What Are VCs Looking For in 2026? | Matt Cohen (Ripple Ventures)

The Finance Mistakes Founders Notice Too Late with Rebecca Skvorc (ODAIA)

Most founders obsess over growth. But Rebecca Skvorc, CFO at ODAIA, says the real question is whether your company has the foundation to survive it. In this episode of Mantle Mondays, Rebecca joins Amar Varma to unpack what founders need to understand before the curve starts pointing up: ARR vs. CARR, net and gross revenue retention, cap table complexity, smart resource allocation, remote culture, and why finance should be treated as a strategic partner from day one.

How Founders Can Turn Equity Into Lasting Impact | Colin Hennigar

Colin Hennigar [https://ca.linkedin.com/in/colin-hennigar-4b73b521] of SickKids Foundation and the Upside Foundation joins Mantle Mondays to explain how founders can turn startup equity into lasting impact and why legacy should start long before the exit. Donate to SickKids Foundation: www.sickkidsfoundation.com [www.sickkidsfoundation.com] Learn about the Upside Foundation: www.upsidefoundation.ca [www.upsidefoundation.ca] Manage your cap table on Mantle: www.withmantle.com [www.withmantle.com]

What Are VCs Looking For in 2026? | Matt Cohen (Ripple Ventures)

Raising venture capital in 2026 looks nothing like it did three years ago. Seed-strapped companies are hitting $6M ARR in six months. Pre-ChatGPT portfolios are re-platforming from scratch. Matt Cohen, Founder and Managing Partner of Ripple Ventures, has backed 55+ companies through 13 exits since launching the firm. He joins Amar Varma on Mantle Mondays to break down what's actually getting funded right now — and what isn't. 00:00 Introduction to Venture Capital and Founder's Journey 05:54 The Evolution of Ripple Ventures and Investment Philosophy 12:09 The Importance of Long-Term Commitment in Venture Capital 17:37 The Role of Founders in Shaping the Future of Technology 23:41 Success Stories and Lessons Learned from Portfolio Companies 31:12 Navigating AI and Infrastructure in Tech 39:32 The Role of Relationships in Venture Capital 44:2 Personal Insights and Community Engagement

The Founder's Guide to Managing Post-Exit Wealth

What does it actually take to manage wealth well after an exit?In this episode of Mantle Mondays, Chris Canavan, the General Manager for post-exit founders, breaks down how founders should think about managing post-exit wealth — from preparing your personal finances before liquidity to handling the operational, emotional, and strategic complexity that shows up after the deal closes.

The Build vs. Buy Debate in the AI Era with Ashok Sivanand

AI makes it easier to ship. Ashok Sivanand, founder and former CEO of Integral, explains why that can be dangerous if founders confuse output with progress.In this Mantle Mondays conversation, Ashok breaks down how lean product teams actually win: identify the constraint, sequence the bottlenecks, and tie every prototype to a real business outcome. 00:00 Intro01:17 Ashok’s origin story05:18 Efficiency vs. effectiveness07:56 Silent killers before Series A17:18 AI experimentation and false progress21:56 Build vs. buy in the AI era27:43 The hidden cost of building in-house32:38 What Ashok is optimistic about34:23 Rapid fire