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Harry Stebbings · Business

The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

The Twenty Minute VC (20VC) interviews the world's greatest venture capitalists with prior guests including Sequoia's Doug Leone and Benchmark's Bill Gurley. Once per week, 20VC Host, Harry Stebbings is also joined by one of the great founders of our time with prior founder episodes from Spotify's Daniel Ek, Linkedin's Reid Hoffman, and Snowflake's Frank Slootman. If you would like to see more of The Twenty Minute VC (20VC), head to www.20vc.com for more information on the podcast, show notes, resources and more.

Episodes

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20VC: Fiverr CEO: ‘If You’re Not Adapting to AI, F* You. You’re Done | Why "Time to Copy" is the Most Important Metric in Startups Today | Why 99% of AI Companies Today Will Die | Why Governments Will Take Control of AI with Micha Kauffman

09 Jun 2025
1h 6m
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In this episode of the 20VC podcast, Harry interviews Micha Kauffman, the CEO of Fiverr, about the impact of AI on jobs and the future of work. Micha shares his blunt perspective on the need for individuals to take responsibility for their own professional development in the face of AI advancements, rather than relying...

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20VC: The Science of Storytelling: Three Steps to Master the Perfect Story | From Near Death Experience to Unicorn Startup: The Untold Story of Omaze with Matt Pohlson

06 Jun 2025
1h 25m
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In this episode of 20VC, Harry Stebbings interviews Matt Pohlson, the founder and CEO of Omaze, about his entrepreneurial journey, which includes a near-death experience and the evolution of Omaze from celebrity experiences to offering houses as prizes. Matt shares insights into Omaze's early struggles, breakthrough ca...

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20VC: Is Chamath Right: Is DPI The Only Thing That Matters | Does OpenAI Even Matter | Mary Meekers AI Report: The Analysis| IPO Breakdown: Chime, Circle & Thoma Bravo's New Fund

05 Jun 2025
1h 23m
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This episode of 20VC features Harry Stebbings, Jason Lemkin, Rory O'Driscoll, and Sam Lessin discussing venture capital strategies, IPOs, and the impact of AI. They debate the merits of TVPI versus DPI, the hollowing out of mid-sized VC funds, and whether most Series A funding is wasted. The conversation covers Chamath...

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20VC: Windsurf Founder on Will Model Companies Own the App Layer | Why Moats Do Not Exist in a World of AI | Why the Notion of Single Person $BN Companies is BS | Lovable vs Bolt & Cursor vs Windsurf: How Does it All End with Varun Mohan

02 Jun 2025
1h 5m
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In this episode of 20VC, Harry Stebbings interviews Varun Mohan, the CEO of Windsurf, an AI-native IDE. Varun discusses Windsurf's journey, including multiple pivots, and how they achieved rapid growth to become a leading platform used by over a million users. The conversation covers the importance of challenging conve...

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20Sales: From $2M ARR to $40M ARR: The Playbook | How to Use AI To Supercharge Your Sales Team | Why Pipeline Reviews are BS | The Sales Call Script that Closes 99% of Prospects and How to Hire the Best Sales Reps with Kyle Norton, CRO @ Owner

30 May 2025
1h 18m
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In this episode of 20 Sales, Harry Stebbings interviews Kyle Norton, CRO of Owner.com, about building and scaling high-performing sales organizations. Kyle shares his experience at Shopify and Owner.com, emphasizing the importance of product knowledge for sales leaders and the need for a systems-engineering approach to...

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20VC: OpenAI's $6BN Jony Ive Deal | YC Is Both Chanel and Walmart—and Has Officially Won | Builder.ai Implodes and Hinge IPOs: Who Wins & Who Loses | Seed Is Easy. Series A Is Brutal & The Dirty Truth About Late-Stage Venture

29 May 2025
1h 19m
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In this episode of 20VC, Harry Stebbings, Jason Lemkin, and Rory O'Driscoll dissect recent events in venture capital and tech. They analyze Insight Partners' deals, including a significant loss with Builder.ai and a successful Hinge IPO, discussing the implications of large fund sizes and the changing dynamics of ventu...

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20VC: The Most Insane Story in Startups: Airwallex: The Angel That Turned $1M into $1BN | The Fund That Pulled a Term Sheet & Lost $1BN | Rejecting Stripe's $1.2BN Offer | Scaling to $1BN in Revenue & 100% YoY Growth for 8 Years with Jack Zhang

27 May 2025
1h 26m
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In this episode of the 20VC podcast, Harry interviews Jack Zhang, the co-founder and CEO of Airwallex, a global payments and financial infrastructure company. Jack recounts his early life, marked by financial struggles and working various jobs in Australia, which instilled in him resilience and a strong work ethic. He ...

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20VC: ElevenLabs Head of Growth on Why You Do Not Need PMs | The 7-Part Launch Playbook That Gets 700K+ Views Per Product | The Truth About CAC, Payback & Performance Marketing in AI with Luke Harries

23 May 2025
1h 15m
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In this episode of 20 Growth, Harry Stebbings interviews Luke Harries, Head of Growth at ElevenLabs, about growth strategies, product building, and team scaling. Luke shares his background, including his early experiences at a hackathon and founding Fela. The conversation covers ElevenLabs' horizontal product offering,...

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20VC: Chime IPO: The Breakdown | Why Fund Returners Are Not Enough & Seed is for Suckers | Are IPOs Dead & The Future of the Late Stage Private Market | Rippling vs. Deel Lawsuit: WTF Happens Now?

22 May 2025
1h 17m
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In this episode of 20VC, Harry Stebbings, Rory O'Driscoll, and Jason Lemkin discuss current trends in venture capital and the tech industry, including Chime's IPO and its implications for other companies considering going public. They analyze the potential valuation of Chime, the role of late-stage investors, and the i...

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20VC: Duolingo Co-Founder on Why $3M is Harder than $100M to Raise | Why You Should Always Take Tier 1 VCs Even at Worse Terms | Why Europe Can't Win Unless the US Screws Up | How AI Impacts the Future of Work and Education with Severin Hacker

19 May 2025
1h 31m
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This episode explores the transformative impact of AI on education, particularly within Duolingo, and broader implications for the future of work and learning. Severin Hacker, Duolingo's co-founder, discusses the company's shift to an "AI-first" approach, detailing how AI accelerates content creation and enables person...

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20Product: Figma CPO on How Figma Builds Products: What Works, What Does Not | How Figma Does Testing and Product Reviews | The Future of Design, Engineering and Product with Yuhki Yamashita

16 May 2025
1h 1m
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This episode explores the evolving landscape of product development with Yuhki Yamashita, Chief Product Officer at Figma, focusing on strategies for balancing simplicity with advanced features and adapting to the rapid pace of technological change. Yamashita emphasizes the importance of observing how users "hack" a pro...

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20VC: Tiger Global Saved by OpenAI | Coatue's New Fund: Hype or Substance | Why SBF is the Greatest Investor of the Last 5 Years | Why Big Funds are Investing in Perplexity

15 May 2025
1h 14m
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This episode explores the evolving landscape of venture capital and AI's impact on various industries, touching on fund strategies, investment decisions, and emerging market trends. The discussion begins with Owner's successful $120 million funding round, highlighting the importance of strong metrics and founder networ...

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20VC Exclusive: Mercury Founder Launches First $26M Fund | Why Founders Should Take the Highest Price | Why Serial Entrepreneurs are Better | Why AI Is So Overhyped | The Future of Venture Capital with Immad Akhund

12 May 2025
1h 2m
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This episode explores Immad's journey from angel investing to launching his first institutional fund, focusing on lessons learned from 350 angel investments and the strategic decisions behind Mercury's growth. Against the backdrop of his experience with Mercury, including a Series B at 120x revenue, Immad emphasizes th...

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20VC: Four Traits of the Most Successful Founders | How to Hunt and Close Talent Like a Pro and Where All Founders Go Wrong | Lessons Raising $397M From the Best Investors in the World with Eléonore Crespo @ Pigment

09 May 2025
1h 9m
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This episode explores the journey of Eléonore Crespo, co-founder and CEO of Pigment, from her time as an investor at Index Ventures to building a high-growth company. Crespo details how a back injury led her to re-evaluate her career and identify the qualities she sought in a co-founder, emphasizing the importance of c...

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20VC: Benchmark vs a16z: Why Stage Specific Firms Win | Windsurf Sells For $3BN | Decagon Raises at 100x ARR | Do Mega Funds Win the Future of VC | What Does Harvard's Losing Their For-Profit Status Mean for VC

07 May 2025
1h 11m
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This episode explores the evolving landscape of venture capital, particularly the shift towards mega-funds and their impact on the industry's future. Against the backdrop of Windsurf's potential $3 billion acquisition by OpenAI, the discussion pivots to whether mega-funds will dominate venture investing, considering th...

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20VC Exclusive: Why Mega Platforms Will Win in VC | Why You Cannot Do VC If You Do Not Do Pre-Seed | Why Market Sizing is BS | Where Will Foundation Models Build/Buy Apps vs Where Will They Not with Bucky Moore

05 May 2025
1h 5m
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This episode explores Bucky Moore's move to Lightspeed Venture Partners and his insights on the evolving venture capital landscape, particularly regarding AI and mega-platforms. Against the backdrop of emerging trillion-dollar outcome companies like SpaceX and OpenAI, Moore discusses the strategic advantage of mega-pla...

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20Sales: Sierra: Inside Silicon Valley's Fastest Growing Sales Machine & How to Prospect, Outbound and Close Enterprise Deals in AI

02 May 2025
1h 25m
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This episode explores the challenges and strategies of building a high-performing sales team in a rapidly growing AI company. Against the backdrop of Reggie Marable's career journey, from a CRO setback to a first-line sales leader at Salesforce and his current role at Sierra, the discussion highlights the importance o...

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20VC: Why Fund Returners Are Not Enough Anymore | Why Sequoia Had the Best Strategy at the Worst Time | What it Takes to Be Good at Series A and B Today | Benchmark Leads Manus Round: Should US Funds Invest in Chinese AI

01 May 2025
1h 24m
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This episode explores the current state of the venture capital landscape, particularly focusing on the challenges and opportunities presented by the rapid rise of AI. Against the backdrop of a prolonged period of low liquidity and high valuations, the panelists discuss the difficulties in achieving satisfactory returns...

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20VC: VCs are Spreadsheet Monkeys and are Commoditised | Why Fees and Carry Misalign GPs and LPs | Why Founders Will Realise Multi-Stage Funds Damage Seed Rounds | Why We Need European Sovereignty More Than Ever with Taavet Hinrikus

28 Apr 2025
58m
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This episode explores the evolving landscape of venture capital, particularly in Europe, through an interview with Taavet Hinrikus, a partner at Plural and founder of Wise. Against the backdrop of a commoditized VC industry, Hinrikus argues for a more founder-centric approach, emphasizing alignment of incentives throu...

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20Growth: Inside Kraken’s $1.5BN Growth Playbook: What Works, What Doesn’t and What No Founders Understand About Growth That Will Change Their Company with Mayur Gupta

25 Apr 2025
52m
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This episode explores the multifaceted nature of growth marketing within product-led companies, particularly focusing on the interplay between product development, organic growth, and paid marketing strategies. Against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving digital landscape, the discussion highlights the limitations of t...

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