the best venture capital podcast episodes
A hand-picked, playable selection of the best podcast episodes for this topic — each with the reason it earned its spot. Press play on any pick, or build your own playlist free.
Why these picks
8 episodes curated for "the best venture capital podcast episodes"
The curated episodes
8 episodes — each chosen for a reason you can read below.
Why this pick: This Invest Like the Best episode with Neil Mehta of Greenoaks Capital directly explores venture capital strategies for identifying S&P 500-level companies. Mehta shares high-conviction bets like Coupang (40% of fund), frameworks for exceptional founders, jaw-dropping customer experiences, and a concentrated portfolio approach yielding 33% net IRR. It offers deep, practical insights from one of VC's most successful concentrated investors.
Why this pick: Josh Kushner of Thrive Capital discusses concentration and conviction in venture investing on Invest Like the Best. He covers iconic deals like Instagram, Stripe, GitHub, and OpenAI, explaining how Thrive maintains a small team while managing $50B with deep involvement in portfolio companies. This provides elite VC perspectives on building firms, enabling artists/inventors, and current AI investment categories.
Why this pick: Kamran Ansari, investor in Plaid, Klarna, Venmo, and Acorns, breaks down VC evolution in an AI-first world on the Venture Capital podcast. He explains why the market is splitting into mega-funds vs early specialists, how founder quality trumps all, and AI's impact on sourcing/underwriting in fintech. Practical for understanding modern VC decision-making and exceptions that become great investments.
Why this pick: Sahir Azam, Partner at Index Ventures and former CPO at MongoDB, analyzes what separates top enterprise sellers and how sales leaders build scalable operating models. This directly addresses go-to-market excellence crucial for VC-backed companies scaling to billions. Combines operator and investor perspectives on building sales discipline, accountability, and culture in high-growth startups.
Why this pick: This business news podcast analyzes a secretive VC stock that owns SpaceX and Anthropic which recently IPO'd, alongside Gap's AI hoodie and other innovation stories. It provides timely context on current VC-backed companies going public and AI applications in consumer products. While more news-oriented, it highlights real-world venture outcomes and market reactions.
Why this pick: Michael Lazerow shares lessons from building and selling companies like Buddy Media (to Salesforce) and discusses what it takes to create billion-dollar businesses in the AI era. He emphasizes timing, demand, storytelling, and moats over technology alone. Valuable for VCs and founders understanding how venture-backed companies actually achieve massive scale.
Why this pick: Mike Heller, Partner at Floodgate (early investor in Twitch, Lyft, Twitter), discusses sales hiring for VC-backed startups and what makes elite reps. Drawing from his time at Dropbox and Clearbit, he covers why smooth talkers fail, when to hire first AE, and traits like speed and super learning that VCs seek in founders. Essential for understanding GTM in early-stage venture.
Why this pick: Kyle Grieve bridges value investing and venture capital on The Investor's Podcast, exploring power laws, network effects, Moore's Law, and why investors should hold high-potential winners. He explains why selling too early destroys returns and how modest positions can become massive. Offers a unique lens for long-term thinkers entering or evaluating VC-style opportunities.