Podcast by Paige Soya
25 June 2026
How do venture capital firms actually exit their investments when startups are staying private longer than ever before?
On this episode of High Stakes, hosts Paige Soya and Nick Duafala sat down with Andrew Seter, Principal at Savano Capital, to unpack venture liquidity, the growing secondary market, and how founders, employees, and investors are accessing liquidity outside of traditional IPOs and acquisitions.
As private companies delay public offerings and remain private for longer periods of time, secondaries have become an increasingly important part of the venture ecosystem. But what exactly are they, who benefits from them, and why has the market grown so rapidly?
In this episode, we discuss:
Whether you're a founder, operator, investor, or simply curious about how venture capital works behind the scenes, this episode breaks down one of the fastest-growing areas of private markets in an approachable way.
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35:41
11 June 2026
How long does it actually take to raise venture capital?
In this episode of High Stakes, Paige Soya and Nick Duafala sit down with Matt Bressler, Co-Founder and General Partner at Lookout Ventures, formerly TDF Ventures, to discuss venture capital deal timelines, fundraising momentum, and the diligence process that takes place behind every investment decision.
From initial founder meetings to signed term sheets, they explore what causes fundraising processes to move quickly, what causes deals to stall, and why many of the fastest investments begin months—or even years—before a company officially starts raising capital.
Topics covered include:
Whether you're raising your first round, preparing for a future fundraise, or simply interested in how venture capital works behind the scenes, this episode offers practical insights into how investors build conviction and make investment decisions.
Subscribe for more conversations with founders, investors, and operators shaping the startup ecosystem.
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37:26
28 May 2026
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51:54
14 May 2026
Most people assume VCs are evaluating traction, revenue, or the pitch deck first.
Those things matter — but often, the real signal is something harder to quantify: how a founder thinks.
In this episode of High Stakes, Nick Duafala and I sat down with Neil Shah (CEO of ThinkNimble) to unpack how investors actually evaluate founding teams — especially in a market where AI is fundamentally changing how companies get built.
A few take aways:
→ You can often tell within the first 15–20 minutes whether a founder has the qualities you want to back.
→ Investors are ultimately evaluating the quality of thinking behind the business — not just the business itself.
→ As AI removes more of the execution friction, thoughtful strategy, judgment, and founder insight become even greater differentiators.
We also get into:
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41:58
30 April 2026
In this episode of High Stakes, Paige Soya sits down with Dadi Akhavan, a startup-to-IPO founder and angel investor, to break down one of the most important dynamics in early-stage investing: angel investors vs venture capitalists.
While both play critical roles in the startup ecosystem, the way they invest and what they need from their investments iis fundamentally different.
We explore how those differences shape everything from deal selection to decision-making to founder outcomes.
Key themes include:
Dadi also shares insights from his own journey, from building companies to taking one from startup all the way to IPO, and how that experience shapes his approach to investing today.
This episode is a deep dive into the mechanics behind startup funding decisions, and what founders often overlook when choosing between angels and VCs.
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39:50
16 April 2026
How do venture capitalists actually find deals and how can founders break into those conversations? In this episode of High Stakes, Paige Soya and Nick Duafala are joined by Taylor Margot (Partner at Lytical Ventures) to break down one of the most important, and often misunderstood, parts of venture capital: deal sourcing. They unpack where deals really come from, from warm referrals and deep networks to unexpected moments of curiosity, and why the strongest opportunities are often driven by relationships, not cold outreach. The conversation goes beyond surface-level advice to explore how sourcing has evolved, the role of personal brand, and why depth matters more than breadth in today’s market. For founders, this episode is a playbook. The group shares practical strategies for getting in front of VCs, from leveraging your network the right way to standing out at events, and what not to do if you want to build lasting investor relationships. They also dive into the psychology behind cold outreach, why most inbound gets ignored, and how to increase your odds of getting that first meeting. Whether you're an investor looking to build deal flow or a founder trying to raise capital, this episode offers a clear, tactical look at how connections actually turn into deals and how to position yourself on the right side of that equation. What you’ll learn: -How VCs really source deals (and why it’s not just about “who you know”) -The difference between warm intros, cold outreach, and organic discovery -Why deep relationships outperform wide networks -How founders can effectively get in front of investors -The biggest mistakes founders make when approaching VCs -Why venture is a long game—and how to play it
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