Giving away 10% of your company before you have a product might seem like a reasonable price for mentorship and introductions.

But do the math at exit, and you get a very different story.

In this episode, Sophia Matveeva talks to Melanie Nabar, growth equity investor at Volition Capital, about ...

Your time, energy and capital are all scarce resources. Each has an opportunity cost.

And yet many founders make decisions about their ventures based on excitement rather than evidence — committing all three without ever asking the question a smart investor would ask first: is this actually wort...

Costs dropped 90%. Funding got 10x harder.

It’s now much cheaper to build an AI product than it was two years ago — and far harder to convince investors your product has a moat.

In this episode, Sophia Matveeva breaks down the four investing shifts shaping who gets funded, who doesn’t, and wh...

It is harder to raise funding as a non-technical founder as a non-technical one.

Some of this is silly stigma, but some of it is reasonable risk awareness.

Investors aren’t worried that you can’t code.

They are worried you’ll burn through their money because you don't know how to get a tech ...

Most founders think securing investors will solve all their problems.

But fundraising often creates a new set of challenges—misaligned expectations, endless reporting requests, and pressure that pulls focus from building the business.

The truth is, raising capital isn’t just about money. 

It’s...

From accelerators to corporate venture capital, most startup support structures fail to deliver. Investor and entrepreneur Andrew Ackerman explains why — and what founders and corporates should do instead.

With over 70 investments and hundreds of founders mentored, Andrew brings rare perspect...

What does it really take to build a tech ecosystem that endures — beyond PR launches and startup grants?

In this episode, Sophia Matveeva shares hard-won insights from working with governments, corporates, and investors on the frontlines of global digital transformation.

Whether you’re funding...

If you're a non-technical founder or corporate innovator, you've likely heard the myth: venture capital is exclusively for bankers or coders.

Promise Phelon shatters this misconception completely.

In this episode, Promise shares how she used her experience as a non-technical founder to become a...

What’s good for Big Tech isn’t always good for Little Tech, and vice versa.

In this episode, we’re breaking down the key differences between these two worlds and what they mean for you.

Listen to learn: 

• Which Big Tech lessons don't apply in Little Tech and vice versa.

• The unique adva

  ...

Think AI is just about adding chatbots to your business?

Think again.

In 2024, AI has completely transformed who can build tech companies and how they're funded - but there's also dangerous hype that's already landing companies in legal trouble.

We're in what economists call 'The Middle Times ...

There is a gap between when a technology gets invented, and its wide adaption.

In this gap, is exactly where the best opportunities lie.

Listen to this episode to learn why we are in the time of opportunity, and how to make the most of it.

You will learn:

• What the path that electricity took fr
...

Did you know that 90% of the internet depends on free licenses from open source software?

But what happens when those licenses stop being free?

Listen to this episode to find out.

You will learn from Paula Paul, Founder and Distinguished Engineer at Greyshore, who also serves also serves on the b...