For the third year running, Boston Speaks Up took over the Startup Boston Week stage for a three-hour live podcast marathon.
This year, we dove into three big themes: raising capital the right way, modern venture studio models, and the evolving role of AI in product building.
We kicked things off with Steve Walsh (Hands On Angel, Pitch Lift) and Rob Hughes (Koo Capital, HelpBnk, Pitch Lift). Their chemistry was obvious — friends who often collaborate, they riffed on when founders should pursue dilutive (equity) versus non-dilutive (debt) capital.
Steve was blunt about the importance of networks over checks:
“The most valuable thing I will ever bring a startup is my network. The money is the least valuable thing.”
Rob broke down how Koo Capital plays matchmaker between growth-stage companies and private credit funds, often structuring deals from $500K to $600M. His reminder was clear:
“Equity is about opportunity. Debt is about risk. Equity investors ask how much they’ll make; debt providers ask if you can pay it back.”
Together, they painted a picture of complementary capital strategies — and why founders should think beyond the binary of VC or nothing.
