The Startup Solution
by Threshold Ventures
Latest episode
It's All About You/It's Not All About You
It's All About You/It's Not All About You
About this podcast
The Startup Solution tackles the make-or-break situations that entrepreneurs face, offering clear advice on how to survive and thrive in an early-stage company. Who's it for? Founders, startup execs, and investors who want to learn from real-world situations, unpacked by Heidi Roizen, a "recovering" entrepreneur and current VC who has seen it all through 40 years and 40 boards.
Heidi uses a case method to unpack a new situation in each episode, breaking down why it's a big deal and talking about how it was solved or could have been solved. The situations are from her direct experience, though all names and details have been changed to uphold our commitment to the Entrepreneur Protection Program.
Heidi has spent 40 years in the tech startup world, the first dozen years as an entrepreneur herself, and since then, 25 years as a venture capitalist. She's served on over 40 boards, from seed stage to public companies. She also co-leads the Threshold Venture Fellows program at Stanford University and is a partner at Threshold Ventures.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 41 episodes
- It's All About You/It's Not All About You · 11 min · Season 4 Episode 10In this episode, Heidi discusses how founders tend to swing between two extremes — thinking it's not all about them (when actually, it is), or believing it's only about them and…
- Inside the Black Box of VC Behavior · 18 min · Season 4 Episode 9While the internal dynamics of a VC firm may feel like a black box, you can often infer what's going on based on how your VC is acting – if you know what to look for. In this…
- Understanding Your Investor's Zone of Indifference · 18 min · Season 4 Episode 8Founders need to understand investor priorities before they require investor action. The investor's 'zone of indifference' describes an issue that can be problematic. In this…
- The Art of the Cold Email · 20 min · Season 4 Episode 7Mastering cold emails is a superpower—one that can unlock dream investors, top-tier hires, and world-class mentors. The most successful founders craft messages that break through…
- The Case of the Elusive Earnout · 20 min · Season 4 Episode 6If you're considering an earnout, you should know exactly what is involved to set expectations – and to give yourself the highest chance of it amounting to something. Heidi…
- How to be a Great Mentee · 18 min · Season 4 Episode 5Successful entrepreneurs seek out mentors to positively impact their careers. But how do they find a mentor, initiate contact, and build a relationship? As an experienced mentor…
- The Case of the Venture Debt Dilemma · 20 min · Season 4 Episode 4All entrepreneurs should understand what venture debt is so they can make an informed decision to take it or not. Heidi poses a series of questions and scenarios to help founders…
- The Best Entrepreneurs are Great at Business · 19 min · Season 4 Episode 3Many entrepreneurs start companies to solve a big problem or apply innovative technology, or both. But when they fail, it's typically the result of a business issue. Heidi has…
- Six Word Operating Manual for Entrepreneurs · 11 min · Season 4 Episode 2When the world is uncertain, it is especially challenging for an entrepreneur to steer their company forward. Heidi's six-word operating manual helps founders face the unknown…
- The Case of the Shareholder Shenanigans · 17 min · Season 4 Episode 1Shareholder voting rights are an essential element of the many crucial decisions made in a company. For example, they may come into play during a fundraise or M&A. In this…
- The Case for a Relationship-Driven Life · 19 min · Season 3 Episode 10Over 20 years ago, Heidi Roizen became the subject of a Harvard Business School case that is still one of the most popular cases taught at business schools around the world…
- How to Think About Dilution · 16 min · Season 3 Episode 9In Season 3 Episode 8 of The Startup Solution, Heidi covered "How to Think About Venture Capital" and explained the VC business model. She now wants to dive into the topic of…
- How to Think About Venture Capital · 14 min · Season 3 Episode 8To determine if you should pursue VC dollars to fund your company, you first need to understand how the venture capital model works. Heidi covers the type of businesses and…
- The Case of the Compromised Capital · 14 min · Season 3 Episode 7A person with a big online presence is calling out Athena for the seed investment she received from a big corporation that appears to be in opposition with Athena's company's…
- The Case of the Verbal Term Sheet · 17 min · Season 3 Episode 6Rudy, a founder in fund-raising mode, received a verbal term sheet. A what? Heidi informs Rudy that there is no such thing as a verbal term sheet and flags all the other issues…
- The Case of the Radical Recap · 16 min · Season 3 Episode 5Simone is a founder in a challenging situation. The only financing she can raise comes with a catch – she needs to do a recap. Heidi reviews how Simone landed in this position…
- The Case of the Dubious Debt · 14 min · Season 3 Episode 4What do you do when you want to exercise your startup's stock options but need to borrow money to do so? Do you take an interest-free loan from your company? Heidi counsels her…
- The Case of the 409a Freak-out · 11 min · Season 3 Episode 3Many founders, like Alyssa, worry that a 409a valuation is considered a true market-based assessment of a company's overall worth or potential. It is not. Heidi points out…
- The Case for the Independent Director · 12 min · Season 3 Episode 2An independent director can play a crucial role in mitigating conflicts of interest among board members while also providing valuable input. Heidi explains what an independent…
- The Case of the Infallible Founder · 15 min · Season 3 Episode 1Chester, an early-stage entrepreneur, wants to put terms in place so he can never be fired by his board. Like many founders, he saw what went down with Sam Altman at OpenAI and…
