Tom McLeod on Startups, Tech, and Creative Financing | Ep 93

What 640 Oxford Founding Partner Adam Gartenberg Learned on 400 Factory Tours| Ep. 97

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1902723/open_sms] In this episode, host Paige Doherty sits down with Adam Gartenberg, co-founder at 640 Oxford and former Head of Product & Ops at Uber Rider Innovation.  They discuss Adam's 400 factory tours to build unique investment insights, how to build with urgency, the psychology of early-stage execution, and Adam’s unique lens on product strategy, shaped by startup experience and scaling inside Uber. Watch the full episode for: Early-stage speed & decision-making Leading product in scrappy vs. scaled environments Lessons from Uber & 640 Oxford Advice for builders trying to gain traction Connect with Paige 🌱💜 Behind Genius Ventures blog | https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/ Personal Blog | https://paigefinndoherty.com/ Twitter | https://x.com/paigefinnn Connect with Adam Gartenberg 🌱💜 Twitter | https://x.com/adamgartenberg Email | adam@sixfortyoxford.com Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1902723/support]

Alex Bean on Selling Divvy for $2.5B, Early Hustles, & Building Factory for Good | Ep 96

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1902723/open_sms] Alex Bean, co-founder of Divvy (acquired by BILL.com for $2.5B), joins us to share his founder journey - from teaching ski lessons at 16 to starting multiple scrappy businesses, to scaling Divvy into a fintech giant.  In this episode, we talk about the lessons learned from both early failures and billion-dollar success, what not to do when launching a company, and how he's now building Factory to support other founders. This episode includes: • His earliest business ideas (including one called “Plum Tree Jewelry”) • Why chasing margins doesn’t work • Divvy’s scale-up and acquisition journey • What he's building now with Factory for Good • Advice to young founders just getting started Reach out to Paige: paige@behindgeniusventures.com Twitter/X: https://x.com/paigefinnn Website: https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/ Connect with Alex: LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexbean/ Factory for Good– https://factoryforgood.com/ Listen to Seed to Harvest everywhere: Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/seed-to-harvest/id1600933931 Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/@seedtoharvest/videos Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1902723/support]

James Evans’ Lessons Learned Building a >$50M YC-Backed Business & Selling it to a Public Company | Ep 95

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1902723/open_sms] In this episode, James Evans, co-founder of Command AI (acq by Amplitude), shares his entrepreneurial journey- from childhood ambitions to launching a startup in college and scaling it through YC. He talks about turning a side project into a venture-backed company, navigating the startup grind, and eventually getting acquired by Amplitude. James breaks down the realities of startup life, including hiring, sales vs. product-led growth, and the psychological weight of being a founder. He also walks through the acquisition process, post-acquisition integration, and how he’s continuing to grow in a new role. This episode is packed with candid insight into early-stage building, decision-making, and what comes after the “win.” 00:00 Starting a Company: The Myth vs. Reality  00:08 Interview with James Evans: Early Life and Entrepreneurial Aspirations  01:41 College Days: The Birth of Command AI  02:50 From Side Project to Startup  04:31 Entering Private Equity After Graduation  05:34 The YC Experience and Why Speed Matters  13:26 Marketing and Growth: What Actually Works  16:32 Conserving Innovation and Picking the Right Bets  16:54 Remote Work as a Strategic Choice  17:48 Marketing: From Popups to Planes  19:17 Avoiding Overthinking and Moving Fast  20:30 Angel Investing and Operating Insights  22:38 Hiring, Firing, and Early Team Building  26:02 The Amplitude Acquisition: How It Happened  30:14 After the Exit: Integration and Personal Growth Connect with Paige 🌱💜 Behind Genius Ventures blog | https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbkJOdF9jT0FhUjhMLVpYU3lsRG9XZ1IyNTRoZ3xBQ3Jtc0tuZ0ptdUI3OXFPQjBhZTZVRFhHWnF2bWR5UTM5U19sOTNKTmRVMkZHR2R5X1lRNjg5TF9zazNpeU4wS1N2c0MxcmlLR2xod004RjllN1VaUVc0X2ptanJvY21ObVhNaWhTSmFsMWIyWVpoOXN4WllvMA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.behindgeniusventures.com%2F&v=_d90D4avvY8] Personal Blog | https://paigefinndoherty.com/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqblp5c2tXS2g1WjhsUU5URjN6U0oyNDhSQ0Frd3xBQ3Jtc0tuS3FjQmNPalpNTlpla3ZvWGpjbDg2TEpIdTJkTXpWS1ZPZGhJLWdyV0VocWtzRzBuNVBCQnBYRGdxZlk0aFJnNmNNc0wwUjM0Y1Z4NkdyMkZLdjFpeTdTaU12QXNCWVA2QjFRX3hzT0tOLWwwZl9qNA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fpaigefinndoherty.com%2F&v=_d90D4avvY8] Twitter | https://x.com/paigefinnn [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbVdENTVaOWdveVJiWWtmc3pzanFTdlZFWXY2d3xBQ3Jtc0ttYVNZb1Z2d3FMLWRRVmg3emszOEU5T0VzZVZtLW9HRFFtb1pUTEIycW1hWjVtMDg0c2JQWTExVWREd0ZvSkNfNFpONFVOSnhfOUpxOHhoWVp5Qi1adjdPZTFrYXdEOTRVQ0VWdmFoYUt6Z1hoSEVqZw&q=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fpaigefinnn&v=_d90D4avvY8] Links 🔗 James Evans – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesbevans/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesbevans/] 🔗 CommandBar – https://www.commandbar.com/ [https://www.commandbar.com/] 🔗 Y Combinator – https://www.ycombinator.com/ [https://www.ycombinator.com/] 🔗 Amplitude – https://amplitude.com/ [https://amplitude.com/] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1902723/support]

Lessons I Learned Writing and Self-Publishing a Children's Book About VC | Ep 94

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1902723/open_sms] Hi everyone! In this episode, I’m doing something a little different — walking you through the three phases of self-publishing my first book, Seed to Harvest, a children’s book about venture capital. I’ll share the full behind-the-scenes: how I came up with the idea, what the writing and publishing process looked like, how much money I made (real numbers!), and how this book helped launch Behind Genius Ventures. In this episode, I cover: * How to validate book ideas like a startup * What it actually costs to publish a book (and how I crowdfunded it) * How writing Seed to Harvest helped me raise a $5M venture fund * How being online (especially on Twitter) played a major role in all of this * What I’d do differently next time Whether you’re curious about writing a book, starting a fund, or just love a good build-in-public story, I hope this helps you take the leap on your own creative project. 📍Follow me:  Twitter (X): @paigefinnn [https://twitter.com/paigefinnn] Email: paige@behindgeniusventures.com Website: behindgeniusventures.com [https://www.behindgeniusventures.com] Book: Seed to Harvest: A Simple Explanation of Venture Capital available on Amazon Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1902723/support]

Tom McLeod on Startups, Tech, and Creative Financing | Ep 93

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1902723/open_sms] Tom McLeod isn’t your typical founder or investor. He bootstrapped a SaaS to 100k users, built a League of Legends app used by millions, sold it to Tencent, and now backs businesses at the intersection of identity, community, and cashflow. Think: car clubs, not cloud infra. In this episode of Seed to Harvest, Tom breaks down: • The 3 founder archetypes he’s seen across cycles • Why he hires founders (even though they always leave) • What he learned going from bootstrapped to venture-backed • How he thinks about underwriting non-venture-scale returns It’s a fresh take for anyone rethinking capital models or scouting overlooked operator talent. Connect with Paige 🌱💜 Behind Genius Ventures blog - https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/ Personal Blog -  https://paigefinndoherty.com/ Twitter -  https://twitter.com/paigefinnn Connect with Tom 🌱💜 Email- Tom@saltwater.com  Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/tmcleod/?hl=en Twitter- https://x.com/tmcleod3?lang=en Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1902723/support]