your role change when Salesforce was acquired?
• What was the most difficult element faced by Kyle in his time at ChoicePass?
• Where does Kyle see the future of incentivising employees and how important is this aspect of corporate life?
• When investing in a company what aspects really attract you to a deal and what can be a real red flag?
• Are University and College degrees necessary for you to invest in a founder?
• Is Kyle concerned that a potential increase in regulation could damage his investment in Eaze, medical marijuana delivery startup?

We conclude today's show with a quick fire round where we hear Kyle's thoughts on what Kyle would do if all he had was a laptop and $100, what advice Kyle would give to entrepreneurs starting a company?

For all the resources and items mentioned in todays show, head on over to www.thetwentyminutevc.com

If there are any VCs you would like us to interview, send an email to harry@thetwentyminutevc.com and we will arrange it!

Frank is Co-Founder and General Partner at Spark Labs Global seed fund where he has invested in 40 companies in the US, UK and Asia. Previously, Frank was part of Horizon Ventures where he represented them on the boards of Siri, Summly and Spotify, just to name a few. 

Items mentioned in today's show:

SparkLabsGlobal

Horizon Venture

Brent Hoberman

Smartup

Youth Digital

Castle.io

Clinkle

In today's episode you will learn:

• How Frank made his entry into the technology industry and later the world of venture capital?
• What Frank would recommend someone who is trying to learn to code?
• Is coding necessary for a Founder to be successful?
• What does Frank believe makes the perfect Series A round?
• How early is too early to invest for Frank?
• How do VCs compete for the most competitive rounds?
• What was Frank's most recent investment and why he said yes?
• What sector is Frank most excited about and why?
• When thinking of success, who is the 1st person that comes to Frank's mind?
• What Frank learnt from working at Horizon?

We then finish today's episode with a quick fire round where we hear Frank's thoughts on the future of the Asian tech market and the hardest decision of Frank's career.

For all the resources mentioned in today's show, head over to www.thetwentyminutevc.com

Likewise we would love to hear from you, if you have any questions you would like us to ask, send us an email harry@thetwentyminutevc.com

Clark Landry is Founder and Chairman at Shift, the leading social advertising network for brands. He is also Executive Chairman of GraphEffect, a prominent social media marketing firm. In recent years Clark has made his foray into the investing industry with investments in the likes of AngelList and Lettuce. In his short time investing in startups, Clark has achieved an incredible 10 exits.

Items Mentioned in today's show:

Shift Platform

Burstly

DSTLD Jeans 

Limitless by Alan Glynn

The Black Tux

BloomNation

In today's episode you will learn:

• How Clark made his entry into the world of tech and what caused his transition into angel investing?
• The most valuable insight Clark has learnt from being both a Founder and an Investor?
• How does Clark pick which startups to back, does he focus on any particular aspects of the company?
• What sector Clark is most excited about and why?
• How can someone make an entry into the tech startup world without having any coding ability?

We then finish the interview by hearing Clark's thoughts the effectiveness of tech accelerators, his most recent investment and his favourite book.

For all the reasons mentioned in today's show, head on over to www.thetwentyminutevc.com

If you have a question you want answered, send it in to harry@thetwentyminutevc.com and we will ask it on an upcoming show.

A very exciting day on the 11th episode of The Twenty Minute VC as we welcome our 1st London based guest on the show, Thomas Jones. Thomas is Founder and Partner at Charlotte Street Capital, who invest up to £200,000 in early stage UK technology companies. Their impressive portfolio includes the likes of Chilango, GoSquared and SeedCamp, just to name a few. Prior to Charlotte Street Capital, Thomas was Founder and Executive Director of SMARTS Group International, offering a real time market surveillance platform, now used in dozens of stock exchanges around the world.

Items Mentioned in todays show:

• Crowdcube
• Seedcamp
• Kidslox

In today's session you will learn:

• How Thomas made his entry into the world of Venture Capital?
• When investing in a startup, do you have a mental timeline of the startup's journey in your head with a clear strategy of when a desired exit will occur?
• When it comes to investing, what really gets Thomas excited about the potential of a company?
• What Thomas believes the main differences to be between VCs in Europe compared to the USA?
• With the evolution of funding methods, how does Thomas see the 'crowd' becoming more involved in the future of early stage funding?
• What advice Thomas would give to a graduate looking to make their entry into the industry?

We finish today's episode with a quick fire round, where we hear Thomas' immediate thoughts on the future of disruption and the all time best business book!

For all the resources mentioned in today's show head over to www.thetwentyminutevc.com where you can sign up for you free 7 DAY BUSINESS PLAN COURSE

We would love to hear from you, so if you have a VC you would like to hear from, send us an email: harry@thetwentyminutevc.com and we will see what we can do!

It is a great pleasure to have Niko Bonatsos on today's episode of The Twenty Minute VC. Niko is Principal at General Catalyst Partners where he specialises in mobile, consumer and healthcare technology. At General Catalyst Partner, Niko has been involved in the investments in the likes of Snapchat, TuneIn and SpoonRocket, just to name a few. Niko is also reknowned for being the 1st Angel Investor in Yik Yak, recently valued between $300-400 million.

In today's episode you will learn:

• How Niko made the jump into the world of Venture Capital?
• What were the fundamental lessons Niko learned when his startup failed?
• Why Niko prefers to invest in founding teams instead of individual founders?
• How Niko determines whether a startup will be successful or not? What Niko looks for in startups?
• Does Niko ever experience FOMO (fear of missing out) on an investment?
• How do you value a company, in particular a startup with no revenue?
• Does Niko think Silicon Valley will continue to be the dominant hub for innovation and investment?
• What parts of the world have seen large growth in both funding and innovation?
• What Niko would advise graduates looking to make the entry into the Venture Capital industry?
• What is the best piece of business advice Niko has ever received?

We then move onto a quick fire round where Niko tells us his thoughts on the future of education technology and the primary reason Niko says no to startups.

For all the resources mentioned in today's show, check out www.thetwentyminutevc.com

We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions you would like to ask the VCs, drop us an email at harry@thetwentyminutevc.com

Likewise if you have a VC you would like us to interview, send us an email and we will arrange it. 

On today's show I am hugely excited to welcome Joe Floyd to the hotseat. Joe is Principal at Emergence Capital Partners. His expertise in building cloud startups has evolved over 10 years of advising and investing in startups. Prior to Emergence, Joe worked in American Capital's technology group where he focused on fast growing internet companies. At American Capital Joe was involved in their investments with the likes of PeopleMedia and HomeAway.

Items Mentioned In Today's Show

• The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
• Predictable Revenue: Turn Your Business Into a Sales Machine with the $100 Million Best Practices of Salesforce.com 
• Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
• Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness

What you will learn in today's show:

• How Joe made his transition from the world of tech investment banking into the Venture Capital industry?
• What Joe would advise an individual looking to get into the industry?
• What Joe believes to be the most important aspect that a startup must have in order to attain VC funding?
• Whether Joe prefers a founder or a founding team?
• Joe describes what the main red flags are when startups pitch?
• When Joe thinks of success, who is the first person that comes to mind?
• What business books have been the most transformative to Joe?

We then delve into a quick fire round where Joe gives his immediate thoughts on the future of Amazon and Tesla and whether we really are in a tech bubble or not? 

As always thank you so much for listening to today's show, for furthr details and resources, head on over to www.thetwentyminutevc.com. Likewise we would love to hear who you would like to have on the show, if you have any suggestions please do email harry@thetwentyminutevc.com with your suggestions.

Mark Peter Davis is a serial founder and investor. He is the founder of Interplay Ventures with investments in the likes of Venwise and Warby Parker, just to name a few. Mark is also author of 'The Fundraising Rules', which clearly outlines the funding process of startups. If that wasn't enough Mark is Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Singularity University. Business Insider has listed Mark as one of the most influential Digital NYers and is included in a list of the 30 most interesting members of the Columbia University Startup Community by CVC30.

Items Mentioned in Todays Show:

• The Fundraising Rules
• FounderShield
• Nomad Financial

In this episode you will learn:

• How Mark got into the VC industry?
• How startup founders can increase their network and gain influential mentors?
• When looking at startups what makes Mark want to get involved?
• What are the biggest mistakes made by startup founders?
• What are the key characteristics for a founder to have, in order to be successful?
• How does an individual or startup get a meeting with a VC?
• What Mark would advise graduates wanting to get into the Venture Capital Industry.

We end todays show with The Ultimate Quick Fire Round. Here Marks explains his views on startup valuations and how much equity the traditional VC looks for when investing.

Thank you so much for listening, if you are loving the show please do subscribe on iTunes and I would be so grateful if you would leave a review. If you do, you will be entered into the competition to win a meeting with one of the VCs and all the books mentioned in the first 10 episodes. 

I am hugely excited to welcome Peter Csathy for Session 7 of The Twenty Minute VC. Peter has had an astonishing career in the media industry with an unbroken track record of success in startups and emerging growth companies. Peter is currently CEO of Manatt Digital Media, which not only offers Venture Capital but is unique in also providing legal services and business consulting. Prior to Manatt, Peter was CEO of Sorensen Media, which serves 70 of the Fortune 100 and CEO of SightSpeed, Inc in which Peter oversaw their acquisition by Logitech. 

Items Mentioned in Todays Show:

• Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage to the Antarctic

In this episode you will learn:

• Why Peter decided to enter into the Venture Capital Industry?
• What are the unique service that Manatt offer that other VCs do not provide?
• Why are these service necessary for startups to have access to?
• What is the most important thing for a startup to have in order for you to invest?
• Does an entrepreneur's track record of failure reduce the chance of you investing?
• Where do you see the disruption of content in 2015?
• What book would you give to an aspiring entrepreneur looking to attain funding?

In the final few minutes, we delve into a quick fire round where we hear Peter's thoughts on: The importance of location for a startup, future of online video and the company Peter is most excited about.

As always we absolutely love to hear from you. If you would like to get in contact email harry@thetwentyminutevc.com or visit www.thetwentyminutevc.com

Ifty Ahmed, General Partner at Oak Investment Partners. Ifty started his career with Goldman Sachs and Fidelity Ventures before joining Oak Investment Partners in 2003. He currently focuses on investing across the technology sector with an active interest in Consumer Internet companies. 

*This episode was recorded before Google's anouncement to stop producing Google Glass prototypes, making Ifty's prediction even more impressive.

Items mentioned in today's show:

• Super Crunchers: How Anything Can Be Predicted by Ian Ayers
• Blueprint to a Billion: 7 Essentials to Achieve Exponential Growth by David Thompson

In this episode you will learn:

• How Ifty got into the Venture Capital industry?
• What does Ifty believe are the must haves for startups, in order for them to gain funding?
• Why Ifty prefers to invest in a founding team rather than a single founder?
• What Ifty would recommed to to an individual founder starting a company?
• What are the uncomfortable questions companies should ask VCs before they accept VC funding?
• What Ifty believes a startup should do before a pitch, in order to increase the chances of success?
• What book would Ifty give to an aspiring entrepreneur?
• What advice Ifty would give a graduate wanting to get into the VC industry?
• What tips Ifty would give to about where to network with VCs?

We finish the episode with a quick fire round where we hear Ifty's views on the future of Google Glass, the valuation of Snapchat and the potential for Bitcoin.

In episode 5 of The Twenty Minute VC, we are joined by Kent Godfrey, General Partner at Pond Ventures. Prior to entering into the VC industry Kent was Chairman and CEO of Andromedia before merging it with MacroMedia. Kent was also CEO of Frictionless Commerce concluding with the sale of the company to SAP in 2006.

Kent has previously served on the board of numerous companies including LiveRail (acquired by Facebook), TRM Corporation (Nasdaq:TRMM), HipBone Communications (acquired by Kana) and Vocal Point Inc (acquired by Telecom Italia).

In this session you will learn: 

• What is the most challenging aspect of being a CEO?
• Should CEO's have a clear and precise strategy for the future?
• What can a CEO do to position themselves to be more successful?
• How can an individual develop the skills to be a successful CEO?
• What Kent learnt from his meetings with Steve Jobs?
• What is the most challenging aspect of transitioning from CEO to VC?
• What do VCs do when concerned about an investment?
• What is the best aspect of being a Venture Capitalist?
• Is it possible to go straight into the Venture Capital industry from University?

We end the episode with a quick fire round where Ken describes the future of the Internet Of Things (IOT). Why Founders are better than a Founder? Plus, what the biggest misunderstanding of the Venture Capital industry is?

For all the resources mentioned in today's show heav on over to www.thetwentyminutevc.com

Welcome to Session 4 of The Twenty Minute VC, on today's incredible show, I am hugely excited to present David Hornik. David started his career as legal attorney to some of the hottest startups in Silicon Valley before making his foray into the Venture Capital Industry with August Capital in 2000. If that wasn't enough, David created the 1st Venture Capital blog, VentureBlog and is also the presenter of VentureCast.

In today's episode you will learn:

• Why David made the transition from the legal world into the VC industry?
• What is so special about Stanford that enables a continuous flow of revlolutionary companies?
• Whether legal skills are attributable to the funding industry?
• What David looks for when investing in a company?
• Does it always have to be a big market opportunity for VCs to invest?
• What the best piece of business advice David has ever received?
• What book David would recommend to a Startup Founder?

We then progress into a quick fire round where we hear David's views on Peter Thiel's 20 Under 20 and the 1st $Trillion business.

On today's episode I am thrilled to welcome Bob Ghoorah, Managing Director at Columubus Nova Technology Partners. Bob has experienced both sides of the table having been an early employee at three technology companies in Silicon Valley; LoudCloud (Nasdaq: LDCL), Opsware (Nasdaq: OPSW) and Ning, a privately-held software platform (sold to Glam Media in 2011). 

In this episode we find out:

• The benefits of having a legal knowledge in the Startup community.
• What characteristics make the best entrepreneurs?
• Who does Bob think of, when the word 'success' is mentioned and why?
• Where Bob sees the future of Uber?
• What aspects of a Startup are essential in order to obtain VC funding?
• Is it important for Startups to be located in Silicon Valley?
• What books Bob woulg give to an aspring entrepreneur and startup founder?
• What advice Bob would give to anyone looking to get into the Venture Capital Industry?

Finally, we head to the quick fire round. Here, we get Bob's immediate reactions to the latests tech topics including tech bubble, company valuations and the first trillion dollar company.

For all the resources mentioned in todays show head over to The Twenty Minute VC.

In this session of The Twenty Minute VC, I'm so excited to have the opportunity to interview Kris Jones. Kris has enjoyed an amazing career in the technology industry, founding PepperJam, an internet marketing agency in 1999 and later selling it to Ebay in April of 2010. More recently, Kris has made his transition into the Venture Capital Industry through the founding of an early stage technology investment fund, KBJ Capital, which includes portfolio companies Highlighter.com, French Girls App, ReferLocal.com, LSEO.com and many more incredible companies. 

In this session you'll learn: 

• Why Kris decided to make the transition from the Startup ecosystem to the world of Venture Capital.
• How did it feel for Kris, selling his company to Ebay?
• What was the most important lesson Kris learnt in the journey from having the idea for PepperJam to being acquired by Ebay?
• What is the key characteristic a Founder must have?
• What can an individual do to get employed in the Venture Capital industry.

Kris is also a prolific writer here are some of his articles, you can check out!

Forbes: 15 Steps to Set Your Company Up for a Successful M&A

Mashable: 9 Ways Social Media Marketing Will Change in 2014

Citibank: How to Impress a Potential Investor

Welcome to the 1st episode of The Twenty Minute VC, on today's show we have Guy Kawasaki, Guy is the Founding Partner of Garage Technology Ventures, a seed & early stage venture capital fund investing in extraordinary entrepreneurs with unique technologies. Previously, he was Chief Evangelist of Apple Inc and an advisor to the Motorala Business Unit of Google. Guy is also the author of many best selling books including the recent best seller, The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users.

In this episode we delve into:

• Why Guy made the transition into the VC industry?
• What is the most important aspect for a startup to have?
• What drives Guy insane about startup founders today?
• What books Guy gives to aspiring entrepreneurs?
• What software & apps Guy cannot live without?

We then finish on a quick fire round where we discover Guy's thoughts on the future of Amazon, Tesla and whether we really are in the midst of a tech bubble.

All of the products mentioned in todays show can be found at www.thetwentyminutevc.com

If you love the show, please do leave a review on the iTunes store and don't forget to subscribe!