Creating the VC firm he needed as a startup founder - Ethan Austin

Welcome to this new episode of Explore and thank you for your continuous support. If you want to support the show you can give a 5 stars review ✨ on Spotify/Apple podcast.This is the final episode of Explore Season 2 - thank you for your support! Together, we've grown the podcast and had the opportunity to speak with incredible guests. I’ll share a dedicated post reflecting on the last six months soon, but don’t worry Season 3 will bring even more learnings, there's plenty more to learn!This week, I sit down with Ethan Austin, former entrepreneur and founding partner at Outside VC. Ethan spent 7-years building GiveForward, a crowdfunding platform he sold to Gofundme. 2-years ago, he launched Outside VC with the goal of building a more equitable and just financial system through pre-seed investments ($100K-$250K first checks). In our conversation, Ethan talked about:* Founding a crowdfunding platform* Navigating early days as a non-technical founder * Securing investment by creating FOMO* Loosing everything after Facebook turned off traffic* Lessons learned from being part of Techstars* Tactical strategies for getting into accelerators* The importance of transparency and relationships with founders* Outside VC's investment philosophy * Understanding the economics of venture capital.Listen now on 🟢Spotify or 🟣Apple Podcast.Where to find Ethan:🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fintech-investor/🔗 Outside VC: https://outside-vc.com/Where to find me:🔗 LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugorauch/🔗 Newsletter: https://explorepodcast.substack.com/Timestamps: 00:00 Meet Ethan Austin: From Founder to VC01:25 The Birth of a Fundraising Platform02:35 Challenges and Early Struggles03:28 Pivoting to Medical Crowdfunding04:45 Lessons in Startup Focus and Adaptation06:09 Emotional Challenges of Pivoting07:49 Building the First Product Without Technical Skills09:07 The Motivation Behind Starting the Company12:48 Early Traction and Accelerator Experience16:34 Moments of Validation and Growth21:10 Fundraising Journey and Strategies27:28 The Importance of Personalization in Crowdfunding28:20 Challenges and Strategies in Crowdfunding29:47 The Acquisition by YouCaring and Its Impact31:29 Joining Techstars: A Life-Changing Experience36:12 Investing in Outsiders: A Unique Venture Capital Approach41:31 The Investment Process and Building Trust with Founders49:11 Understanding Venture Capital Economics51:41 Conclusion and Final Thoughts This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateventuresvco2.substack.com

Om Podcasten

VCo2 helps you become a better impact investor and climate tech entrepreneur. I'm Hugo, an aspiring climate tech investor. On VCo2, you'll dive into the intersections of venture capital and climate tech, gaining insights into the industry while following my journey as I become a VC. In every episode, we dive deep into the world of climate tech and venture capital to uncover what’s working today. and what we need for tomorrow. From groundbreaking innovations to the strategies fueling successful startups, you'll hear directly from the founders, investors, and leaders shaping the future. This podcast is for all the people interested in building, investing, and supporting impact startups. If that's you, don't forget to hit that follow button and leave a 5-star review. 💚 climateventuresvco2.substack.com