Shows
Beyond The ShelfExperiment More and See What Happens— with Tenacity Venture Capital’s Ben NarasinDave’s guest this week is Ben Narasin, Founder and General Partner of Tenacity Venture Capital. Ben is a venture capitalist and longtime entrepreneur who invests at the intersection of technology, commerce, and consumer behavior — with a career spent backing (and building) companies that shape how brands sell and operate in a digital-first world.In this episode, Dave and Ben talk about how the VC lens on commerce has evolved, why “AI strategy” is quickly moving from curiosity to ROI scrutiny, and what founders and operators should do as the pace of change accelerates. Ben shares a pragmati...
2026-02-2432 min
The Blue SwanBen NarasinFrom Teenage Hustler to Dot-Com PioneerBen Narasin’s journey is a testament to reinvention and resilience. From his early days as a 12-year-old hustler with entrepreneurial ambitions to becoming the founder of Tenacity Venture Capital, Narasin’s path is marked by conviction, adaptability, and a deep empathy for founders. By his teens, he was already innovating and finding ways to make money, but it was the launch of Fashionmall.com in 1993 that set him apart. Envisioning a future where fashion and the internet would intersect, Narasin led Fashionmall.com to become one of the first e-commerce comp...
2026-02-2454 min
The Blue SwanBen NarasinFrom Teenage Hustler to Dot-Com PioneerBen Narasin’s journey is a testament to reinvention and resilience. From his early days as a 12-year-old hustler with entrepreneurial ambitions to becoming the founder of Tenacity Venture Capital, Narasin’s path is marked by conviction, adaptability, and a deep empathy for founders. By his teens, he was already innovating and finding ways to make money, but it was the launch of Fashionmall.com in 1993 that set him apart. Envisioning a future where fashion and the internet would intersect, Narasin led Fashionmall.com to become one of the first e-commerce companies to go public in 1...
2026-02-2454 min
Bee Formless™ Flow Driven CEOWhat if resistance isn’t a roadblock, but the real path to greatness is tenacity? | Ben NarasinIn this episode of the Bee Formless™ Flow-Driven CEO Podcast, I had an incredible conversation with Ben Narasin about life, leadership, business, and the inner fire it takes to survive and thrive across decades of entrepreneurship and venture capital.We explored the real mindset behind early-stage investing, founder conviction, and why tenacity is part of the path to greatness.Through the Bee Formless™ methodology, we explored:LEARN✨ Entrepreneurial Gut: Trust your instincts and build from the inside out✨ Surviving the Darkest Times: What no one tells you about enduring as a founder UNLEA...
2026-02-1045 min
Squawk PodCalifornia Wealth Tax & Top AI Picks for 2026 12/30/25California labor groups are pushing to add a statewide wealth tax on billionaires to the November ballot, setting off a rift among Democrats and drawing backlash from the tech community. Ben Narasin, founder of Tenacity Venture Capital, breaks down the proposal, the response from Silicon Valley, and the political pressure facing Democrat Congressman Ro Khanna, who expressed support for the idea. Then, CNBC’s Courtney Reagan reports on the rising personalization of retail returns and Wedbush Securities’ Dan Ives shares his top AI stock picks for 2026. Plus, metals rebound, President Trump continues his pressure on Fed Chair Jay Powell, and...
2025-12-3035 min
Layer ZeroConviction, Tenacity, and a 97% IRR with ex-NEA and Tenacity VC’s Ben NarasinI sat down with Ben Narasin, Founder and General Partner of Tenacity Venture Capital, for a wide-ranging conversation on what it takes to consistently back and build generational companies. Before launching Tenacity, Ben was a General Partner at NEA, one of the largest venture funds in the world, and earlier in his career founded FashionMall.com, which he led to an IPO during the first dot-com wave. Across decades in venture and entrepreneurship, his returns have been remarkable with a 97% IRR that reflects both discipline and conviction.In this episode, we unpacked how Ben developed his founder-first...
2025-11-1120 min
"Cut The Check" with Mack Meyer | VC MxThe Art of Seed & Why Latin America | Ben NarasinIn this engaging conversation, Mack Meyer interviews Ben, a seasoned entrepreneur turned investor, about his journey from starting his first business at age 12 to becoming a prominent figure in the venture capital world. Ben shares insights into his experiences with early-stage investing, the importance of choosing the right board members, and his passion for seed investing. The episode also explores Ben's perspective on the venture capital landscape in Latin America and his admiration for the drive and focus of Latin American founders.Fllow us on social media @venturecapitalmx for more updates on LatAm Venture anf F...
2025-10-2441 min
Opening PathwaysSE01 E43 - Leadership and Trust in Business | With Ben NarasinIn this conversation, Ben Narasin, founder and general partner at Tenacity Venture Capital, shares his journey as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He discusses the evolution of seed investing, the importance of leadership and trust in business, and the impact of technology on entrepreneurship. Ben emphasizes the significance of tenacity, execution over ideas, and the realities of being an entrepreneur. He provides valuable advice for aspiring founders, highlighting the challenges and rewards of the entrepreneurial journey.Connect with Ben Narasin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bennarasin/We hope you enjoyed this episode of...
2025-09-291h 00
DECODED - Alfie Whattam PodcastLessons from IPOs, Entrepreneurship, & Venture Capital | Ben NarasinDECODED PODCAST 197- Website: https://alfiewhattam.com- X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/alfiegwhattam- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/alfiegeorgewhattam- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alfie.whattam- Instagram: https://instagram.com/alfie_whattamOUR SPONSORS- Alfa AI Recruiter: https://welovealfa.com- Newsletter: https://codermagazine.substack.com
2025-08-1931 min
Future-ProofedHow to Pitch a VC Like a Pro: Ben Narasin’s Unfiltered Advice for StartupsBen Narasin, founder of Tenacity VC and early investor in Lending Club and Zenefits, shares his incredible journey from entrepreneur to venture capitalist. Learn why he focuses on seed-stage startups, how he evaluates founders, and the tough-love advice every entrepreneur needs to hear. Discover the mindset behind building billion-dollar companies and avoiding common pitfalls in fundraising.⏱️ Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction02:15 - Ben’s entrepreneurial journey & founding Tenacity VC08:30 - Why seed-stage investing is his passion15:45 - The biggest mistakes founders make when pitching VCs22:10 - How AI is changing startups (and VC due dilige...
2025-04-2356 min
Believe you can because you can!From Entrepreneurship to Venture Capital (#777)Today’s guest is Ben Narasin, a seasoned entrepreneur turned venture capitalist with over 25 years of entrepreneurial experience and a decade in early-stage investing. Ben is the Founder and General Partner of Tenacity Venture Capital, a firm dedicated to high-conviction investments in early-stage technology companies. His portfolio boasts early investments in notable companies like Dropcam,…
2025-03-1225 minSquawk PodKatie Ledecky: Just Add Water 9/6/24The most decorated American woman in Olympic history, Katie Ledecky has written a memoir, “Just Add Water.” In a special interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin, Ledecky shares details about her swimming life–including both leisurely and competitive moments in the pool. She explains what she thinks about, while swimming 1500 meters, and how she’ll prepare for the 2028 Olympic Games. Plus, CNBC’s Megan Cassella reports on the CEOs backing former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, but venture capitalist Ben Narasin is unhappy with both candidates running for President this year. The startup investor explains why he votes as a...
2024-09-0628 min
Tech Business Roundtable PodcastVenture Chronicles: A Founder's Odyssey into the Heart of Tech Capital with Ben NarasinIn this insightful podcast episode of Venture Chronicles: A Founder Odyssey into the Heart of Tech Capital, Ben Narasin, founder of Tenacity Venture Capital, shares invaluable wisdom on navigating the world of venture capital and entrepreneurship. From the importance of tenacity and understanding investor dynamics to practical tips on pitching and reaching out, Ben offers a wealth of experience and advice for both founders and investors alike. Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of the entrepreneurial journey and the dynamics of the tech industry.
2024-03-2639 min
Office Hours with David MeltzerBen Narasin, Rajeev Kapur, Alvin PohBen NarasinAn entrepreneur since 12, he spent much of the early 2000s acquiring companies in the consumer Internet and e-commerce industries and providing liquidity to shareholders. Prior to his acquisition investment and consulting roles, he founded Fashionmall.com in 1993 which became one of the first e-commerce companies in the world and the first cost-per-click portal. He took Fashionmall.com through a successful public offering in 1999.Rajeev KapurHe is CEO of 1105 Media, Inc. a PE-backed leading provider of Business to Business Marketing, Events, and Media services where he oversees a diverse portfolio of...
2023-12-2649 min
The One Away ShowBen Narasin: One Comic Book Away From a Lifetime of EntrepreneurshipBenjamin Narasin is the Founder and General Partner of Tenacity Venture Capital, a Palo Alto-based firm dedicated to backing innovative Pre-Series A founders. Ben spent 8 years as a seed investor and 7 as a traditional VC, the last 5 of which were at New Enterprise Associates, before launching Tenacity with NEA's support. Tenacity focuses on the earliest stages of venture: Seed and Pre-Seed. Ben's curiosity has him engaged with a wide variety of fields, activities, and interests, including fintech, mobile, and emerging markets, as well as freelance writing about wine, food, travel and entrepreneurship for print and on...
2023-09-1554 min
Forging The Future with Chris HowardDebunking the Success of Spray & Pray Investing with Tenacity’s Ben NarasinBen Narasin, Founder and General Partner at Tenacity Venture Capital, joins the pod this week to talk about his journey from young entrepreneur to seasoned investor. Instead of a spray and pray investment approach, Ben takes pride in Tenacity’s strong investment vetting processes and dedication to the entrepreneurs they invest in. Talking points for this episode include last quarter metrics for Tenacity, advice for startups looking to get funded, and how Ben was involved in Softeq’s most recent Demo Day.
2023-07-2031 min
DrinksWithAVC (DWAVC)DWAVC: Ben Narasin | Ep. 21Holiday cheers with a visionary on Drinks With A VC featuring Ben Narasin of Tenacity Venture Capital. Tracing back to his roots as an e-commerce pioneer with Fashionmall.com, Ben shares tales of early-stage triumphs, from DropCam to Kabbage. Vik and Bree tap into his love for comic books, his recent puppy adoption, and why Dungeons & Dragons aligns with venture strategy. Tune in for an episode filled with insights and Ben's philosophy: "Life is not about having what you want, it's about wanting what you have."Links:www.tenacity.vcwww.twitter.com...
2022-12-241h 56
Liftoff with Keith Newman: For Founders looking for a new growth playbook and further inspiration.Ben NarasinIf you’re a budding entrepreneur, venture capitalist or angel investor, you have to listen to this episode on The Look Back with the one and only Ben Narasin of TenacityVC (not to be confused with Tenacious D) who brings his secret recipes for investing and building successful startups. Ben’s a renowned entrepreneur with many amazing startups who went on to connect with the venerable NEA before launching his own firm.
2022-12-0745 min
This Week in StartupsBen Narasin on raising a new VC fund in a down market, + Natalie Barbu of Rella | E1515Today, Jason and Molly speak with Ben Narasin of Tenacity VC about raising a new venture capital fund in the down market (1:30). Then, for this week's segment of OK Boomer, Producer Rachel sits down with Natalie Barbu of Rella (1:00:33).
(0:00) Jason intros today’s show!
(1:30) Jason and Molly speak with Ben Narasin of Tenacity VC
(11:45) Masterworks - Skip the waitlist to invest in art using promo code TWIST at https://Masterworks.io/twist
(13:07) How do you make a decision to sell a percent of your position?
(26:59) Bubbles - Get your po...
2022-07-231h 25
Believe you can because you can!183. How To Pitch Your Startup With Ben NarasinMany startups are growing with the right investment. How to find investors who believe in your idea? Ben Nasarin shares his valuable insights. Watch or listen to the entire episode to know a lot more. Wanna get more traffic? Submit your request on my website – https://unmiss.com/ Here is our sponsor – Ahrefs which provides…
2022-06-1548 min
The Full Ratchet (TFR): Venture Capital and Startup Investing DemystifiedReplay — NEA's Investment Process & The Key Ingredients for Startup Success (Ben Narasin) In this special replay of Episode 154, Ben Narasin of NEA joins Nick to discuss NEA's Investment Process & The Key Ingredients for Startup Success. In this episode we cover: - Why he made the move to NEA - His Investment focus - The investment process the firm and if decisions are made by committee - Ben's Evaluation Process - The key factor that every successful founder possesses - The common red flags that pop up and cause him to say no to strong startups - Why he believes his job is to s...
2021-12-2058 min
Soul Searching#35 Ben Narasin | Founder & General Partner at Tenacity Venture CapitalBenjamin (Ben) Narasin Talks about starting his own venture fund, his learnings from 14+ years of investing , The Silicon Valley Exodus and much more.
2021-12-161h 01
How I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 215 How I Raised It With Ben Narasin Of Tenacity Venture CapitalProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Ben Narasin of Tenacity Venture Capital, a new seed stage fund that invests in FinTech, mobile, marketplaces, gaming, and other categories.
In this episode, Ben talks about how he raised 2/3rds of the $50 million target in only 25 days, what multiples on investment he expects at the seed stage, how he plans to use SPVs, how to set a target amount for a new fund, what types of startups he's looking to invest in, and much...
2021-11-0351 min
Geeks Of The Valley#56: Raising a Venture Capital Fund with Tenacity Venture Capital's Ben NarasinBen Narasin is the Founder and General Partner of Tenacity Venture Capital, a pre-Series A venture fund. Immediately previously, Narasin wes a full time investor and Venture Partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), one of the worlds largest and oldest traditional venture firms. A prolific entrepreneur and highly regarded early-stage investor with three decades of company-building expertise, Narasin has focused on emerging technologies and new markets throughout his investment career. With a portfolio comprising key early successes in some of today’s fastest growing sectors, such as fintech, digital marketplaces, mobile and connected devices. His overarching focus in seeking new in...
2021-08-1532 min
Geeks Of The Valley#56: Raising a Venture Capital Fund with Tenacity Venture Capital's Ben NarasinBen Narasin is the Founder and General Partner of Tenacity Venture Capital, a pre-Series A venture fund. Immediately previously, Narasin wes a full time investor and Venture Partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), one of the worlds largest and oldest traditional venture firms. A prolific entrepreneur and highly regarded early-stage investor with three decades of company-building expertise, Narasin has focused on emerging technologies and new markets throughout his investment career. With a portfolio comprising key early successes in some of today’s fastest growing sectors, such as fintech, digital marketplaces, mobile and connected devices. His overarching focus in seeking ne...
2021-08-1532 min
1Mby1M Entrepreneurship Podcast538th 1Mby1M Entrepreneurship Podcast with Ben Narasin, Tenacity Venture CapitalBen Narasin is Founder and General Partner at Tenacity Venture Capital, a new Seed fund.
The post 538th 1Mby1M Entrepreneurship Podcast with Ben Narasin, Tenacity Venture Capital first appeared on Sramana Mitra.
2021-07-2431 min
The AFT podcast: At the Forefront of Transactions | Payments | Fintech | Pay-tech | BankingInvesting in Apps since the First iPhone was Released - With Benjamin NarasinBenjamin Narasin, Venture Partner at New Enterprise Associates talks about changes he’s seen in the VC space over the last decade+, and about the process of taking one of his companies public. We also discussed alternatives to the pitch decks and ways founders can speed up their fundraising process.
Benjamin's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bennarasin/
NEA: https://www.nea.com/
Ben's Twitter: https://twitter.com/BNarasin
Ben's blog: Ben Narasin's Writings. Sybaritic & Silicon Valley.
2021-05-1430 min
How I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 198 How I Raised It With Dejan Pralica Of SoleSavyProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Dejan Pralica of SoleSavy.com, an online community for sneaker aficionados.
In this episode, Dejan shares how he came up with the idea, the evolution of the sneakerhead community, his experience going through Jason Calacanis' LAUNCH Accelerator, raising capital from VCs like Ben Narasin and musical acts like Diplo, and more
The Company recently raised a $2 million party round from Panache Ventures, Jason Calacanis’ LAUNCH, Turner Novak, Ben Narasin, Morning Brew’s Alex Lieberman and Aust...
2021-05-0727 min
Dollar Auction ShowInvesting in Innovation with NEA's Ben NarasinToday, Shimon and Alex welcome famed entrepreneur and star VC – Ben Narasin of NEA. We discuss what founders should look for in VCs, where pockets of opportunity are in the market, how to think about innovation, the Biden proposed Capital Gains Tax increases, and even Bitcoin and crypto. -------------------NEA is a global venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses with nearly $24 billion in cumulative committed capital. NEA focuses on tech and healthcare companies. Ben is a prolific entrepreneur and a highly regarded early-stage investor with mega hits such as: Dr...
2021-05-051h 03Dollar Auction ShowBen Narasin PreviewOn Wednesday, May 5th, on the Hardcore Finance Show (http://hardcorefinance.com), Shimon and Alex welcome famed entrepreneur and star VC – Ben Narasin of NEA. We discuss what founders should look for in VCs, where pockets of opportunity are in the market, how to think about innovation, the Biden proposed Capital Gains Tax increases, and even Bitcoin and crypto. -------------------NEA is a global venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses with nearly $24 billion in cumulative committed capital. NEA focuses on tech and healthcare companies. Ben is a prolific entre...
2021-05-0402 min
The Ramped PodcastHow I Sell 17: Nima Elyassi-Rad, Co-Founder of Eterno & Fractional VP of Business DevelopmentNima Elyassi-Rad is a Fractional VP of Business Development and the Co-Founder of Eterno. On today's episode, Danny Leonard sits down with his dear friend Nima to discuss his journey in sales. They cover many topics, including: Nima asks himself two high-level questions during every job: Am I Learning? & Am I ContributingHad entrepreneurial itch early in his career / college careerFirst entrepreneurial experience working at Ian’s Pizza in MadisonRead Brad Feld article and became interested in venture capitalFirst sales job was selling $150 boomboxes, then became a telemarketer and learned a ton about getting rejectedThe Groupon experience - had inc...
2021-02-2333 min
Geeks Of The Valley#43: Venture Investing Wisdom with NEA's Ben NarasinBen Narasin is a Venture Partner at NEA. A prolific entrepreneur and highly regarded early-stage investor with three decades of company-building expertise, Narasin has focused on emerging technologies and new markets throughout his investment career. With a portfolio comprising key early successes in some of today’s fastest growing sectors, such as fintech, digital marketplaces, mobile and connected devices. His overarching focus in seeking new investments is, in his words, “to find founders who make me say wow.”Narasin is a 25-year entrepreneur and 10-year early-stage investor. His knack for spotting emerging trends led him to make seed investments in com...
2021-02-2236 min
Geeks Of The Valley#43: Venture Investing Wisdom with NEA's Ben NarasinBen Narasin is a Venture Partner at NEA. A prolific entrepreneur and highly regarded early-stage investor with three decades of company-building expertise, Narasin has focused on emerging technologies and new markets throughout his investment career. With a portfolio comprising key early successes in some of today’s fastest growing sectors, such as fintech, digital marketplaces, mobile and connected devices. His overarching focus in seeking new investments is, in his words, “to find founders who make me say wow.”
Narasin is a 25-year entrepreneur and 10-year early-stage investor. His knack for spotting emerging trends led him to make seed i...
2021-02-2236 min
Wharton FinTech PodcastBen Narasin, Venture Partner at NEA – Navigating IPOs, Fintech Investing, & Guiding FoundersMiguel Armaza sits down with the fascinating Ben Narasin, Venture Partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), a global venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses across multiple stages, sectors, and geographies. Founded in 1977, NEA has received nearly $24 billion in cumulative committed capital since day one.
Ben is not only a prolific investor but also a celebrated founder who launched fashionmall.com in 1993 and took the company public six years later.
We talked about
- Ben’s journey and entrepreneurial ambitions
- A deep dive into his experience taking FashionMall public via IPO and the challenges it entails
...
2021-02-1038 min
FinTech Silicon ValleyBen Narasin Venture Partner New Enterprise Associates (NEA) on Covid-19 crisis for startupsBen Narasin is a prolific entrepreneur and early-stage investor with three decades of company-building expertise. His portfolio comprises of key early successes in fintech, digital marketplaces, mobile and connected devices. His seed investments include Dropcam, Lending Club, TellApart, Kabbage and Zenefits. Before NEA, Narasin most recently served as a General Partner at Canvas Ventures, and was previously with TriplePoint Capital, where he oversaw the firm’s seed funding investment activities. He founded several consumer companies before launching his investing career, including Fashionmall.com which led to a successful IPO. He holds a B.A. in Entrepreneurial Studies from Babson Coll...
2020-06-0913 min
The Full Ratchet (TFR): Venture Capital and Startup Investing DemystifiedInvestor Stories 99: Post Mortems (Martino, Simoudis, Narasin)On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Paul Martino Evangelos Simoudis Ben Narasin Each investor discusses a portfolio company that did not survive and why it was that they failed. To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.
2018-11-1413 min
Moving UpBen Narasin (NEA) - Taking rational risk in exchange for ridiculous rewardHow to do Crossfit for your brain, not finishing books and why tenacity is the only thing that matters.
2018-10-1634 minThe Full Ratchet (TFR): Venture Capital and Startup Investing DemystifiedInvestor Stories 89: The Strange & Unusual (Farmer, Kaden, Narasin)On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Chris Farmer Rebecca Kaden Ben Narasin Each investor describes the most unusual situation or pitch that they've encountered as an investor. To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.
2018-06-2009 min
Between 2 Term SheetsEpisode 3 - Investors Ben Narasin & Owen Matthews chat financingBen and Owen discuss the definition of 'angel investment' and early stage investment into tech companies in Silicon Valley and Canada
2018-05-3000 min
Between 2 Term SheetsEpisode 3 - Investors Ben Narasin & Owen Matthews chat financingBen and Owen discuss the definition of 'angel investment' and early stage investment into tech companies in Silicon Valley and Canada
2018-05-3026 minThe Full Ratchet (TFR): Venture Capital and Startup Investing DemystifiedInvestor Stories 82: Lessons Learned (Mohnot, Turner, Narasin)On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Sheel Mohnot Guy Turner Ben Narasin Each investor illustrates a critical lesson learned about startup investing and how it's changed their approach. To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.
2018-04-0212 minThe Full Ratchet (TFR): Venture Capital and Startup Investing Demystified154. NEA's Investment Process & The Key Ingredients for Startup Success (Ben Narasin)Ben Narasin of NEA joins Nick to discuss how NEA makes decisions, why he joined the firm and the key traits he looks for in founders. In this episode, we cover: -Why he made the move to NEA -His Investment focus -the role of Venture Partner at NEA -the investment process the firm... and if decisions are made by committee -Ben's Evaluation Process -the key factor that every successful founder possesses -The common red flags that pop up and cause him to say no to strong startups -Why he believes...
2018-01-151h 00
Branchout 2017Panel - Rethinking Growth & Retention in the Mobile Age: Strategies for...Elevate your mobile growth & retention strategies with insights from this panel moderated by Ben Narasin (Venture Partner @ NEA) and featuring Sash Catanzarite (of Tradesy), Ashley Lewis (of Dollar Shave Club), Travis Corrigan (of Beachbody), and Mike Duboe (of Stitch Fix).
2017-12-0841 min
Life, Adventures & Piracies of Captain SingletE6: Ben Narasin shares his strategy behind 80 portfolio co's (w/ 50% Series A conversions & 3 unicorns), proven t...Ben Narasin has a unique view on early-stage investing, quite different than Jason's, and today on "Angel," he shares his proven thesis and dives into a track record that speaks for itself, with over half of his seed companies reaching Series A, and 3 unicorns. Ben explains what he looks for in a startup (teams factors heavily, but not exclusively), the absolute critical characteristic a founder must have to succeed, and executing on the strength of your convictions. Plus, portfolio hits, misses, regrets, and more.
2017-09-251h 14
The AI in Business PodcastHow to Raise Money for Your AI Startup – with Ben Narasin of Canvas VenturesIn this episode, recorded live at Canvas Ventures in Portola Valley, I speak with Ben Narasin, a partner with Canvas and an avid venture investor in AI and ML companies, some of which we've interviewed (Crowdflower and Mulesoft), along with many others that we haven't (like Siri). Ben doesn't look for AI to invest in; instead, he looks for companies to invest in, a subtle but important difference in a business world increasingly caught up in the explosion of AI and ML technologies. From investments in Nuance to more recent one such as Houzz, Narasin has solid idea...
2017-02-0530 min
2015-10-1635 min