Tank Talks By Ripple Ventures

The rise of influencer to VC is starting to hit its stride. This has been an evolution from celebrities like Ashton Kutcher to newsletter writers like Packy McCormick. Our guest today is a part of that trend, moving from Division I college football player at the University of Michigan to sales at IBM and Okta, and now Marell Evans, Founder and Managing Partner of Exceptional Capital, is a rising star in the VC world. He is making an impact through his connections to sports and other high-impact individuals and his experience in sales and investing.About Marell Evans:Marell started his career in sales at IBM and Okta. He moved into the investing when he joined 415 in 2017, an early-stage fund founded by Owen Van Natta. From there he moved to Softback to help with their incubation and investing efforts and launched Exceptional Capital in 2022. He graduated from the University of Michigan.In this episode we discuss:01:41 Marell background and how he started playing football02:25 How Marell was the first college graduate from his family03:27 Who gave him motivation to succeed at an early age05:00 How Marell views the struggles in his early life06:59 The path from footbal to the tech world11:10 Why high-level athletes make strong hires13:37 Leadership is born and honed through sports14:38 Marell’s experience at Okta18:11 What it was like working at Softbank21:28 Lessons he took from his time at Softbank23:50 Marell’s relationship with Draymond Greene and what they have learned from each other26:27 Why athletes going into VC is a techtonic shift for good28:36 How Name Image Likeness is changing college athletics and how his career would have been different if that was in place when he played30:19 The fundraising process for Exceptional Ventures and how he attracted high-profile LPs33:57 What type of support his high-profile LPs have brought to Exceptional Ventures34:57 How to get in touch with MarellFast FavoritesPodcastAll In PodcastBlog/NewsletterFortune Deal TermsTech GadgetGarmin Fitness WatchNew TrendEmerging ManagersBookOutliersLife LessonDon’t let your humility compromise your competencyFollow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here!Podcast production support provided by Agentbee.Agency This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

We hear a lot about building a community and creating startup ecosystems, but what does that really look like? Our guest today, Brendan King, Co-Founder and CEO of Vendasta has built both a community-focused platform and has helped build the startup ecosystem in Western Canada. Vendasta helps small and medium businesses create SaaS offerings by combining best-of-breed software vendors and the expertise of local media companies.About Brendan King:Before founding Vendasta in 2008, Brendan served as COO and a Director of Point2 Realty solutions, growing its membership to over 165,000 agents and brokers in 85 countries. In 2007, he was named one of the '100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders' by Inman News. Prior to that he founded and sold two successful computer retailing operations and also worked for Cameco Corporation as a Geophysicist. Brendan holds an Advanced Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the University of Saskatchewan.In this episode we discuss:01:31 Brendan’s career journey04:39 Lessons he learned that gave him grit and stick-to-itiveness05:48 Why he and Vendasta are focused on the SMB segment07:15 How Vendasta helps serve SMB with a three-sided marketplace10:15 Pain points Vendasta addresses for SMB12:56 The mistakes he made and how they can solve problems for time-starved businesses14:28 Helping build a startup ecosystem in Western Canada16:51 The way Vendasta is adjusting to remote work19:50 Why resuburbanization is a trend moving forward21:52 How remote work is exposing Vendasta to stronger recruiting competition23:40 What Canadian investors can do to further accelerate the startup scene across the country28:02 What government in Canada has done to support Vendasta31:16 The decision of when to go public34:53 What other communities around the globe can do to jumpstart a startup ecosystemFast FavoritesPodcastAll InSaaStrNewsletter/BlogJames ClearDavid Skok For EntrepreneursTech GadgetNestNew TrendRemote Hybrid Organization DesignBookGood to GreatWorking BackwardsThinking Fast and SlowLife LessonBeing challenged is inevitable, being defeated is optionalFollow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here!Podcast production support provided by Agentbee.Agency This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

Finding new ways for e-commerce to connect with consumers is driving today’s guest, Kelly Nyland, Co-Founder and CEO of Whym, to help brands and retailers sell more products via SMS and messaging. Whym has raised $4.3M to build a conversational marketing platform that allows a direct relationship between buyers and sellers using messaging as the medium.About Kelly Nyland:Over the past 15 years, Kelly has had a hand in building four successful tech companies, two of which have realized public offerings during her tenure. As CEO Whym, she has garnered the support and backing of well-respected Silicon Valley investors.She has introduced over 120 digital products, software, apps, and consumer electronics to market in 40 countries. Kelly has worked across a variety of emerging technology sectors including mobile VR / AR, artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning and voice-enabled TTS / STT.She has been responsible for helping startups launch, market, and grow both in the US and overseas. Kelly has lead international GTM and sales teams for over 20,000 points of sale, architected partnerships with Apple and Amazon teams, globally, and established B2B software partnerships for education and developer networks.In this episode we discuss:01:19 Kelly’s background and how she ended up Co-Founding Whym03:42 How the Snap Spectacles launch went down07:14 Lessons she learned from the launch of Snap Spectacles12:14 The initial idea behind Whym16:25 Streamlining the conversational marketing channels21:32 The IP around conversational marketing and early test cases23:16 How the conversational marketing process works for the consumers25:04 Why text is a vital channel27:40 Early adopters of conversational marketing30:48 How Whym works for brands and retailers31:42 The pricing model of Whym and the ROI for brands34:37 How their recent funding round went36:27 Whym’s future plansFast FavoritesFavourite BooksVenture DealsThe InevitableThe Physics of BrandLife LessonPower of will and tenacity will get you further than you knowFollow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here!Podcast production support provided by Agentbee.Agency This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

We may be leaving a golden age of digital marketing, with the rise of Facebook ads, e-commerce and other small businesses were able to find their niche audiences at a fairly reasonable price. But changes to iOS have had broad impacts across many industries. Our guest today, Shanif Dhanani, Co-Founder and CEO of Apteo is hoping to throw a lifeline to marketers of all sizes with his AI-powered platform that helps e-commerce brands personalize their marketing campaigns by predicting what their customers will buy next. Their recommendation engine identifies high-probability upsell and cross-sell ideas for each customer and syncs those recommendations to email and SMS tools.About Shanif Dhanani:Shanif has been in and around the Startup world for his entire career. He was an early-employee and board member of a small startup in 2006 before moving to Booz Allen Hamilton. He went to Tap Commerce and was part of its acquisition by Twitter before he co-founded Apteo in 2019. He got his bachelor’s from the University of Virginia and his MBA from NYU Stern.In this episode we discuss:01:29 Shanif’s journey into startups and data science04:22 How Shanif views his own success05:20 Why Shanif is so public about sharing his life and journey07:08 How recommendations to consumers has evolved and improved over the years09:53 How AI and Natural Language Processing is improving recommendations13:19 Why e-commerce is waking up to the power of recommendations16:43 How Apteo works for e-commerce and some case studies21:48 What the recent changes to iOS are and how they are affecting e-commerce24:41 How Apteo can help fill the void left from the iOS changes30:17 How e-commerce sites can start with platforms like Apteo33:11 The longterm vision for ApteoFast FavoritesPodcastStartup SchoolNewsletter/BlogNeil PatelHomebrewTech GadgetAlexaNew TrendPeople leaving jobs they don’t want to be inBookThe Wealthy BarberLife LessonIt’s always about the peopleFollow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here!Podcast production support provided by Agentbee.Agency This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

We know that one of the most valuable skills that a founder can have is grit. That determination to succeed and take their idea from a dream into reality. Our guest today has a ton of grit and we dive deep into his storied journey from being amongst the early companies at YC to becoming a member of a recent YCW21 class. Richard White is the founder and CEO of Fathom Video, an app for Zoom that allows you to record and highlight, in real-time, your Zoom meetings so you can write your notes later or skip the notes completely and share clips from your calls with colleagues. Ranked #1 Zoom App on the new Zoom App Marketplace, #1 Product of the Day, and #5 Product of the Month for Dec 2021. Fathom also recently raised a $4.7M seed round from a number of great investors including the CEOs of Twitch, Justin and Emmet, Reddit, Cruise, Clearbit, and many more.About Richard White:Richard White has been a founder and deeply entrenched in the Silicon Valley startup scene for the last two decades. He was Product Design lead at Kiko.com, the startup that Justin Kan and Emmett (subsequent founders of Twitch.tv) sold on ebay for $258K. He went on to found UserVoice where he is still chairman of the board. He founded Fathom Video in 2020 and was in YC Class of Winter 2021.In this episode we discuss:01:29 Richard’s journey to founding Fathom Video02:48 Being an early-employee at a YC05 company05:27 Childhood experiences that helped shape him07:04 Why he decided to start a company inside the Zoom eco-system09:15 Why being in a “crowded market” didn’t scare away Richard from starting Fathom Video12:13 Getting comfortable with Zoom itself as a potential competitor13:37 When he first heard about the Zoom App marketplace14:53 Thinking about competition and moving users to use something better17:25 His process of customer discovery and interview to help define a product that was 10x better20:13 What questions founders should ask themselves before entering a crowded market21:09 Best ways to onboard customers so that they experience instant success24:38 Talking about investors about their crowded market26:49 When to launch and how long you should build in private28:34 Richard’s fundraising journey for Thrive Video32:22 Fathom Video’s plans for the future33:40 How to get to product-led growth quicker34:30 The status of Fathom Video’s relationship with ZoomFast Favorites:PodcastThe QuestNewsletter/BlogPassTech GadgetSamson Q2UNew TrendCrypto WinterBookObviously AwesomeLife LessonDon’t be afraid to cold email peopleFollow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here!Podcast production support provided by Agentbee.Agency This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

One of the most misunderstood calculations a founding team can make is when to exchange equity for capital and when you should turn to Venture Debt. We are a Venture Fund, but we are also partners with our founders, and we know that sometimes the better option is Venture Debt. Today’s guests, Tony Barkett, Managing Director of RBCx and Rebecca Skvorc, CFO and Head of Talent at Nudge, talk through the Venture Debt process and when it works (and when it doesn’t)About Tony Barkett:Tony Barkett leads the delivery of industry-tailored capital financing, business advice, and solutions that go beyond traditional banking. And when he isn’t busy supporting the growth of innovative companies in Canada, he’s a sports coach for his two sons and an avid golfer. He started his career at SVB, and did his undergrad at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.About Rebecca Skvorc:Rebecca has 19 years of progressive and diverse financial experience. Prior to her roles at Nudge, she was an SVP at Wave HQ, she’s been in operations and banking for the last 19 years and has successfully closed US$55m in financing over 5 rounds. She got her bachelor’s at Wilfrid Laurier University.In this episode we discuss:01:16 Their journey into the tech eco-system03:17 What is venture debt and why is it issued04:38 How Venture Debt has evolved over the last few decades05:54 Venture Debt from an operator’s perspective07:51 Timing to take on Venture Debt as a startup10:41 Incentives for Debt providers to find high-growth companies11:26 How a company can know its ready for a debt-facility13:53 How Rebecca knew Venture Debt was the right course for her companies15:28 The starting points founders should consider when looking at Venture Debt18:55 Other risks founders should consider when looking at Venture Debt21:19 How Venture Debt is evolving for later-stage companies22:47 When should founders look at cleaning up their debt23:42 Can you use equity to solve a debt problem?24:38 Lessons Rebecca learned from her time at Wave HQ25:45 Picking the right lender for you Venture Debt26:53 How Tony has helped companies survive s**t-hitting-the-fan moments29:19 The importance of honesty and transparency with your bankers and investors31:00 Exciting things about today’s Canadian tech eco-systemTony’s Fast Favorites:PodcastTank TalksNewsletter/BlogTerm SheetGadgetiPhoneNew TrendGoing OutsideBookThe Hard Thing About Hard ThingsLife LessonTeach them to fish, don’t give them a fishRebecca’s Fast FavoritesPodcastAll In PodNewsletter/BlogTim FerrisGadgetiPhoneNew TrendTravellingBookThe EconomistLife LessonHold your loved ones closeFollow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here!Podcast production support provided by Agentbee.Agency  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

With the disaggregation of traditional media, the popularity of influencers, and the unraveling of ad platforms like Facebook, creating a community through content has never been more important. Our guest today knows about the power of content and how it can grow into something world-changing. Austin Rief, is the CEO and Co-Founder of Morning Brew, an online media powerhouse that was founded as a newsletter in the dorms of the University of Michigan in 2015. Its impact and growth quickly became apparent and in 2020 it sold a majority interest to Business Insider for a reported $75M. Austin is also a solo capitalist at his fund, Austin Rief Ventures.About Austin Rief:Austin started at the University of Michigan as a Finance major in 2014, and he left 3 years later with a degree and was well on his way to becoming a media mogul. Co-Founding Morning Brew in 2015 and was originally the COO, he became the CEO in 2021. He also started a rolling fund on Angel List and parlayed that into Austin Rief Ventures, a seed-stage fund.In this episode we discuss:01:34 The early days of bootstrapping Morning Brew02:13 Early expectations for Morning Brew03:41 Lessons learned from the M&A process05:16 Why they decided to sell in 202006:24 What the internal conversations were like around the sale07:48 Why Austin decided to start investing09:28 Reasons why founders seek him out to be on their cap table11:58 Why he believes content and social media can help founders14:31 How his due diligence process works15:50 Favorite questions he likes to ask founders17:27 How he views portfolio construction19:28 Getting allocations in competitive rounds20:33 How he views founders with stacked SAFE rounds21:44 Why it’s okay for founders selling on the secondary24:00 How top funds will need to adapt to smaller investors getting pro rata25:05 Working and attracting LPs as a solo capitalist27:06 Austin’s skillsets that founder come to rely on28:15 The importance of finding a CEO coach31:31 What Austin is most excited about in the startup space34:48 Why it’s important to be in the best companies36:41 The future of Crypto and Defi and why he invested in Rare Circle40:26 Thoughts on the new YC deal structure42:40 What Austin has learned from his misses46:14 Plans for Rief VenturesFast Favorites:Podcast:Trillionaire MindsetAll-InNewsletter/BlogMorning BrewBen ThompsonPack McCormickTech GadgetEight Sleep MattressNew TrendThe feud between threads and shitpostersBook:Not Fade AwayWhen Breathe Becomes AirLife Lesson:Focus on increasing luck’s surface areaFollow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here!Podcast production support provided by Agentbee.Agency  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

A clear trend is these days is the Ops movement. DevOps, AdOps are the most well-known, but more and more support functions are having dedicated systems and platforms created to help support their roles.Our guest today, Josh Sharkey, Founder and CEO of meez, is pioneering the Food Tech space and creating a Google-Drive for restaurants and chefs. He talks about being a non-technical founder and why he wanted to build a dedicated platform for chefs.About Josh Sharkey:Josh started his career as a line cook working for renowned Chef Rick Moonen, he worked his way up the ladder in the NYC food scene (including working with Mario Batali) and became Chef at Gray Cafe in 2004. In 2009, he founded his own restaurant chain, Bark Hot Dogs. From there Josh became COO at Aurify Brands in 2016. Aurify includes chains Five Guys and Le Pain Quotidien. He founded meez inside Aurify in 2017 while still COO, and went full-time at meez in 2020.In this episode we discuss:01:28 How Josh’s journey in the restaurant industry lead him to founding meez04:29 Lessons learned from his first startup Bark Hot Dogs07:06 The early inspiration for meez08:22 The off-the-shelf solutions he tried prior to building something for himself09:54 Why chefs have been forgotten in technology solutions prior to meez12:26 How Josh’s experience has shaped the product offering from meez13:29 Finding user adoption in the chef community14:50 The process of building his MVP16:16 The preconceived notions that needed to rechecked after getting user feedback18:16 Why meez is finding traction20:36 How the vision for the company has evolved as more customers have onboarded21:31 Meez’s data strategy currently and moving forward24:32 Content strategy for meez26:10 What Josh cooks for his family27:41 How recipes add into meez and work for him29:42 Plans for the recent $6.5m seed round with Stuck Capital and Craft Ventures alongside the Founder of Bento BoxFast FavoritesPodcastStarting GreatnessBlogFirst Round ReviewTech GadgetOura RingPitchTrendGig economyBookSiddharthaZero to OneMythical Man-MonthLife LessonEverything is my fault.RecipeFresh pizza doughFollow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here!Podcast production support provided by Agentbee.Agency This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

Today we take a deep dive into the Ripple X Fellowship, with its Founder, Dominic Lau. The world of startups and venture capital can be the road to providing immense value to consumers, founders, and investors, but it also can look like a brick wall to those without insight, connections, or knowledge of it all works. The RippleX Fellowship program gives students looking to become Founders and Investors access to that knowledge, as well as, a cohort of like-minded people to collaborate with.Founded in 2019, the RippleX Fellowship recently launched its tenth cohort and is now making its curriculum open to the public at ripplexfellowship.thinkific.com for students globally to help democratize access to startups and venture capital.About Dominic Lau:Dom joined Ripple Ventures as its first employee right after graduating from Waterloo and has been an integral part of building the firm from day one. He is Principal at Ripple Ventures and runs the RippleX Fellowship and is a Board member on several of Ripple’s Portfolio companies.In this episode we discuss:01:30 Dom’s background and why he wanted to jump into Venture investing02:43 How he got hired at Ripple Ventures04:02 Why Dom started the RippleX Fellowship07:46 What it was like to launch the first RippleX cohort10:19 How the program has evolved over the years11:51 How the fellowship grew to beyond Matt and Dom’s personal networks and into the US13:08 The pitch to participants to get them to apply and thrive in the program14:40 Success stories from the RippleX Fellowship18:05 Other benefits of participation in the fellowship19:22 The importance of the alumni network22:00 Focus of the 10th cohort and moving forward24:33 Why Dom decided to open up the curriculum to anyone27:21 The importance of persistence when applying to programs like the RippleX Fellowship28:15 The long-term vision of the RippleX Fellowship29:03 Why the RippleX Fellowship prides themselves on diversityFast FavoritesPodcastBeautiful Stories from Anonymous PeopleNewsletter/BlogVeradi VerdictTech GadgetNinja CoffeemakerNew TrendWeb3 Gaming (Here’s Dom’s Blog Series on Web3)BookMaybe You Should Talk To SomeoneLife LessonMomentum is EverythingFollow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here!Podcast production support provided by Agentbee.Agency  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

Investors from the coasts can fall into the flyover trap, looking only for opportunities in larger coastal Metros like Silicon Valley or NYC, but our guest today Chris Olsen, Founding Partner of Drive Capital, threw conventional wisdom to the wind by leaving a job at Sequoia Capital and moving to Columbus, Ohio to raise a new fund and bet on founders in underserved geographies. Since then, Drive Capital has grown to $1.2B AUM and its portfolio includes Duolingo, Udacity, Lightstream, Root Insurance, and Comply360.About Chris Olsen:A native of Cincinnati, Chris is a Co-Founder and Partner of Drive Capital, a Columbus-based venture capital firm focused on investing in world-class technology companies outside of Silicon Valley. Prior to founding Drive, Chris was a Partner at Sequoia Capital for six years and helped launch the firm’s first growth fund. Chris’ first job out of school was on the professional squash circuit where he quickly learned he was better suited to work with entrepreneurs.In this episode we discuss:01:36 How Chris’ time at Sequoia Capital shaped him as an investor04:52 Biggest winners and some of the lessons he took away07:02 What he learned from the misses during that time08:33 The importance of teams and iteration for early startups10:03 The aha moments of when he saw the opportunities outside of Silicon Valley14:32 The reality of being comfortable when you are starting something new18:20 How he found his co-founders and why he moved before the fund had closed23:52 Factors that Drive Capital looks at when investing in an underserved geography25:35 How new ecosystems are made and how institutional dollars flow into new cities27:58 Why Canada has been a focus of Drive’s recent investment30:19 How Canada’s founders differ from US founders and why immigration is Canada’s secret weapon32:42 Why Chris like founders to take big swings to create large enterprises36:02 The culture of speed that Drive Captial has built and how founders should think about working with them39:51 What Chris is excited about and nervous about in the current VC market43:23 How Drive’s business model has evolved over the last 8 yearsFast FavoritesPodcast20 Minute VCBlog/NewletterThe EconomistTech GadgetTesla Model XNew TrendGrowth of capital and companies outside of Silicon ValleyBookThe Old Man and The SeaLife LessonYou’ve got to fail until you succeed.Follow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here!Podcast production support provided by Agentbee.Agency This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com