Best Seed Funding Challenges Podcasts (2025)

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From the Forces to Investing in Deeptech, Dual-Use, and the Defence Sector 1:00:25

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2h ago1:00:25

1:00:25

In the latest Seedcamp Deep Dive, our Managing Partner, Carlos Eduardo Espinal, discusses the complexities of investing in deeptech, dual-use and the defence sector. He's joined by two distinguished guests from defence and investment backgrounds: Nicola Sinclair, General Partner at Twin Track Ventures, and Samuel Burrell, Partner at Expeditions Fun…

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Your Small Brand Could Win Big in CPG Right Now, Here’s Why 16:48

2d ago16:48

16:48

CPG products are notoriously hard to launch, fund, and get onto shelves. That’s why the failure rate is so high. But what if right now is actually the best time to do it? The barrier to entry has never been lower, the consumer has never been easier to reach, and the path from idea to traction has never been more open. You can test, sell, and scale …

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What Every CPG Founder Should Know Before Raising a Dollar w/ Debbie Wildrick 44:20

7d ago44:20

44:20

When most people dream about launching a consumer product, they imagine seeing it on store shelves—but few realize what it actually takes to get there. The (painful) truth is, success in CPG isn’t about having a great idea. It’s about surviving the numbers. Most founders underestimate how much money, time, and data it really takes to earn that spot…

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How Much Should You Really Spend on a Pitch Deck? 20:43

16d ago20:43

20:43

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The Brutal Truth About Scaling Your Business (Things Will Break) w/ Josh Hatter 47:14

22d ago47:14

47:14

When you’re building a business that appeals to investors, you have to show that you can scale and stabilize at every level. But here’s the thing - scaling isn’t clean or painless…it’s not supposed to be. It almost always means that things will break. Systems will strain, processes will collapse, and the business will feel unstable. This is inevita…

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S2E04: Resilience as a Thesis: Tahira Dosani on Building for Underserved Markets and AI in Fintech 57:44

25d ago57:44

57:44

Some investors are motivated by the thought of multiplying their fund, securing a bigger slice of the cap table, or, of course, successfully filing for a coveted IPO. But for Tahira Dosani, all she has to do is remember the economic instability of her childhood and she’s immediately re-anchored to her why behind it all. First came the career, start…

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Why Your Pitch Deck is Important (It’s Not About Stuffing in Every Detail) 30:00

1M ago30:00

30:00

A lot of founders go into fundraising with the wrong idea about pitch decks. They think the deck has to include everything, every detail about the product, every market stat, every bio. But that’s not what a pitch deck is for. The real job of your deck is simple: get you to the next step. It’s not supposed to win the deal on the spot. It’s supposed…

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#34: Jay Dignan – Cracking the Seaweed Code: How Fucoidan Unlocks a Profitable Business Model 1:16:20

1M ago1:16:20

1:16:20

Send us a text As the founder of BioMara, a marine biotech startup based in Scotland, Jay Dignan is dedicated to transforming regenerative seaweed into functional and healthy B2B ingredients for the food and wellness industries. His professional journey began in New Zealand and includes a diverse range of experiences, from deep-sea salvage and work…

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8 Lessons from Podcasting That Will Make You Better at Raising Capital 21:08

2M ago21:08

21:08

Podcasting and fundraising don’t seem to have much in common until you’ve done both. On the surface, each looks shiny and glamorous. But behind the curtain, they’re two of the hardest things to stick with, and that’s why most people quit before they ever see results. What makes them work isn’t polish or perfection, it’s the grit to keep showing up,…

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Beyond Silicon: Navigating The Future of Semiconductor Innovation and Geopolitics 46:46

2M ago46:46

46:46

In the latest episode of This Much I Know, our Managing Partner, Carlos Espinal and Nandan Nayampally, Chief Commercial Officer of Baya Systems (previously at ARM, Amazon and AMD), delve into the geopolitics and innovations within the semiconductor industry.Nandan shares his extensive career journey from AMD to ARM and Amazon, providing valuable in…

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This Is What Happens When You Don’t Pitch With Passion 24:04

2M ago24:04

24:04

When you’re getting ready to pitch investors, it’s easy to get caught up in saying all the right things. You want to sound polished, credible, maybe even impressive. But in trying to be professional, you might be dialing down the one thing that matters most in the room: your passion. And I don’t mean hype or over-the-top energy. I’m talking about r…

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#33: Kira Smiley – Seeing the Unseen: Ocean Tech, AI, and the Data-Driven Future of Aquaculture 1:13:34

2M ago1:13:34

1:13:34

Send us a text Kira Smiley is the Global Director of Sales and Marketing at TidalX AI, a startup born from Google[x] (now X, the moonshot factory), focused on developing radical technologies to support the ocean economy while sustainably managing and protecting it. Since joining Tidal in 2020, Kira has worn several hats across business development,…

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Risk Tolerance: The #1 Skill Founders Need That No One Talks About 21:37

3M ago21:37

21:37

When you’re building a company, it’s tempting to obsess over tactics. What to put in your deck, who to pitch next, which lever to pull. But that’s not what separates the founders who break through from the ones who burn out. It’s not tactics, it’s tolerance. Your tolerance for risk, rejection, ambiguity, and delayed wins is the true edge in early-s…

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8 Ways To Overcome Rejection And Being In Limbo 24:51

3M ago24:51

24:51

You’re doing all you can to reach out to investors, showing up, pitching, and doing everything right, but you’re still getting no’s… or worse: crickets. Like many businesses, fundraising slows down in summer. Feeling in limbo is one of the worst feelings, and can be super discouraging. Investors are on vacation, inboxes are quiet, and momentum feel…

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How to Raise $20M by Breaking the #1 Fundraising Rule w/ Alexander Wulff 47:44

3M ago47:44

47:44

If you’re walking investors through your pitch deck slide-by-slide. Hiding the biggest risk in your business until the very end or treating meetings like job interviews, you’re making the same mistakes that keep founders stuck in the endless cycle of “we’ll pass for now.” Fundraising isn’t just about your traction or your vision. It’s about breakin…

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Find Your Who: The Real Reason You’re Too Busy to Pitch Investors 13:03

3M ago13:03

13:03

You’re not “too busy” to fundraise, you just have too much on your plate. If you keep telling yourself you’ll start pitching investors “next month,” but that month never comes, this episode is for you. Because let’s be honest, fundraising isn’t something you accidentally find time for. It’s something you make time for. And if your calendar is packe…

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Miro’s CEO Andrey Khusid on navigating explosive growth 43:29

4M ago43:29

43:29

In an in-depth conversation with our Managing Partner, Carlos Eduardo Espinal, Miro’s co-founder and CEO, Andrey Khusid shares his incredible founder journey, from starting Realtime Board, his simple idea of bringing whiteboards into browsers, to Miro, now a global organization valued at nearly $20 billion. He reflects on the company’s explosive gr…

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Full-Time Entrepreneurship vs. Side Hustle: Paying the Bills While You Pitch 14:43

4M ago14:43

14:43

There’s nothing that crushes your confidence quite like staring at your bank balance and realizing you might not make your bills in a few months. Your savings are dwindling, you’ve got a life to pay for, and there’s still no funding in sight. At the same time, you still have to step up, sell your vision, and pitch your startup like everything’s fin…

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#32: Linzi Hawkin – Impact Strategy Expert On Building Purpose-Driven Ocean Businesses That Make Real Impact And Real Money 1:24:33

4M ago1:24:33

1:24:33

Send us a text Linzi Hawkin is a creative strategist passionate about protecting the ocean through the power of strategy, storytelling, and education. She is the co-founder of Protect Blue - an ocean-focused organisation built around two core pathways: a creative agency that partners with NGOs, governments, and brands to drive tangible impact, and …

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Building Your Startup Community: From Zero to Funded w/ Neil Bloom 38:07

4M ago38:07

38:07

If you're in the early-stage and struggling to find the right investors and feeling lost in the startup maze, we totally get it, we’ve been there. It's no easy task to leave that comfortable job with big dreams but zero roadmap. When I first started my entrepreneurial journey, I had no clue how to network, who to talk to, or where to even begin bui…

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How To Build Investor Relationships Before Asking For Money w/Jay Kriner 46:35

4M ago46:35

46:35

Listen as Jay reveals the strategic approach he took that led to a successful pre-seed funding round in just 4 weeks! Jay Kriner, a Shark Tank alum turned tech entrepreneur, shares his methodical 9-month strategy for building investor relationships before ever making an ask. His approach centers on authentic networking, professional preparation, an…

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#31: Olly Hicks – World Record Ocean Explorer Turned Aquaculture Entrepreneur, the Expedition Mindset Every Ocean Entrepreneur Needs to Succeed, Nutrient Credits and Securing Funding for Ocean Projects ... 1:11:02

5M ago1:11:02

1:11:02

Send us a text Olly Hicks is a world record-breaking British ocean explorer, motivational speaker, and ocean entrepreneur. Known for his minimalistic, human-powered expeditions, Hicks is the first and currently only person to have rowed solo from America to England, completing this feat in 2005 at the age of 23, making him the youngest person to ro…

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Don’t Be That Founder w/ Shaun Gold 59:00

5M ago59:00

59:00

Want to know the hard truth? Today we have Shaun Gold, a polymath and entrepreneur with extensive experience in pitch decks and fundraising (oh and bonus, he’s hilarious). He shares killer insights on the common pitfalls you’ll face when making pitch decks and pitching investors to raise seed money. With plenty of humor, he talks about the importan…

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S2E03: Atoms over bits: Investing in hardware and innovative founders to solve climate challenges - Sundeep Ahuja, Climate Capital 41:30

5M ago41:30

41:30

We’ve welcomed investors with unique backgrounds to First Funders before, but Sundeep Ahuja is our first operator-turned-actor-turned-investor. Sundeep is all in on all things climate tech. He’s backing founders leading the way in cleaning up our water, purifying our air, and keeping our planet the way it should be: livable. Today, his micro fund a…

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How to Build a Community Around Your Startup w/ Ash Lonare 1:06:30

5M ago1:06:30

1:06:30

In a competitive fundraising environment, traction is everything. Investors want to see proof that people care about what you’re building, and few signals are stronger than an active, engaged community. When customers gather around your product, share ideas, support each other, and drive word-of-mouth growth, you’re not just building a loyal user b…

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What is a CPA, What Do They Do & Why every Business Needs One? I Blanchette & Gallucci Inc 46:47

5M ago46:47

46:47

In this podcast episode, join Cathy Bernard and Ann Blanchette, a seasoned CPA Auditeur at Blanchette & Gallucci Inc., as she shares insights from her 15 years in accounting. Ann emphasizes the value of obtaining a CPA title, discusses her firm's specialization in financial statements and tax returns for small and medium businesses, and sheds light…

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A Founder’s Guide to IP Protection: How to Use Patents, Trademarks, Copyright and More w/ Raymond DiPerna 1:01:50

5M ago1:01:50

1:01:50

Patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and copyrights: if you’re building a startup, these aren’t “nice to haves,” they’re mission-critical. Locking down your intellectual property protects your ideas, your company, your product. And it makes your startup more attractive to investors. Whether it’s your brand name, your technology, or your trade secret…

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What Investors Really Look For w/ Mike Sherbakov 48:50

6M ago48:50

48:50

Many founders have a killer product, a passionate team, and traction, but they don’t realize that investors are really betting on THEM. The truth is, your projections don’t need to be perfect, your deck doesn’t need to be perfect. But you need to do the things that most people won’t do to stand out. You need to show that you are strategic, thoughtf…

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Why Handshake Deals in Business Go Bad with Devan Gonzalez 49:30

6M ago49:30

49:30

Why do handshake deals in business go bad? I get it, it starts with good intentions, you're grinding to raise money, and when a friend or family member shows interest, it feels like a lifeline. So you say yes. Sometimes that verbal commitment feels rock solid. And then a surprise cash injection seems too good to question. But this is exactly why ha…

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Common Mistakes In Seeking Funding: Traction vs. Capital w/ Josh Payne 50:35

6M ago50:35

50:35

If you ask seasoned investors what the common mistakes in seeking funding are, chances are you're making at least one of them — maybe without even realizing it. That mistake? Being so focused on raising capital that you forget to keep building traction in your business. Yes, it's easy to do when you "feel" like you need the funding to get to the ne…

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S2E02: Before Clay Was a Unicorn: The First Check, the Thesis, and the Long Game - Andre Charoo, Maple VC 1:14:00

6M ago1:14:00

1:14:00

Canadians have been the lifeblood behind some of the biggest unicorn startups of the past few years (think Open AI, Uber, Slack, Instacart, Notion, Databricks, CloudFlare, Roblox, Ethereum, Moderna Health, and Clay to name a few), and yet no one talks about them, except for Andre Charoo. And he’s not just talking – he’s putting his money behind Can…

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Red Flags in Investor Deals: Watch Out For This Before You Say Yes 21:02

6M ago21:02

21:02

Finding an investor and getting the funding you need is a huge win, BUT it’s not the whole story. There can be red flags in investor deals that founders need to watch for and navigate. The truth is: not every investor is right for you, and not every deal will favor you. Some investors might do more harm than good and even screw you over in the end.…

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Why Not All Traction Is Equal | Aligning Latam’s Agtech Innovation with Industry Needs | The Role of LPs in Early VC Investing | Long-Term Thinking in Fundraising, with Galit Flasterstein, Managing Partner ... 54:46

6M ago54:46

54:46

Biodiversity as an Advantage Galit is a Managing Partner at Danta Fund, a VC firm that backs early-stage agritech startups in Latin America. Danta Fund has the mission of filling three main voids in Latin America: funding in early-stage agri-tech startups, mentorship to guide their founders, and connection with larger markets to help them grow. Top…

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Avoid These 2 Mistakes- Straight From The White Lotus 13:16

6M ago13:16

13:16

As much as I avoid real life drama with all my might, I’ve been guilty of falling into some of these White Lotus character traps in business. Yes it’s a show about people who are conflicted and struggle through their emotions and relationships (among other many things), but it actually has some solid lessons that can be valuable in the startup/fund…

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Path to Market: Adapting Sales Strategies for Startups and Enterprise with Fanny Talagrand of Stripe 40:39

6M ago40:39

40:39

In the latest episode of “Path to Market,” Natasha and Micah are joined by Fanny Talagrand, Head of EMEA sales for startups and SMBs at Stripe to discuss key sales strategies from startups to enterprises. Drawing from her extensive experience in global tech companies like Google Cloud and Stripe, Fanny emphasizes the importance of understanding use…

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Unlocking Unsung Potential | LATAM Biotech’s Global Path | What Investors Really Look For | Avoiding Unforced Errors | Why Tulsa? | Building Cross-Border Deeptech Startups, with Michael Basch, GP and CEO ... 52:53

7M ago52:53

52:53

Why not Tulsa? Michael is the Founder, CEO, and General Partner of Atento Capital, a pre-seed and seed-stage VC firm focused on partnering with founders to build technology around healthcare, climate-tech, and business services. Topics in this episode 0:00 Intro 1:13 Michael’s Career Journey: From Founder to VC 4:07 The Origin Story of Atento Capit…

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Decoding Modern Challenges: AI, Cyber Policy, and Global Politics with Dr. Melanie Garson 42:53

7M ago42:53

42:53

In a new episode of This Much I Know, Carlos’s guest is Dr Melanie Garson, an associate professor at UCL and expert in cyber policy and geopolitics. Together they discuss critical issues in the current geopolitical and defence systems, including the evisceration of the US civil service, reactive politics, and the role of technology companies as geo…

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Why No Idea Is Truly Unique | Leveraging Warm Intros and Mentorships | Communicating Urgency and Opportunities to VCs | Success Beyond Funding | Inside NYU’s Acceleration Program with Khoa Ma, Associate ... 1:03:13

7M ago1:03:13

1:03:13

Are there unique ideas anymore? Khoa Ma is an Associate Director at Endless Frontier Labs, a program at NYU Stern School of Business for early-stage science and technology startups. Topics in this episode 0:00 Intro 1:07 Khoa’s Career Path 3:22 How Endless Frontier Labs Evaluates Startups 8:45 What Gets Startups Into Endless Frontier Labs 11:22 Mos…

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How Much Equity Should You Give Up in a Seed Round? What Founders Need to Know 23:04

7M ago23:04

23:04

On every Shark Tank episode, one of the most intense moments is when the founder and the investors start talking valuation—how much the company’s worth and how much equity the founder’s willing to give up. Figuring out how much equity you should give up in a seed round is a huge decision, and with it comes some serious consequences. No wonder it’s …

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S2E01: Lessons on AI, PM, and LLMs from founder, investor, and operator Shalin Mantri 1:17:04

7M ago1:17:04

1:17:04

You can be a founder. You can be an investor. You can be an operator. Or, you can be Shalin Mantri and be all three. This respected product leader got his start by founding a mobile app startup in the early iPhone days in 2011 and followed it up with product leadership in the early days of Uber, Skip and more recently, Google. He angel invests with…

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Balancing Risk Across Two Industries | From Scientist to VC to Founder | Building Trust Among Co-founders | Protecting IP & Unlocking Markets | Fundraising Insights from Brazil with Larissa de Farias Viana ... 57:22

7M ago57:22

57:22

Can a single innovation unlock multiple billion-dollar markets? Larissa is the CEO of APEXzymes, a Brazilian biotech startup that produces cost-effective enzymes for sustainable industrial applications. During our conversation, Larissa shares her journey from chemical engineering to venture capital and entrepreneurship. Topics in this episode 0:00 …

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Why Joining an Accelerator Could Be a Game-Changer for Your Startup 25:04

7M ago25:04

25:04

What do Postmates, Airbnb, and Twitch all have in common? They’re wildly successful startups that got a major boost by joining accelerator programs. Now, you don’t need to be chasing unicorn status to benefit from an accelerator. There are countless programs out there, each with different benefits, requirements, and growth expectations—so finding t…

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The Business Case for Carbon Capture | A $200B Opportunity | Rethinking Industrial Supply Chains | Why You Need to Talk to Customers Early | Leveraging Non-Dilutive Capital with Alexander Ip, CEO @ CERT ... 58:04

7M ago58:04

58:04

Is it possible to transform carbon emissions into everyday products? Alex is the CEO of CERT Systems, a Canadian climatetech startup that converts CO2 emissions into high-value chemicals. In this episode, Alex shares his journey from the lab bench to raising non-dilutive capital. Topics in this episode 0:00 Intro 1:16 Founding CERT Systems 3:14 Why…

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How NOT to Approach Investors: 7 Things That Will Ruin Your Pitch 15:07

7M ago15:07

15:07

If you’re pitching investors and you’re struggling to get the response you hoped for, you might be approaching them the wrong way. Or maybe you're gearing up for a big pitch and want to avoid missteps… There are common mistakes I see entrepreneurs make all the time, and today we're discussing the top 7 things NOT to do when pitching investors. Some…

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#30: OceanMade with Emily Power – From Microsoft to Kelp Pots, developing a biodegradable seed starter pot, designing a successful pre-sale campaign, navigating imposter syndrome and making decisions with ... 1:18:46

7M ago1:18:46

1:18:46

Send us a text Emily Power is the founder of OceanMade, who is bridging the gap between terrestrial agriculture and ocean innovation with her groundbreaking Kelp Pots. Sparked by Bren Smith's seaweed farming feature on '60 Minutes', Emily transitioned from her corporate role at Microsoft to ocean entrepreneurship. After pivoting from an initial sus…