The Scale Podcast
The art, the science, and the business of startups!
The Scale Podcast: the art, the science and the business of startups, is aimed at founders, builders and operators of startups.
Lack of mentorship and advisory is one of the main reasons many high potential founders and startups fail to take flight. We feature national and global experts in building, operating and funding of startups to provide founders and operators access to cutting-edge, relevant and actionable information in startup building, operating, scaling and fundraising. Our guests include global VCs with multi-unicorn portfolios, Canadian, US and global founders with hundreds of millions raised, corporate VCs from Fortune500 companies, super-angels from Silicon Valley, family offices from US, EU, Middle-East, and South-East Asia, plus sovereign funds from around the globe.
Latest Episode
Episode 5 - Aaron Chin
Vancouver
Organika
Content
02:23 Power of listening ๐๐ฏ
05:16 Balance between set structures and nimbleness ๐ช ๐ชข
06:26 Of best laid plans ๐๐ข
08:53 Global knowledge driven innovation ๐๐
15:45 Trends and trendlines๐ฎ๐
21:15 The magic pill is already here?๐๐ฆ
25:10 What you need to know before launching a consumer brand๐ธ๐ผ๐งโโ๏ธ
Past Episodes
Episode 1 - Boris Wertz
Vancouver
Version One VC
Content
02:44 Opportunity cost of chasing the wrong idea for too long โฐโ๏ธ
07:50 Moving fast and breaking things but being mindful of one-way doors ๐ท๐ช
10:10 Pivot or not to pivot ๐๐ข
16:08 How to pick a good team/founder to invest in ๐ฅท๐
18:05 AI game โ why incumbents rule ๐งถ๐ชข
24:47 What makes a winning founder ๐๐ฏ
30:54 How many co-founders is too many co-founders ๐ซ๐
Episode 2 - Jason Smith
Vancouver
Klue
Content
2:10 How to decide what to build โ๐
6:08 That fine line between bullish and bullshit ๐ ๐
8:16 Lightening strikes vs. the great grind โก๏ธ๐ข
10:32 Can I iterate with you? ๐๏ธ๐ญ
14:18 Founder conviction โ the master key ๐๐งต
16:54 Two paths to raising a 100 million dollar round ๐ฅท๐ด
18:55 Key ingredient of a successful VC conversation - many dots to make a line ๐งถ๐ฏ
21:58 Only the paranoid survive ๐ฆ ๐ฆ
Episode 3 - Michael Lints
Doha
Golden Gate VC
Content
04:34 Product technology driven vs. business model innovation startups ๐ช๐
11:11 What will change our world more - AI or Ozempic ๐ค๐
13:39 Sticking to investment thesis vs. following market trends ๐๐
15:50 Importance of having a investment thesis ๐๐๏ธโโ๏ธ
17:11 Founder X factor โ does it matter ๐ผ๐ชฌ
18:20 Founder as a magnet ๐งฒ ๐งญ
22:32 Investability of solo founders vs. teams ๐ฐ๐ซ
Episode 4 - Alexander Vaselek
Frankfurt
CIMEDO
Content
02:33 Survival of the fittest - AI Goliaths & Davids ๐๐ฃ
07:01 How much AI is too much AI? ๐ค๐ฉโ๐ญ
08:24 Derisking investing in a risky climate ๐ฅ
๐ฐ
11:58 Best way to get investor feedback ๐ฏ๐ข
15:21 The smell of trust ๐๐ก
16:36 Do you punch back? ๐ฅ๐๏ธ
23:22 Power of human connection โ๐ฉ