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Venture Capitalists Are Using Podcasts to Lure in Founders

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Re: Venture Capitalists Are Using Podcasts to Lure in Founders

#31

Post by alephnerd »

bradgessler wrote: post #27
jedberg wrote: post #11

I feel like "lure" was used here to trigger people. The smartest thing a VC ever said to me was, "I am in the business of selling money. I'm a salesman, money is my product, and I'm trying to convince you to buy it from me by telling you how my money is better than everyone else's". VCs have to prove their value to startups, because good ones have choices. A podcast is a great marketing opportunity.

There always seems to be this implication in anti-VC rhetoric that founders are somehow gullible to VC's (whatever that means). I've yet to meet a founder where this is true.

Most people on HN aren't even founders or experienced ICs anymore. It seems to be burnt out junior ICs with a chip on their back, as well as a lot of overlap with some of the more toxic parts of Reddit.

Re: Venture Capitalists Are Using Podcasts to Lure in Founders

#33

Post by max_ »

I think people under estimate how difficult it is to raise money from VCs.

I a currently trying to raise my first round but it is so difficult.

I sent close to 100 pitches & all of them have passed on the investment.

VCs normally say the only invest in business that are referred to them by people they already know.

I am starting to believe that may apply to all of them.

Re: Venture Capitalists Are Using Podcasts to Lure in Founders

#34

Post by treyd »

neverokay wrote: post #22
divbzero wrote: post #14

The article doesn’t quite capture that a16z, in my memory, played a major role in popularizing podcasts as a direct media strategy. Fred Wilson, for example, was commenting on it way back in 2014 [1]. [1]: https://avc.com/2014/03/the-a16z-podcast/

I’ve talked a lot about propaganda as a war invention, like many great technological advancements, found its way into these civilian systems. Capturing mindshare with propaganda is basically what this is. Marketing is the commercial term (brand ambassador, Orwell sleeps soundly). Propaganda has a lot more coercive connotations.

This is very true. What so many large corporations (VC firms like in the article, but also firms like Nestle, Google, Exxon Mobil, etc) are doing here has many of the same features as what governments do by producing propaganda. They have some set of interests and they want to convince the public to see things from their perspective and get popular consent.

It's not necessarily nefarious, but if there's a need to do it in the first place then it often has self-serving end goals in mind.

Re: Venture Capitalists Are Using Podcasts to Lure in Founders

#35

Post by Animats »

There's so much dumb VC money again that there's a shortage of startups?

Looks like the next big growth area is weapons. Big market for artillery ammunition. Lower-cost smart weapons are needed in quantity. Drones are needed in vast quantities. AI-powered murderbot drones that don't need a radio link have real market potential.

Re: Venture Capitalists Are Using Podcasts to Lure in Founders

#36

Post by [deleted] »

treyd wrote: post #34
neverokay wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve talked a lot about propaganda as a war invention, like many great technological advancements, found its way into these civilian systems. Capturing mindshare with propaganda is basically what this is. Marketing is the commercial term (brand ambassador, Orwell sleeps soundly). Propaganda has a lot more coercive connotations.

This is very true. What so many large corporations (VC firms like in the article, but also firms like Nestle, Google, Exxon Mobil, etc) are doing here has many of the same features as what governments do by producing propaganda. They have some set of interests and they want to convince the public to see things from their perspective and get popular consent. It's not necessarily nefarious, but if there's a need to do…

[deleted]

Re: Venture Capitalists Are Using Podcasts to Lure in Founders

#37

Post by [deleted] »

throw3452away wrote: post #12
senkora wrote: post #9

I sometimes listen to (parts of) the All-In podcast because I think it is useful to understand what powerful people in our industry think. The four of them are really quite unlikable, and I can confidently say that if any of them happen to read this comment then they would not care in the slightest that I said that.

I have the same thought process. What do they think about current high level trends, the economy, but otherwise I don't think very highly of them. The one bio science guy is decent, somewhat grounded compared to the others. I did get kind of tried of their non-stop AI hype train talk. Seems like for majority of the last 1-2 years that's all they've talked about most of the time.

[deleted]

Re: Venture Capitalists Are Using Podcasts to Lure in Founders

#38

Post by rKarpinski »

max_ wrote: post #33

I think people under estimate how difficult it is to raise money from VCs. I a currently trying to raise my first round but it is so difficult. I sent close to 100 pitches & all of them have passed on the investment. VCs normally say the only invest in business that are referred to them by people they already know. I am starting to believe that may apply to all of them.

> VCs normally say the only invest in business that are referred to them by people they already know.

> I am starting to believe that may apply to all of them.

Maybe you should listen to their advice? Why not take a targeted approach and focus on getting referrals

Re: Venture Capitalists Are Using Podcasts to Lure in Founders

#39

Post by mtillman »

jedberg wrote: post #11

I feel like "lure" was used here to trigger people. The smartest thing a VC ever said to me was, "I am in the business of selling money. I'm a salesman, money is my product, and I'm trying to convince you to buy it from me by telling you how my money is better than everyone else's". VCs have to prove their value to startups, because good ones have choices. A podcast is a great marketing opportunity.

I've heard this pitch too. My favorite is when a VC told me my expectations were "too high as 90% of us couldn't get a job at Goldman and that we are just content marketers" which I felt was wonderfully honest.

Re: Venture Capitalists Are Using Podcasts to Lure in Founders

#40

Post by boringg »

divbzero wrote: post #23
ch4s3 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They'd probably say that likability is orthogonal to picking and mentoring successful startups.

But likability is correlated with convincing successful startups to accept their investments.

It most certainly isn't. Maybe in a founder friendly thats a competitive advantage.
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