Top Decile Podcast

What's Actually on the Shelf | Moy Aras, Lucinda Capital

Moy Aras spent over a decade running brand and innovation at Chobani, Nestlé, Nespresso, Aloha, and Applegate before betting on early-stage CPG founders the way he wished someone had bet on him. He wrote angel checks, built a 13-brand portfolio, and launched Lucinda Capital in 2025. We get into why the consumer brands that matter most get built by founders with audacity rather than pedigree, how operational experience inside major CPG companies creates an edge that pattern-matching VCs simply don't have, and what early indicators -- velocity, retention, margin profile -- let you spot a winner before the rest of the market catches on. Through Lucinda Capital, Aras is backing pre-seed CPG founders who have the bravery to walk into a grocery store and demand shelf space for something the world didn't know it needed.

The Missing Bet in Music Tech | Collette Tibbitts, Joker Deck

Collette Tibbitts spent years at the intersection of music and tech, consulting for Island Records and Sony Music Nashville and working on blockchain at Universal Music Group. She co-founded Joker Deck to back the founders venture capital has consistently walked past. We get into why music tech is a proving ground for innovations that expand well beyond the industry, how misaligned access and capital created an arbitrage opportunity that major labels can't fill on their own, and what it means to find the "joker in the deck" -- founders whose ideas are too cross-disciplinary to fit a traditional VC box. Through Joker Deck Ventures, Tibbitts is building a pre-seed fund at the creative-technical frontier, backed by an artist's instinct for what catches fire.

Going Against the Grain in VC | Oscar Carreón & Roberto Nieves, Cabra Ventures

Oscar Carreón and Roberto Nieves co-founded Cabra Ventures after careers spanning Mexico, China, the Netherlands, and the Middle East, including Roberto's time in institutional investment at Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. They set out to build the fund they always wished existed for founders who don't fit the traditional VC mold. We get into why the next wave of fintech will be built by founders that mainstream venture capital overlooks, how they validated their thesis by pitching across the GCC before writing a single check, and what it takes to build LP conviction as a first-time emerging manager.

Backing the Systems Pharmacy Needs Next | Christian Tadrus, Pharmacy Innovator Fund

Backing the Systems Pharmacy Needs Next | Christian Tadrus, Pharmacy Innovator Fund Why pharmacy needs new infrastructure to connect to care, payment, and clinical workflows, how economic misalignment is holding the profession back, and what it takes to build a fund from inside the industry you're trying to change. Through Tadrus Advisory Group, Christian Tadrus launched the Pharmacy Innovator Fund to back early-stage companies modernizing pharmacy operations, economics, and clinical care delivery.

Why Neurotech Is at an "AI in 2016" Moment | Varun Turlapati, Chaanakya Capital

Varun Turlapati spent 16 years as a software engineer before founding Chaanakya Capital, a $2M pre-seed fund backing US neurotech and medtech startups. His edge is his master's in electrical and computer engineering. He can evaluate the science-heavy deals most VCs don't even understand. Find out why neurotech is at the same inflection point AI was in 2016. Hear how one company puts a bionic hand on both amputees and robotic arms for hazardous industrial environments. And discover why Varun is focused on entering early in a field where others prefer to wait for de-risking.