The Full Ratchet (TFR): Venture Capital and Startup Investing Demystified

Jaksot

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  517. Fear and Greed in AI, The Rise of Kingmakers, and Is Seed the Sucker Round? (John Chen) 14.09.2026 48min

  John Chen of Fika Ventures joins Nick to discuss Fear and Greed in AI, The Rise of Kingmakers, and Is Seed the Sucker Round?. In this episode we cover: Differences Between Bay Area and LA Founders  Lessons from Emergence and Building Fika  Investing in AI Native Services and Copilots  Challenges and Opportunities in Seed Investing  Founder Profiles and Career Paths Guest Links: John's LinkedIn John's X Fika Ventures' LinkedIn Fika Ventures' Website The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.
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  Investor Stories 492: Best Questions from Grant Emery, Ben Black, and Glenn Solomon: Market Truths, Enduring Value, and Founder Conviction (Demaree, Black, Solomon) 10.09.2026 5min

  On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Grant Demaree of Onebrief Ben Black of Akkadian Ventures Glenn Solomon of Notable Capital We asked guests to share the best question they've ever been asked by an allocator. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.
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  Investor Stories 491: What Visionary Leaders at Jackpocket, Vercel, and Microsoft Do Differently(Peter Davis, Solomon, Vaidya) 03.09.2026 5min

  On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Mark Peter Davis of Interplay Glenn Solomon of Notable Capital Vivek Vaidya of super{set} We asked guests to discuss the most visionary founder that they've worked with and what makes them so special. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.
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  516. AI Cost Structures and Pricing, Proprietary Data Sets That Create Moats, and a Clear Method for Determining Which Problem to Solve First (Vivek Vaidya) 31.08.2026 44min

  Vivek Vaidya of super{set} joins Nick to discuss AI Cost Structures and Pricing, Proprietary Data Sets That Create Moats, and a Clear Method for Determining Which Problem to Solve First. In this episode we cover: Challenges and Considerations in Selling Companies  Building Companies and the Importance of Selling Ahead  Navigating AI-Native Products and Cost Structures  Valuation and Pricing of AI Companies  Data as a Moat in the AI Era  Distinguishing Between Frontier Labs and Startups  Open Source and Data Security in AI Products Guest Links: Vivek's LinkedIn Vivek's X super{set}'s LinkedIn super{set}'s Website The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.
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  Investor Stories 490: Investors from Volition, Acadian Ventures, and Interplay Ventures on Building Competence, Operating Experience, and Investing with Purpose (Cheng, Black, Peter Davis) 27.08.2026 6min

  On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Larry Cheng of Volition Capital Ben Black of Akkadian Ventures and Powerlaw Corp Mark Peter Davis of Interplay We asked guests for the most important piece of advice that they'd share with folks early in their venture career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.
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  Investor Stories 489: Missing Airbnb, Zocdoc, and Prediction Markets — Lessons from the Deals Investors Passed On (Demaree, Peter Davis, Solomon) 20.08.2026 5min

  On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Grant Demaree of Onebrief Mark Peter Davis of Interplay Glenn Solomon of Notable Capital Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.
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  515. 3 Multi-Billion-Dollar Exits in 1 Year, Lessons from Airbnb, HashiCorp, Slack, and Square, The VC Case for Staying Small, and the Battle Between Open-Weight vs. Closed Models (Glenn Solomon) 17.08.2026 1t 1min

  Glenn Solomon of Notable Capital joins Nick to discuss 3 Multi-Billion-Dollar Exits in 1 Year, Lessons from Airbnb, HashiCorp, Slack, and Square, The VC Case for Staying Small, and the Battle Between Open-Weight vs. Closed Models. In this episode we cover: Identifying Unique Investment Opportunities  The Impact of Fund Size on Investment Strategy  Challenges of Overfunding and Market Dynamics  Growth and Real Success in the AI Era  The Role of Hyperscalers and Frontier Labs  Public Market Sentiment and IPO Considerations  Future of Venture Capital and Notable's Strategy Investing in Anthropic and Market Dynamics  Guest Links: Glenn's LinkedIn Glenn's X Notable's LinkedIn Notable's Website The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.
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  Investor Stories 488: Losing Conviction, Overpaying for Discounts, and Selling Too Early — Lessons from Volition, Acadian, and Interplay (Cheng, Black, Peter Davis) 13.08.2026 6min

  On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Larry Cheng of Volition Capital Ben Black of Akkadian Ventures and Powerlaw Corp Mark Peter Davis of Interplay We asked guests to tell the most important lesson they've learned in their career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.
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  Investor Stories 487: Legal Battles, Founder Fraud, and High-Stakes Conflict — Lessons from Investors at Acadian Ventures, Interplay Ventures, and OneBrief (Demaree, Black, Peter Davis) 06.08.2026 8min

  On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Grant Demaree of Onebrief Ben Black of Akkadian Ventures Powerlaw Corp Mark Peter Davis of Interplay We discuss major conflicts that guests have faced and how they resolved them. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.
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  514. AI's Effect on the Demand Curve, Investing in Durable Barriers, Large Cap vs. Small Cap Seed Deals, and Building an Internal AI Machine (Mark Peter Davis) 03.08.2026 48min

  Mark Peter Davis of Interplay joins Nick to discuss AI's Effect on the Demand Curve, Investing in Durable Barriers, Large Cap vs. Small Cap Seed Deals, and Building an Internal AI Machine. In this episode we cover: AI's Role in Interplay's Operations Investment Strategy and Early Signals Impact of AI on Software and Venture Capital Job Displacement and New Opportunities Barriers and Durability in Software Companies Challenges for Traditional Growth Companies AI Native Services and Market Segmentation Guest Links: Mark Peter Davis's LinkedIn Mark Peter Davis's X Interplay's LinkedIn Interplay's Website The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter
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  Investor Stories 486: The Traits of Visionary Founders: Ecosystem-Scale Thinking, Data-Driven Truth-Seeking, and Relentless Customer Experience Design (Blank, Demaree, Cheng) 30.07.2026 8min

  On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Steve Blank of the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation Grant Demaree of Onebrief Larry Cheng of Volition Capital We asked guests to discuss the most visionary founder that they've worked with and what makes them so special. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.
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  Investor Stories 485: Inside VC Anti-Portfolios: Missing Whatnot, Facebook & MongoDB (Dillon, Cheng, Black) 23.07.2026 6min

  On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Natalie Dillon of Maveron Larry Cheng of Volition Capital Ben Black of Akkadian Ventures and Powerlaw Corp Each investor highlights a situation where they decided not to invest, why they passed, and how it played out. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.
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  513. Opening Late-Stage Venture to Everyone, Beating 10-Year Lockups, Why Logos Don't Equal Alpha, and Building Power Law as a Public VC Fund (Ben Black) 20.07.2026 44min

  Ben Black of Co-founder & MD of Akkadian Ventures and CIO of Powerlaw Corp joins Nick to discuss Opening Late-Stage Venture to Everyone, Beating 10-Year Lockups, Why Logos Don't Equal Alpha, and Building Power Law as a Public VC Fund. In this episode we cover: Details of Power Law's Portfolio and Investment Strategy Challenges and Benefits of Power Law Innovation and Evolution in Venture Capital Balancing Demand and Supply in Power Law Regulatory Compliance and Educational Efforts Future of Power Law and Market Positioning Guest Links: Ben's LinkedIn Ben's X Powerlaw Corp (PWRL)'s LinkedIn Powerlaw Corp (PWRL)'s Website Akkadian Ventures' Website The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter
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  Investor Stories 484: Why Selling Too Early Hurts Returns, The Leadership Power of Sleep, and The Costliest Investment Mistakes (Tananbaum, Ries, Demaree) 16.07.2026 6min

  On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Jim Tananbaum of Foresite Capital Eric Ries Author of The Lean Startup Grant Demaree of Onebrief We asked guests to tell the most important lesson they've learned in their career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.
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  Investor Stories 483: Best LP Questions from David Ulevich, Eric Ries, and Larry Cheng: Mission, Partnership Culture, and Enduring Institutions (Ulevitch, Ries, Cheng) 09.07.2026 6min

  On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: David Ulevitch of Andreessen Horowitz Eric Ries author of "The Lean Startup" Larry Cheng of Volition Capital We asked guests to share the best question they've ever been asked by an allocator. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.
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  512. Is SpaceX Over or Undervalued, Why Consensus Kills, How Chewy Beat Amazon, and the GameStop Saga from a Board Member (Larry Cheng) 06.07.2026 42min

  Larry Cheng of Volition Capital joins Nick to discuss Is SpaceX Over or Undervalued, Why Consensus Kills, How Chewy Beat Amazon, and the GameStop Saga from a Board Member. In this episode we cover: E-commerce and AI-Driven Era GameStop's Transformative Moves SpaceX's Market Cap and Future Value AI and Software Industry Impact of AI on Jobs and Companies Volition Capital's Investment Thesis Investor Mindset and Risk Management Board Management and Advice for Founders Guest Links: Larry's LinkedIn Larry's X Volition's LinkedIn Volition's Website The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.
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  Investor Stories 482: Key Advice from a Top Investor and Two Unicorn Founders: Why Companies Pick Investors, Authentic Leadership, and Loving the Game (Austin, Schlacks, Demaree) 02.07.2026 6min

  On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Ethan Austin of Outside VC Willy Schlacks of EquipmentShare Grant Demaree of Onebrief We asked guests for the most important piece of advice that they'd share with folks early in their venture career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.
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  Investor Stories 481: Lessons Learned from Centana Growth, a16z, and Emergence: Trusting Management, Spotting Original Thinkers, and Investing Before Revenue (Byunn, Ulevitch, Saper) 25.06.2026 5min

  On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Eric Byunn of Centana Growth David Ulevitch of Andreessen Horowitz Jake Saper of Emergence Capital We asked guests to tell the most important lesson they've learned in their career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.
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  511. The Future of Military Planning: Defense Tech Beyond the Bubble, AI Software as Combat Power, and the Rise of AI Wargaming (Grant Demaree) 22.06.2026 48min

  Grant Demaree of Onebrief joins Nick to discuss The Future of Military Planning: Defense Tech Beyond the Bubble, AI Software as Combat Power, and the Rise of AI Wargaming. In this episode we cover: West Point and Army Background's Impact on Founding One Brief Challenges and Insights in Military Planning Co-Founder Relationships and Founder Mode Future of One Brief and Defense Tech Defense Tech and American Hegemony Military Staff of the Future Guest Links: Grant's LinkedIn Grant's X Onebrief's LinkedIn Onebrief's Website The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.
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  Investor Stories 480: The Traits of Visionary Founders: Customer Obsession, Self Disruption, and Why Love Can Be a Competitive Advantage (Dillon, Patnam, Ries) 18.06.2026 7min

  On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Natalie Dillon of Maveron Sandesh Patnam of Premji Invest Eric Ries Author of The Lean Startup We asked guests to discuss the most visionary founder that they've worked with and what makes them so special. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.