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Want to know if a founder is actually going to win? Don’t look at their numbers. Look at who they hire. If they’re afraid to hire someone smarter than them, Brian is out. In our latest conversation, we discussed the difference between Confidence and Arrogance. Arrogant founders think they have every answer. They stay the "smartest person in the room" until the room eventually shrinks around them. Confident founders have "Soft Confidence." They have the vision, but they also have the self-awareness to hire experts who challenge them. They don't care about the ego, they care about the mission. Check out the full podcast episode on youtube and streaming! #fyp #business #venturecapital #investing #startup

In today's market... How do you stay differentiated? Most people think the answer is being the smartest person in the room. That how you win deals and influence people right? But according to Brian Garrett, that’s a losing game. After 20 years in the VC trenches, Brian knows his biggest competitive advantage is outworking everyone else, not outsmarting them. He approaches venture like a Product Manager. He doesn't just write a check; he asks the hard questions: - Why me? - Why now? - Why Crosscut? If you can't differentiate the way you actually work with a founder, you're just another commodity check. Check out the full episode on youtube and streaming! #fyp #business #venturecapital #investing #startup

Stop scrolling for 10 seconds. Brian Garrett has a hard truth for you. "Nobody reads anymore.” That’s a bold statement coming from a VC who spends his life looking at pitch decks and memos. But Brian Garrett is right. We are so distracted by the "next thing" on our feed that we’ve lost the ability to truly go deep. We skim. We swipe. We move on. As a founder, you can spend months articulating a "differentiated approach" in a 50-page doc... and guess what? Very few people actually care. If you want to win you have to be a master of synthesis. You have to be able to grab attention in a world that has zero to give. Brian and I sat down to talk about how Crosscut Ventures is navigating this lack of attention and why the best investors are the ones who can boil the complex down to the simple. Check out the full episode on youtube and streaming! #fyp #business #venturecapital #investing #startup

I asked Brian Garrett for his #1 piece of advice after 20 years in Venture Capital. His answer: "Strip out the bullshit.” Coming from a guy who has spent 20+ years at the top of the VC game, you might expect talk about EBITDA or "market headwinds." But Brian is coming off a year that would break most people. He lost his home in the Palisades fires and faced major family health battles. When you go through that kind of fire, your perspective shifts. Fast. His message to founders is simple: Stop wasting minutes on the noise. Focus your time on the work you actually care about and the people who actually love you. Every minute of your day should be focused on doing good work. This is easily one of the most raw and honest episodes of Demo Day we’ve ever recorded. We dive into the "Techno-Industrial Era," the evolution of LA Venture, and what it really takes to survive the "gut punch" years of entrepreneurship. The full episode is out now. You’re going to want to hear this one. Trust me. Watch/Listen to it on youtube and streaming! #fyp #business #venturecapital #investing #startup

General funds used to make sense...but nowadays VCs need to specialize. I got to talk to Brian Garrett, who is someone that experienced this change first hand. Crosscut Ventures started as a general fund but as the market got more crowded, Brian had to start specializing in FrontierTech. In our latest episode of Demo Day, Brian breaks down why "standing for everything means you stand for nothing" in today's market. He’s moved past the generalist model to go deep on the "Techno-Industrial Era" - investing in things that actually solve humanity’s biggest problems, like space, defense, and energy. But we didn't just talk shop. Brian opened up about a "gut punch" year in 2025—from losing his home in the Palisades fires to facing major family health battles. Here’s what else we covered: - The Lead Investor Trap: Why names and brands still matter more than they should in fundraising. - Confidence vs. Arrogance: How to spot the difference in a founder’s hiring practices. - The "Techno-Economic" Lens: Why Crosscut is shredding apart financial line items to find real value in Deep Tech. - Founder Dynamics: The real reason why 15-year partnerships like the one between Rick Smith, Brett Brewer, and Brian are so rare. → Check out the full podcast episode on youtube and streaming! #fyp #podcast #business #venturecapital #startup

Brian Lee coming in with a hot take: Should kids be allowed to use AI in schools? He says, “Why not?” “It exists. It’s here. It’s not going away.” Brian’s point: Not allowing kids to use new tools doesn't protect them, it handicaps them. Some points to consider: - The Future is AI-Native: If we aren't teaching the next generation how to leverage these tools, we aren't preparing them for the world they’re actually going to live in. - The "Calculator" Moment: Remember when teachers said you wouldn't always have a calculator in your pocket? They were wrong then, and the AI-naysayers are wrong now. - Mastery vs. Mimicry: We should be teaching kids how to prompt, how to fact check, and how to think alongside AI - not how to pretend it doesn't exist. Check out the full conversation with Brian Lee on youtube and streaming! #ai #aitools #school #business #tech

When I was first starting out, I wanted to try everything. I’d see a new trend and think: "We should do that, that, and definitely that." But as Brian Lee (Managing Partner at BAM Ventures) pointed out in our recent chat, that’s a mistake. Brian’s been in the game for 25 years. He founded BAM Ventures, Arena Club, LegalZoom, etc. His mantra: Time is the ultimate scarcity. You can’t always control the market, but you can control where you put your effort. The classic "CE-No." You need the discipline to grow your core foundation before you even think about extending into something else. Check out the full episode for more insights from Brian out now on youtube and streaming! #business #ceo #founder #venturecapital #investing

Want to know the most underrated trait in a successful founder? It’s not technical skill or IQ… It’s likability. Charisma, Magnetism, High EQ - it all boils down to the same thing. Leadership isn't about ruling with an iron fist. It’s about: - Respect: Giving it to get it. - Vision: Being able to share your "why" so clearly that people actually want to follow you. - Synergy: Building a relationship where the team feels understood, not just managed. As Brian Lee says in this clip, the entrepreneurs who can actually connect with people, and get them to understand where they’re coming from, are the ones who tend to do better in the long run. 📈 Check out the full episode out now on youtube and streaming! #business #ceo #founder #venturecapital #investing

"What’s the number one job of a CEO?" I asked Brian Lee (Founder of BAM Ventures & Arena Club) this question on the latest episode of Demo Day. Here’s what he said: Don’t run out of money. Simple but brutal. Coming from a guy who has led multiple IPOs and built unicorns, this hit home. Brian reminds us that a CEO is actually a "CE-NO." As a leader, countless opportunities will come your way. But you need the clarity and drive to focus solely on the mission of the company. Brian and I also discussed: - Likability vs. Leadership: Why being "likable" is the most underrated trait in a founder - The "Accidental" VC: How he turned 100+ angel investments into @BAM Ventures. - Hiring Fast, Firing Faster: Why keeping a non-performer on a small team is a death sentence. If you’re a founder navigating this market, this episode is your survival guide. Out now on youtube and streaming! #business #ceo #founder #venturecapital #investing

When you specialize in a particular field, you find the opportunities that others miss. In industries like Financial Services, complexity is a moat. If it’s easy to understand at a glance, it’s probably already crowded. If it’s "funky," you might just have a winner. Don’t be afraid of the deep end. Specialization is your edge as a founder. Check out the full podcast with Ben Savage (Partner at Clocktower Ventures) out now on youtube and streaming platforms! #fyp #business #entrepreneur #venturecapital #founder

Here’s a founder mindset that VCs avoid investing in: They use ‘I’, ‘my’, and ‘mine’… Instead of ‘we’ and ‘our’ when talking about their company. Ben Savage (Partner at Clocktower Ventures) reminded us on the latest episode of Demo Day: “Companies are just people.” If a founder sees themselves as the only hero in the story, they’ve already hit a ceiling. You can’t win if you can’t get people aligned. And you can’t get people aligned if they don’t feel ownership. Sure, sometimes it’s just a slip of the tongue. But sometimes it’s a reflection of a deeper view. Catch the full episode here on youtube and streaming platforms! Founders + VCs -- what’s your take on this? #fyp #business #entrepreneur #venturecapital #founder

Occasionally, Ben Savage asks himself after meeting a founder: "Do I want to compete against this person?" If the answer is a hard NO... That’s when you know you’ve found a winner. I sat down with Ben Savage, Partner at Clocktower Ventures, for a new episode of Demo Day, and he shared some absolute gems. We dropped the full episode today! 🎙️ Make sure to follow us on your favorite platform so you don’t miss it! Sean Goldfaden on youtube and Demo Day Podcast on streaming. Big thanks to Ben Savage for coming on! #fyp #business #entrepreneur #venturecapital #founder

and the answer is no... that’s a powerful indicator.” That line has been living rent-free in my head since we finished recording. I sat down with Ben Savage (Partner at Clocktower Ventures) for a deep dive into the mind of an experienced investor. Here’s a look at what we covered: - Fintech’s Evolution: Why the next decade of financial tech will look nothing like the last one. - Systematic Sourcing: How Clocktower built a machine to find the best deals before they’re obvious. - The Power of Conviction: Why being "lukewarm" on a deal is the fastest way to lose in VC. If you’re building in Fintech, or if you're a founder trying to understand how the best VCs actually make decisions, you need to listen to this one. Full Demo Day episode with Ben Savage out now on youtube and streaming platforms! Tag a founder who you wouldn’t want to compete against in the comments below ⬇️ #fyp #business #venturecapital #investor #investing

The beauty industry completely breaks the “normal” rules of competition. Jesse Draper explains why beauty is one of the most fascinating categories in e‑commerce: - It’s insanely saturated… but not truly competitive in the zero-sum way most industries are. - Beauty founders partner with each other, cross-promote, and happily live side by side. - There isn’t “one winner takes all” because women don’t want one product… they want many. But here’s the catch if you’re trying to build a venture-scale beauty brand today: You can’t just quietly spin something up from a mom-and-pop shop and expect VC-style growth. The brands that break out share a common playbook: - Thoughtful, authentic influencers attached from day one. - Multiple creators driving narrative, not just ads. - Distribution that feels like community, not just commerce. Influencer-driven commerce isn’t a “nice to have” in beauty anymore. It is the go-to-market. Want to gather more insight into the beauty industry? Check out the full podcast with Jesse Draper (General Partner at Halogen Ventures) on youtube and streaming! #fyp #business #entrepreneur #venturecapital #founder

This is a horror story every founder should hear. It’s basically a tutorial on how to destroy your own company: Jesse Draper shares a real example of a founder who was so insecure, they systematically fired every great person they hired. Here’s how it played out: - They hired a rockstar CFO. - The CFO crushed it. People noticed. - The founder heard, “They’re doing such a great job,” and said, “I’m actually better at finance.” - Fired them. Took the job back. Then they did the exact same thing with the tech team. “Actually, I’m better at the tech. I’ll take it from here.” Fire. Replace. Repeat. You can’t be elite at product, finance, ops, AND engineering forever. And if every smart person feels like a threat instead of an upgrade, you’ve put a hard cap on how big your company can get. The best businesses are built by founders who: - Hire people much smarter than them. - Give them real ownership. - Don’t need to be the hero in every function. If your ego needs to be “the best” at everything… you’re insuring your own demise. Founders & VCs: any horror stories you can share with the class? Check out the full podcast with Jesse Draper (General Partner at Halogen Ventures) out now on youtube and streaming! #fyp #business #entrepreneur #venturecapital #founder